you've heard this a million times..pick 1 out of 3 mp3 players for me

impostal22 · 02-10-2005, 01:05

ok i realize i'm on an iaudio forum, but i am coming here for advice on what mp3 player to get. i have been reading about various players for the past two weeks, and really have it down to:

creative zen touch 40gb
cowon iaudio m3 40gb
iriver h340 40gb (or maybe the 140)

i'm especially looking for excellent sound quality, >decent customer service, friendly interface...

what are my hold ups? well, my major hold up with getting the 340 is that i hear the customer support from iriver in the states is not very good (not to mention their upgradeable firmware option hasn't really been fully implemented by iriver itself). granted, this isn't a HUGE issue, but if something goes wrong (which often happens), it'd be nice to have someone there to help. the 140 is officially phased out, so any firmware upgrades, support from iriver, etc would probably be far from reality.

this is where the iaudio plays its trump. apparently cowon has unprecedented customer service (including constant firmware updates)...which is comforting. not to mention the thing is sleek, slim, etc (but that really isn't very important to me).

the creative is nice looking, cheap, has great sound, friendly interface, etc. hold up? i'm not sure what my hold up is besides i really have been leaning towards iriver ever since i began.

your thoughts?

jw0613 · 02-10-2005, 02:03

well I would look at distinctive features of those players..
eg. h340 has the color screen and has the photo thing..
creative has like super battery life.. but super thick..
m3 is the skinny one.. with remote.. good sound quality..

Martinp · 02-10-2005, 02:10

1. Supposedly the Creative Zen Touch isn't very nice. I've read quite a few reviews where people have complained about the touch pad being very inaccurate. I can't comment on this player any more.

2. You will probably have a hard time getting hold of the 40 GB version of the M3 at the moment (depending on what country you live in). Other than that I can fully recommend this player. The only thing you have to be able to live with is the remote only way of controlling it. Once you get used to it you will most probably never want to leave this setup again.

3. No - trust me - I have studied many forums, read many topics and the iRiver just plain sucks from the Firmware. Boot up times are massive, 52 charachter limits, dumb playlists, HDD spinning issues, no real shuffle. The list goes on. Just read this forum - there are enough iRiver converts that have purchased an M3 after owning a H100/300 for some time.

If you are to decide between the Zen Touch and the M3 I would recommend the M3, but of course I am biased. Check out some more Zen Reviews and see if it really fits your style.

Otherwise I can only wish you good luck for your purchase decision and if you have any questions please feel free to ask.

impostal22 · 02-10-2005, 07:19

wow...i'm in the states and have been looking on website after website and cannot find ANYWHERE that has a 40gb version of the m3....*sigh*...anyone else have thoughts on the topic?

Government Man · 02-10-2005, 08:29

doesn't jetaudio.com have a 40 gb m3?
*just checked - 40 gb brown

errg, gotta agree with exity on the iRiver.
While the h1xx series was awesome, buying an iRiver looks to be less than desirable as a long-term investmen - main;y due to shoddy customer service.

between the m3 and zen touch I'd say your better choice would be the zen touch, as the m3 loses some of its vaunted formfactor in the 40 gig version.

while I know next to nothing about Creative's customer service, I have used their players and the interface and sound quality is excellent.
the touch also happens to be a very solid player.
since sound quality, interface: touch > m3, the only real reason for getting an m3 over the touch would be UMS support, which is nonexistent on the Zen.

impostal22 · 02-10-2005, 11:00

what is UMS?

about jetaudio.com, the m3 is out of stock.

another thing i was hoping to do was use the player to jog with (note: i know all hard drive players shouldn't necessarily be run with, but i know many people do it, and it's very hard to damage the hard drive). the m3 is pretty compact and even comes with an armband for running with...which is a nice plus.

in that aspect, the touch is a little bulky, and i don't think they even make an armband for it.

but then again, the m3 is out of stock EVERYWHERE, and the touch isn't...

how bad is iriver's customer service, in reality?

does the m3 have playlist on the fly capabilities?

