MP3 player recommendations? - Gear

Sandy the Womble

26/01/2012 at 16:03

Leaving aside the debate as to whether or not one should be used at all....

I really like MP3 palyers with a built-in clip, as they are so convenient for running, and have owned an iPod Shuffle (2nd generation) and a SanDisk Sansa Clip, which have both been absolutely brilliant.

Unfortunately, my Sansa Clip has just died. I still have the Shuffle, but it only has a 1GB capacity.

So.... does anyone know of any MP3 players with built-in clip apart from these two (and yes, I know about the Shuffle 4th Generation, which may indeed be an option).

Thanks in advance!

Intermanaut

26/01/2012 at 16:08

The new iPod Nano.

Sandy the Womble

26/01/2012 at 16:31

Oooh - that looks good!

Just to check - when you say "new", do you mean the 6th Generation launched September 2010?

Runnin man

26/01/2012 at 20:12

Can't fault Philips Go Gear , very small, plenty of Memory good sound comes with necklace ear plugs, and mine has been through the mincer over the years, soaked through, dropped, hammered, you name it, it still keeps going, and a fraction of the cost of an Ipod

Also-ran

26/01/2012 at 22:09

My only comment would be to think about what you will use it for. I currently have a small Sony Walkman which is perfect for music; however I also listen to a lot of Audible audio books when out running and at work. Audible files and Sony Walkmans are not compatible, so I am using my smartphone for Audible. I'm finding my phone too heavy for running so may be forced to pick up an IPOD Shuffle or Nano to meet both needs.

Keggi

26/01/2012 at 22:34

I can vouch for the ipod nano 6th Generation. I received one a couple of weeks ago due to my 1st gen being replaced by apple and I must say its a superb piece of kit perfect for running as it clips straight onto your clothing.

Not the cheapest mp3 player but excellent quality and 8gb which is loads of memory.

exiled claret

27/01/2012 at 06:34

If you liked the clip, why not replace it with another one? Lots cheaper than an ipod nano, does mp3 and audiobooks brilliantly.

Marc.S

27/01/2012 at 08:39

i have the latest nano too, but i still find myself using my 2nd gen shuffle i bought on ebay for £10. especially over winter in changeable/un predictable weather, i've been soaked through before and i just dont like to think of my nano getting destroyed, i keep that for summer runs,
features dont matter since i press play and then generally dont touch it unless its to pause on single track country lanes so i can hear traffic.

exiled claret

27/01/2012 at 08:41

I guess that 1Gb should hold enough to last most runs, so you could just save your cash & use the shuffle.

Intermanaut

27/01/2012 at 09:46

@Sandy the Womble - the little square one, yes.

Sandy the Womble

27/01/2012 at 10:18

Thanks for all the responses!

EG - had a look at the GoGear, but don't think it has a clip? Looks good otherwise.

Claret - reluctant to get another Sansa Clip due to the last one just dying... worried the same thing might happen again. And yes - 1Gb on the iPod is plenty for any run, but it does mean I have to change the music on it every now & again. No big deal I suppose, and it's good to change things around & keep the music fresh! I was just enjoying having 8 Gb of music & putting the player on shuffle!

So I guess I'll make do with the Shuffle for the time being, and maybe put the Nano on my birthday list. Trouble is, that's not until September!

Sandy the Womble

27/01/2012 at 10:19

Thanks Inter!

Sandy the Womble

30/01/2012 at 09:10

Oh dear. I feel such a fool.

Having contacted Amazon to see if I had any customer rights over an MP3 that dies after 9 months, they suggested I checked on the Sandisk site first. Quite why I didn't think to do this is beyound me, but there you go.

Anyway, looking at the "troubleshooting" section of the forum there, it appears that this is a known problem, and all the device needs is a reset. So now I have a fully working SanDisk Sansa Clip once again! Woop!

So what have I learnt?

1. I'm an idiot (although I probably knew that already)

2. Amazon's after sales service is very good (it was a personalised response to my enquiry, not a standard "fob off")

3. I still quite like the look of the new Nano.

Cheers all!

exiled claret

30/01/2012 at 14:34

Glad you got it working again.

Been thinking a bit more though, and this may become relevant at some point:

I really like my clip+, and appreciated the clip on it. Unfortunately I dropped it and then promptly trod on it and bust the hinges on the clip so couldn't get it back on. (You can get replacement clips for the clip btw, but not for the clip+).

Anyway after much looking around I found a small clip with a flat back on it (one from one of those ID badges for visitors at work). It has a kind of lever action which locks it into place really securely. I carefully sanded the back of the mp3 player flat, and then used some araldite 2 part resin to stick it on. It is a little bulkier than the original clip (but hey I used to walk around with a walkman and a load of cassettes in my pockets!) and it does the job just great. So you could put a clip on any mp3 player pretty easily.

Sprint for the line

31/01/2012 at 13:29

For running I've got an ol' iPod nano 1st Gen, 1GB - Think it was £40 off eBay

Don't mind if it gets sweat, rain, mud on it, and it doesn't attract unwated attention.

Will store over 100 songs - Easily enough for any distance run!

exiled claret

31/01/2012 at 13:33

Worth checking if your 1st gen nano is one of the ones apple are recalling at the moment because of dodgy batteries. If so, you could get a free upgrade to a 6th gen one (if you want it). If not, at least it could keep you warm on a cold winter's run if the battery sets on fire!!!!

Sprint for the line

31/01/2012 at 13:38

Ooooo. Will have a look - Cheers.

exiled claret

31/01/2012 at 13:40

There's a thread somewhere on here which gives the website. You'd better get out a magnifying glass because you have to type in the serial number which is not very large!

Sprint for the line

31/01/2012 at 18:05

EC, if I run into you I owe you a pint. Apple are shipping me the replacement box for my battered old Nano that I got 2nd hand off eBay - Getting a shiny new free pod!

exiled claret

31/01/2012 at 20:44

That's great!