The "Portable Media Player Buying Advice" Thread

I need an MP3 player with a capacity of 512 MB or 1 GB.

The following are the features I am looking for -
Voice Recording
Good and Simple interface
Good SNR

The following are the features I DONT want
FM
FLAC, and other lesser known file formats.
I don't care much about the transfer speed.
Good looks not necessary.

If I have missed any feature, then please inform me.

My budget is Rs 3000. (Extendable by a few hundreds)

My hardware vendor informed me of the following prices -
Transcend 1GB - Rs 2600
MOS 1GB(Video) - Rs 3600
Supercomp 1GB(Video) - Rs 3400
He could not inform me of the model number or any other detail. All of the above players come with a 1 or 2 years warranty.
Are any of these a good deal?

AFAIK, Transcend T610 comes around 2200 bucks and if paired with a good quality earphone is a good enough option

Dont know about the rest though.

I am using the Transcend T610 for about 5 months now and have experianced to problem.
Paired with a good quality headphone and good quality of the music file of course.......................
Audio output is excellent!

One more for Transcend T610... And for 3.2K you get a 2GB model..

redhat said:
I am using the Transcend T610 for about 5 months now and have experianced to problem.
Paired with a good quality headphone and good quality of the music file of course.......................
Audio output is excellent!

Which is the headphone/earphone that you are using ?

Well, but that model uses a Li-ion battery. I would prefer a player with a AAA battery or likewise.
Also, what is the SNR of T610? And what are the accessories provided with it?

People, I need help urgently. I have to buy it by TOMORROW, or else wait till 5th may. Please help me quickly.
Other than the T610, other brands/models should I look out for?

I use the headphones bundled in with the product itself. They are pretty good

I say go for it, buy the T610 it rocks!
It comes with:
1pc MP3 Player
1 pair of headphones
1 carry pouch
2 USB connectors
1 Arm Strap
etc some more accessories maybe. I dont remember completely!

insanekiller said:
Well, but that model uses a Li-ion battery. I would prefer a player with a AAA battery or likewise.

Why exactly is that ? If you don't have access to USB port, then you can also buy an USB charger...

Meanwhile check this to get an idea.

redhat said:
I use the headphones bundled in with the product itself. They are pretty good

Well the reviews I read say that they are "Not-So-Good" (please don't take offence...these are not my views) . Maybe they are not bad either but according to the reviews , paired with a good earphone T610 rocks

I prefer AAA batteries because they are easily available and hassle free. I don't like the USB charging procedure. (But hey, I didn't know about the USB charger!! Is it easily available?)
Also, how much does an extra battery cost?
What about the warranty?
Well, I haven't been able to decide finally yet, so it's delayed till the 5th...
What about the warranty?
So what about other brands/models?

Maybe I will go with the T610 only.

What about headphones/earphones? How much will a good pair cost?

J

insanekiller said:
I prefer AAA batteries because they are easily available and hassle free. I don't like the USB charging procedure. (But hey, I didn't know about the USB charger!! Is it easily available?)
Also, how much does an extra battery cost?
What about the warranty?
Well, I haven't been able to decide finally yet, so it's delayed till the 5th...
What about the warranty?
So what about other brands/models?

Maybe I will go with the T610 only.

What about headphones/earphones? How much will a good pair cost?

I am also using 610 2GB, and though bought recently, find it very good. I also find the earphones good, may be because I am not really an audiophile.
The sealed packet contains
1. Tsonic 610
2. Earphone
3. Neckstrap
4. Hand Ring
5. Carry case
6. USB cable
7. USB Adapter
8. Driver CD (Mini)
9. Warranty card
10.Sports armband
11.Quick Instruction Guide.

Warranty is 2 years except Li-Polymer battery. I don't think the battery is available separately or easily replaceable. One charge is claimed to last 14 hours.

insanekiller said:
I didn't know about the USB charger!! Is it easily available?

Maybe I will go with the T610 only.

What about headphones/earphones? How much will a good pair cost?

USB chargers are not so common ... maybe you will have to search a little

My friend bought a universal USB Mains charger in UK for 5 pounds.

And I have personally narrowed my choice of earphones to SONY and CREATIVE

Bottomline is that for your budget, the best option will be T610 with a good pair of earphone

royal said:
Well the reviews I read say that they are "Not-So-Good" (please don't take offence...these are not my views) . Maybe they are not bad either but according to the reviews , paired with a good earphone T610 rocks

Its everyones personal choice! Im not a complete audiophile, though quality really matters to me......
Also, I rip MP3's at 320 kbps from the original Audio CD's, so the files quality is also supposed to be better

I couldn't wait, so I ordered the T610!!!!!.. It's available for Rs 2450 here. The idiot won't reduce the price further. But I'm slightly worried about the battery.
I stay in Allahabad, UP, so there's NO chance of getting one around here. But I'm going to delhi tonight, so if there's any shop there you know, then please inform me..

Now, how much will a good pair of earphones and headphones cost? I've heard there's some good company called koss and another called senheisser or something like that.

J

insanekiller said:
I couldn't wait, so I ordered the T610!!!!!.. It's available for Rs 2450 here. The idiot won't reduce the price further. But I'm slightly worried about the battery.
I stay in Allahabad, UP, so there's NO chance of getting one around here. But I'm going to delhi tonight, so if there's any shop there you know, then please inform me..

Now, how much will a good pair of earphones and headphones cost? I've heard there's some good company called koss and another called senheisser or something like that.

Why should you?
It is a Li-ion/Li-polymer rechargeable and should last almost like a cellphone battery.

I finally got the T610 1GB. It's great. The audio quality and the earphones are satisfactory.. The transfer speeds are slightly slow, though.
So can someone please tell me where can I buy a USB charger, and spare batteries from...
Also, one friend told me that it can be charged with a Motorola Cellphone charger. Is that true?? I've never seen a motorola charger.

K

insanekiller said:
I finally got the T610 1GB. It's great. The audio quality and the earphones are satisfactory.. The transfer speeds are slightly slow, though.
So can someone please tell me where can I buy a USB charger, and spare batteries from...
Also, one friend told me that it can be charged with a Motorola Cellphone charger. Is that true?? I've never seen a motorola charger.

if the input is 5v volts and mini usb then it can b charged by motorola charger used for l6 and l7.
but there is no need since u r supplied with the usb cable which charges the player as well

insanekiller said:
I finally got the T610 1GB. It's great. The audio quality and the earphones are satisfactory.. The transfer speeds are slightly slow, though.
So can someone please tell me where can I buy a USB charger, and spare batteries from...
Also, one friend told me that it can be charged with a Motorola Cellphone charger. Is that true?? I've never seen a motorola charger.

I don't understand why you need a separate USB charger.. The USB cable/connector which they have provided is sufficient for your job. Everytime you connect to your PC to transfer songs, it automatically chrges your player..

Search for "Camelion AP-218 USB Power Adapter for iPod" in *www.futurebazaar.com ...its available for Rs. 775

I would like to make a correction - the earphones suck..

Also, the connector is Mini USB, but I don't know about the voltage. Is there any way to find out?

I need a USB charger for longer travels.. it's just convenient. Not that I do that often, but once I've bought a player, better to utilize it fully!!

insanekiller said:
I would like to make a correction - the earphones suck..

I thought so

better replace it with a good one