# MP3 player recommendations



## tutliputli (Feb 22, 2009)

I want to buy an MP3 player to make my hour-long bus journey to and from work more bearable. What I'd really like is an iPod Nano, but I can't afford one. I'm not interested in anything secondhand because I've been unlucky with that in the past.

I don't want to spend any more than £60. I don't care about fancy features like cameras, voice recorders or the ability to play videos but I'd like something with 4GB because I have a lot of music. What would you guys recommend for me? I'm rubbish with gadgets and stuff, so I need your help


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## RayOfLight123 (Dec 4, 2009)

I bought a really cheap one from Tesco a couple of years a go..It was only about £10..They might have some offers

PC world have a good selection too..and they aren't that expensive or fancy..


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## caflme (Jun 7, 2009)

I have an older one by creative labs (a MuVo) that works great and it is made really durable. I like the older ones myself, but that's probably because I'm 'older' lol.


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## tutliputli (Feb 22, 2009)

Thanks for the suggestions! I just want something reliable with lots and lots of memory that's not too pricey. Is that so much to ask? Why do iPods have to be so expensive :bah


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## caflme (Jun 7, 2009)

tutliputli said:


> Thanks for the suggestions! I just want something reliable with lots and lots of memory that's not too pricey. Is that so much to ask? Why do iPods have to be so expensive :bah


Because of the brand name and because there are millions out there that are willing to pay nearly any amount for the next newest thing that is popular with the masses.


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## tutliputli (Feb 22, 2009)

^ Yeah, that is very true. I'm having a little look on amazon now.


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## DeeperUnderstanding (May 19, 2007)

I can't get along without my trusty iPod. They're more expensive, but they really are the best.


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## David1976 (Nov 8, 2003)

I have a sansa clip and it is great... they come in 8gb size as well and very good battery life... also there is a sansa clip plus that comes in 8gb and has an expansion slot that takes micro sd cards up to 32gb if you have more music than the 8gb... it also has an fm tuner and built in microphone for basic voice recording...


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## tutliputli (Feb 22, 2009)

Thanks guys, I'll have a look at the ones you mentioned. I did see the Sony one and a few Sansa ones on amazon. I think 4GB will be plenty for me.


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## tutliputli (Feb 22, 2009)

After a lot of looking, I think I'm going to go with this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/SanDisk-San...3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1274631136&sr=8-3


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## Shauna The Dead (Jun 16, 2005)

Based on my experience all mp3 players are junk. I'd definitely go with an iPod. They're more expensive but they're made better, they actually last 2+ years. I have an iPod touch and I use it every day. I'm online on it right now. Before buying my iPod I went through about 3 mp3 players, all died or stopped working properly after a few months. I know 2 of the brands were samsung and philips so definitely stay away from these brands.


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## Shauna The Dead (Jun 16, 2005)

WintersTale said:


> I can't get along without my trusty iPod. They're more expensive, but they really are the best.


I agree! If you dont wanna buy a new mp3 player every 6 months or so- iPod is the only way to go.


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## tutliputli (Feb 22, 2009)

I can't afford an iPod. Otherwise I'd get one.


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## lonelyjew (Jan 20, 2010)

Go for the Sansa clip, the microSD is an awesome thing and I've only heard good things about it. I ended up buying a Nano but the Sansa was a very close second.

Also, if you can afford it, get some good headphones, I can't begin to tell you how much of a difference they make - hearing a lot of my songs was like listening to them for the first time. I got a pair of Sennheiser CX 500's cheep and I'd highly recommend them. There are a lot of cheep fakes but this guy sells real one's cheep if you're interested.


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## tutliputli (Feb 22, 2009)

Argh, I'm so confused! I was set on the Sansa but now I'm worried it'll die on me. It's true, the two MP3 players I've had previously both broke within a year. Decisions, decisions. I'll definitely invest in some good earphones if I get anything other than an iPod.


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## Green Eyes (Sep 6, 2009)

The Mp3 of Creative are good too. I have one now and it works great.


