4gbish flash players... anyone disappointed by the lack of choices?

[emorphien]

It seems to me like there aren't enough good options for flash players in the ~4gb range. The only one that catches my fancy isn't out yet and I'm not dead set on it yet... and that's the 4gb black iriver Clix that's due in November. Still owning my iHP-120 I'm hoping to add another really reliable and high quality device to it, since I'm not going to get rid of that.

I'm not interested in iPods for too many reasons to get in to so if you're the type to argue go elsewhere :cornut: I don't care for the Creative Zen V or V Plus and I've looked at the Sandiscs and heard too many negatives about sound quality. I'm also not quite sold on Cowon and they don't have anything out in the 4gb range that really catches my eye (or ear) either.

Anyone else get the same impression or is everyone just buying iPods these days?

[markw]

I currentlyown and love a 1 gig M240 Sandisk and can't complain about the sound. Unless there is some drastically different implementation of the technology, I can't see any problems. But, I'm using WMA and still get 240+ songs on that 1 gig.

P.S... By the end of the year I will have upgraded to their 4 gig M260. Granted, these don't do too much in the video area but that's not why I buy these things.

[audio_dude]

ya, i bought my dad one of those sandisk players, it was the 512mb model, he loves the FM radio, the Sound quality is great and its got a great menu system...

personally, i'm going to buy a Creative Zen V for my friends birthday, mostly because its cheap, and the menu system is almost exactly like the iPod

[bubbagump]

and buy a Rio Forge and a Patriot 4 GB SD card. Total cost about 120 bucks. Bookmarking, Audible compatible, Plays For Sure firmware, UMS, great sound quality and no friggin battery issues since it uses standard AAA's. If all you want is a good quality 4GB dap with a combination of features not found anywhere else, look no further.

[audio_dude]

bubba, great suggestion, i loved the Rio players, but they went out of business, veeery hard to find...

[emorphien]

probably getting the 4gb clix, it's finally almost available.

[bubbagump]

bubba, great suggestion, i loved the Rio players, but they went out of business, veeery hard to find...

They have the Forge and Carbons, some with sd cards installed. I bought two Forges from them. They shipped fast, no problems. Note to those not familiar with the Forge: buy the 256 MB version. The 512 does not have an sd slot. I'd also buy the 49.95 version. Pair it with the Patriot 4 GB sd card from Newegg or wherever you can find the best price. I paid 79 bucks for the card. On the surface, the Forge isn't the bargain it used to be due to other 4 gb dap price drops but it has a combination of features the newer daps don't. Primarily the use of AAA batteries. If you travel a lot, this is a major feature - no looking for the next charge. Other features that are important to me are the ums functionality, Audible compatibility and the fact that it has sd expansion. If the Forge ever craters, simply remove the sd card and use it for whatever you want. Another Forge, camera, Garmin and other gps devices and so on. On the downside, it lacks the easy to read color screens of the newest daps and while very small, it doesn't have the sex appeal of the competition (ie. iPods, iRivers...). You probably won't impress the girlfriend with it but your geek friends will appreciate it.

http://system.s2gstore.com/site/RioAudio/index.htm?gclid=CPCou_rJwYgCFRRwUAodI2vUAA