Which brand of MP3 player do you use?

Author: Tim Smalley
Published: 29th September 2007
Comments (178) Stumble
Which brand of MP3 player do you use to play your music when you're out and about?

Which brand of MP3 player do you use to play your music when you're out and about?

The portable music player is big business in this day and age. With the push towards digital music downloads through stores like iTunes and Amazon, the MP3 player has become a must-have item for any technophile stepping out into the wild.

Music is one of my passions in life and I can’t go without listening to something at some point during the day. I listen to work when I’m at work and I listen to music when I’m at home, but without a portable music player, I wouldn’t be able to listen to the music I want to listen to anywhere else.

So the question is which manufacturer is responsible for playing your tunes when you’re out and about? Vote in the poll we've set up in the forums.

I’ve recently just got hold of an iPhone, so I’ve combined MP3 player and smartphone into one device – something I’ve wanted to do for a while because my pockets were getting too full.

Before the iPhone though, I had a SanDisk Sansa e260, a Creative Zen Vision: M, an Apple iPod mini and an original iPod. Have you tried and tested several different brands before you settled on one particular brand?

Maybe you don't play music at all when you're out and about? Whatever the case, tell us in this thread!
Quote capnPedro 29th September 2007, 13:31
SanDisk Sansa e280

An absolute steal for £75!
The interface isn't as slick as an iPod's, but the sound quality is better, has a nicer screen and is less than half the price.
Quote <A88> 29th September 2007, 13:31
No MS option? Edit:tarly rtt
Will probably get a Zune when the new ones come out in October, unless they're really crap, in which case it'll be a 16GB Zen.

<A88>
Quote RTT 29th September 2007, 13:33
Added MS
Quote Tim S 29th September 2007, 13:42
whoops, I missed Microsoft :o
Quote koola 29th September 2007, 13:43
iPod here, wouldn't be anything else :D
Quote z3rb 29th September 2007, 13:52
Apple :( I feel like a whore. A dirty, dirty whore.
Quote cpemma 29th September 2007, 14:02
A Sony 2Gb picked up for £18 in a Play offer. Stuff paying a fortune to Apple for a fashion item. I like unkempt.
Quote BenK 29th September 2007, 14:03
Rio Karma.

Had it for a few years now, brilliant DAP
Quote atanum141 29th September 2007, 14:21
5th gen ipod vid, i "may" upgrade to a 160gig unit.

but i saw those new fatty nano's in the flesh and they remind me of these biscuits which are made out of chocolate, wonderful bit of kit.
Quote specofdust 29th September 2007, 14:31
3rd gen 20GB ipod. I too am considering upgrading to a 160GB unit, but only when the Itunes and firmware issues are fixed, and only if the decreased sound quality rumours turn out to be false.
Quote g3n3tiX 29th September 2007, 14:33
PSP (should I put sony ?) But I don't use it much for music. I might grab a mp3 player someday.
Quote Mother-Goose 29th September 2007, 14:38
Sony NW-S706F 4gb.
Quote steveo_mcg 29th September 2007, 14:52
Old iriver 120 is my main going away player, but my SE 800 does most of my music work these days.
I had an 1st gen 5gb iPod before they were cool!
Quote ElZog 29th September 2007, 14:55
iPod I got almost 4 years ago still running strong, replaced battery last chrimbo myself (cost a fiver off ebay), no problems so far.

I hear the new iPod classic has worse sound quality (to audiophiles at least) than the other iPods due to Apple deciding not to use Wolfson Microelectronics components as they have done for years.
Quote DarkReaper 29th September 2007, 15:00
60Gb iPod, coloured alpine green by Colorware. Mainly used for in-car entertainment and parties since there's no hope in hell of me cycling on the road with earphones in.
Quote Duste 29th September 2007, 15:02
Olympus - m:robe MR-500i.
Quote ./^\.Ace./^\. 29th September 2007, 15:02
iRiver iFP-995 512MB Music player and picture viewer...
But in about a week from now I'm getting the new iPod Touch, not sure if I'm going for 8GB or 16GB yet...
Quote proxess 29th September 2007, 15:09
5th gen iPod Video 60gb
Quote mrlanrat 29th September 2007, 15:18
I play my music on my Nintendo DS with a Supercard Ds one.
Quote alastor 29th September 2007, 15:18
No phone option? I use my ancient SPV C500 with a 2GB card.
Quote cyrilthefish 29th September 2007, 15:20
Quote:
Originally Posted by alastor
No phone option? I use my ancient SPV C500 with a 2GB card.
yeah, needs a PDA/smartphone option.