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## JayDontCareEh (Jul 16, 2007)

tutliputli said:


> I can't afford an iPod. Otherwise I'd get one.


You could probably find a used one on amazon for half the price of a new one. I buy used items off amazon all the time, and I've never had a problem. That site is very reliable. You might even get lucky and find a used iPod that's still under warranty.

I don't know... just a thought.


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## tutliputli (Feb 22, 2009)

JayDontCareEh said:


> You could probably find a used one on amazon for half the price of a new one. I buy used items off amazon all the time, and I've never had a problem. That site is very reliable. You might even get lucky and find a used iPod that's still under warranty.
> 
> I don't know... just a thought.


Yeah, I did have a look and there're plenty of used ones for around £50, but my boyfriend and I both bought used iPod Minis from amazon marketplace sellers a few months ago and they were both buggered. So I'm kind of put off by that.


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## Whitney (Oct 2, 2008)

Although expensive, iPods are the best. I have a 30GB that is 4.5 years old and still works great. Battery is not quiet what it used to be, but it still lasts for long enough for me. Show me any other mp3 player that can last that long.

I understand that you can't afford one right now, but I would suggest trying to save up, because in the long run it will be cheaper than having to buy a new one every six months to a year.


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## zomgz (Aug 17, 2009)

I highly highly recommend the Meizu M6! The thing lasts forever and it's very nice, you can even watch videos on it. You can get a 4gb one for 60$ or under. You can even customize the skin, backgrounds and colours. Battery life is insane, one time I slept with it on and it lasted all night and the next day lol. =]


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## tutliputli (Feb 22, 2009)

Whitney said:


> Although expensive, iPods are the best. I have a 30GB that is 4.5 years old and still works great. Battery is not quiet what it used to be, but it still lasts for long enough for me. Show me any other mp3 player that can last that long.
> 
> I understand that you can't afford one right now, but I would suggest trying to save up, because in the long run it will be cheaper than having to buy a new one every six months to a year.


Hmm, if I saved up I could get one in a couple of months' time. There are lots of brand new ones on ebay so I'll see what's going on payday. 



zomgz said:


> I highly highly recommend the Meizu M6! The thing lasts forever and it's very nice, you can even watch videos on it. You can get a 4gb one for 60$ or under. You can even customize the skin, backgrounds and colours. Battery life is insane, one time I slept with it on and it lasted all night and the next day lol. =]


I just looked this one up on amazon but it says it's currently unavailable. Looks good though


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## pita (Jan 17, 2004)

I LOVE my Sansa Clip. I got my 4gb on sale for $50 CAD about a year ago, and it's still going strong. The headphones that came with it were probably the best earbuds I've ever used; sadly, they crapped out about a month ago.


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## tutliputli (Feb 22, 2009)

Well, I just bought one of these:

*SanDisk Sansa Clip+ 8GB MP3 Player with Radio and Expandable MicroSD/SDHC Slot - Black *


You can get a 32GB expandable memory disk for this little thing. It was only £42.50 (instead of the RRP of £119). Seems almost too good to be true but the reviews are great and a couple of you recommended this one. Thanks for all the suggestions!


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## MobiusX (Nov 14, 2008)

I have SanDisk Sansa, it's good


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## nemesis1 (Dec 21, 2009)

I just use my phone as an mp3 player.


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## David1976 (Nov 8, 2003)

I also recommend getting a silicone case for it... I have dropped mine a few times and I'm sure I will again... they are cheap on ebay... also make sure you get the one for the plus.. because it is a different shape versus the regular clip...


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## tutliputli (Feb 22, 2009)

Thanks for the tip David!


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## tutliputli (Feb 22, 2009)

I've had my Sansa Clip for about a week now and I absolutely LOVE it. It's so adorably tiny and holds a ridiculous amount of music. The only bad thing about it is that the volume isn't quite loud enough when I'm somewhere noisy. It has an internal db limit to stop people damaging their ears, which is a good thing really.


