Uh oh. You opened a potentially volatile issue. iPod? Zen? Dell Jukebox? iAudio X5? Opinions will vary but I'm an iPod owner so I'm biased.

The definition of "good" is very relative for gadgets like an MP3 player. I like the relatively low cost of and the easy of use of an iPod. You can pick up a 30GB iPod Video for less than you're thinking of spending. (About $300.) It's ubiquitous and there are a crapload of accesories for them. Get the Dension iceLink for the X5 and you're set.

As far as sound quality and processing abilities, all MP3 players will play only as well as the original file has been ripped. Some people complain about the sound quality of the iPod but I think the same could be said of all MP3 players. I'm sure you can play with different file types and different bitrates to get the sound quality you want.

__________________

I recently got an iPOD and I love it, very easy to use. I know this is a loaded topic and will 22 pages by morning

Are you going to be listening to music through earbuds/headphones, or using a vehicles audio system?
What environment will you be in most of the time (quiet office vs. plane)?

Lots of different options--the difference will come down to the headphones/speakers you are using since 99% of the artifacts/distortion comes from the analog part of the equation....

Just remember that there is a standards "war" and if you buy now you are locked in to the DRM technology supported by the vendor/device (ie Apple=iTunes). Not a fan of any of them right now.

__________________
'08 335xi - Black/Black - 6-speed manual
'07 Mustang GT/CS - Red/Black - Nuthin' Beats a V8
'04 X5 4.4i Silver Ext. / Gray Int. / Loaded (Gone but not forgotten)
'05 Mercury Montego (Wife's Car)
'03 H-D V-Rod -- Custom Paint, Wheels, Seat, Exhaust, blah, blah, blah
'07 BMW R1200S Red/Silver -- Light 'n Fast

I like the Iaudio X5 60GB, and not just because of the name

Search on it on here, you'll find a few threads. (and it's only $369 from newegg)

__________________
You have your way. I have my way. As for the right way, the correct way, and the only way, it does not exist.

Agree with all the comments above.

First, audiophiles don't listen to MP3s. Gadget fans like us do. I use the Dension IceLink Plus on the road, and my Bose noise cancelling headphones in the air. I have never used the earbud headphones that came with it, and don't plan to.

The IPod won for me due to all the accessories and add-ons available, and the user interface. I am not a fan of their standards, but I consider my IPod disposable in any case, it is basically a two year device. I also have all my original source music. I ripped it all at 192, not using the Apple standards, so it will work on anything for some time yet. My library isn't futureproof, but maybe future-resistant.

I got a 20 gB 4g model, and use it daily. My wife wants one now, and I think we will get her a Nano when it calms down after Christmas.

__________________
2007 X3 3.0si, 6 MT, Premium, White

Retired:
2008 535i, 6 MT, M Sport, Premium, Space Grey
2003 X5 3.0 Steptronic, Premium, Titanium Silver
2002 325xi 5 MT, Steel Grey
2004 Z4 3.0 Premium, Sport, SMG, Maldives Blue

Alain,

For Christmas, we bought Stephen a black 30Gb iPod (his second iPod). Liz started playing with it, and fell in love with it on the spot. So much so, that we bought another one for her yesterday. She started downloading TV shows (BSG, Commander in Chief, and a couple others), and I loaded all of our pictures on her iBook. She LOVES the thing.

Go to the Apple store up there by you and give it a test drive.

Juan

__________________
Whenever I text "Barack," my phone suggests the word "Capable." I guess my my phone IS pretty smart.

Actually some of us so called audiophiles do listen to MP3 players but we prefer the highest bitrate possible. I recently added this little device and now iTunes from the computer wirelessly to the family room is a wonderful thing. http://www.apple.com/airportexpress/

__________________
"What you hear in a great jazz band is the sound of democracy. “The jazz band works best when participation is shaped by intelligent communication.”
Harmony happens whenever different parts get to form a whole by means of congruity, concord, symetry, consistency, conformity, correspondence, agreement, accord, unity, consonance…….

Alain,

Get to know the software that comes with/particular mp3 player is cursed with as you try out the particular players. Good luck shopping for one!

JV

__________________
JV

What gets us into trouble is not what we don't know...it's what we know for sure that just ain't so

I just got back from Best Buy an hour ago. I took my 13 year old daughter there so that she could spend her Christmas money on a 30 GB iPod Video. Bought it there because you can get the 3 year service plan for a reasonable price ($45) and they'll replace the unit for virtually any reason except for theft. Trust me, my kids are tough on the electronic gadgets, so it's highly likely that the service plan will be needed down the road.

We now have 5 iPods in the family, and it's always a battle over who's iPod gets docked into the Dension iceLink when we are out in the X5. Given the plethora of accessories and integration kits available for the iPod, it was a no brainer for us to go that route.

__________________

Xoutpost.com - where you come for the information but stay for the friendships