My iPod finally died. What are my options?

[Orbert]

iPod Classic 160GB from 2007.  The big, thick one (later 160's were thinner).  Played basically every day for eight years, often for hours at a time.  I have no complaints.  But after choking and stalling more and more frequently over the past few months, it finally locked up for good and won't reboot.

So... the biggest of the new ones (iPod Touch 128) has 75% of the capacity, which may have to be good enough.  It has the advantage of being solid state, which I like, and the disadvantage of costing a shitload of cash and including a bunch of stuff I honestly don't care about (camera, apps, Bluetooth (although I might ultimately use that)).

There are also (supposedly) new Classic 160's out there, on Amazon, Ebay, etc.  Advantages include price and capacity of course, disadvantages include same hard drive tech and no way to be sure that it's actually new.


Then there's the option of going with a different mp3 player altogether.  It doesn't have to be an iPod; iPod was just the biggest, and I have a lot of tunes.  I've heard good things about Zune, but that was years ago, filed away in memory for when the iPod finally died.  I don't know how they are now.

I'm old school; I have to have my tunes, in some kind of physical medium, to take with me.  For practice, for in the car, etc.  What are my options?

[faizoff]

What I did was buy a $10 windows phone the Lumia 640 on sale and stuck a 128 GB microSD card in it. I got the card for $25 on a sale and have a lot of music on there. You can get any smartphone with a microsd slot for that matter, this way I avoided having to use itunes for syncing. I just drag and drop to a folder and it's all organized in the player. I do have an iphone that is my primary music player but that's limited to 64 GB and has other things like apps and photos, videos that take up the bulk of the space.

Just something out of the box.

[Progmetty]

Orbert I could have written that post word for word man, except my iPod classic is 80gb and it's still on it's deathbed so I've been looking into options too.

There are also (supposedly) new Classic 160's out there, on Amazon, Ebay, etc.  Advantages include price and capacity of course, disadvantages include same hard drive tech and no way to be sure that it's actually new.

Looked at those, how's price an advantage? they're discontinued by Apple so they selling at 400+ dollars a piece, I have no problem with the old hard drive tech but these prices are crazy to me.
Like you I don't want the iPod touch with all it's extra apps and technology that I don't need but mainly because it's less durable than the classic and wouldn't last as long with me, the lower capacity is a problem as well but I can take it, a biweekly or even monthly visit to my computer to add/remove music won't be so bad.

[jingle.boy]

I saw this on indiegogo a few weeks back, and have been contemplating it - https://www.evolutionofaudio.com/

terrible website, but it looks kinda cool if you have the dough.

[Bolsters]

faizoff's suggestion is probably the best one, any kind of touch device that supports high-capacity SD cards. There's not much out there as far as high capacity MP3 players go. FiiO make some appealing hardware but they aren't cheap.

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

I always have to laugh when iPod discussion comes up.  Everyone has iPods with huge storage amounts that they're maxing out.  I have a 4th gen Nano from like 2008, with 8 gigs and it's maybe half to two-thirds full. 

[Cable]

I use a 128gb iPhone. I know this is pricey, and requires a contract. iPod Touches now come in 128gb as well, for 400$. But if you are tied to using Apple products, besides getting a refurbed/pre-owned HD iPod, these are the only new options left.

I just looked at Apple's site, and iPods are no longer even listed along the top toolbar. So I think they will be eliminating them soon probably.

[kaos2900]

What I did was buy a $10 windows phone the Lumia 640 on sale and stuck a 128 GB microSD card in it. I got the card for $25 on a sale and have a lot of music on there. You can get any smartphone with a microsd slot for that matter, this way I avoided having to use itunes for syncing. I just drag and drop to a folder and it's all organized in the player. I do have an iphone that is my primary music player but that's limited to 64 GB and has other things like apps and photos, videos that take up the bulk of the space.

Just something out of the box.

This. I use my windows phone with a 128gb card. I still have a 160gb ipod classic collecting dust now. Still works but the battery doesn't last very long.

[Chino]

Definitely go the cheap phone root. You can get decent devices for next to nothing these days with Micro SD slots.

[Cable]

And actually if I may stand on others- I despise iTunes and the iPod interface. This is coming from a faithful iPhone and Mac user. The music management and player is bullcrap, and always has been. I enjoyed my Creative Zen (haha) back in the early to mid 2000's, and found an excellent player on Android that wiped the floor with anything that Apple had. I was also able to use an additional application that was an EQ, and I swear that thing made the music sound 10x better.

So on the non-Apple route not only being cheaper as others have noted, the flexibility is vastly better.

[Stadler]

But... size.   I have a 120GB iPod and I'm at like 99.5% capacity, and I have a stack of about 30 CDs I still have to add (I'm kind of a freak about having all my music with me, because I travel a fair amount, and I use the iPod in the car).  It's still working, but it won't forever, and I don't have a lot of options at this point (though I'm sure that will change in the future). 