I use my MDA Vario (yay HTC) with a 1GB card, plenty of space for hours of music if you use OGG/AAC encoding :)
Quote GuardianStorm 29th September 2007, 15:27
SanDisk Sansa e280 :D with a 2Gb SD card too :)
Quote Darkedge 29th September 2007, 15:28
occasionally my MDA Pro Pda but more commonly an Archos Gmini400 which is brilliant and means I'm not tired to iTunes or any software :)
Quote daveppeters 29th September 2007, 15:30
I use my Sony Ericsson W810i.
Quote LoneArchon 29th September 2007, 15:38
Creative Zen Xtra 40gb. I got the zen when the ipod 30gb still price was $400 and 40gb price was $500. the zen xtra at $250 was a steal compared to the ipods at the time. still works great as it goes on to 5 years in age
Quote Aankhen 29th September 2007, 15:43
No player here. I keep thinking it would be nice to have one, but I've always had something else to spend the money on instead.

I might buy one in the next few months, but it definitely won't be Apple (my sister has an iPod she bought as well as an iPod Nano that was gifted to her; I can't stand them).
Quote bixie_62 29th September 2007, 15:47
aaaaah sony! although before that there was a cheap chinese knock-off!

the sony, best mp3 player i ever bought! simply because its got a rechargeable battery that lasts aaages!
Quote zoom314 29th September 2007, 15:52
My MP3 player is a 2006 FORD Mustang GT 1000w stereo system. :)
Quote Indybird 29th September 2007, 16:08
Oh yeah Olympus m:Robe 500i for the win! Worst firmware and software ever, but the coolest player ever. Its pretty much an ipod touch, except it doesnt quite work that good.
Quote Ramble 29th September 2007, 16:14
Sony, because i still use my minidisc player and I have a SE phone which plays my tunes too.
Quote Henk 29th September 2007, 16:15
Sony Ericsson K750i

You know, mobile phones these days have excellent mp3-players built in (if it's a sony ericsson at least). I could never justify buying an mp3-player when I've already got one in the phone.
Quote skunkmunkey 29th September 2007, 16:15
Sony all the way for me. Cant beat the sound quality when used with a pair of shure headfones. Althought the software is crap and the menu is slow....
Quote flabber 29th September 2007, 16:25
iPod Nano (2GB) second generation :)

Love the simplicity of the menu's, and since I use iTunes for my Apple TV anyway... why not? ;)
Yeah yeah... it's all Apple in my house at the moment, but you just gotta love a good gamingrig/console too though, hehe.
Quote fathazza 29th September 2007, 16:42
creative zen v 4gb at the moment. Which i think is great cos it fits in the condom/change pocket (or whatever that random little pocket is called) in trousers...

Tho in the past ive had , Rio, Cowon, Sony, Archos,philips and aiwa!
Quote WildTangent 29th September 2007, 16:45
A very happy iriver Clix2 4gb owner here :) I love this thing, and it's my first mp3 player too. Paired with my Sony earbuds, it's a very nice combo.
Quote Bauul 29th September 2007, 17:05
Creative Zen Vision: M 60 Gb (slim version) personally. Amazon were having a sale a month or so ago, £100 off, so I picked one up for about £140, not too bad if I do say so myself. I'd never touch an iPod simply because alot of my music is in WMA, and I like to use WMP to play my music (it's actally quite an efficient program, seeing half the application runs all the time anyway, kind of like IE). Originally I used WinAmp, but that;s actually surprisingly heavy on the Ram, esepcially for such a simple system, so out it went.
Quote Pimp Daddy 29th September 2007, 17:20
My mp3 players are my tower, laptop and PDA.
Quote teamtd11 29th September 2007, 17:25
I use a creative labs zen xtra, it was origionaly 30gb, but i swapped the hard drive out for a bigger 50gb. and thats what i love about it, how easy it is to swap the parts out
Quote mikeuk2004 29th September 2007, 17:31
Sony PSP with a 4GB card or a Sony 8GB MP3 player
Quote Nath 29th September 2007, 17:39
iRiver for the last 3-4 years, will probably pick up an 80GB iPod when (if?) it dies.
Quote Gundam God 29th September 2007, 17:41
Winamp! Oh wait...

