MP3 Players

[Valve Bounce]

I need some feedback here. My wife needs an MP3 player to put her French lessons into so she can be learning her French while doing other things. Don't need a fancy one, just one that will store the lessons.

Any ideas?

[gloomyDAY]

Creative Zen

They're not in production anymore, but can be find online and are cheap.

[Dave B]

iPods are pretty much idiotproof, but over priced and don't have particularly good sound quality from their headphone outputs. Plus I would never, on principal, buy any portable product where the end user can't change the battery.

At the other extreme you can pick up "unbranded" MP3 players, usually clones of Aigos and the like, for next to nothing. Again, sound quality isn't fantastic but they're dirt cheap and are a doddle to use with WMP or simply drag-and-drop files.

^ I've never used Creative Zens, but have heard many good things about them.

[Mark]

Many mobile phones will do that job for you. It's possible that hers (or yours) already will?

In any case a bog standard MP3 player with a limited memory need not set you back more than about £20 these days.

this would do : http://www.currys.co.uk/martprd/store/cur_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0774880172.121334822 2@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccgcadeegdjgfgdcflgceggdhhmdgml.0&page=Product&sku=589714
£14.99

[Daniel]

I'm the first person to rip Apple for the fact that their stuff is overpriced but my iPod works really well. Got it for Christmas 2004 and the battery life is still quite decent.

The best thing about it is the fact that there are tonnes of head units which are compatible with iPod's so you can plug it in and it will charge it, play it through your speakers, display track info and control it from your head unit. As a bonus the quality of the sound is better than playing it over FM or through a tape adaptor.

If you're going to use it in your car a lot I would suggest an iPod for the reasons above. If not then get something else that's cheaper and has better specs.

[Dave B]

If she's going to be mainly in the car then just record the lessons to a CD and save your money! :p

[Mark]

Well he said "while doing other things" so I assumed the car wasn't one of them?

But yes, a stack of CD-R's is the cheapest way listen in the car.

[leopard]

If she's going to be mainly in the car then just record the lessons to a CD and save your money! :p
If she's going to be mainly in the car, where is her husband mainly going to be? ;)

[Daniel]

If she's going to be mainly in the car, where is her husband mainly going to be? ;)
Most pointless post of the day award goes to.......

[MrJan]

I've got a 5th Gen iPod (video jobby) that has 30gb (actually 27 in real terms I think) of storage which I've just about used half of. Absolutely love it but certainly expensive. I quite like iTunes and the way that it'll synchronise and update my podcasts whenever I plug it in.

As for sound quality I lashed out on some Sennneheiser (sp??) ear phones that block out external noise and are superb.My only complaint is that occassionally they are a bit too bassy but changing the levels could sort this out if I could be bothered.

In my car I've got a stereo with a 3.5mm jack so can plud in anything with a headphone socket. Quality isn't brilliant but with the road noise doing 80 I mean 70mph it doesn't matter a great deal.

If you are only after a small amount of storage that Apple is probably not the right choice and like most people I've heard good things about CreativeZen.

[Mark]

btw, I'm learning French myself at the moment, have been for the past year. Can I ask what course she is listening to?

[Valve Bounce]

btw, I'm learning French myself at the moment, have been for the past year. Can I ask what course she is listening to?

"Learn in you car French
Foreign Language Series"

Look!! she wants an MP3 player to listen to when she is NOT in the car. Who am I to argue? I just promised to ask around, and make sure that if she buys an ipod, or any other MP3 player, she can store the stuff from the CD into the MP3 player, that's all.

Well probably go to Harvey Norman or BIG W and have a good look around.

[MrJan]

Ou a le fromage? Le fromage c'est dans le table.
Ou a la chat? Le chat c'est dans le fromage.

J'mappelle Jan.

Une biere sil vous plait.

Combien de temps?

ummmmm.... oooh la la

va va voom.

That's pretty much my French used up, should be enough to get by in France next month shouldn't it?

You're a good man Valve.

[Drew]

Where iz Brian? Brian iz in ze kitchen :p :

Jan, you forgot your most useful phrase for the lovely French ladies ;)

[Valve Bounce]

OK, we settled for Apples IPOD with 4GB of storage. I hope that will store the French Lessons - will do that tomorrow.

[pino]

As for sound quality I lashed out on some Sennneheiser (sp??) ear phones that block out external noise and are superb.My only complaint is that occassionally they are a bit too bassy but changing the levels could sort this out if I could be bothered.





Any more details ie model-name of your Senneheiser ear-phones, I would like to buy them for my iPod...thanks :D

[Valve Bounce]

Any more details ie model-name of your Senneheiser ear-phones, I would like to buy them for my iPod...thanks :D

.....including costs. please.