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## David1976 (Nov 8, 2003)

I use earbuds that seem to help with the outside noise... they use memory foam... they are from JVC.. JVC HAFX34 Marshmellow Headphones.. and they come in different colors as well... *
*


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## danberado (Apr 22, 2010)

I have a Sanza 8gb clip and strongly recommend it. Great sound quality, storage, battery life, size, and price.

One thing is if you like to make playlists on the fly, it can be kind of clunky. If you generally listen to music by album or random it's not a problem.


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## WalkingOnEggShells (Mar 17, 2010)

I would have gotten a Sansa Fuze, instead. With some work you can even convert videos onto it, and you should've been able to swipe one online for $50 USD (I have no idea how many euros that is).


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## papaSmurf (Jun 16, 2008)

CNET is a good place to look for info on this sort of thing, Tuts. Links ahoy!

The Sansa Clip seems super solid from everything I've read. The CNET review is here: http://reviews.cnet.com/mp3-players/sandisk-sansa-clip-4gb/4505-6490_7-33770002.html

The Creative Zen Mosaic is supposed to be decent as well, though I'd be personally be bothered by the lack of dedicated volume buttons: http://reviews.cnet.com/mp3-players/creative-zen-mozaic-2gb/4505-6490_7-33183617.html?tag=mncol

As far as good-sounding, inexpensive headphones go, I'd recommend either these (http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/klipsch-image-s4-earphones/4505-7877_7-33577358.html) or these (http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/koss-portapro-headphones/4505-7877_7-32897197.html)

I'm still rolling with a Sony player from 2005, but I've had my eye on this one for a while now: http://reviews.cnet.com/portable-au...0_7-33485025.html?tag=contentMain;contentBody. I am a huge sound quality geek.


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## Noca (Jun 24, 2005)

I dont use any cheap ones, I use my iPhone 3GS 32GB as my everything device


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## Jnmcda0 (Nov 28, 2003)

David1976 said:


> I have a sansa clip and it is great... they come in 8gb size as well and very good battery life... also there is a sansa clip plus that comes in 8gb and has an expansion slot that takes micro sd cards up to 32gb if you have more music than the 8gb... it also has an fm tuner and built in microphone for basic voice recording...


I second this. The sound on the Sansa Clip is amazing. The voice recorder works pretty well. I used it to record a concert I went to and the sound quality was far better than I expected. When I first got it, the battery life was about 13-15 hours. After using it most days at work for over a year, the battery life has decreased some, but it still gets through the day.


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## UncertainMuffin (Sep 24, 2008)

I have a Sanza Fuze and love it. The sound quality is great and it's very durable.


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## Kwtrader (Oct 10, 2007)

i have a samsung yp-t7z mp3 for over 5 yrs. my mp3 player was dropped many times and shoved into pockets with change and it still works and looks like new despite my abuse over the years. 

very durable and very good quality. battery still works good enough and color screen everything still great. i'm very impressed with it. i recommend samsung brand.


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## Cleary (Nov 10, 2007)

I use an 80gb video ipod. I've never used the video feature because it's completely full with music. I paid $200 USD for a gently used one on ebay in 2007 (the seller said he only had it for three weeks until he upgraded to an ipod touch so it was practically brand new). The prices have gone down since then so you could probably find one almost half that price on ebay.

As for the earbuds - use skullcandy. You can find them online for about $12 and the quality is really great for such a low price.


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## tutliputli (Feb 22, 2009)

Thanks for all the suggestions guys  

The sound quality on the Sansa SanDisk is absolutely AMAZING, and that's just with the earphones that came with it. I bought some Sennheiser earbuds with integrated volume control because I thought that'd allow me to turn the volume up a bit more, but the volume is limited to what's built into the MP3 player. So what I really need help with is finding some earphones that block out background noise.

Smurfy and David, I'll check out the ones you suggested. Thanks!


