View Full Version : MP3 players
aufgahoban
01-05-2009, 00:20
For those of you who choose to bring music along, what do you do? I don't see how these rechargeable mp3 players would be of any real use on the trail. I'm having to search for old technology that uses AAA batteries and has an expansion slot. Just curious what others do.
Cool AT Breeze
01-05-2009, 00:33
My mp3 uses one AA battery and I have speakers that use 3 AA batteries.
I've got a USB recharging device that takes a pair of AA's. I get about 8 good charges from a pair of alkalines, and my Zen stone mp3 player gets a mess of hours per charge.
Unless I was bouncing the charger/cable, I wouldn't even consider taking it on a thru. Makes our local road walks tolerable tho.
Slo-go'en
01-05-2009, 01:16
RCA "Pearl" takes single AAA and has expansion slot, got mine at Wal-Mart. Good for about 8 hours of playing. I'm sure there are many others similer to choose from.
Serial 07
01-05-2009, 01:22
i think i rolled with an RCA pearl as well...if not, the one i hiked with took one AAA and was 2 GB...on one end of it was the USB connection so it connected into a computer pretty easily...i would go this way, but what i would do differently is this:
before i left for the trail, i would use one of those free storage sites online, and download all the music i could on to it...then, when i came into a town and wanted to change the playlist (which was only 405 songs) i could...come to think of it, maybe it wasn't 2GB...
anyway, i think your best bet is to go with a AAA powered system...and you definitely want to find some small speakers...mine were used probably every night amongst the group...
Older Sansa model M240 1GB w/1GB memory and 1AAA battery that if warm will last 12 hours on FM radio. Just listen at night when going to sleep and waiting for daylight in the morning.
Also look for retractable ear phone cables (no tangles ever).
I've got a USB recharging device that takes a pair of AA's. I get about 8 good charges from a pair of alkalines, and my Zen stone mp3 player gets a mess of hours per charge.
I like those players, especially since you can get one with a external speaker but I never got one because of the USB charger.
Where'd you get your charger and what's the name?
before i left for the trail, i would use one of those free storage sites online, and download all the music i could on to it...then, when i came into a town and wanted to change the playlist (which was only 405 songs) i could...come to think of it, maybe it wasn't 2GB...
That's an excellent idea.
Sounds like you may have had the Creative MuVo
What's the best bit rate and format to use on an MP3 player? I think I crunched some down too much and they wouldn't play. WMA or MP3?
Also, here's a site that allows 50GB off online storage for free. That's freakin' huge. Once I find out the answer to above I'll upload some music for on trail storage like Serial did.
http://www.adrive.com/
Yup, I like the Creative Muvo V100. Takes one AAA battery, I have the 2 GB model, but it also comes in 1 GB. Taking a quick look round I'm guessing that these are getting a little thin on the ground; Amazon.com offers them now at a very hefty premium.
I suggest that overall approach anyway --- solid state and a single AAA battery. Mine held up well and helped keep me saner and happier on the PCT this year. Unfortunately, it does seem to be hard to search for players based on battery type.
Yup, I like the Creative Muvo V100. Takes one AAA battery, I have the 2 GB model, but it also comes in 1 GB.
The only downside, no FM. On a trail like the PCT, or CDT, it's not like you can get very many stations anyway, but on the AT you can get lots.
doodah man
01-05-2009, 18:38
For those of you who choose to bring music along, what do you do? I don't see how these rechargeable mp3 players would be of any real use on the trail. I'm having to search for old technology that uses AAA batteries and has an expansion slot. Just curious what others do.
What's the best bit rate and format to use on an MP3 player? I think I crunched some down too much and they wouldn't play. WMA or MP3?
Also, here's a site that allows 50GB off online storage for free. That's freakin' huge. Once I find out the answer to above I'll upload some music for on trail storage like Serial did.
http://www.adrive.com/
aufgahoban & sly
Here is a summary of my postings from a similar previous thread here On WB (Apologies to those who have heard all this before).
