How unreliable are MP3 players?

[JTE83]

I bought a special edition red 8gb iPod Nano in Nov 06. It just broke this Sunday 6-10-07. Won't power ON and there was no sign of battery failure before it happened. So it's just 8 months old - lucky it's still under warranty. And then when I went to Circuit City and Best Buy I inquired if they had 4 year warranties for the 4gb & 8gb iPod. Only 2 year warranties! Same goes for the Zune too! This certainly speaks volumes about the expected life of these players! I hate paying big bucks for stuff that won't last!

So actually, what have you people heard of the reliabilty of the iPods (state the model). What is your personal experience with one?

How about other brands of MP3 players?

It seem like a lot of mfg'r want them to break / not have the battery last forever so you keep buying new ones.

How much does it cost to fix a nano after an expired warranty?

What's a good reliable MP3 player that will last forever and sound good? Has to have good accessories too...

 

[sogood]

All things break... Some DOA even.

 

[JohnO]

I have owned two ipod's - a 4 gig nano and now an 8 gig nano. Both have been quite reliable.

The two year warranty is related to the battery - under typical use, it will have about 50% capacity after two years. Built in, so replacing it is not feasable.

 

[dbackmtg]

I also have an Ipod Nano. Hold your menu button and center button down at the same time for 6 seconds. This resets your Ipod. That could be the problem.

 

[JTE83]

I also have an Ipod Nano. Hold your menu button and center button down at the same time for 6 seconds. This resets your Ipod. That could be the problem.

Yeah, problem fixed by reset, but I wonder if my battery is going bad.

 

[cyberlegend1994]

I have two SanDisk models and an RCA Lyra Splash - all still kicking after 2-1/2 years.

 

[Powerful Pete]

Family has two ipod nanos, one first generation and one brand new one, both 4Gb.

They both work great. Highly recommended, except for forcing you to use iTunes, which is a bit crappy IMHO.

 

[geekonabike]

Get the cheapos. riding, sweating & crashing with MP3 players takes its toll.

 

[izatt82]

i bought a 1gb sandisk had for about 2yrs never had any thing go wrong. and i tend to be rough on stuff so i dont regret it

 

[Kinema]

On a related issue has anyone got good advice for earphones, while riding ive found that wind rushing past completely drowns out music, and yet i dont want to make the music louder because of hearing damage and not wanting to drown out the world completely (so i can be more aware)

 

[izatt82]

i use a sony set that go behind your head and have ear loops that go over your ears. i have had pretty good luck with them. they stay in place sound pretty good. i always have problems with ear buds that why i bought these.

 

[JavaWolf]

I had an RCA Lyra sport that stopped working 4 months after I got it. The company was out of stock, or something like that, so they sent me a replacement, different from what I had. That one crapped out after a few weeks. I finally gave in and bought an Ipod shuffle, and so far I'm satisfied with it.

 

[izatt82]

I had an RCA Lyra sport that stopped working 4 months after I got it. The company was out of stock, or something like that, so they sent me a replacement, different from what I had. That one crapped out after a few weeks. I finally gave in and bought an Ipod shuffle, and so far I'm satisfied with it.

yeah i have no experiance with the ipod line but i 'm just not willing to pay for them just my 2 cents

 

[tinear10]

Go with a flash based player like the Nano. The bigger models use a hard drive that can be more fragile. Sony earbuds are also great.

 

[TEXAS_NORSEMAN]

I bought a special edition red 8gb iPod Nano in Nov 06. It just broke this Sunday 6-10-07. Won't power ON and there was no sign of battery failure before it happened. So it's just 8 months old - lucky it's still under warranty. And then when I went to Circuit City and Best Buy I inquired if they had 4 year warranties for the 4gb & 8gb iPod. Only 2 year warranties! Same goes for the Zune too! This certainly speaks volumes about the expected life of these players! I hate paying big bucks for stuff that won't last!

So actually, what have you people heard of the reliabilty of the iPods (state the model). What is your personal experience with one?

How about other brands of MP3 players?

It seem like a lot of mfg'r want them to break / not have the battery last forever so you keep buying new ones.

How much does it cost to fix a nano after an expired warranty?

What's a good reliable MP3 player that will last forever and sound good? Has to have good accessories too...

I had the same problem, so take comfort in knowing your not the only one. i think we pay the big bucks just for the technology itself, and not for the lifespan of it. i got it replaced but have went and bought a 128mb MP3 player that RCA makes. instead of lithium ion battery, it simply uses a AAA battery and the lifespan of the power itself is remarkable considering. Look into it. it's well worth it even if you fall and break it cause mine only cost $50 bucks at walmart!

 

[CyclingTX08]

crazily

 

[trucker39]

I've only heard bad thaings about the iPod, and the nano seems to be very brittle. I have a creative zen, 4GB, and recommend it.

 

[dirtylaundry]

nanos suck. I've gone through 3 of them in a year. I'm fed up and sick of them. No more apple portables for me dammit. I was very gentle with all three of them as well, they just didn't work well with my pc's.

 

[Bro Deal]

nanos suck. I've gone through 3 of them in a year. I'm fed up and sick of them. No more apple portables for me dammit. I was very gentle with all three of them as well, they just didn't work well with my pc's.

I use a few 2nd gen shuffles for trail running. They have worked fine so far.

 

[stlblues]

My mp3 is built into my Sony Ericson 801i phone and my wife has the 701i and they have been fine, dropped plenty of times, great battery life, and takes 2mp pics good for up to 7x5s. My daughter has a Sansa and its been trouble free.