iPod Alternative

AsSiMiLaTeD
AsSiMiLaTeD Posts: 11,727
edited July 2012 in Electronics
I just picked up an iPod classic and I like it well enough, but wanted to see if anyone had any suggested alternatives. My complaint with the iPod is that there are no physical volume buttons on the device. I can control volume using that wheel thing, but I'd like a way to control the volume without pulling it out of my pocket. I can do this with the iPhone just fine because of the buttons on the side, not sure why Apple wouldn't include those on the iPod. So I thought if I'd see there was an alternative out there I'm not aware of that meets the following requirements:

1 - Good sound through the headphone out. It needs to at least be on par with the iPod, and hopefully even better.
2 - Must be able to play flac or apple lossless
3 - Must have a big hard drive (either from the factory or something I can upgrade, don't mind getting my hands dirty as long as I've not soldering anything). I've just bought a 240GB that I'm planning to install in my iPod, so I either need something with that size of a drive or something I could put that drive in - it's a standard 1.8" hard drive.
4 - Needs to fit in my pocket.

I know of players like the Cowon and Zune, but none of those that I'm aware of meet requirement #3. I had a Creative Zen a while back that would meet the first 3 requirements, but not #4.

Surely there's gotta be something out there that has what I'm looking for.
Post edited by AsSiMiLaTeD on
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Comments

  • brgman
    brgman Posts: 2,859
    edited July 2012
    Hifi man 602
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  • BlueFox
    BlueFox Posts: 15,251
    edited July 2012
    Can a remote work with a iPod not in a dock?
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  • hochpt21
    hochpt21 Posts: 5,423
    edited July 2012
    Maybe this would do the trick :cheesygrin:

    walkman.jpg
    2 ChannelTurntable - VPI Classic 2/Ortofon 2M BlueAmplification - Rogue Audio Cronus Magnum II, Parks Audio Budgie PhonoSpeakers - GoldenEar Triton 17.2 Home TheaterDenon AVR-X3300W; Rotel RMB-1066; Klipsch RP-280F's, Klipsch RP-450C, Polk FXi3's, Polk RC60i; Dual SVS PB 2000's; BenQ HT2050; Elite Screens 120"Man CaveTurntable - Pro-Ject 2.9 Wood/Grado GoldAmplification - Dared SL2000a, McCormack DNA 0.5 DeluxeCD: Cambridge AudioSpeakers - Wharfedale Linton 85th Anniversary; LSiM 703; SDA 2A
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  • AsSiMiLaTeD
    AsSiMiLaTeD Posts: 11,727
    edited July 2012
    Lasareath wrote: »
    The new iPod touch has physical volume buttons. so does the iPhone.
    I appreciate the response, but seriously did you even read my post?
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  • AsSiMiLaTeD
    AsSiMiLaTeD Posts: 11,727
    edited July 2012
    brgman wrote: »
    Hifi man 602
    I don't believe that meets the size requirements, or am I misreading the specs? It looks very interesting and should sound great, but unfortunately I need the space and don't want to carry around a bunch of ad cards
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  • Gadabout
    Gadabout Posts: 1,072
    edited July 2012
    I was going to suggest the Cowon X7 (even though you said you knew about it), but it only takes a 160 HDD and not sure the drive is swappable. So, this doesn't meet requirement 3. Sorry wish I could help, but I can't think of anything that will meet all the requirements.

    You might just be ahead of the times. Perhaps, the guys at head-fi might know of something :\

    Scott
    Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid. ..... Frank Zappa
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  • AsSiMiLaTeD
    AsSiMiLaTeD Posts: 11,727
    edited July 2012
    Actually I'll check into that Cowon thank you. If it has a 160GB drive then it's very likely a standard 1.8" drive. It may not be designed to be user-replacable, but if they use a standard drive like Apple it can be replaced. Thanks for the info I'll check it out now.
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  • Syndil
    Syndil Posts: 1,582
    edited July 2012
    If you can find one, a Toshiba Gigabeat will meet your requirements. They have excellent sound quality; they can run Rockbox, which supports FLAC; and they use 1.8" hard drives. The size is a bit on the stout side--about like a deck of playing cards. But if you're used to an iPod classic it should be similar.

    You'll need a Gigabeat from either the X or F series for Rockbox to run reliably. They came with a maximum of 60GB stock. I happen to have a Gigabeat MEG-F40S (40GB) available. If you are interested, PM me an offer. I can even put Rockbox on it for you if you like.

    http://www.amazon.com/Toshiba-Gigabeat-MEG-F40S-Digital-Player/dp/B0007U0INM

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