Best MP3 for the gym

[Tuz]

I'm after a new MP3 to use mainly in the gym, would ideally like FLAC support with large memory - only interested in using it to listen to music.

Quite like the ipod classic (even though I was hoping to avoid) altough have been told due to the hard drive it isnt ideal for the gym - can anyone confirm this? I would consider a mobile phone so long as quality wasnt good.

cheers

 

[kena]

Doesn't do FLAC but I bought my wife a Sony, 3 min charge does 3 Hrs , great when your on the go and not good at remembering to charge. I'm another one trying to avoid Apple.

 

[Anonymous]

i have a little creative zen micro , £30 on fleabay , sounds great....

 

[Tuz]

The Zen only has 5gb of storage, I already own a Sony which has 4gb so that is too small.

I like the X series but would ideally like to spend less than £200

 

[carter]

sorry guys, why would you want to avoid apple i have the classic and touch and have found them to be excelllent.

 

[Anonymous]

I like the ipods, but I would avoid the classic versions as they contain a disk drive which might not enjoy being on a tread mill.

 

[Sorreltiger]

Putting together the two pieces of advice above, I'd echo the question as to why you'd avoid the best product on the market, but also suggest that the device you use in the gym might be different to your larger main player. A little Nano would be ideal and one of the main plus points for all of the iPods is just how easy it is to manage the music on them.

 

[5cats35]

Stereolad:I like the ipods, but I would avoid the classic versions as they contain a disk drive which might not enjoy being on a tread mill.

I have used the Classic at the gym for about 5 years without any problems whatsoever.

 

[Anonymous]

i think creative players sound better than ipods...

 

[Anonymous]

Apple classic or the touch would be good. I run, cycle, do the cross trainer etc, and the classic is the best sounding mp3 out there. Huge storage and you can rip at lossless. Add some topbuds, and you have a great product.

I stayed away from apple for years, as didn't want to be one of their sheep, but when I got one, it was worth it.

Also, buy a small Fiio E5 amplifier for it (the size of the old shuffle) and it sounds fantastic.

 

[Anonymous]

Isn't using a player with a HDD for running just asking for trouble though? Perhaps the apple classic is very shock resilient but I still don't think I would risk it.

 

[Anonymous]

I do Thai Boxing training on a punchbag with an ipod classic strapped to my arm. Never misses a beat.

 

[Anonymous]

Never had a problem with mine either. And I run up and down hills etc

 

[Anonymous]

Well that's good to know and impressive! Still makes me nervous thought!

 

[Anonymous]

Go to comet etc and try one out, just when you try it, shake the hell out of it, and see if it jumps, or misses a beat....!

Im sure the sales person will look at you a bit strange though lol

 

[Anonymous]

Sorreltiger:Putting together the two pieces of advice above, I'd echo the question as to why you'd avoid the best product on the market, but also suggest that the device you use in the gym might be different to your larger main player. A little Nano would be ideal and one of the main plus points for all of the iPods is just how easy it is to manage the music on them.

An iPod is not the best player on the market. Most of the other available brands (Cowon, Creative, Iriver, Sandisk, Sony) offer better SQ. I also think the hassle of managing music through the required iTunes is another significant drawback to iPods.

For use in the gym, I prefer something without a touchscreen and with easy to use buttons. I can easily control my Sony A829 without looking at it. This is handy while running etc.

The Sandisk Clip is a good option for gym use, plus it's cheap, and sounds excellent.

 

[carter]

i wouldnt worry to much about sq on a device your going to listen to with loads of bacground noise and while your running .

and i would be suprised if (Cowon, Creative, Iriver, Sandisk, Sony) all ofered better sq than the ipod

 

[Anonymous]

nodnarb4444:
i wouldnt worry to much about sq on a device your going to listen to with loads of bacground noise and while your running .

I agree. But then I was commenting on the rather bold statement that the iPod is the best player in the market.

and i would be suprised if (Cowon, Creative, Iriver, Sandisk, Sony) all ofered better sq than the ipod

Well, why not try the alternatives yourself? I have. My iPod classic just didn't cut it against anything else I tried. From the brands I mentioned the only one I haven't owned is something from creative, but if you read up on head-fi you'll find that people rate them over an iPod.

 

[carter]

to be honist i havent tryed the others.but i dont really need to i find the clasic/i tunes easy to use and it sounds ok to me with lossless files but mainly i think sq is only gonna be so good when walking down a busy high street with all the back ground noise.

but thats great if you have found these other players sound better or are easy to use its all personal i guss,

i have one of those htc phones for work and i hate it,its the worst phone ive ever used i just cant get on with it,but loads of people really rate them.

 

[Sorreltiger]

When I said "best" I wasn't simply going on sound quality. IMO - and I admit it's personal, being a long time Mac user - the iPods offer the best overall experience, including design and ease of use. Each to his own..........

 

[Nadeac]

The ipod shuffle copies on ebay give a good sound with better ear buds and there only about a tenner and no stupid itunes to play with !

U can even get the latest *** lighter style in copy from

Mark

 

[Sorreltiger]

Classy.....

 

[lobby]

Well i have owned a Creative Zen 2g and now have a Sony NWZ-A829K with wireless headphones, and the 16g Sony is brill cost me just £129.99 and added a leather pouch for £8.00 fairly slim suits most pockets.Clear crystal sound good volume, ear phones that come with not great, but the wireless ones are blue tooth and can worn around the home. Over halve the price of the x series so this is worth a look.

 

[kena]

For me I have always avoided Apple because of their insistence of Itunes and of old DRM and thought they were expensive for what they deliver. - just trying to install Quicktime on a PC without it is a pain. Had a shot of a classic once and must admit thought it was quite easy to use. May have to hoist the surrender flag as son seems to think his cheap MP3 player requires an upgrade to a Touch for his 12th Birthday , with the caveat of if we got the bigger one you could use it as well dad.. Aye right!!!

 

[Anonymous]

hm, i thought the ipods didn't support FLAC files? lossless, yes. FLAC, no?

anyway, i use a Samsung Q2. it supports FLAC, doesn't seen to skip at all and comes with Emodio which means there's no need to install iTunes.