[Implode]

I wish I had unlimited bandwidth of cellular data. I have all my music up on my Google Drive and there are apps that allow streaming from there, even lossless files. It's great except of course the fact that it would eat up all my data.

Some time in the future, it'll be the best way to do this kind of thing.

[Chino]

And actually if I may stand on others- I despise iTunes and the iPod interface. This is coming from a faithful iPhone and Mac user. The music management and player is bullcrap, and always has been. I enjoyed my Creative Zen (haha) back in the early to mid 2000's, and found an excellent player on Android that wiped the floor with anything that Apple had. I was also able to use an additional application that was an EQ, and I swear that thing made the music sound 10x better.

So on the non-Apple route not only being cheaper as others have noted, the flexibility is vastly better.

I had a Creative Zen back in the day. I loved that thing. I dropped it in the snow (unknowingly) and found it in the spring. Still worked!

[Sacul]

Well, it's not cheap, but you can get the Sony Walkman A-17. It has 64 GBs of internal memory and can expand it with up to a 128 GB SD card. And the audio quality is fantastic

[faizoff]

I was all about the Creative mp3 players before getting a smart phone. My first mp3 player was the Nomad Zen Xtra 40 GB version. Then I got the Zen Vision M 30 GB. I still have the Vision M but don't think it works.

Dedicated mp3 players have become a niche product now since I'm assuming most everyone listens to their music on the phone regardless of capacity issues. If I get a decent price on a 256 GB microSD card I'll probably replace the 128 GB with that.

[Podaar]

I've been looking into getting one of these. Seems like a really great price.

[Nekov]

And actually if I may stand on others- I despise iTunes and the iPod interface. This is coming from a faithful iPhone and Mac user. The music management and player is bullcrap, and always has been. I enjoyed my Creative Zen (haha) back in the early to mid 2000's, and found an excellent player on Android that wiped the floor with anything that Apple had. I was also able to use an additional application that was an EQ, and I swear that thing made the music sound 10x better.

So on the non-Apple route not only being cheaper as others have noted, the flexibility is vastly better.

I had a Creative Zen back in the day. I loved that thing. I dropped it in the snow (unknowingly) and found it in the spring. Still worked!

I had 2 different models of Zen mp3 players and I absolutely loved it! Unfortunately creative no longer makes mp3 players 

[Orbert]

Wow, thanks for all the suggestions and tips, guys!  I have some research to do.

If anyone has more to add, please feel free.  Thanks!

[Cable]

But... size.   I have a 120GB iPod and I'm at like 99.5% capacity, and I have a stack of about 30 CDs I still have to add (I'm kind of a freak about having all my music with me, because I travel a fair amount, and I use the iPod in the car).  It's still working, but it won't forever, and I don't have a lot of options at this point (though I'm sure that will change in the future).

I hear you.

I think we are at an awkward time of device storage. Clearly (unless someone knows of one), space capped out at 160gb for a traditional hard-drive based player. HD based devices have been abandoned for mostly better, some worse (not enough space). However, the by-product of that is flash storage is the future, but it is still too expensive to really go beyond 256gb it seems at this time. I mean, my laptop has as much storage as my phone.

But the issue with waiting for flash memory to improve is we have a lot of portable audio fans with a lot of music but no place to store it. And it seems the industry doesn't care, instead getting rid of HD drive based players mostly it seems.

The other issue is the eventual progression of everyone using a cellular device for their music.  As I said above, Apple doesn't even promote their iPods on their toolbar anymore! The industry is really pumping cloud based services, because they get paid for X amount per person vs. a one time charge of extra physical storage. People made fun of me for dropping loot on a 128GB phone. But problem is, I really don't want to pay for data overages, especially because streaming music would need to be encoded well vs. a crappy stream. I encode my tunes at 320 for mp3s (and i notice flaws there now too), so I would need a comparable stream to access my music. While cloud based service is the future, cellular carriers in the US have regressed so to speak, now charging basically for usage vs. unlimited access for a price. So this creates a lose-lose situation, where some people need more storage, and pay more for it. But then pay more perhaps while trying to access it.

[mikeyd23]

I've been looking into getting one of these. Seems like a really great price.

This seems like a great option for the price. I can't seem to find what the storage capacity of the device is before upgrading to a SDXC card... Even still, buying that and a 128GB card would be pretty good solution (I'm in the same boat as the OP, my iPod classic 160GB holds all my music and is my main listening device, I'm dreading the day it dies).

[cramx3]

Just get a shitty phone and pop in a large microsd card as someone said (they make microSD in 128GB but you can also use the internal storage on the phone, won't be long until they have larger sizes too).  I don't see the point in dedicated MP3 players, this is also assuming you don't currently own a phone that can support this or don't have the space for your music. 

