After 1.5 years of exceptionally hard use, my Rio Cali 256 MP3 player appears to be starting to fritz. It began behaving oddly early in my long run yesterday and I was forced to shut it off and run sans tunes. It appears to be working just fine this morning but I suspect it’s not long for this world.
So I’m looking for recommendations for a replacement. I was generally really pleased with the Cali, the thing was bomb-proof (not to mention sweat-proof) for the longest time. It even survived a full-force trip on a trail where I came crashing down on both palms-- including the one holding the Cali.
However, a year and a half after purchasing that model, I’m sure there are a lot of other good options out there for a running-oriented MP3 player now. Key requirements are durability (duh), compact size, and flash-memory only (no hard disk, please). Oh, an relatively cheap; I don’t necessarily need a full Gig of capacity— I don’t even have that much good running music! The choices on Amazon are too overwhelming, so I thought I’d get personal recommendations from a bunch of other trigeeks.
What say ye, Slowtwitchers? What’s a good MP3 player for running? Thanks for any info.
iRiver IFP-89X (the X is a different number depending on capacity) – USB 2.0. Supports MP3/WMA/OGG files. Similarly “rugged” like the Cali. Also has an FM tuner if you like the radio. Has gotten rave reviews. Much better reviews than the Cali, and iRiver has a much better reputation regarding firmware/compatibility/etc. as opposed to Rio.
If you use iTunes to buy music, the Shuffle is the only way to go.
I have the Samsung YP-MT6Z with MP3, OGG, WMA and ASF playback. The regular AA battery runs for 42 hours! Connects via USB 2.0 to a PC. Has direct encoding (i.e., stream right on to it), FM Tuner, 3D sound, voice recorder. The unique thing is the size, as it is about the size of a pack of wrigleys gum. That is small.
When you plug it in to any PC it also acts as a flash drive (i.e., just shows up as a hard drive with no drivers on Windows Me, XP, +) so you can carry along docs as well as music… You can just drag your songs on and off and don’t need propriatary software in order to use it. I think I paid about $150 and love it. It works great, is tiny, and is cheaper than an ipod.
Ditto on the iriver. I’ve had mine for about 9 months and really like it. I got the 1gig version. It is currently “full” at 240ish songs. It NEVER can skip and that is why I love it. I put it on the little kiosk on the front of the treadmill and pound away on the treadmill.
I have the Samsung YP-MT6Z with MP3, OGG, WMA and ASF playback. The regular AA battery runs for 42 hours! Connects via USB 2.0 to a PC. Has direct encoding (i.e., stream right on to it), FM Tuner, 3D sound, voice recorder. The unique thing is the size, as it is about the size of a pack of wrigleys gum. That is small.
When you plug it in to any PC it also acts as a flash drive (i.e., just shows up as a hard drive with no drivers on Windows Me, XP, +) so you can carry along docs as well as music… You can just drag your songs on and off and don’t need propriatary software in order to use it. I think I paid about $150 and love it. It works great, is tiny, and is cheaper than an ipod.
My Rio Cali is also on its last legs, though it’s been a great player. Two questions: 1. How is the audio quality? 2. How is it for portability on long rides and runs? The elastic velcro armband that came with my Cali worked well. Thanks, Ben
I have a flash based MP3 player, Iriver 180T which has served me well for many years now. I have had to super glue the battery cover when it cracked open but it is still working. I have been shopping around just like you, and I found a Sony MP3 player on the sony style site that looks pretty good. Here are the specs 512MB1 Built-In Memory/Stores 345 Songs2 Built in FM Tuner 3-Line EL (Organic Electroluminescence) Display Up to 50 Hours3 of Playback Life with Rechargeable Embedded Battery Plays Back in MP3/ATRAC3plus®/ATRAC3plus™ Audio Formats Super Quick Battery Charge4 (3 min charge = 3 hrs playback)
The couple of things about this player are unique. One the OLED display is a pretty new technology. Also the super quick charge off of usb is pretty handy for charging up before a run. Plus, with a internal battery, no batteries to send to the landfill.
I think the quality is great… As far as the portability, there is no arm band but it is so small I can put it in those tiny pockets that you find inside most running shorts…
Maybe there are cheaper mp3 players, but the iPod and shuffles have the most accessories available. So if you want to use an armband or need a silicone case, you have multiple options with them.