Rarely listen to music when on the move i.e. in the car/plane but when I do it'll be on my Sony minidisk.
Never really liked the idea of listening to music when walking anywhere, I like being able to hear whats going on around me.
Quote Skill3d 29th September 2007, 17:42
cowon Iaudio m3l 20Gb is my favorite mp3player, has superb sound quality and is very easy to put files on.... (and has a battery life of +/-35 hours)

I also own an Apple Ipod 30Gb which I got for free =) but the soundquality is like...... arghhhhh, so I use it going to school by train (so I won't hear the bad quality :P )
Quote boiled_elephant 29th September 2007, 17:43
Creative are solid and sound good for their price. Dunno about sony, never tried one.
iPods don't appeal to me because of their interface, menus and having to use iTunes. They're getting overpriced for what they are, anyway.
Quote devdevil85 29th September 2007, 17:45
40GB Creative Zen Touch. 24-hour battery life and 97dB. For only $200 last Xmas, you couldn't beat that price.....and I love it! Plays everything under the sun, too. No need for iTunes.....
Quote TTmodder 29th September 2007, 17:45
My sony ericsson with a 2 gigabyte flash card. reduces 2 objects in my pockets to one ;)
Quote Delphium 29th September 2007, 17:50
iRiver H320 20gb \o/
Quote supertoad 29th September 2007, 17:52
cowon X5, but it's getting old and i'm looking for something small and flash based that i can run with.
Quote Ghys 29th September 2007, 17:55
Creative Zen Nano 1Gb

small , effective, cheap

perfect for me

http://www.radio-now.co.uk/bigimages/zen_nano_plus1.jpg

mine's blue though
Quote jezmck 29th September 2007, 17:57
Quote:
Originally Posted by z3rb
Apple :( I feel like a whore. A dirty, dirty whore.
Exactly as you (and the 44 others) should feel.
Quote Spaceraver 29th September 2007, 17:59
Mercedes w124 with Alpine audio
Quote AlexB 29th September 2007, 18:02
4gb Nano and 30gb Video (wife's)
Quote The_Beast 29th September 2007, 18:10
apple
Quote Veles 29th September 2007, 18:17
Quote:
Originally Posted by capnPedro
SanDisk Sansa e280

Same here, great player for the price and the added MicroSD slot is great encase you really need to carry more than 8gig of music with you. Headphones that come with it are a bit poor though, but that's nothing new.
Quote samkiller42 29th September 2007, 18:19
Creative Zen Vision M 30G B for me.

Sam
Quote oaso 29th September 2007, 18:26
Panasonic SL-SX430. Yeah, that's a portable CD player! (with MP3 support)
Quote Cthippo 29th September 2007, 18:27
Don't have one yet, but I'm going to get an iRiver when I do
Quote smashie 29th September 2007, 18:29
60 Gb iPod, going to have to get the new 160 Gb though :D

NOTE: I buy bugger all through iTunes store, I just have a lot of CD's
Quote g_gimbert 29th September 2007, 18:29
Sony Ericsson w850i phone with a 4Gb card and DS-970 bluetooth earphones :)
Quote Darv 29th September 2007, 18:29
Iriver Clix 2 4GB. Great size, weight, good battery life, FM radio, videos, flash games. It's exactly what I wanted and the screen on it is amazing, the viewing angle has to be seen to be believed. Funky control style as well ;)
Quote n00btard 29th September 2007, 18:39
Some cheap "555 Audio" 2GB thing my brother got for $20 and then gave to me because he only uses his iPod
Quote TheSaladMan 29th September 2007, 18:48
Used to use an iPod, but now I use my O2 XDA
Quote Kipman725 29th September 2007, 18:54
most of the time I don't but I use a portable CD player or laptop when I do as I haven't seen any mp3 player worthy of me.
Quote Cabe64 29th September 2007, 18:58
Zune, love it.
Quote RTT 29th September 2007, 19:06
I remember the first MP3 player I had (2001-2002 ish?) which offered a whopping 64MB of storage :D You could just about squeeze an album on at 112kbit, or miss off a track or two at 128kbit
Quote cyrilthefish 29th September 2007, 19:14
Quote:
Originally Posted by RTT
I remember the first MP3 player I had (2001-2002 ish?) which offered a whopping 64MB of storage :D You could just about squeeze an album on at 112kbit, or miss off a track or two at 128kbit
First MP3 player i had was a Siemens SL45 Mobile phone with a 32mb MMC card.
If i remember correctly, it was the very first mobile phone to include an MP3 player (also later got a firmware upgrade to make it into one of the very first java-app phones)
/geek nostalgia mode off :D
Quote weasal 29th September 2007, 19:20
what about if you use your phone which has built in mp3 player?
Quote Nath 29th September 2007, 19:26
Then it isn't an MP3 player, it's a phone that plays MP3s. :p