[Orbert]

If I get a shitty phone, put a couple of 128gb microSD cards into it, and fill them with music, wouldn't that essentially make it a dedicated mp3 player?  I mean, I'm not giving up my Droid, so at that point, I'm carrying two phones around.  That seems kinda dumb, but I suppose I'd get over it.

[Chino]

If I get a shitty phone, put a couple of 128gb microSD cards into it, and fill them with music, wouldn't that essentially make it a dedicated mp3 player?  I mean, I'm not giving up my Droid, so at that point, I'm carrying two phones around.  That seems kinda dumb, but I suppose I'd get over it.

Is that any different than carrying around a Droid phone and an Ipod classic?

[cramx3]

If I get a shitty phone, put a couple of 128gb microSD cards into it, and fill them with music, wouldn't that essentially make it a dedicated mp3 player?  I mean, I'm not giving up my Droid, so at that point, I'm carrying two phones around.  That seems kinda dumb, but I suppose I'd get over it.

Is that any different than carrying around a Droid phone and an Ipod classic?

Yea i dont see the difference however, I do not know of a phone that supports more than one SD card.  I mean the ideal is to have a phone that can support your music as well and just use one device for all.

[King Postwhore]

How are the sound for phones with equalization?  I have the I-Pod Classic so I never put music on my phone unless it's Spotify and such.

[cramx3]

How are the sound for phones with equalization?  I have the I-Pod Classic so I never put music on my phone unless it's Spotify and such.

There are apps for equalization.  I have never used one, I am not an audiophile so I am fine with the default settings normally, so I can't talk about how effective they are, but I would imagine the paid apps are better for this.  I know my music player app has equalizers but only in the paid version.

[Podaar]

I think the selling point for the player I linked to, FiiO X1, is the TI DAC chip for play back, the high quality amplifier and the ability to play a wide range of music formats. Yes, you're out the money for whatever card you get (not to mention headphones) but still, you're talking less than $150.00 for a good quality solution. Compare that to a Pono, iPod Touch, or the Echobox and it's a steal.

[bout to crash]

Orbert I could have written that post word for word man, except my iPod classic is 80gb and it's still on it's deathbed so I've been looking into options too.

Same here, will have to take some notes later!
Mine keeps resurrecting but I know it could go at any moment. It's on hospice so it gets chicken every night.

[Orbert]

[Orbert]

If I get a shitty phone, put a couple of 128gb microSD cards into it, and fill them with music, wouldn't that essentially make it a dedicated mp3 player?  I mean, I'm not giving up my Droid, so at that point, I'm carrying two phones around.  That seems kinda dumb, but I suppose I'd get over it.

Is that any different than carrying around a Droid phone and an Ipod classic?

I guess not.  I had the iPod first, though.  I've always had music.  I only got into cell phones relatively recently, so it's always been one more thing to carry, because there is no phone that can touch a standalone mp3 player.  The idea of carrying around two phones, one of which is really just for music, seems kinda wacky to me.

[TAC]

I bought one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/Fiio-X1-Resolution-Lossless-Player/dp/B00PQ2UVHY/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1452028781&sr=1-3&keywords=fiio+x1

You have to use a disc, but it was easy enough to figure out. But it seems the iPod Classic can never duplicated in terms ease of use and usability.

[King Postwhore]

I bought one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/Fiio-X1-Resolution-Lossless-Player/dp/B00PQ2UVHY/ref=sr_1_3?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1452028781&sr=1-3&keywords=fiio+x1

You have to use a disc, but it was easy enough to figure out. But it seems the iPod Classic can never duplicated in terms ease of use and usability.

Size.  That's my problem.  If mine dies I'll be in the same boat.

[hefdaddy42]

If I get a shitty phone, put a couple of 128gb microSD cards into it, and fill them with music, wouldn't that essentially make it a dedicated mp3 player?  I mean, I'm not giving up my Droid, so at that point, I'm carrying two phones around.  That seems kinda dumb, but I suppose I'd get over it.

Is that any different than carrying around a Droid phone and an Ipod classic?

I guess not.  I had the iPod first, though.  I've always had music.  I only got into cell phones relatively recently, so it's always been one more thing to carry, because there is no phone that can touch a standalone mp3 player.  The idea of carrying around two phones, one of which is really just for music, seems kinda wacky to me.

Dumb question, maybe, but can't you put music on the phone you already carry?  Especially if you add a memory card dedicated just to the music?  I'm sure it would be less music you could carry at a time, but it would only be one thing to carry.

Size.  That's my problem.

Sorry to hear that, dude.

[TAC]

Size.  That's my problem. 

Tell me about it!

[King Postwhore]

I knew it as soon as I typed it.

But really, I have so much music I like having to only upload  the new albumsite only.