[Mark]

"Learn in you car French
Foreign Language Series"


Ooh! Me too! I was listening to that very one just this morning.. in my car :p

It sucks, mind :p

[Mark]

OK, we settled for Apples IPOD with 4GB of storage. I hope that will store the French Lessons - will do that tomorrow.

No problem :) . If it is the one I'm thinking of then it's 9 audio CD's, which should fit into less than 1GB.

[MrJan]

EARPHONES (http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electronics/4-/880672/Sennheiser-CX-300-In-Ear-Headphones/Product.html)

Think these are what I've got. Gutting really as they are shown as £17 but I paid £30 about 6 months ago. Some people have given them poor reviews but you can read for yourself. One complaining about durability is (from my experience) completely wrong as mine have had no special treatment and are in good condition. Guess that it depends on how much abuse you give them.

One thing I will say is that there are better headphones out there and it all comes down to the machine that you plug them into but in my amateur opinion these are great. One thing you do have to do is select the right size adaptors for your ears. I was amazed how much the sound can change if you are using the wrong ones.

[MrJan]

Double Post

[leopard]

Originally Posted by leopardsleeping
If she's going to be mainly in the car, where is her husband mainly going to be?


Most pointless post of the day award goes to.......
Thanks for the compliment. :)

It wasn't a hard question, her husband is mainly here, in forum. :)

[Valve Bounce]

These are the headphones I bought :http://www.scrup.com.au/reviews/Ovann-OV880V.htm

At AUD$15, you can't complain. I use it for my digital Sony miniature am/fm radio at the footy, and the longer and thicker chord, which also acts as an antenna works the radio like a charm, even inside the roofed Telstra Dome.

[Valve Bounce]

It has come to my notice that Itunes is not the best interface with IPODS, and that there is another Apple program that is much better. Can anyone help, please?

[MrJan]

I use iTunes and have no complaints really. Everything syncs right away and updates playlists and podcasts etc.

What specific problems have you had?

[Valve Bounce]

I use iTunes and have no complaints really. Everything syncs right away and updates playlists and podcasts etc.

What specific problems have you had?

Getting the French lessons in the correct order - apparently, itunes put the second disc first on the list and my better half was not amused; in fact she blamed me. :(

[Powered by Cosworth]

Select all the Disc 1 stuff - Right Click > Get info > Change disc options '1 of 2' or whatever.

Then do it with all of them.

[Mark]

Getting the French lessons in the correct order - apparently, itunes put the second disc first on the list and my better half was not amused; in fact she blamed me. :(

Sounds normal :laugh: .
Whenever Karen uses her ipod I always get the cry of "argh, it's not shuffling properly"

[Daniel]

Sounds normal :laugh: .
Whenever Karen uses her ipod I always get the cry of "argh, it's not shuffling properly"
iPod's don't seem to shuffle very well at all when you don't have much music on them. Mine has just under 4000 songs and shuffles very well :)

[Valve Bounce]

Select all the Disc 1 stuff - Right Click > Get info > Change disc options '1 of 2' or whatever.

Then do it with all of them.

All resolved. She went into David Jones in the city, and three guys managed to re-installed the three discs then one guy was able to re-number them so that the lessons are sequential correctly. Took them nearly two hours.

I have washed my hands off this ipod and refuse to even look at it. That is the best way to stay out of trouble!!

[Sarah]

Glad you got sorted.

I've been trying to learn spanish and recently came across a good podcast and they do a french version.

http://www.radiolinguamedia.com/cbf/www/index.html

[306 Cosworth]

These are the headphones i've got :D

http://www.play.com/Electronics/Electronics/4-/3354256/Skullcandy-Skullcrushers-Headphones/Product.html

[Sarah]

Are they worth getting ?

[Valve Bounce]

They look good.

I get to field test mine at the footy this sunday. I'd love a set of those Bose headphones that shut out all external noises, but at around three to four hundred dollars, I'm more likely to get mugged for them at the footy. :eek:

[306 Cosworth]

They look good.

I get to field test mine at the footy this sunday. I'd love a set of those Bose headphones that shut out all external noises, but at around three to four hundred dollars, I'm more likely to get mugged for them at the footy. :eek:

Skull Candy headphones are pretty good for cutting out exterior noise, when I have mine on, I can't hear someone sat right next to me talking normally, where as I could with some crappy small headphones!

Get some crushers, they're brill :D

[slinkster]

I have a creative zen but it's the smaller storage and cheaper end of their product range so I haven't been overly impressed with it. It serves it's purpose for me but it doesn't support all that many file formats... perhaps the larger storage ones do though. Worth checking out.

[Sarah]

I originally bought a very cheap mp3 player but I hated it and now I've got a creative zen v plus 8gb.