Looking for an MP3 Player (reccomendetion please?)

[bizarro]

Can we talk about MP3 players here? I know it's not veg related but...

I'm looking for the best portable flash MP3 player out there with at least a 2 year warranty. I want it to store about 30-40 hrs of music, have voice recording and be able to hook it up to any audio source. Basically I want something fully loaded and looking to spend about $200 or less. I don't care about games...

I don't know a whole lot about these so any help is greatly appreciated.

Any reccomendations? Oh and I don't want an ugly pastel colored thing, lol!

I'm strongly considering the IRiver 899 and would like any feedback on this one.

http://www.iriveramerica.com/prod/ultra/800/ifp_899.aspx

[Rani]

I just bought the Sandisk 1GB mp3 player for $140 on sale at Circuit City. I've seen varying prices but kept my eyes open for a sale price and this was the best I found. And it was the best price I've found for other similar mp3 players. I'm not sure how long the warranty is.

I've only had it for about a week so I can only give you a limited review but so far I love it. It has flash memory and FM radio, which works really well. I got 435 songs on it (in wma format) which is probably somewhere around 30-35 hrs. Of course the number of songs will vary depending on file size. This also runs on 1 AA battery, like the iRiver you're interested in but Sandisk advertises only 15 hrs. I can't confirm this since I've only used it for probably about 3 hrs so far. It's also pretty user friendly. I just hooked it up to the USB port on my PC and started loading songs right away. I'm definately very happy with it.

Here's a really useful site www.epinions.com for getting consumer info on a wide range of products. It's how I researched and found the Sandisk mp3 among other electronics I have. Hope this helps!

[remilard]

The ipod shuffle measures the best (due to being afaik the only portable player with a push pull output stage) but doesn't have the features you want. Iriver players have tons of features but have a distinctive (ie not flat) house sound, so to speak. The iaudio U2 has the features you want, is in your price range and is probably the closest competitor to the iriver player you are looking at.

[bizarro]

Thanks to both of you. I will take the information you provided into consideration. I am actually considering the sandisk now (maybe) and I think I have talked myself out of the iriver due to the flat sound. That eopinions website has really helped me. I'm going to check out Best Buy or Circuit City since they sell warrantys. I think I need to talk to a sales rep for more help. I'm technically retarded.