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## papaSmurf (Jun 16, 2008)

tutliputli said:


> Thanks for all the suggestions guys
> 
> The sound quality on the Sansa SanDisk is absolutely AMAZING, and that's just with the earphones that came with it. I bought some Sennheiser earbuds with integrated volume control because I thought that'd allow me to turn the volume up a bit more, but the volume is limited to what's built into the MP3 player. So what I really need help with is finding some earphones that block out background noise.
> 
> Smurfy and David, I'll check out the ones you suggested. Thanks!


I'd check out the Klipsch ones first Tuts. Shure earbuds are the best as far as sound isolation goes, but they can be pricey. I've had mine for 6 years though!


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## Catlover4100 (Feb 10, 2009)

As someone who is gone through a number of mp3 players, I can wholeheartedly recommend and iPod. I thought it was too expensive, and refused to spend $150 on one, but I ended up going through so many cheap, crappy mp3 players that I spent twice what I would have in the first place. I've had my 4th generation iPod nano for a year and a half now, and I've never had a lick of trouble with it. It has great sound quality as well. If you really don't want to invest in an iPod, and just want something really basic, I would suggest something by Sansa. I had bad luck with a refurbished one, but one of the lower models I bought new worked well.


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## estse (Nov 18, 2003)

All i"ve owned and used is a 160gb iPod something. It ran out of space.


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## Belshazzar (Apr 12, 2010)

Sandisk tends to make cheap, quality products. I haven't heard many complaints about the Sansa.

I have an iPod, though, because it was a gift and I need the 160 GB capacity to fit all my music on it. There aren't many brands that have that much space without being built like a brick and having massive screens made for watching movies. Also, the iPod's battery life, sound quality, and general not being a piece of crap have vastly improved since the 5th gen.


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## Belshazzar (Apr 12, 2010)

tutliputli said:


> Thanks for all the suggestions guys
> 
> The sound quality on the Sansa SanDisk is absolutely AMAZING, and that's just with the earphones that came with it. I bought some Sennheiser earbuds with integrated volume control because I thought that'd allow me to turn the volume up a bit more, but the volume is limited to what's built into the MP3 player. So what I really need help with is finding some earphones that block out background noise.
> 
> Smurfy and David, I'll check out the ones you suggested. Thanks!


I don't know much about earbuds because they bother my ears. But if you want a dirt-cheap set of clip-ons, get the Koss KCS-75. It's probably the best $10 you can spend headphones. They won't do a great job of blocking out sound, but they're a great pair of headphones for situations where you know the things will take abuse because they're so cheap and they still sound good.

My standard travel pair are Sennheiser PX-200s. They fit the trade-off between mobility and sound quality really well. They fold up and can fit in your pocket. But they also have small isolation pads. They're not completely circumaural but they do enclose the area right over the canal, which dampens a lot of ambient noise. I don't know how much you need to block out, but they will dampen most noises and almost eliminate constant low-pitched noises (like road noises or bus engines). They're not top of the line, but they're the only pair I've found that meet my requirements of: a. well-rounded sound quality, b. isolation, c. ability to fit into pocket, d. reasonably priced, and e. not making you look like a douchebag who just got back from DJing da club, wearing humongous headphones around your neck because they don't meet requirement c.


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## kos (May 19, 2009)

Haven't bothered to read this thread but if you still haven't bought one just get an ipod like 99.9% of the population. Unless your one of those HARDCORE non-conformist in which case you can just go live in a forest.


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## papaSmurf (Jun 16, 2008)

kos said:


> Haven't bothered to read this thread but if you still haven't bought one just get an ipod like 99.9% of the population. Unless your one of those HARDCORE non-conformist in which case you can just go live in a forest.


It is lovely here in the woods, thank you.


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## WalkingOnEggShells (Mar 17, 2010)

UncertainMuffin said:


> I have a Sanza Fuze and love it. The sound quality is great and it's very durable.


Holla!


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## JEmerson (Mar 25, 2010)

An iPod just cannot be beat. There's a reason why most people own one. Personally after having an iPod Touch, I don't think I could go back to any other sort of mp3 player. One day when I can afford it I'll probably just get an iPhone, but for now I love my Touch.


