Help with finding a 30+gb player that needs no software

[a1shot]

Hi Guys
I am so glad i found such a web-site. I had an ipod 80gb that recently got stolen, but i am not sad about it. I hate so many things in it - its itunes, its sorting functions, weight and size.

I was always wondering if there is an mp3 player that has
- good sound quality
- no software needed to convert music so i can place my 40 gb archive just as it is on my hdd.
- long play time
- of course 30+gb memory
- also, song search would be good.
- a flash based is even better - not heavy or bulky
- i dont care much about video, games, internet and other stuff - i want an mp3 player at first.
- you know, i hate touch. I like to have a button player to switch tracks and volume in my pocket without taking it out even.

I know this would be an ideal player, but maybe someone has finally made it?

I have replaced it for the moment with a small Iriver T8 4gb only. What i like about it is that it is a usb stick itself. It needs no software. There are alread flash memories of 30 60 gb size. So why not make an mp3 player? (i already thought about taking one and glueing to the t8). But t8 has this - no remembering last track - feature so it always resets ...and it turns off fast. But it is so light, so small. I would really love to find a better thing than ipod. I think this is the best place to ask. Please share an advice! I thank you all!

[CrowdAds]

[musichound]

Hi, and welcome to ABI
I wholeheartedly recommend the Cowon J3. It is a touch based player, however, it has dedicated tactile volume/track controls. It is a 32GB player that can be increased to 64GB via micro SD card. Plus, it has a built in line in/Mic/FM recorder. It also has great sound thanks to its fantastic EQ.

[a1shot]

Originally Posted by musichound

Hi, and welcome to ABI
I wholeheartedly recommend the Cowon J3. It is a touch based player, however, it has dedicated tactile volume/track controls. It is a 32GB player that can be increased to 64GB via micro SD card. Plus, it has a built in line in/Mic/FM recorder. It also has great sound thanks to its fantastic EQ.

Thanx for the advice. will check it out now - what is its play length? and it does not use any softwre? Cause i dont think itunes is great for creating playlist for all the bands and albums - it takes a lifetime...and ints sync feature also sucks...

J3 looks great!!! And i like that it has buttons on the side - it is faster than ever i hope. What about the playlists and playing - is it user friendly? Rating song search ? WOuld be the beast if so!

[a1shot]

I see Cowon is indeed speaking my language!!! Im amazed that i got an answer so fast that satisfies me. There are modesl as S9 and D3, and J3 - what is the best out of them? Where do you get one cheaper ?

Any other pmps have such players? (would not like a cheap chineese one - dont want to spend money on things that break)

[WalkGood]

Originally Posted by a1shot

... There are modesl as S9 and D3, and J3 - what is the best out of them? Where do you get one cheaper? Any other pmps have such players? (would not like a cheap chineese one - dont want to spend money on things that break)

J3 is the best of the 3 and don't get a cheap chineese player, look at a Sansa Clip +, available in 8gb and has a microSD slot so you can expand it to 40gb.

Edit: http://anythingbutipod.com/2010/11/cowon-j3-review/

http://anythingbutipod.com/2009/08/s...p-plus-review/

[musichound]

Originally Posted by a1shot

Thanx for the advice. will check it out now - what is its play length? and it does not use any softwre? Cause i dont think itunes is great for creating playlist for all the bands and albums - it takes a lifetime...and ints sync feature also sucks...

J3 looks great!!! And i like that it has buttons on the side - it is faster than ever i hope. What about the playlists and playing - is it user friendly? Rating song search ? WOuld be the beast if so!

If you are referring to battery life it's rated about 60 hours. Software is not needed because music can be transferred by drag and drop. As for playlists, it's a bit anemic and I believe it's called favorites on the J3. I also believe it's limited to 256 songs. I also don't think playlists are that use friendly on the J3. I also don't believe song rating is available.

[a1shot]

Originally Posted by WalkGood

J3 is the best of the 3 and don't get a cheap chineese player, look at a Sansa Clip +, available in 8gb and has a microSD slot so you can expand it to 40gb.

Edit: http://anythingbutipod.com/2010/11/cowon-j3-review/

http://anythingbutipod.com/2009/08/s...p-plus-review/

I think i heard about sansa - why is it a good one? Which one is better? I am already looking up cowon near me. Though still have some questions on it- as i understood, no song search feature? And it does not use any software right? I can use it on any computer and drag drop files just like to a usb? It does not have any internet browsing like d3 has does it?

[WalkGood]

Originally Posted by a1shot

… why is it a good one? …

I like the cowon sq, jeteffect sound settings like BBE, size, screen, battery life, and more. Although I do not own the J3 I do have the i9 and the i7 (i7 has been discontinued). I also own the origional clip which I run rockbox on but will probably upgrade to the clip+ when it breaks. You can check out rockbox via the link under my signature.

Originally Posted by a1shot

… Which one is better? …

Both are great in their own respects, read the reviews so you can understand more, I linked them in the Edit.

Originally Posted by a1shot

… no song search feature? …

No but someone posted an idea about tagging alphabetical letter into the genre to assist in getting to the artist, the thread is in the j3 forums.

Originally Posted by a1shot

… And it does not use any software right? …

No software needed, both work in msc mode or mtp mode. Just select msc like most of us here.

Originally Posted by a1shot

… I can use it on any computer and drag drop files just like to a usb? …

Yes but there are some that have had issues with mac’s.

Edit: BTW welcome to abi

[a1shot]

Nah, i dont have a mac - i just wanted to know if i can use it without party. It is pricey to buy them. As i usually do, i try to find the drawabacks - i noticed the golden middle is j3, but what its drawbacks?