…I use a Panasonic SV-MP020 player. It is has 2GB of built-in flash memory and my play list has 622 songs. On an accurate 50 gm scale I found that the player empty was 27.6 gm, the ear buds were 14.9 gm, and a single lithium AA battery was 15.1 gm. No FM tuner, but it amazingly gets about 80 hours of play time with a single new AA battery. An added bonus was that 'expired' AA lithium batteries from my camera were still good enough for several hours of music play time when swapped into the player. For exactly that reason, I made sure my mp3 player (low current draw) used the same batteries as my camera (high current draw). I custom ripped music from my CDs at a low effective bit rate with a low pass filter. (I used a program called Exact Audio Copy and variable bit rate settings of: –V8 –vbr-new –q0 –b112 –lowpass 15.25). The low pass filter removes content over 15.25 KHz allowing final encoding at 32KHz versus the normal 44KHz. This has a double benefit of smaller file size and not wasting data bits in a frequency range that the ear buds can’t reproduce and that I can’t hear anyway. I spent a couple of days playing around with the rip settings to find ones with decent sound quality with minimum file size…. doodah-man
joshua5878
01-05-2009, 19:09
I like those players, especially since you can get one with a external speaker but I never got one because of the USB charger.
Where'd you get your charger and what's the name?
Would this work?? I am looking for the same thing??
http://www.amazon.com/Duracell-MyPocket-Charger-iPod-852-0227/dp/B0014FPNBQ/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1231196689&sr=8-15
Would this work?? I am looking for the same thing??
http://www.amazon.com/Duracell-MyPocket-Charger-iPod-852-0227/dp/B0014FPNBQ/ref=sr_1_15?ie=UTF8&s=automotive&qid=1231196689&sr=8-15
I'm not sure, here's the description...
These easy-to-use chargers provide on-the-go charging when you need it most. The Pocket Charger line includes two models: one specifically designed for use with an iPod, and one designed to work with all BlackBerry models and the newest Motorola phones.
Which one to work with a Stone?
I'm having to search for old technology that uses AAA batteries and has an expansion slot. Just curious what others do.
Old technology would be the 12 oz Sony Sport cassette player I carried on the AT. :D
I like those players, especially since you can get one with a external speaker but I never got one because of the USB charger.
Where'd you get your charger and what's the name?
Howdy Sly!
Mine is from Swiss Gear, and I got it from one of those Internet deal a day sites. Probably Yugster.com, but I'm not sure now. I think I paid $4.95 for it, back last spring. Got the little red and white Swiss cross emblem.
I found this link; it looks just like mine:
http://dealspl.us/Swiss-Gear-Portable-Battery-Charger-for-iPod-MP3-Players_90895
Here's another link, looks to be the same thing:
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=GA-6227-15F00&cat=MP3
I'd have to believe one could find a similar device as cheap or cheaper. It's probably under $1 in actual electronics! ;)
Ranc0r
.
Howdy Sly!
Mine is from Swiss Gear, and I got it from one of those Internet deal a day sites. Probably Yugster.com, but I'm not sure now. I think I paid $4.95 for it, back last spring. Got the little red and white Swiss cross emblem.
I found this link; it looks just like mine:
http://dealspl.us/Swiss-Gear-Portable-Battery-Charger-for-iPod-MP3-Players_90895
Here's another link, looks to be the same thing:
http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=GA-6227-15F00&cat=MP3
I'd have to believe one could find a similar device as cheap or cheaper. It's probably under $1 in actual electronics! ;)
Ranc0r
.
Thanks. One thing I noticed as opposed to the Duracell charger linked earlier is that it has a female connection which is what you need for the Stone (I think). The Duracell charger has a male connector.
Powder River
01-07-2009, 02:08
I found that on the AT, places to charge your gadgets are not an issue. I carried a phone, and ipod with rechargeable batteries and a camera with rechargeable batteries. I would simply plug in whenever I found an outlet, and never had an issue. I had issues with my phone running out of juice (I was using it for journaling) but never had a problem with the ipod nano, which runs for about 24 hours on each charge. My suggestion is to ignore the type of battery (as long it gets a ridiculous amount of playtime) and focus on what music player you really want.
Ramble~On
01-07-2009, 05:15
I have too much in my ipod to carry anything else. Music, movies, games, photographs, podcasts. I have a small speaker that fits into the earpiece plug - no batteries. You could photograph maps, data books pages, maildrop info, town info, shelter mileages or whatever other info you wanted and store it in the ipod. Audio books would be cool on a longer hike.