EDIT- so apparently the 40gb m3 is no longer in production? it's in stock at www.amazon.co.uk...this is going to sound ignorant, and probably is, but would a UK m3 work exactly like the US version? i'm in the states, so i don't want something that will be less functional b/c it's from another country...
EDIT2- apparently they won't ship to the U.S., so it looks like i'm SOL

Travu · 02-10-2005, 13:01

a comment on the zen touch. my buddy lent me his zen touch for a few classes when i was at school and in my expirience the zen touch has very nice features but the touch pad is nooooooo good!!! it will fusturate you when searching a big list this is because when you use it in one hand and you have to consantly move your thumb up and down alot to search a big list sometimes it tends to go back up a few folders mabe 3 or so and it gets tiring after awhile to looks for things. but if that doesnt concern you the size will its way to big its like carrying a playstation 2. if you can look past these things though it sounds good and the eqs are nice (also hard to configue due to the touch pad). all in all i would rate the zen touch 6-7/10(the battery life is the only thing keeping this thing over 5/10) the m3 8-9/10 and the iriver 8/10 (the iriver it the only one i havent used but the features and spec sheet look very good). But scince you said your looks or SQ i would go with either the M3 it has many eqs (jet effectd plus 5 band eq)and the hiss may be noticable with really good headphones but i havent heard any, i still use the normal headphones. the costumer service for the m3 is extremly great, or the iriver i havent tried the hdd type but i have tried the flash players and it seem they have good SQ and get very loud.The cosumer service i have no clue about but the reviews on the net say its horriable plus there is no real firmware upgrades for the iriver you would most likely have to download another program to install it and i havent seen any iriver made upgrades either just hacked ones on the net. so i would go with the m3 it seems to have the least problems out of all of these daps the only thing it dosent have at this time is a search feature and a easy fool proof gui. if you cant find the 40g i would go with 20g unless you have that much music and other files to carry arround.

Martinp · 02-10-2005, 14:05

Tip for Travu:

Use The Enter key once in a while - it makes reading what you have typed 100 times easier.

@impostal22 What is UMS?:
http://iaudiophile.net/e107_plugins/...q.php?cat.25.6

@impostal22 how bad is iriver's customer service, in reality?:
Just Read these forums. I told you. Look through threads (mainly in the M3 section) and find the iRiver converts. They have told their story.

@impostal22 does the m3 have playlist on the fly capabilities?:
Yes, but it is somewhat limited - you can not move entries in the playlist at the moment. The community is currently pushing Cowon to release a firmware upgrade supporting this feature.

@impostal22
Remember what I said about the Zen Touchpad not being very accurate? Well, Travu just described what I had read in a review somewhere else.

impostal22 · 02-10-2005, 14:16

well...i'm kinda sold on the m3...but can't find an 40gb anywhere...i have 20 gigs of music on my computer alone, and have 250 cd's with music that isn't on my computer...so...i need 40 badly...but noone's got it...sigh!

Martinp · 02-10-2005, 15:09

Hmmm

Another thing to annoy Cowon about!

krazy · 02-10-2005, 18:51

I recommend you steer clear of the zen touch. My friend had one for about two weeks, long enough to realise how bulky it is compared to my M3L, until the HDD packed it in.
I actually quite liked the touch pad thingy, though it is not as nice to use as the similar iPod touch/click wheel thingy.

jw0613 · 02-10-2005, 19:41

I noticed that zen touch has few buttons on the side..
it seems akward to use.. -_-;

impostal22 · 02-10-2005, 20:55

i PMed the jetaudio ebay representative about 40gb m3's, and he said that there would be some availible very soon on the site...so the m3 is back in the picture. so now the question is...do i go for it? how much of a pain is it having only a remote and not an on-unit screen?

has anyone tried running with it?

is the sound quality equivalent to creative's/iriver's?

anything else to sell me on the thing?

Martinp · 02-10-2005, 21:03

The Sound quality is as good if not better than Creatives & iRivers.

I've been motorbiking with the M3 which was a lot rougher than any jogging you can ever do. The player is still very well.

Uh, get the player now. Those are some of the last M3 40 GB available:
http://iaudiophile.net/comment.php?comment.news.8

elflaco · 02-10-2005, 21:17

I would recommend a regular zen player because the sound quality I heard rocks. And the interface I heard is really good. Just because it is not the newest, doesn't mean it is not better. The only thing I am not sure about is the customer service.

02-10-2005, 02:03	#2
jw0613 Gator Bait Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: BC, Canada Posts: 459	well I would look at distinctive features of those players.. eg. h340 has the color screen and has the photo thing.. creative has like super battery life.. but super thick.. m3 is the skinny one.. with remote.. good sound quality.. __________________ Currently playing: Jedi Mind Tricks, Big L, Jim Jones, Outerspace, Paul Wall & Chamillionaire, The Roots, The Beatnuts, AZ, Gang Starr, Brand Nubian, 7L & Esoteric, Mobb Deep, Immortal Technique, Jean Grae, GZA, Jus Allah, Masta Ace, Killah Priest, Sean Price, Virtuoso & Ras Kass, Pharcyde