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## danberado (Apr 22, 2010)

There's nothing special about the iPod. The only reason so many people buy them is they have successfully been marketed as a _fashion accessory_ for non-discerning consumers.


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## Post_Punk_Proclivity (Oct 12, 2008)

tutliputli said:


> I can't afford an iPod. Otherwise I'd get one.


I think the lower capacity iPod Nano's aren't actually too bad in terms of price. I got an 8GB for $190.00 over a year and a half ago. I'm sure you could pick up a 4GB for under 60 pounds??

If not, I'd have to recommend iriver. I've owned two of them, the H10 and the X20. Both great units. The greatest thing I found with the iriver is that they're a lot less expensive and you can also increase memory capacity with SD cards. So you get a cheaper unit with still good quality with the added bonus of increasing their capacity.

With that said, I really would wait till I could afford a Nano though, since in my experience, none other MP3 brand has the right interface support and it's way harder to organize my music. And I have ****loads of music. But that's just me.


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## Post_Punk_Proclivity (Oct 12, 2008)

danberado said:


> There's nothing special about the iPod. The only reason so many people buy them is they have successfully been marketed as a _fashion accessory_ for non-discerning consumers.


I think that's partly true, but not the only reason people buy iPod's. I certainly did not buy an iPod for this reason.


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## Post_Punk_Proclivity (Oct 12, 2008)

kos said:


> Haven't bothered to read this thread but if you still haven't bought one just get an ipod like 99.9% of the population. Unless your one of those HARDCORE non-conformist in which case you can just go live in a forest.


You sound very convincing :no


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## Post_Punk_Proclivity (Oct 12, 2008)

tutliputli said:


> Well, I just bought one of these:
> 
> *SanDisk Sansa Clip+ 8GB MP3 Player with Radio and Expandable MicroSD/SDHC Slot - Black *
> 
> ...


oops, didn't see this post, pay no heed. :lol


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## Contra (Feb 23, 2010)

Cleary said:


> As for the earbuds - use skullcandy. You can find them online for about $12 and the quality is really great for such a low price.


I have to say, I don't rate Skullcandy particularly highly, the pair I had broke after a few months and it seems to be a common trend with them. Then again, from my experience ear buds never last particularly well anyway, regardless of what brand you buy.


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## PickleNose (Jul 11, 2009)

David1976 said:


> I have a sansa clip and it is great... they come in 8gb size as well and very good battery life... also there is a sansa clip plus that comes in 8gb and has an expansion slot that takes micro sd cards up to 32gb if you have more music than the 8gb... it also has an fm tuner and built in microphone for basic voice recording...





tutliputli said:


> Well, I just bought one of these:
> 
> *SanDisk Sansa Clip+ 8GB MP3 Player with Radio and Expandable MicroSD/SDHC Slot - Black *
> 
> ...


 You will not be disappointed with this little player unless by some fluke, you got one that fails early (It happens sometimes even to the best products).

I have the older 8GB Clip (The one without the card slot). I bought it about a year ago and it has been solid. The battery charges quickly and holds it's charge for months. The sound quality is pretty good considering the size. For those who complained about the volume, the old model has a selection in the menu where you can choose either to have limited volume or boosted volume. I don't know if they have that on the new one but I heard they didn't change much with the new firmware so I don't see why not.

Anyway, for headphones, I would suggest Koss Portapro. Even though they are ugly, they aren't very large and are just about the highest rated headphones you can buy for the money. They are reasonably efficient as well so they should pair well with the Sandisk Clip. They are rated high for a reason. They aren't just inexpensive but they sound great.

You will spend quite a bit of money if you want to get really good earbud type ones and even then, they are uncomfortable and a pain to use. I know they're nondescript and don't make you stand out in public but I don't think they're really worth the tradeoffs in price, comfort, ease of use and sound quality.

