Digital Audio Players - I give up!

[DavidNZ]

I've been on the cusp of buying a portable digital audio player (DAP) for the past five or so months. I would only use it to rip my existing CDs as I generally haven't downloaded mp3s since the days of Napster (the original Napster, that is). My needs are simple:

a) Battery life in excess of 20 hours
b) small and light
c) USB 2.0 interface (not firewire!)
d) Must be able to charge via USB as well (no exceptions)
e) at least 20GB storage
f) at least a five-band EQ
g) excellent bass response
h) no software needed - i.e., should show up as a removeable drive.

Not much to ask for, I thought, so I've been back-and-forth trying to decide options:

1. iPod. Do you mean iPoo? Sorry, anemic bass and 8 hours of battery life (3 by the end of the first year if you're lucky). And doesn't support WMA? WTF? Next.

2. iAudio M3 (or the M3L) - on the surface, looks excellent, but the remote is huge and you basically need it for any degree of functionality. I came close to getting this one.

3. Creative Zen Touch. Too heavy and bulky.

4. Creative Zen Micro. Only 5GB (same with Rio Carbon)

5. iRiver - dunno about this one. I hear bad things about iRiver products (in online forums, that is)

6. New Sony HD-based network walkmans: well, they're on to NW-HD3 now, featuring native mp3 support (I hear), but requires Sonic Stage to use. I've used Sonic Stage before, and NO THANKS.

What am I left with? I already own a Sony MZ-N710 Minidisc player/recorder, so I make my own minidiscs by optically recording from my stereo. Sound quality is superb (far superior to the iPoo) and I get 23 hours of battery life from the gumstick. Plus, if I drop it, it doesn't become a door stop, unlike a HD-based player.

Any comments/feedback appreciated. I had to vent.

David

[Blake]

how about this one

jet audio
http://reviews.cnet.com/JetAudio_iAudio ... g=topprods

i know they make an extended life version to if you go on the company sight

[DavidNZ]

yep - see #2 in my original post. I was all over it...

[AlphaKilo470]

Just stick to your Minidisk payer. you don't have the hard disk size limitation because you just go out and get more minidisks when you need more space, the act that most players use AA or AAA batteries means you don't have to wory about how many charge cycles your battery has, and you can still get rechargables, and there might be a few other things i never mentioned. Unless you abolutely need the hard drive, keep the minidisk player.

[Daniel]

The whole Sony anti-MP3 thing kept from any of their products.

[Nabeel]

Sonic Stage isn't that bad. They came out with a new version a few weeks ago. i have an MZ-N10, and sonicstage at first was ugh, but now it's alot better.

but even the MZ-N10 or the new HD-MD players seem awesome. www.mini-disc.org

I wish I had waited another month or so, I coulda gotten a High-MD player. Over 45 hours of music, though it's in LP4 mode, it doesn't sound bad at all. The MZ-N10 has a Li-ion battery, i think the High-MD ones do too.

[DavidNZ]

Nabeel, what's the version number of that new version of SonicStage? I'll do some research on it and, if it's stable, will download it.

David

[Nabeel]

Sorry, I haven't check this forum in a while...

The version is 2.3.00.11020
Basically, the latest offered on Sony's website...