02-10-2005, 02:10	#3
Martinp Former iAudiophile/DAPreview editor Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Portsmouth, England Posts: 1,918	1. Supposedly the Creative Zen Touch isn't very nice. I've read quite a few reviews where people have complained about the touch pad being very inaccurate. I can't comment on this player any more. 2. You will probably have a hard time getting hold of the 40 GB version of the M3 at the moment (depending on what country you live in). Other than that I can fully recommend this player. The only thing you have to be able to live with is the remote only way of controlling it. Once you get used to it you will most probably never want to leave this setup again. 3. No - trust me - I have studied many forums, read many topics and the iRiver just plain sucks from the Firmware. Boot up times are massive, 52 charachter limits, dumb playlists, HDD spinning issues, no real shuffle. The list goes on. Just read this forum - there are enough iRiver converts that have purchased an M3 after owning a H100/300 for some time. If you are to decide between the Zen Touch and the M3 I would recommend the M3, but of course I am biased. Check out some more Zen Reviews and see if it really fits your style. Otherwise I can only wish you good luck for your purchase decision and if you have any questions please feel free to ask. __________________ Proud to be a part of the DAPreview webring: DAPreview \| epiZENter \| iAudiophile \| DAP.db

02-10-2005, 14:05	#8
Martinp Former iAudiophile/DAPreview editor Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Portsmouth, England Posts: 1,918	Tip for Travu: Use The Enter key once in a while - it makes reading what you have typed 100 times easier. @impostal22 What is UMS?: http://iaudiophile.net/e107_plugins/...q.php?cat.25.6 @impostal22 how bad is iriver's customer service, in reality?: Just Read these forums. I told you. Look through threads (mainly in the M3 section) and find the iRiver converts. They have told their story. @impostal22 does the m3 have playlist on the fly capabilities?: Yes, but it is somewhat limited - you can not move entries in the playlist at the moment. The community is currently pushing Cowon to release a firmware upgrade supporting this feature. @impostal22 Remember what I said about the Zen Touchpad not being very accurate? Well, Travu just described what I had read in a review somewhere else. __________________ Proud to be a part of the DAPreview webring: DAPreview \| epiZENter \| iAudiophile \| DAP.db

02-10-2005, 15:09	#10
Martinp Former iAudiophile/DAPreview editor Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Portsmouth, England Posts: 1,918	Hmmm Another thing to annoy Cowon about! __________________ Proud to be a part of the DAPreview webring: DAPreview \| epiZENter \| iAudiophile \| DAP.db

02-10-2005, 19:41	#12
jw0613 Gator Bait Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: BC, Canada Posts: 459	I noticed that zen touch has few buttons on the side.. it seems akward to use.. -_-; __________________ Currently playing: Jedi Mind Tricks, Big L, Jim Jones, Outerspace, Paul Wall & Chamillionaire, The Roots, The Beatnuts, AZ, Gang Starr, Brand Nubian, 7L & Esoteric, Mobb Deep, Immortal Technique, Jean Grae, GZA, Jus Allah, Masta Ace, Killah Priest, Sean Price, Virtuoso & Ras Kass, Pharcyde

02-10-2005, 01:05	#1
impostal22 Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 39	ok i realize i'm on an iaudio forum, but i am coming here for advice on what mp3 player to get. i have been reading about various players for the past two weeks, and really have it down to: creative zen touch 40gb cowon iaudio m3 40gb iriver h340 40gb (or maybe the 140) i'm especially looking for excellent sound quality, >decent customer service, friendly interface... what are my hold ups? well, my major hold up with getting the 340 is that i hear the customer support from iriver in the states is not very good (not to mention their upgradeable firmware option hasn't really been fully implemented by iriver itself). granted, this isn't a HUGE issue, but if something goes wrong (which often happens), it'd be nice to have someone there to help. the 140 is officially phased out, so any firmware upgrades, support from iriver, etc would probably be far from reality. this is where the iaudio plays its trump. apparently cowon has unprecedented customer service (including constant firmware updates)...which is comforting. not to mention the thing is sleek, slim, etc (but that really isn't very important to me). the creative is nice looking, cheap, has great sound, friendly interface, etc. hold up? i'm not sure what my hold up is besides i really have been leaning towards iriver ever since i began. your thoughts?

02-10-2005, 07:19	#4
impostal22 Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 39	wow...i'm in the states and have been looking on website after website and cannot find ANYWHERE that has a 40gb version of the m3....sigh...anyone else have thoughts on the topic?