- No search feature.
What else?

Thanx you all - i really love that there is such a site. Kind of a place i was looking for all these years.

[a1shot]

Originally Posted by WalkGood

J3 is the best of the 3 and don't get a cheap chineese player, look at a Sansa Clip +, available in 8gb and has a microSD slot so you can expand it to 40gb.

Edit: http://anythingbutipod.com/2010/11/cowon-j3-review/

http://anythingbutipod.com/2009/08/s...p-plus-review/

Is sansa software free? I guess it is not touch screen, but it should cost less right? Also what is its drawbacks? Sound is worse than j3 as i presume?

PS - where was this place all these years...i got an ipod cause i did not see that there were such players even - though ipod is the best out there...thought ideal is not possible.

[WalkGood]

Originally Posted by a1shot

... but what its drawbacks? ...

In my case aside from price I wouldn't have any hesitation, but you should get other posts, just give it time.

[a1shot]

Oh, about browsing. Ipod used to sort the titles in the playlist by name - so if i would add a folder of a singer with 5 albums, it would add all them in a pile, and sort it by name. What i want is a folder (or explorer) type of structure. So if i have a librari with A - A+ - Album1 - 1-song1, 2-song2...so that i would see the same structure on the player. Does j3 support this - or is also a freaky alphabetical sort? (i noticed sansa does have a folder type navigation)

[musichound]

Originally Posted by a1shot

Oh, about browsing. Ipod used to sort the titles in the playlist by name - so if i would add a folder of a singer with 5 albums, it would add all them in a pile, and sort it by name. What i want is a folder (or explorer) type of structure. So if i have a librari with A - A+ - Album1 - 1-song1, 2-song2...so that i would see the same structure on the player. Does j3 support this - or is also a freaky alphabetical sort? (i noticed sansa does have a folder type navigation)

The J3 fully supports folder browsing, and tagging is not a requirement. I tag all my music, however, because I prefer to search by artist, etc.

[a1shot]

So what do these players lack then? Cant be all good can it?

PS

Is there any difference between sansa 8gb, 4gb? I can add 32gb to any of those right? (cause the price is a quarter less)

[Just Some Guy]

Yes, you can add a 32 GB microSDGC card to the Clip+, but there is a slight issue with that. If you have lots of files, you might have trouble getting the player to recognize them all. This can be taken care of being using RockBox on it, but that might be slightly more trouble than you would like.

Have you considered the Sony players? I've had two and been very happy with them. There are 32 and 64 GB players out there, but they tend to be a little more pricey. Also, some countries don't sale them, so you would have to import.

But they do offer everything you have asked for:

- Good sound quality
- No software required
- Long play time (depending upon model, up to 40 hours)
- 32 and 64gb capacities
- Song search, by folder, track or genre
- Flash memory & small size
- Music, with optional video and picture viewing, no internet
- Buttons for all functions, no touch controls at all

Look into them. I think you might be happy with them.

[Urne]

Originally Posted by a1shot

i noticed the golden middle is j3, but what its drawbacks?

- No search feature.
What else?

The J3 does have a search feature if that is what you are referring to. The Sandisk however, does not have that (if I understand WalkGood right).

I would definitely recommend the J3 myself. As far as general use goes it does not have any drawbacks except for the display that might get a little dirty with all the fingerprints that touching it leaves.

[Night Surfer]

The main drawback to the J3, IMO, is the crappy podcast and audiobook support, and some J3's are evidently prone to loose parts. Something about double-sided sticky tape holding the battery, I dunno.
If you don't care about that, the J3 is golden.
One of the sexiest players around, for sure.

There's a great review here.

[a1shot]

Originally Posted by Just Some Guy

Yes, you can add a 32 GB microSDGC card to the Clip+, but there is a slight issue with that. If you have lots of files, you might have trouble getting the player to recognize them all. This can be taken care of being using RockBox on it, but that might be slightly more trouble than you would like.

Have you considered the Sony players? I've had two and been very happy with them. There are 32 and 64 GB players out there, but they tend to be a little more pricey. Also, some countries don't sale them, so you would have to import.

But they do offer everything you have asked for:

- Good sound quality
- No software required
- Long play time (depending upon model, up to 40 hours)
- 32 and 64gb capacities
- Song search, by folder, track or genre
- Flash memory & small size
- Music, with optional video and picture viewing, no internet
- Buttons for all functions, no touch controls at all

Look into them. I think you might be happy with them.

Ehm...sure, i love walkmans...but would you mind telling me the models? I could not find such models upon just a search. I am computer savvy so i think rockbos is also good - would be better if i could get it to my past ipod. but no.

[skip252]

Which Walkman models are readily available to you depends on your location. For instance there's no Walkman offered in the US right now at more than 16 GB. That's enough for me but I only carry a small subset of my music with me at one time.

As far as Rockbox check my sig on that. If you can follow a relatively simple set of directions for installation and are willing to spend some time in the manual it would seem to get you the player you're looking for at a very good price. Also, if you haven't already look at the Port Status page on the Rockbox site. Rockbox is available for some iPods, you would need to determine if yours is one of them.

If you are looking to Rockbox a player look at either the Sansa Fuze(not the Plus model) or the Clip+. The Fuze is discontinued but still readily available here in the US. That includes both new and refurbished models. The Clip+ has a smaller screen that's unsuited for videos and lesser battery life but shares the same excellent sound quality.

[The DarkSide]

The Cowon DAP's are also quite bad at dealing with playlists. On a Sony you can have a few - on a Cowon there's almost always an issue.