Max €300 to replace Creative Zen

[tea-addict]

So my faithful old 16 GB Zen finally died on me. Fortunately, insurance paid out €300, so I'll be able to honour it's memory with something really shiny.

• Price: I'd like to spend around €200, but I could go up to €300 for something special. I live in Ireland, but can sometimes have access to a UK address.
• Size: my old Zen was pretty much the perfect size, so I'd like something of similar dimensions, it's got to fit in my pocket
• Capacity: minimum 32 GB, must be SSD, as I'll be taking it snowboarding and stuff
• Design: touch screen is ok, so long as there's some way to adjust the volume with one hand and without looking at the device
• Sound: it's got to sound at least as good as the old Zen, without any enhancements such as X-Fi and the like
• Video: not very important to me, but I would consider paying extra something with a good screen. I don't have many video files, so I wouldn't mind having to convert them if neccesary
• Features: FM radio; one of the things which I really liked about my Zen was the 'Album of the Day' - a random album I could select without looking. My replacement has got to have a 'select random album' of some kind.

So far I've been considering the Cowon J3, Sony A Series and the Creative Zen X-Fi Style. The J3 is really attractive, but it's difficult to get in Ireland (amazon.co.uk won't ship here, anyone know why?) and it's a bit pricy for something that's 'just an mp3 player'. If it supported Android apps, I'd snap it up without hesitation.
The A Series is really nice looking and a bit cheaper, but I'm still wondering if there's anything out there which will give me more for my money.
The Zen X-Fi Style is almost identical to my old Zen and it's super cheap, but they've replaced the screen with one with only 262k colours, which makes it seem like a step back. I'd like to get something a bit more up to date.
Any opinions on the above or other models I should consider?
Thanks

[CrowdAds]

[deadohiosky]

hands down, J3.


you can buy it here but 32 GB on a decent player don't come cheap.

The J3 is not just a mp3 player though. it's a full pmp with a super awesome AMOLED display, the A-series has got an OLED display only, they don't compare. you don't have to convert them either, as long as the general format is supported (h.264 not officially supported only able to be played with specific settings)
J3 has volume, play/pause rw/ff buttons (and power button, ofc)


but if you're on a budget the a-846 can be bought at amp3 as well. and it comes with "Pink" Shure phones, (that's why it's so cheap i guess)
only 30 hours battery though (J3 has 64 hours, both "rated")


i don't know about that random album thing, both have shuffle bu i don't think they have that option.

[JK98]

"must be SSD, as I'll be taking it snowboarding and stuff "

I suggest that you get a Sandisk Clip+ for use while snowboarding. It is very inexpensive and quite rugged. If you also want a player with a large screen, you can get a Cowon J3 as well. If you break a $50 Clip+ while snowboarding you might be a bit annoyed, however if you snowboard with a J3 and break it, the $300 loss will feel much worse.
Many here have a Clip+ as well as a more expensive player. The Clip+ is the favorite player for use while very active.

[deadohiosky]

JK98 has a point (have to admit, reluctantly).

[tea-addict]

I've pretty much decided against the J3 at this stage. Yes, I'm sure it's a fantastic media device with a wonderful screen, but I won't be watching enough videos to justify shelling out extra for it (I have other, more expensive hobbies). I suppose it would have been cool to have a weeks worth of battery life, but my Zen had 'only' 30 hours and that did me fine.

JK98: I'm was worried more about a hdd skipping than durability. That said, up until now I was considering trying to replace the battery on my old Zen Stone Plus. It only holds about 30 mins at this stage, I think the cold from the first time I took it snowboarding affected it. After taking a quick look at whats on the market, I've decided I might pick up something new after all. Archos 1 Vision looks perfect for filling that gap for me: super cheap, decent sound quality, a screen and 4 GB. Then again, the 2 GB Sansa Clip+ is available for just a little more. Decisions, decisions...

I went into my local Sony Centre the other day and tried out the A-Series. It felt really good to me, just the right size. It's a pity it doesn't have a random album select, but it's still a nice player. The only reason I didn't buy it there was that they won't have the 32 GB until mid-February and it would have cost €250 (reduced from €300 because I was apparently the first guy to ask about it). I'd like to thank deadohiosky for showing me that great deal at amp3. It works out at €255 when delivery is added, but hopefully I'll have it within a week of ordering (and it never hurts to have an extra set of quality earphones, even if they are pink).

So now I'd like some opinions on super cheap players, with screens. I don't need to look at photos, just read my album titles and 'now playing'.

Thanks for the help so far.

[nodirectionhome]

Reading your post I'm unsure as to whether you got a Sony or the Cowon.. or neither.

Super-cheap players with a screen = Clip+

[tea-addict]

I guess what I was trying to imply wasn't as clear as I had intended.

I've decided on the Sony but I haven't ordered yet. Since my last post I saw an armband in a sports shop which convinced me I could use a player of the Sony's dimensions unobtrusively while exercising. I've come to the conclusion that the difference in size between the Sony and a cheap player wouldn't justify the purchase of the latter.

[tea-addict]

Update: after some trouble with my debit card, my order for the Sony has finally gone through. Expect a review in a while, where should I post it?

[nodirectionhome]

i posted mine in the Sony A series sub-forum.

[Yazad]

samsung p3 is pretty good too