02-10-2005, 08:29	#5
Government Man Member Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 68	doesn't jetaudio.com have a 40 gb m3? *just checked - 40 gb brown errg, gotta agree with exity on the iRiver. While the h1xx series was awesome, buying an iRiver looks to be less than desirable as a long-term investmen - main;y due to shoddy customer service. between the m3 and zen touch I'd say your better choice would be the zen touch, as the m3 loses some of its vaunted formfactor in the 40 gig version. while I know next to nothing about Creative's customer service, I have used their players and the interface and sound quality is excellent. the touch also happens to be a very solid player. since sound quality, interface: touch > m3, the only real reason for getting an m3 over the touch would be UMS support, which is nonexistent on the Zen.

02-10-2005, 11:00	#6
impostal22 Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 39	what is UMS? about jetaudio.com, the m3 is out of stock. another thing i was hoping to do was use the player to jog with (note: i know all hard drive players shouldn't necessarily be run with, but i know many people do it, and it's very hard to damage the hard drive). the m3 is pretty compact and even comes with an armband for running with...which is a nice plus. in that aspect, the touch is a little bulky, and i don't think they even make an armband for it. but then again, the m3 is out of stock EVERYWHERE, and the touch isn't... how bad is iriver's customer service, in reality? does the m3 have playlist on the fly capabilities? EDIT- so apparently the 40gb m3 is no longer in production? it's in stock at www.amazon.co.uk...this is going to sound ignorant, and probably is, but would a UK m3 work exactly like the US version? i'm in the states, so i don't want something that will be less functional b/c it's from another country... EDIT2- apparently they won't ship to the U.S., so it looks like i'm SOL

02-10-2005, 13:01	#7
Travu Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 71	a comment on the zen touch. my buddy lent me his zen touch for a few classes when i was at school and in my expirience the zen touch has very nice features but the touch pad is nooooooo good!!! it will fusturate you when searching a big list this is because when you use it in one hand and you have to consantly move your thumb up and down alot to search a big list sometimes it tends to go back up a few folders mabe 3 or so and it gets tiring after awhile to looks for things. but if that doesnt concern you the size will its way to big its like carrying a playstation 2. if you can look past these things though it sounds good and the eqs are nice (also hard to configue due to the touch pad). all in all i would rate the zen touch 6-7/10(the battery life is the only thing keeping this thing over 5/10) the m3 8-9/10 and the iriver 8/10 (the iriver it the only one i havent used but the features and spec sheet look very good). But scince you said your looks or SQ i would go with either the M3 it has many eqs (jet effectd plus 5 band eq)and the hiss may be noticable with really good headphones but i havent heard any, i still use the normal headphones. the costumer service for the m3 is extremly great, or the iriver i havent tried the hdd type but i have tried the flash players and it seem they have good SQ and get very loud.The cosumer service i have no clue about but the reviews on the net say its horriable plus there is no real firmware upgrades for the iriver you would most likely have to download another program to install it and i havent seen any iriver made upgrades either just hacked ones on the net. so i would go with the m3 it seems to have the least problems out of all of these daps the only thing it dosent have at this time is a search feature and a easy fool proof gui. if you cant find the 40g i would go with 20g unless you have that much music and other files to carry arround.

02-10-2005, 14:16	#9
impostal22 Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 39	well...i'm kinda sold on the m3...but can't find an 40gb anywhere...i have 20 gigs of music on my computer alone, and have 250 cd's with music that isn't on my computer...so...i need 40 badly...but noone's got it...sigh!

02-10-2005, 18:51	#11
krazy Goldmember Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 40	I recommend you steer clear of the zen touch. My friend had one for about two weeks, long enough to realise how bulky it is compared to my M3L, until the HDD packed it in. I actually quite liked the touch pad thingy, though it is not as nice to use as the similar iPod touch/click wheel thingy.

02-10-2005, 20:55	#13
impostal22 Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 39	i PMed the jetaudio ebay representative about 40gb m3's, and he said that there would be some availible very soon on the site...so the m3 is back in the picture. so now the question is...do i go for it? how much of a pain is it having only a remote and not an on-unit screen? has anyone tried running with it? is the sound quality equivalent to creative's/iriver's? anything else to sell me on the thing?

02-10-2005, 21:03	#14
Martinp Former iAudiophile/DAPreview editor Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Portsmouth, England Posts: 1,918	The Sound quality is as good if not better than Creatives & iRivers. I've been motorbiking with the M3 which was a lot rougher than any jogging you can ever do. The player is still very well. Uh, get the player now. Those are some of the last M3 40 GB available: http://iaudiophile.net/comment.php?comment.news.8 __________________ Proud to be a part of the DAPreview webring: DAPreview \| epiZENter \| iAudiophile \| DAP.db

02-10-2005, 21:17	#15
elflaco Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 14	I would recommend a regular zen player because the sound quality I heard rocks. And the interface I heard is really good. Just because it is not the newest, doesn't mean it is not better. The only thing I am not sure about is the customer service.

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