# What kind of MP3 player should I buy? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 28, 2002, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-mp3-player-should-i-buy/145338 "2002-12-28T09:01:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-mp3-player-should-i-buy/145338/1 "2002-12-28T09:01:21Z")
I just got a gift certificate for an electronics store and am thinking of buying an MP3 player. However, I’m not sure what kind to get. Should I get a 10 GB or 20 GB model that can hold my entire library? Or should I go with a smaller and cheaper one that holds about 128 MB (i.e., four hours) of music per disc? What’s a good brand? Are there any to avoid? I’d like your imput. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-mp3-player-should-i-buy/145338/2 "2002-12-28T19:47:35Z")
Also, what’s been your experience with them? ---
**Author:** ![Drastic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Drastic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drastic)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-mp3-player-should-i-buy/145338/3 "2002-12-28T20:52:56Z")
I’ve had zero cognitive dissonance with the Archos Jukebox Recorder 20-gig model. No proprietary software involved; just plug it in the USB port, it’s recognized as another hard drive, and then just drag-and-drop. The official out-of-the-box firmware (the player’s OS, more or less) isn’t the best. Luckily, however, there is a third-party open-source alternative in Rockbox, over at [http://rockbox.haxx.se/](http://rockbox.haxx.se/) which just gets better and better as time goes by. ---
**Author:** ![Mojo\_the\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eada6e/32.png) [@Mojo\_the\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mojo_the_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-mp3-player-should-i-buy/145338/4 "2002-12-28T20:58:19Z")
iPod. > **[iPod touch](https://www.apple.com/ipod-touch/)** > > iPod touch now comes with the A10 Fusion chip, which powers augmented reality games and apps. Group FaceTime. And up to 256GB of storage. Available for both Mac and Windows PC users. Best MP3 player ever. ---
**Author:** ![Anamorphic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anamorphic/32/3057_2.png) [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-mp3-player-should-i-buy/145338/5 "2002-12-28T21:06:24Z")
I second the iPod. I have the smallest one (5 GB), but I’ve never thought, “Gee, I wish I had more storage”. Around 1000 songs at any one point is more than enough for me, and it’s easy enough to switch music out, if need be. ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-mp3-player-should-i-buy/145338/6 "2002-12-28T22:23:10Z")
Archos 6000 MB Portable hard drive has been the BEST one in my experience, and I’ve had about 5 different kinds. My dad has a 20 GB one, and he’s loaded every CD and every MP3 he has and still has about a gig left. When you charge it, it will play for about 5-6 hours, and doesn’t use batteries. Just pluc in the AC adapter and let it sit overnight and you’ll be set. Plus you can store other files on it as well, so I highly suggest it. ---
**Author:** ![Lux\_Fiat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bc79bd/32.png) [@Lux\_Fiat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lux_Fiat)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-mp3-player-should-i-buy/145338/7 "2002-12-28T22:35:24Z")
You can always noodle around on [cnet](http://www.cnet.com), and compare the reviews of various mp3 players they have there. Me, I have a 10GB iPod, which I love. There are other, cheaper, more feature-packed mp3 players out there, but the iPod does everything I need it to, especially since the last firmware update, and good God, it’s sexy-lookin’. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-mp3-player-should-i-buy/145338/8 "2002-12-28T22:37:08Z")
How about [Compact Flash-based units](http://www.usbetc.com/mp3.htm)? Anybody have any experience? I figure that, since they have no moving parts, they _should_ be pretty sturdy. The downside would be number of songs you could cram onto a Compact Flash card. The biggest card I’ve seen is 1GB, but it’s a bit pricey. ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2002, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-mp3-player-should-i-buy/145338/9 "2002-12-29T01:06:53Z")
Thanks for all your advice. I’ll certainly look at the brands you mentioned. By the way, does anybody have an MP3 player made by Creative Labs? ---
**Author:** ![fizgig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f04885/32.png) [@fizgig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fizgig)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2002, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-mp3-player-should-i-buy/145338/10 "2002-12-29T01:46:35Z")
I have an ARCHOS 20 Gig jukebox I bought last spring. However, it’s a bit too heavy, and has moving parts, so it’s not feasible to use it at the gym. I ended up buying a Yepp 128 mb player that’s about the size of a Zippo lighter that I can wear clipped onto an armband at the gym. I really like both players, but I wish I’d waited until the PC compatible iPod came out. It doesn’t have moving parts, and it’s a bit lighter than the Archos, so it would be ideal for the gym. Also, I think the iPod has FireWire technology that can be used with the PC version, so uploading is much faster. I cleared off my Archos harddrive and uploaded about 16 gigs of music last week, and it took about 4-5 hours. The USB compatibility is great; I take it to the lab and plug it into that computer. I’ll never again be a victim of crappy radio programming. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2002, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-kind-of-mp3-player-should-i-buy/145338/11 "2002-12-31T01:40:31Z")
I have the Archos 20 gig multimedia jukebox player. Not only does it play MP3s, but there’s a little screen on the front, so it can play video files, as well. I love it.