A Little Lost.

Wow ! This is like a minefield trying to purchase the ideal MP3 player, with so many contrasting reviews on what the experts consider to be the best model it’s nigh on impossible to choose, so help and advice needed please.

I currently use a basic 1GB Philips USB type MP3 player given to me by my daughter and although I find it quite good and very reliable, I would like to upgrade to a model that would give me improved sound.

Firstly I would like to steer away from the USB type of MP3, this after having 2 USB memory sticks that have malfunctioned.

Secondly, I would like an MP3 player that lets me dictate the volume level I want to listen at. One of my main gripes with the Philips is the low volume output. Old I maybe but still love my music loud.

Not too bothered about the picture/video side of the MP3, as I purely want it to listen to music.

Thanks for reading and any help you can give will be very much appreciated.

I understand your problem. There is a plethora of choice out there. But luckily there will be lots of things to suit your needs.

Volume is a constant issue for most people. The EU regualate the output of MP3 players in this region so you will never be able to play it too loud. A way to solve this is get a set of good headphones which fit your ears properly. This will block out external noise whilst keeping the good stuff in.

You should consider the ipod route depending on your budget. Amazon or advances mp3 players.com both have a good range from most brands. The reviews on amazon will give you the consumer perspective so thats always a good place to start. If you could provide your budget and exact needs then it would be easier to make a proper recommendation.

Thanks ever so much for taking the time to get back, really appreciate such useful advice.
Take your point on the use of good headphones and so a recommendation on what to buy would be helpful please. – price range £50 - £150.

On the MP3 – Ipod – Must admit to not really being that sure of the difference between the two formats other than I thought that Ipod was for use on Mac computers only.

My price range is again in the region of £50 - £150.

Thanks once again for taking the time and trouble to reply.

Regards.

good earbuds are the Sennheiser CX300, cx400 or cx500 - the last pair would set you back about £35 on Amazon

Firstly ipods are for use with both PC and MAC. You will just have to get a copy of itunes (a very easy download from the www.apple.com/uk. The nano may be a good choice (see the review on cnet), it's available on amazon for around 100 pounds (no pound sign on my keyboard). If your top end is around 150 then you should be able to add a decent set of headphones. My advice is to go to an apple store near where you live and have a chat with them. You will save a few quid buying it elsewhere but at least you can see if it meets your needs.

The software is fairly simple to use but some people have issues with it. Some other mp3 players allow you to just drop the files into a folder as you would normally in windows. There are a whole host of players that do this. If your looking for something at the lower end of your budget then the creative zen stone is available on amazon for 34 pounds. It has more storage than your phillips and should offer a drag and drop facility.

Again the best thing to do is research as much as you can. Just thought this might put you on the right track.

Get an iPod Nano, there excellent mp3 players.

Hello Everyone,

Hope you won’t think me ungrateful after all your great help, but went to the local store on Saturday and tried out a few Ipods and MP3 Players.
I must admit that I was really impressed with a make that was new to me; it was a Cowon D2 4Gb with Dab radio. Sounded superb, but as I don’t know anything about this particular company I thought I would ask if anyone knew anything about this product?

Cheers.

G

This one?

What you will find is that the volume is dictated as much by the headphones you use as the player. The cheap phones supplied with MP3 players are very unresponsive and need a lot of power to push the sound through. If you invest in a decent set of cans you will find that the volume they output is higher and as you are picking up more detail, you don't need them as loud either.

Cowon is another great choice. My brother has one. The menus aren't as good as some other players but in terms of sound quality you can't really go wrong. They are not as popular here in the UK but seem to be making a bigger name for themselves as time goes on.

If you like the Cowon D2 get the D2+ its really just a updated D2 with a better interface.


I think its only about £10 or £20 more.

Thanks everyone for your input but alas the more reviews I read the more confused I become.
Was dead set on the Cowon D2+ but just read a reports that it's mainly for the Geeks who want to continually be on the forums updating firmwear (what ever that might be) and certainly not for someone like me who just wants to listen too good audio.

So my attention turned to the Cowon S9 - Rave reviews everywhere, but look a liitle deeper and some reviews say that it is very cheap in feel and looks quite easy to break - while it is grossly overpriced.

This really is a minefield!!! Once again all I'm looking for is a good MP3 player that is near the top of the charts when it comes to audio reproduction.

Cheers,

G

Go to John Lewis with a good pair of headphones and listen to a few!

Alternatively, buy an IPod, anything from Archos, anything from Cowon. I am sure they will all work fine for you, all sound good with the right cans and as you are mostly listening to music and music is the primary device function, I am sure any software or firmware updates will be largely irrelevant to you.

iPod classic is the best in the iPod range for audio quality. But like a lot of us have been saying, it's all well and good having a brilliant MP3 player, but you need the best headphones you can buy to get the most out of it. What point is it having a player that can output a massive range of frequencies if your tinny little earphones can't perform at that level? I think it's a shame that all these people buy iPods but stick to the sh!tty white buds that come with it - i found out very early on that they're cr@p because whenever i played lossless music that was meant to have a lot of bass in them after about 3 weeks one of the buds broke and began to crackle. Even my mum has a pair of CX 300s!

Thanks for your input and advice everyone. Yes the forum has made it very clear that a good pair of headphones are a must. However, for me it will have to be the over the head band type as I jus seem tobe able to bet on with those bud type ones.
I looked at the J. Lewis site today and sadly they don't stock the Cowon Brand. It would have been good to try out an MP3 before buying, but looks like it's gonna be a caculated guess from one of the on line stores.
Thnaks ever so much for all your help.