portable mp3 player recommendations

[jackangel]

i know this has been asked before, but not by me.

i need an mp3 player for running. it has to be small and light, of course. it should have at least 128mb, but 256mb is probably better. this almost certainly means it will be a flash player, and not HD based, which is good, because i can't tolerate any skipping when i run. an FM tuner with decent reception is desired. it must attach easily and securely to my arm. this is absolutely key: if it doesn't feel comfortable on my body when running, it's worthless.

right now, i'm leaning towards the Rio Cali 256mb.

i'd like hear your opinions...what have you used and liked, or not liked?

 

[powerslave]

More that what you are looking for, but I love my iPOD. I just got it last week and it may be the greatest thing since sliced bread.

 

[Sub-Zero]

get the ipod, youll enjoy the extra memory when you have it

 

[Lao Tzu]

I have an Iriver 128MB. i've had it since christmas, but it didn't come with an armband. i'd have to buy that seperate. One time it wouldn't turn on, but that went away. i have heard they are really reliable, but i've only had mine for half a year so i can't vouch for them. The FM tuner isn't too good, you can barely get stations in the same town.

I've never seen the need for 10GB memory, if you selectively download songs that are 64kbps on kazaa you can fit around 50 songs on a 128MB.

 

[jackangel]

iPod is almost certainly out. i'm not going to bother putting that much music on it. i really don't want an mp3 player, but i think it will be useful for running (and maybe in the gym if i should ever lift weights again). that's it's only purpose.

hard drive players have been known to skip when running. are you iPod owners saying that you've never had such a problem?

i was reading up on 2-3 of the iRiver models nordstrom. they seem like good players which almost everyone is satisfied with. but some of the negative reviews have clearly stated that it is no good for runners, because of the poor armband/case. if true, it's automatically ruled out.

ylifter recommend some mpio models, but i don't know if he used them for running.

thanks for the responses thus far.

 

[powerslave]

I've only had my iPOD for a week. I have not had any skipping, but I don't run. I did not have any problems while deadlifting or squating.

 

[juiceddreadlocks]

dude, iriver totally rules everything. i have a 256 iriver player now. i want one of the 1gig flash ones.

 

[jackangel]

juicedpigtails, do you use it for running? does the armband attachment seem as poor for running as people seem to think? it can be difficult to arrive at a consensus, but based on the short reviews i've read of 1-2 iRiver mp3 players, i get the impression that they 1)have great sound 2)have a good feature set 3)are not good for running 4)are poorly-built and have quality-control/reliability issues.

 

[juiceddreadlocks]

juicedpigtails, do you use it for running? does the armband attachment seem as poor for running as people seem to think? it can be difficult to arrive at a consensus, but based on the short reviews i've read of 1-2 iRiver mp3 players, i get the impression that they 1)have great sound 2)have a good feature set 3)are not good for running 4)are poorly-built and have quality-control/reliability issues.

ive only run with it a couple times, never with any trouble though. its never failed in almost a year now, but has gotten considerably more difficult to get it to push the track < direction of the control knob.


yeah and the radio gets crappy reception.

it sounds awesome, takes some real getting used to to determine how to control the thing but the voice recorder thing is really really really convenient.

 

[mylife]

I love my MPIO FL100. It has a comfortable armband pocket which is snug enough to keep from coming loose while I'm running. It can hold 256 megs + SD memory. (I have an extra 256 for a total of close to 200 mp3's)

http://www.mpio.com/goods/fl100.php