(Or you vote 'other' and specify it up!)
Quote weasal 29th September 2007, 19:28
when i had my mp3 player it was an ipod but since i broke it i have been using my phone.
Quote macroman 29th September 2007, 19:45
Hmm I need to select more than one player since I use more than one player. Multiple selection please! :(
Quote GuitarBizarre 29th September 2007, 19:47
Creative Zen Vision:M

(When it gets back from being fixed. I took a dive and ended up landing on it.)
Quote Mord 29th September 2007, 20:05
You can't pick two?

I have a Sony WALKMAN NW-E005 (Shiny purple USB stick) for just lite traveling. But I also use my trusty 1st Gen Ipod Mini with the Flashcard + Linux mod for most things.
Quote completemadness 29th September 2007, 20:08
A creative Xen brick thing - 80gb

Very cheap (like £40) and works a charm, OK its not very fashionable, but i really couldn't give two *****
Quote quack 29th September 2007, 20:19
Currently a Creative ZEN Vision:M, soon to be a Creative ZEN.
Quote fathazza 29th September 2007, 20:23
Quote:
Originally Posted by quack
Currently a Creative ZEN Vision:M, soon to be a Creative ZEN.

Im with you on that score, tho i think the 16gb one is a bit too expensive
Quote Woodstock 29th September 2007, 20:28
im planning to get a sansa but until then none
Quote Jamie 29th September 2007, 20:58
iPod Touch :D
Quote fathazza 29th September 2007, 21:00
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jamie
iPod Touch :D


BAAAAAAAA!
Quote Gravemind123 29th September 2007, 21:02
No CD player option on here for those of us who haven't moved on yet?
I hope to get an MP3 player soon, but funds are low and I can't justify buying a new music player until I really have to.
Quote Firehed 29th September 2007, 21:10
Apple (iPhone 8GB, but I also have a 5G 60GB and 1G nano 4GB, plus had a 4G 20GB) for quite some time, but back in the day I loved my Minidisc player. I've still yet to find anything that even comes close to its battery life (but oh god, the software). I've also got a little 1GB player that I picked up from Woot for cheap which might be Creative, but I'm not really sure.
Quote willyolio 29th September 2007, 21:27
iriver 120. it's so hard to find an .ogg and flac player, but then i discovered rockbox. i think my next player will be a sansa.
Quote Gunsmith 29th September 2007, 21:30
30gig zen vision m here, jobs can **** himself if he thinks im buying his over rated piece of white ****
Quote Coelacanth 29th September 2007, 21:58
Well, until my zune got stolen 12 hours ago... I did listen to that... its really not that bad of an mp3 player...
Quote tranc3 29th September 2007, 22:01
(not sure if i hit creative up there i missed it at first then as it was loading i hit it and clicked vote like 7 times :/) any way. Creative Zen Nano Plus (1gig), for 12 dolors from a friend of mine, who also is on this form. I use it when i ride, so im glade its tiny, and cheep i don't have to worry bout it.
Quote Poisonous 29th September 2007, 22:52
Quote:
Originally Posted by tranc3
(not sure if i hit creative up there i missed it at first then as it was loading i hit it and clicked vote like 7 times :/) any way. Creative Zen Nano Plus (1gig), for 12 dolors from a friend of mine, who also is on this form. I use it when i ride, so im glade its tiny, and cheep i don't have to worry bout it.

F7.