I don't listen to the radio. Rather than carrying a book, I carry an ipod...about the same weight. 80 gigs goes a long way. It's a luxury item that's worth the weight IMO. The battery lasts a long time unless you're watching a lot of shows or movies.
Thanks. One thing I noticed as opposed to the Duracell charger linked earlier is that it has a female connection which is what you need for the Stone (I think). The Duracell charger has a male connector.
My 2GB Stone Plus has a female port, so the charger needs to have a male USB connector. I think it is the "USB mini" type. Sry, just looked it up, USB mini "B" type. Here's the link to the cable on Creative Labs' site.
http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=213&subcategory=742&product=10448&listby=
I have a little 4" A to mini B cable. I've also used the retractable USB cables with the right adapter end. I think the shorty cable is a bit more rugged and bomb-proof, YMMV.
Ranc0r
.
joshua5878
01-07-2009, 09:51
FM reception-- How good is FM reception along the vast majority of the trail. I am hiking with my brother this year and he NEEDS music, any kind of music. I don't. My lixury item will be a paperback. Can anyone recommend a decent AM/FM lightweight radio that he can carry??? Thanks, Josh
joshua5878
01-07-2009, 10:04
What about this, forget about the FM reception, could I use this along the way? It has a CD rom, would I need that to download from someone else's computer. I am tech challenged?? Where can I download music for a device like this???
http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?level=SK&id=709475&cm_mmc=TLShopping-_-Nextag-_-Electronics-_-709475
Skidsteer
01-07-2009, 10:14
What about this, forget about the FM reception, could I use this along the way? It has a CD rom, would I need that to download from someone else's computer. I am tech challenged?? Where can I download music for a device like this???
http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?level=SK&id=709475&cm_mmc=TLShopping-_-Nextag-_-Electronics-_-709475
The CD-rom is likely an installation disc. You would need a computer to transfer MP-3 files to the player but the FM radio will work without one.
Johnny Swank
01-07-2009, 10:26
I had decent FM reception all the way down the trail. Now, it may not always have what you want to hear necessarily, but you'll be able to get something.
FWIW - I became an NPR junkie on the trail as a result.
For those of you who choose to bring music along, what do you do? I don't see how these rechargeable mp3 players would be of any real use on the trail. I'm having to search for old technology that uses AAA batteries and has an expansion slot. Just curious what others do.
I couldn't go anywhere without music, especially on a long hike( life sometimes has a soundtrack if you listen close enough ;) )
I have a 30gig ipod that plays video and music, a psp that has video, games, and music, a 1gig ultralight sansa player that holds over 600 songs, and my blackberry curve that has the phone, gps, and music. Gee maybe I'm too connected.
The sansa is the easiest to use, carry, and charge, there's single aa battery chargers out there that fit the mini usb, plus it charges my phone too.
The psp comes when i want to watch movies in camp( how Grizzly Adams of me lol)
I rarely take my ipod as not to damage it, plus it's heavier than my phone and harder to charge on the trail then the other 3.
Oh and plus the sansa has a FM radio too.
WritinginCT
01-08-2009, 12:00
Energizer makes a charger for the iPod - here (http://www.energizer.com/products/energi-to-go/ipod-charger/Pages/ipod-battery-charger.aspx)
Right now I have the little iPod Shuffle (the tiny clip on one) and I love it- and it's almost indestructible. lol I keep its charger on the kitchen counter above the dogs water bowl and because I am *so* graceful my iPod has been fumbled into the water bowl on more than one occasion without any negative long term effects. (note though- although this is an extremely light mp3 player- accessories like the one above do NOT work for it. It is powered through the same connector that the earbuds plug into.)
I'm trying to figure out what my next media player will be. I would really like one gadget that does music/podcasts, ebooks, and movies.
For those of you who choose to bring music along, what do you do? I don't see how these rechargeable mp3 players would be of any real use on the trail. I'm having to search for old technology that uses AAA batteries and has an expansion slot. Just curious what others do.
Sansa E130 or E140. Its an older model so they are not very common. I just got mine a few days ago and it looks pretty good. AAA battery and SD slot. It doesn't support SDHC so the cards top out at 2GB. No playlists on this one either, but that doesn't bother me since I prefer long play format albums.
I got mine from this place. 15 bucks.
http://insidecomputer.stores.yahoo.net/mp3sdk3512130.html