[Rab Mush]

Greetings For the last few years, except for a few months in which I used a Cowon A2, I've switched between flash based iPod to iPod, never being completely satisfied (but continuing with the trend because I'm actually one of the few people out there that prefers syncing with iTunes over dragging and dropping.) And since I've finally grown tired of having to make room for songs by deleting stuff that I like, and sacrificing high quality files for lower bitrate versions of songs, I'm making the switch to a large mp3 player. And since I'm really picky, I need some help with deciding what might be the best player out there for me.

I have a few things on my wishlist that I wouldn't want to give up during the switch. Tied for the number one spot are battery life and interface. I really hate running out of battery without a charger, and I also hate having to conserve when I might be running low. I know, I could just be more responsible with my charging schedule, but if a player just has plain battery life no kind of schedule is going to fix the battery itself. A good 7-8 hours would be ideal, but I would settle for anywhere above 6 hours.

And like I said, interface (both on the outside and inside of the player). I love almost every part of the ipod's interface, and the scroll wheel is probably the best thing I've used on an mp3 player before. So basically I'm a sucker for something with a pretty, not sluggish, and functional interface, although I'd even completely give up the "pretty" part of the ipod interface for something that is just as functional.

And I figure by this point of this post (if you still care about helpin' a brother out) you're thinking, "Why are you bothering asking this? iPod Video, dude!" And my reasoning is that while I can usually drop $50 for a used iPod from someone I know, if I'm spending a sizable amount of cash on something that not only will I use constantly, but will want to keep for a long time, I feel I need to always consider every option. Also, I do have a few complaints with the (new) iPod Video (and also the line in general.) To be quick, the battery life/and the sluggish (my thought of the interface being sluggish being based off a 2 or 3 minute test run of one at best buy. Maybe they're not, the unit itself could have just been bad) kind of remove the Video from my list of possibilities. And I also was under the impression that the iPod line in general isn't considered the best for someone who is planning on listening to high quality bitrate'd songs with nice headphones. I could be wrong here

Other things I want to see in the player? Ability to output clear sounds to a high quality pair of headphone. Since I've mostly used iPod-packaged headphones, I think I want to experience the ability to hear "true" sound from an mp3 player. Support for wide range of file formats. Kind of small in size. I mean, I'm not expecting an iPod nano, but something the size of a video preferably... and Mac support!


One request that would be almost impossible to satisfy: the ability to sync with iTunes. I know, not possible, right? No hurt in asking though...


Okay, if you're still reading, all suggestions are appreciated! Thanks to those who will respond, and if you also want to rag on me for my thoughts of the new iPod Video/tell me how I'm wrong, and try to convince me to get one, feel free! I'd love for this to be as easy as picking up and iPod Again, thanks to those that reply!

-Mush

[- - e r i k - -]

Why are you bothering asking this? iPod Video, dude!

[Art Vandelay]

What's wrong with the 30 hour battery life of the 80GB iPod Classic? Several reviewers have gotten considerably longer battery life times than that, too.

[- - e r i k - -]

Not to mention they output sound just fine to my Grado cans. Jeez.

[alligator]

Go to an Apple store and try them all. Pick the best one. Problem solved.

[imitchellg5]

iPods have the best sound quality out there. Obviously the standard earbuds aren't going to be that great with any MP3 player. My iCans sound great with my iPods.

[Rab Mush]

I wasn't aware that there had been THAT big of an increase in battery life with the new iPod Classics. That's actually more than I get on my nano. I guess I'll look at the iPod again. Is there any chance that someone here might suggest another mp3 player? Any chance at all?

[ort888]

You are describing an iPod classic.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by Rab Mush 

Is there any chance that someone here might suggest another mp3 player? Any chance at all?

Slim to none. But then there are all kinds of idiots on here, not just your garden variety type, but all kinds.

[analogika]

Originally Posted by imitchellg5 

iPods have the best sound quality out there.

No.

But they are pretty good.

Since you're not going to be doing any "high-end" listening sessions, and the material is probably gonna be ripped using the computer's built-in optical drive using iTunes, they're certainly more than adequate to make this consideration moot.

[imitchellg5]

I meant sound quality of an MP3 player. It doesn't get much better than that.

[analogika]

Originally Posted by imitchellg5 

I meant sound quality of an MP3 player. It doesn't get much better than that.

Not much, but I very much doubt that the iPod is "the best".

AFAIK, none of the current crop of iPods sound as good as the first-generation iPod shuffle.

I wish somebody would do another comparative test, and in particular, I'd love a follow-up to this one:
Quantifying Bass Performance in Digital Audio Players

[imitchellg5]

My shuffle doesn't sound that great IMO. It's pretty flat and not very detailed.

Edit: Whoops, mine's 2G.