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MP3 players: Hard drive based players
Hard drive based players
by GSOgymrat - 1/29/09 7:50 AMI've never owned a hard-drive based player but I'm considering one so I can put my entire music collection on it- about 30 gigs plus I want room for expansion. I'm considering the Zune and the iPod Classic but I'm concerned if they skip or are easily damaged. I ride my bike off road and the player WILL eventually hit the ground. How fragile are these hard-drive players?
It depends
by bman222112 - 1/30/09 8:32 PM In reply to: Hard drive based players by GSOgymratFrom experience i can say that if you want a rugged device that will stand up to a lot of damage, you are going to be best most likely to go with a zune 30. I know people who have done horrible things to this device and had it survive. I myself accidentally smashed mine a few times. The newer zunes, and the iPods for sure are not going to stand up to much damage.
Hard drive MP3 player
by forkboy - 1/30/09 8:43 PM In reply to: Hard drive based players by GSOgymratAs you wouldn't take your laptop offroad biking, one shouldn't take their hard-drive based MP3 player off-road either.
Those devices are not built for the sort of sudden and sometimes extreme jarring that will come from such activities.
My opinion is that it would be garbage in no time. Learn to live with 8GB on a flash-based player and download new tunes on a regular basis.
i myself own a Zune 120 and am an outspoken fan of it, BUT..
by artjockey - 1/30/09 10:13 PM In reply to: Hard drive based players by GSOgymratHHD players are excellent for one thing: Holding your entire collection of movies, pictures, music, podcasts, etc.
HHP players are generally cheaper for the amount of memory they hold. The Zune 120 costs $250 while the Zune 16 costs about $149. The reason is simple: flash-based technology is not yet cheap enough.
With flash devices, it usually drains the battery less, are more durable because they have no movable parts, and are much smaller, but they hold significantly less.
The only time a HHD player is extremely vulnerable to a fall is when it is reading the music off it's hard drive. When you select a song to play or picture to view, it has to load it onto it's hard drive to it's internal memory. (both the iPod and Zune use this system). It takes it about 1 to 4 seconds. WIth large movies, it does it every 15 to 20 minutes or so, but when its not reading from the hard drive, theyre generally pretty reliable even when it comes to falls.
Hard Drive players are fragile
by Zekeuyasha - 1/30/09 10:15 PM In reply to: Hard drive based players by GSOgymratI recently bought a Zune120 and it works flawlessly. Once or twice though I accidentally dropped it, not too far, maybe about a foot, but instantly the player stopped the music, the hard drive spun up a little but, music played sporadically, then the hard drive really kicked in and the music continued. It's probably not a good idea to bring one on an off-road biking adventure. If you're willing to spend a pretty penny (I'd assume because you wanted a Zune/iPod) you can find 16GB flash versions of Zune iPod and some Sandisk MP3 players. Good luck!
RE Hard drive based players
by easyman55 - 1/31/09 6:13 AM In reply to: Hard drive based players by GSOgymratI don't konw about the Zune but I suppose they use the same tec as Ipod in the players over 8 gigs I think and after that it's hard drive and I will tell you some thing for notting what ever about a bike they don't like to run so ended up getting two one hard drive for car and one solid state for running so I had no problems after that but if your mountingbiking or on roughground it might not last I only got 3 months out of my first
Ipod all the way
by raven_squire - 1/31/09 4:28 PM In reply to: Hard drive based players by GSOgymratHey, I have dropped my IPod classic from waist height onto cement (it did not have a protective skin on it). Now it spins up a bit louder but there is no difference in the sound quality. I am not familiar the Zune but I am in complete awe of the IPod It is so much better than my poor old Nomad Jukebox. I don’t imagine that you would have any problems with skipping. When you compare a hdd player to cd player (also not solid state) you will find that the hdd player should come out way ahead. The first advantage is the average 1/12 compression ratio of an mp3. This means that the hdd only has to read one twelfth of the data that the CD player has to. It also means that it can keep 12 times the audio in a buffer that a cd player with the same size buffer. I am assuming that the hdd also has a much higher data transfer speed that the CD player. It have no doubt in the ability of a hdd player to recover from a shock that it might encounter while you ride. I would also suggest an arm band holder for you hdd player.
Thanks for the help
by GSOgymrat - 2/6/09 6:01 PM In reply to: Hard drive based players by GSOgymratAfter much consideration I decided to get a 120GB Zune. I plan to use it at the gym, around the house and in the car (no more carrying CDs!)and I'll use my Sansa 270 for biking and rough activities. Thanks for everyone's comments.
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