Apple Ipod 80gb White. Only listen to it when I'm in bed to get to sleep.
Quote alextwo 29th September 2007, 23:12
iRiver H10 20GB here.
Quote Pal_Mal 29th September 2007, 23:19
Iriver H340 When I'm at work , running rockbox(which kicks arse!) into Sennheiser MX500's , gives good sound with 320Kbps . 2GB Generic USB MP3 player - sandisk I think it's called which doesn't sound all that bad with the MX500's if I'm going out drinking or anywhere I don't wanna lug the h340 around or where I might loose it .
Quote Brooxy 29th September 2007, 23:21
I use my Sony Ericsson W880i. I do have a 1gb stick, but compared to my phone the sound quality is crap. I really do love my little phone...
Quote whisperwolf 29th September 2007, 23:33
Iriver H320, did everything I needed when I bought it 3-4 years ago, colour screen, video playback, multi formats, no need for itunes or other interface program and can be used as a usb host to transfer pictures from my digital camera. still want either a cowon d2, clix2 or the new creative zen, but can't justify buying a new player when my existing one still goes without any problems. mayhaps I need to drop it down some stairs intime for my birthday
Quote stephen2002 29th September 2007, 23:45
Sprint PPC 6700. Streaming radio from the web in the car :D
Quote JCG 29th September 2007, 23:51
Creative Zen Touch. Yes it's a oldie, but it just keeps going and the battery is still decent. The only bug in it is that when I press next it sometimes goes on pause. I love you Zen Touch, you outlasted 90% of the iPods you encountered in your life.
Quote Andersen 29th September 2007, 23:51
My phone (Nokia E61i) with 2GB card. ATM using HS-23 handsfree but getting a Sennheiser CX-300 and that darned adapter which name I can't remember now soon.
Quote monkeyville 30th September 2007, 00:02
H340, my excuse being they used to be better than the Pod
Quote Shadowed_fury 30th September 2007, 01:09
Other: Rio Karma.

The best player. Ever.
(How is it not on the list?!)
Quote Hamish 30th September 2007, 01:16
Quote:
Originally Posted by Skill3d
cowon Iaudio m3l 20Gb is my favorite mp3player, has superb sound quality and is very easy to put files on.... (and has a battery life of +/-35 hours)

this, but i went with the normal version rather than the L, didnt need the extra battery and the smaller size was more useful

also have an ancient 40gig zen xtra that the headphone jack went iffy on (have to have the jack about 2m out and in the exact right position to get audio from both channels so useless on the move :p) that i use for audiobooks at home
Quote mime genocide 30th September 2007, 02:01
iaudio X5L for 30 gigs of .ogg files and 35 hours of playback
Quote Havok154 30th September 2007, 02:06
Creative Zen Vision M
Quote Dizman 30th September 2007, 03:37
iPod nano that I won off of a radio show. It actually was a good bit of a downgrade from my beastly archos, which served me well for many years, but I just got tired of carrying the thing around.
Quote Bluephoenix 30th September 2007, 03:45
Quote:
Originally Posted by z3rb
Apple :( I feel like a whore. A dirty, dirty whore.

seconded
Quote mp3manager 30th September 2007, 03:49
iPod 5th Gen 30Gb Photo. Looking at the 160Gb Classic around Christmas time and I'll probably put Rockbox on the 30Gb.
Quote supermonkey 30th September 2007, 04:42
4 GB standard iPod Shuffle. Got it from a friend for a favor.

-monkey
Quote 2JSC 30th September 2007, 04:55
My MP3 play would be my 4Gb jump drive attached to my Kenwood X591 :D
Quote Autobot 30th September 2007, 05:38
I use my Samsung Blackjack phone as my MP3 player. Great sound quality with a good pair of headphones or earbuds. :)
Quote Wolfe 30th September 2007, 06:27
I use my Zodiac (It's a PalmOS based PDA).
Quote sui_winbolo 30th September 2007, 06:39
Microsoft Zune.

Only complaint, no video organization.

So when I loaded all my Red vs Blue episodes on there, they were all out of order and didn't carry over my folder organization.
Quote docodine 30th September 2007, 07:11
I was using a Creative Zen Vision: M 60gb until two days ago, when it fell down a flight of stairs, and pretty much died. I have been using a Wal-Mart brand CD player since then. I may buy a 160gb iPod Classic soon, but I like listening to CDs now. :)
Quote Furymouse 30th September 2007, 08:51
I use the CD deck in my car. Its a Pioneer DEHP-760 mp. LOVE this thing. Otherwise I dont use mp3 players, seeing as I have a sweet setup on my computer.
Quote mr_carl 30th September 2007, 08:53
I use my mobile phone and at the moment I have the LG PRADA.