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Topic ClosedBest affordable mp3 player for non tec minded.

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scruffydragon View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Best affordable mp3 player for non tec minded.
    Posted: July 20 2017 at 13:41
Hi Guys,
Have been trying to replace my old Phillips go gear MP3 player with something with a bit more memory. My old Go Gear is on it's way out so it's due to be replaced. It has  8GB but I need more memory for more albums.
 
Was given an apple I-pod touch,32gb but hate the thing even before I got started with it. As I have to somehow join the thing with an internet connection of some sort (passwords etc.)it's pretty much dead in the water even before I start,and then there's the dreaded i-tunes.
 
I want something simple where I can download my own albums from my computer.
 
I don't want to be forced to link it with the internet as I don't need the mp3 player to be online, I don't need it to send e-mails, I won't be buying tunes for it online, or take photos etc.. I just want a good sturdy great sounding basic mp3 player with more memory to download my music collection onto from my computer.
 
Please bear in mind I am not very computer literate either so it has to be fairly simple to get on with.
 
Was wondering what other members would suggest.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 20 2017 at 14:57
I'd look for a Sandisk Clip Sport. Small, cheap, 16gb (32 if you buy a different micro sd card), plays just about every format you care to throw at it (including lossless files) and it sounds pretty good too.
If you want better sound I'd opt for a Fiio X1. A tad pricier but the sound quality more than makes up for it. I've got an old X5 with two times 128gb worth of music. I am so glad I bought it. Got it cheap secondhand, I gather you can too. I've seen quite a few for sale on ebay UK.
Good luck!
Cheers David
“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”

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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 20 2017 at 15:11
Ohh almost forgot: neither of these need to be "aligned" with anything online. You simply drop the music into the thing, simple as.
To expand a little on my previous post in case something sounded like gibberish: the micro sd card is the internal memory. The Sandisk Clip Sport comes with one 16gb card. If you want more space it is merely a matter of purchasing a new micro 32gb sd card. Most electronic stores have them - hell even supermarkets sell em here in Denmark.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 20 2017 at 15:55
I won't go within a mile of anything that has an "i" in front of it so have been using the SanDisk units for 5 years and love them...mostly!  You have to be careful about the current model available on amazon, the "Clip Jam".  Unlike the previous model (out of production), the "Clip +", it doesn't cross fade between songs in a feature called "lossless gap".  In other words it puts a very short, but noticeable bit of silence between songs even if they don't have any actual silence between them.  So for a lot of our favorite prog where 1 song flows into another it can be anywhere from mildly irritating to full on obnoxious depending on your expectations.

Also, the Clip Jam does not properly put the songs in album order if you copy them across using the windows file manager.  In that case it sorts them by "Date last saved" and appears to play the songs from last to first.  If you want to preserve the correct album order, make sure the "#" field of the album songs are correct in the meta tags and use Windows Media Player to Sync to the Clip Jam.

Not sure where the "Clip Sport" falls on the lossless gaps between songs and proper order Wink


Edited by The.Crimson.King - July 20 2017 at 15:58
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 23 2017 at 11:29
Tried to reply then got hit by some security thing about picking all images with a hat, then everything timed out and I lost my reply. Been getting that since logged in the other day and it's really annoying.It is stopping me replying easily to thread's on this site. I am not that quick in writing a reply at the best of times and to loose something which has taken about half hour to write is not fun at all.
 
Sorry about the rant.
 
I did come back to say thank you for you very good advice Thumbs UpClap. In the end I managed to obtain a Fiio X3(2nd generation) for the same price as a second-hand Fiio X1.It's used but in excellent condition with all it's pieces even still boxed. The original owner seems to have only used it a couple of times. It's got everything I require including it's simplicity to drag and drop files direct from my computer without having to go through the hassle of linking the thing to the internet or having to join a music site. I also quite like the idea of having external memory as I can simply add more cards as the music collection grows and evolves. Just waiting excitedly for it to turn up now.Big smile
 
The old Phillips go gear finally fell apart this morning, but nothing a pot of glue will  not sort out.This device also has a habit of placing a gap on an album where there is not one. Got used to it eventually.
 
As for the Apple I-pod. I wouldn't give it to my worse enemy, so I let my brother have it this morning. He's already looking to get rid of it fairly quickly.LOL
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 23 2017 at 14:35
No worries - we're all pretty tired of this captcha non-sense by now.

I hope you enjoy your new player. Let us know how it goes or if you need any help with the little bugger
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 26 2017 at 13:30
Fiio X3 arrived earlier today, And it's set up and playing very well. Surprised at just how good it sounds. Those keyboards certainly sing and some notes tend to float above the rest of the music. I'm in music heaven .
 
Took a bit of getting used to the way it works but got there fairly quickly. The only thing I am surprised about is that sometimes I drop an album onto it but it comes up as artist unknown, but open the file and everything is there.Most odd.
 
I think it may come down to how well, or I don't keep my file info up to date on my computer.
 
Best wishes,Anthony.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: September 20 2017 at 13:28
Hi again Anthony!

Sorry for my tardy response. I am so glad you found something to your liking. Those Fiio players really do deliver fantastic sound quality for the money. Is your's the second gen or the first? I am only asking because I have the first generation X5, and while I utterly adore the sound quality, I am fed up with the ridiculously poor battery life. I think Fiio have remedied this with later models. I hope you have more than 5-6 hours worth of juice.

In fact I got so fed up with this that I recently ordered a Cowon Plenue D. Tiny little bugger, but it runs for a hundred hours straight and takes just a few hours to charge. I've only had it for a couple of hours now but the sound matches my old Fiio...well at first it didn't - not even by a long shot! First album I span was the new Fleet Foxes and the sound signature was as warm as a glass of marmalade...and I just came from the crisp detail of my Fiio. Damn!!! I said....until I started exploring the many different eq settings of which there was one simply called 'crystal clear' - katjing and there it was! No there it is actually!!! I have just upgraded my Fiio to run for 95 hours more + decreased the weight threefold + a much nicer user interface. The only thing is it's called a Cowon.

I feel bad for not doscovering this little gemstone earlier. I would have recommended it to anyone in need of a new dap.
“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”

- Douglas Adams
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