I've been assembling a want list for features wanted in a MP3 player. Unfortunately Apple comes up near the bottom offering almost nothing that I need. So I'm looking farther afield. Just to get this out of the way, some of the reasons Apple doesn't make the grade - what I'm looking for in a player:
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Copy/Paste playing ability with no program muddling my file structure - I want to see my folder/file structure on my MP3 Player exactly as it appears in my folder structure in Finder. That's how all my files are organized so it must be mirrored on the portable device. Everything flows from the Finder. I'm not into "flat land" file type retrieval. That's for people who can't organized their files. Not for me. Also not having to use iTunes means anybody can load music on my player and I can dump my music to anybody anywhere anytime. Impossible now with iTunes/iPod "lock" syncing system.
Recording capability (voice, FM, line) without adding accessories.
Plays lossless (OGG/FLAC) without having to waste time converting.
Charges with a USB plug not some silly proprietary plug. This way, wherever I am, there will be someone close by with charging ability because everybody uses USB.
The ability to erase a file. That way I can load up a pile of music I haven't heard yet and delete files on the fly that I don't like. "Syncing" wastes time. As soon as I don't like it, I want it gone. Then when I get back I just copy and paste all the files that are left back to the computer.
Storage: SD cards because they are so cheap. What I'm really looking for is a small player (don't need video but the bigger the screen the better for navigation and long file names) that has no internal memory (it wastes space if you have 2 storage mediums - why have internal memory if you're already going to store in a micro SD card?). With micro SD cards I can carry immense amounts of files around that weigh next to nothing. SD cards are so cheap. Recently I saw 8gb cards going for 15 bucks. (If you see disadvantages to SD cards, please let me know.)
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So if you have any suggestions, please let me know. I'm wondering if any MP3 players take SD cards but are limited in their size? They have 32gb cards out now (kind of expensive so 8 and 16gb are more popular) but soon they will plummet in price as they always do. It would be a shame to get a player only to find out later its limited by card size.
Recording unamplified music live is an intriguing option as there is no motor noise with these devices. If you know of any models that can record at CD quality, please let me know. That would be very exciting. Combined with battery powered quality mics the results might be quite surprising. Many years ago I used to be into high end audio and experimented recording piano directly on to a VHS-Hifi VCR that happened to have mic inputs. The dynamic range and clarity upon playback floored me. It was a revelation. And I was using lousy mics!
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Copy/Paste playing ability with no program muddling my file structure - I want to see my folder/file structure on my MP3 Player exactly as it appears in my folder structure in Finder. That's how all my files are organized so it must be mirrored on the portable device. Everything flows from the Finder. I'm not into "flat land" file type retrieval. That's for people who can't organized their files. Not for me. Also not having to use iTunes means anybody can load music on my player and I can dump my music to anybody anywhere anytime. Impossible now with iTunes/iPod "lock" syncing system.
Recording capability (voice, FM, line) without adding accessories.
Plays lossless (OGG/FLAC) without having to waste time converting.
Charges with a USB plug not some silly proprietary plug. This way, wherever I am, there will be someone close by with charging ability because everybody uses USB.
The ability to erase a file. That way I can load up a pile of music I haven't heard yet and delete files on the fly that I don't like. "Syncing" wastes time. As soon as I don't like it, I want it gone. Then when I get back I just copy and paste all the files that are left back to the computer.
Storage: SD cards because they are so cheap. What I'm really looking for is a small player (don't need video but the bigger the screen the better for navigation and long file names) that has no internal memory (it wastes space if you have 2 storage mediums - why have internal memory if you're already going to store in a micro SD card?). With micro SD cards I can carry immense amounts of files around that weigh next to nothing. SD cards are so cheap. Recently I saw 8gb cards going for 15 bucks. (If you see disadvantages to SD cards, please let me know.)
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So if you have any suggestions, please let me know. I'm wondering if any MP3 players take SD cards but are limited in their size? They have 32gb cards out now (kind of expensive so 8 and 16gb are more popular) but soon they will plummet in price as they always do. It would be a shame to get a player only to find out later its limited by card size.
Recording unamplified music live is an intriguing option as there is no motor noise with these devices. If you know of any models that can record at CD quality, please let me know. That would be very exciting. Combined with battery powered quality mics the results might be quite surprising. Many years ago I used to be into high end audio and experimented recording piano directly on to a VHS-Hifi VCR that happened to have mic inputs. The dynamic range and clarity upon playback floored me. It was a revelation. And I was using lousy mics!