Yet another "Recommend an MP3 Player" topic! Cheap, sturdy and bare-bones.

Mumblyfish

I do sincerely apologise. It's a H/A thread about a subject that's been done to death, and has absolutely zero drama potential. I'll make up for it some day. I promise.

I'm looking for an affordable MP3 player for running and to help me sleep. At present I'm using the GBA Movie Player, a fine solution for my needs, but the sound quality leaves a lot to be desired. Given that my needs are simple, I'd appreciate a simple solution. I would never, ever use an MP3 player to watch movies, look at pictures, or do anything other than play MP3s. I'm also picky about the songs I listen to when I'm out and about, so there's no need for huge storage capacity. In a nutshell:

I would like:

• Something cheap.
• At least 512MB storage.
• Durable (will be used for physical activity).
• Drag-'n'-drop uploading.
• Playlist support.
• A decent user interface. Single-line LCD screens or no screens at all? I'd rather not wrestle with that.

I would not like:

• Video playback or image support, unless necessary.
• Applications to manage uploads, such as iTunes.
• An iPod Shuffle. See UI and iTunes.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

gundam470

I saw this bad boy at Best Buy for <$159 and I know the 2GB was selling there for $99.

Sandisk Sansa

edit:
It has video playback and image support but it doesn't seem to be charging a premium for it so unless you have a super-specific reason for not wanting it I don't see that as a negative.

Definitely something I would pick up were I in the market for a new MP3 player

fforde

I second the Sansa. The lower end models are exactly what you are describing.

Mumblyfish

Thanks for the recommendations. The m200 series is exactly what I was after; £20 for a 1GB MP3 player that runs on AAA batteries. Perfect.