As for all the posts about the iPod, the iPod may be a decent player with lots of nice features but every model they make is way overpriced. I'm also not fond of Steve Jobs. I would not buy an Apple product of any kind because I don't like the guy and find his megalomania to be disturbing.

I forgot to mention that the one big negative to the Sandisk Clip is that the screen is only just serviceable. It can be frustratingly tedious when you are trying to look at the title of the song you're listening to. The bigger brother of the Clip, the Fuze, is a better player for this reason alone. But it is more expensive, naturally.


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## Belshazzar (Apr 12, 2010)

WalkingOnAWire said:


> I have to say, I don't rate Skullcandy particularly highly, the pair I had broke after a few months and it seems to be a common trend with them. Then again, from my experience ear buds never last particularly well anyway, regardless of what brand you buy.


Yeah, Skullcandy is generally considered to be a style over substance brand. I'd stay far away from them and go with the Koss Portapros like everyone has been suggesting or the Sennheiser PX-200s if you need more isolation.

Grado SR-80s also have good isolation, great sound quality, and are lightweight, but nowhere near as portable as the two other sets. The ear cups are gigantic can feel a bit funny depending on how big your ears are.


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## Cleary (Nov 10, 2007)

WalkingOnAWire said:


> I have to say, I don't rate Skullcandy particularly highly, the pair I had broke after a few months and it seems to be a common trend with them. Then again, from my experience ear buds never last particularly well anyway, regardless of what brand you buy.


Really? the pair that I have right now have lasted me a year and a half and the pair before that (also skullcandy) lasted about a year.

the apple earbuds that come with the ipod are crap though. It lasted me 3 or 4 months.


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## Belshazzar (Apr 12, 2010)

Cleary said:


> Really? the pair that I have right now have lasted me a year and a half and the pair before that (also skullcandy) lasted about a year.
> 
> the apple earbuds that come with the ipod are crap though. It lasted me 3 or 4 months.


It's not just how long they last. Skullcandy is generally seen as the brand for kids with too much pocket change, and for good reason.They're highly stylized but you're pretty much paying double what you should, probably more. Basically, any headphones produced by companies like Sennheiser, Grado, Koss, or AKG will blow Skullcandy out of the water. If you want good but dirt cheap phones, I stand by my original statement that the KCS-75s can't be beat.


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## PickleNose (Jul 11, 2009)

Belshazzar said:


> It's not just how long they last. Skullcandy is generally seen as the brand for kids with too much pocket change, and for good reason.They're highly stylized but you're pretty much paying double what you should, probably more. Basically, any headphones produced by companies like Sennheiser, Grado, Koss, or AKG will blow Skullcandy out of the water. If you want good but dirt cheap phones, I stand by my original statement that the KCS-75s can't be beat.


 I agree. I have a pair of the Skullcandy Smokin' buds. They are not much better than the junky buds that come with just about every MP3 player. They only real advantage they offer over stock is that they come with tips that make it easier to keep them in your ears.

The sound quality is abysmal and you can do much better by spending just $20 more. They have enough bass but the quality of the bass is just terrible. They also sound muffled in the midrange where most of the vocals and guitars are. They are not worth all of the compromises unless you just want a pair to rough it with so you can keep your good headphones nice and safe. And even then, I think you can do better for not much more. Wal-Mart carries Altec Lansing buds that sound better than the Skullcandy ones for around $20. They also have the much praised JVC Marshmallows for around the same price but I have them too and in my opinion, the Marshmallows have way too much flabby bass and it is just about impossible to EQ it out without killing the rest of the sound.

Anyway, the Portapros can be had for around $30 so why bother with junk that sounds bad yet costs almost as much?


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## Colhad75 (Dec 14, 2009)

Have an Mp3 player, I'm quite happy with it. I understand that iPods need a program in order to copy songs onto it. With an MP3 player, all you do is copy and paste them as you would with ordinary files.


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## FoxyJava (Mar 10, 2010)

I love my Sansa fuse 8gb. I agree with all the compliments the guys are giving it. One more awesome thing is the expandable memory.


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