Looking for Suggestions for New Portable Music Player

It's safe to say that I'm a beginner at this. I've only had one mp3 player, which someone had for awhile before they gave it to me about 15 years ago. So I'm not entirely sure about everything that is currently available. I don't actually expect to find what I really want, but this is what I'd like to have...

1. plays FLAC
2. built-in speaker (good sound quality at somewhat high volume)
3. Bluetooth
4. long battery life
5. lots of storage space

I have about 2.5 TB of FLAC files on an external hard-drive, so converting a bunch of albums to mp3 is definitely NOT something I want to do. I'm not against using memory cards or swapping out the files on the device every few days (or once a week) so a large amount of storage space is not a necessity but is something I would prefer.

I would really like to have a player with a built-in speaker that sounds good at a decent volume. I know the volume can affect battery life so I will probably use headphones/ear buds occasionally, but only as an alternative. I'm not completely against buying external speakers, but would rather have something built-in even if that means a slightly bigger device. I'd like for it to fit in my pocket even if it's a little bulky.

I'd also like fairly easy navigation while looking for music. I don't want it to be some sort of difficult task just to find an album I'm looking for.

This isn't something I need, but I wouldn't mind if it also had FM/XM radio capabilities. Aside from that, I really don't want any other types of additional stuff that I will never use, such as Wi-Fi connectivity or anything like that. I have no desire to purchase/download/stream/whatever from itunes or Apple Music any other similar sites. I do not need to go online for anything. The only thing I want to be able to connect it to is my own computer. (& speakers/headphones/ear buds)

I'd like to spend only around $100 or less, but would possibly go up to around $200-$250 if my priorities could be met.

Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

I have this sansa player, the sound is awesome. It plays FLAC has am/fm, bluetooth (for speaker).
And it records really well too. Comes in 16gb or 32 gb. Pretty easy to use. Easy drag and drop no conversion like Ipod did. Just drop a music folder or individual song and your ready to go. Menu system is straight forward and easy too. You can't go wrong for it price too.

Sandi sc player

I have a 4TB WD MyCloud at home. I can access the files from anywhere with my smartphone and play mp3s, Flacs or whatever.


edit to add: I also have an adapter, so I can connect USB drives to my phone. That'll work offline. And VLC Player can play most media including Flac.

a reply to: BrokenCircles

Do you want it to wake you up in the morning and make coffee, too?

Sorry, just kidding. I didn't think what you're looking for could exist, but this is pretty close:

www.amazon.com...



Surfans F20

Supported Standards MP3, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, APE, FLAC, WMA, M4A, WAV, OGG
Media Type SD Card
Memory Storage Capacity 32 GB

Connectivity Technology Bluetooth, USB

About this item
✔【High Resolution Music Player】: This bluetooth mp3 player owns outstanding superior audio, adopts advanced DSD decoding technology to reduce distortion; the hi-res audio player can capture the depth and breadth of each note. It's ideal for audiophile to enjoy live music
✔【 Lossless Audio】: Lossless Music Player Utilizes advanced PCM510xA 2.1 VRMS, 112/106/100 dB Audio Stereo DAC chip, with a maximum sampling rate of 44.1¨C384 kHz /32 bit. Supports all major lossless music formats: FLAC, WAV, WMA, M4A, MP3, MP2, AAC, APE, ALAC, OGG, AIFF, DFF, Native DSD64 (2.8MHz) DSD 128(5.6 MHz), etc
✔【 Humanization design】: This digital music player adopts 2.0" HD screen. Distinctive ALPS scroll control wheel enables fluent operation, a high-grade zinc alloy chassis gives a comfortable feel and touch, not to mention sturdy protection for prolonged durability
✔【Bi-directional Bluetooth 】: This high res audio player features of Bluetooth V4.0 of for communication that will change your life, double-way lossless wireless bluetooth transmission with APT-X protocol. Music player can broadcast to bluetooth-enabled devices such headphone, speaker etc; and also can be a Bluetooth receiver
✔【Outstanding Battery. Expandable Storage】Enjoy up to 10 hours of uninterrupted high-res audio by headphone or Bluetooth. F20 player does not have build-in memory, but an extra 32GB SD card already inserted in player. You can expand the storage up to 256GB via 128 GB SD card or via another 128GB USB OTG (OTG cable not included) and enjoy a music library as long as 14,000 songs

I like the look of it, too.

a reply to: Encia22That's actually very nice, but pricey.

a reply to: BrokenCircles

Set up an old pc as a media server.

Here is Linus Tech Tips explaining.


Switching to Linux might be a pain, but I recommend. Plenty of other videos on YouTube showing that free and less virus-y route.

a reply to: INnEedOfgOD

Yes, but you're getting a lot for the money and it falls within the OP's budget. The cool blue LED must bump up the price, but it's worth it!

I don't know anything about the manufacturer, so I'd do some research first to see how reliable it is. I don't really trust star ratings on Amazon.

originally posted by: pianopraze
a reply to: BrokenCircles

Set up an old pc as a media server.

Here is Linus Tech Tips explaining.

Switching to Linux might be a pain, but I recommend. Plenty of other videos on YouTube showing that free and less virus-y route.

Greta thunberg ??

a reply to: INnEedOfgOD

I know I'm probably not gonna find exactly what I want, but I'd really like a built in speaker.

I read somewhere that most of them nowadays are capable of playing FLAC, but many of the one's I've looked at don't say anything about it. The one you linked only says "Supported Standards: MP3". That's the one thing that's been bugging me the most while looking around. I found a few that I liked but wasn't sure.


So thanks. Now I know that just because Amazon doesn't say that it plays FLAC, that doesn't mean that it doesn't play FLAC.

a reply to: BrokenCircles

The one I found is a bit cheaper directly from Surfan:

www.surfans.net...

originally posted by: Encia22

Surfans F20

That's actually the one I've been looking at the most. If it had a good built-in speaker, I would have already bought it.

I know I'll probably end up buying an additional speaker, and I know it will sound much better that way. I was just hoping I wouldn't have to do that.

originally posted by: Encia22

The one I found is a bit cheaper directly from Surfan:

www.surfans.net...

eta: $6 that's an extra gallon of gas.


I probably will end up going with that 1.

a reply to: BrokenCircles

Ok, if you buy it, let us know how it is.

I noticed they only make that one model. I usually trust companies that offer a limited choice. I think it shows that they thought about the product and are confident enough to not have to blind you with 20 different models... aka Sony!

a reply to: Encia22

Never really thought of it that way, but that's a good point.




I'm still gonna keep looking for something with a good built-in speaker, but I'm real close to giving up on that quest.

Part of it is that I'm going to be using it a lot while working outdoors, and I'd rather not wear ear buds.

I use an old smart phone for this. It takes a micro-SD card for local storage or I can play from my media-/file-server around the house (or anywhere with available wi-fi service via Plex - membership probably required). The Neutron Android app works great for high-quality playback of any modern audio file format off the SD card.

The phone's "speaker" obviously isn't going to fill a room with sound, but a simple bluetooth speaker does nicely. Seriously though, what device is going to include a speaker that would meet any normal needs?

You may even have just such an old phone in a junk drawer somewhere...

I use an android phone that was 4G. It has a 256G card that can be replaced with up to a 512G. I also have a blue tooth adapter connected to my home system so that I can sit on the couch, play Sudoku on that phone and play the music i want to hear. It easily connects to my pc to swap music and the battery will last all day. I recommend VLC on the phone. I removed the tmobile sim card and leave it in airplane mode. unless I need to update the software or use a music app such as pandora or Radio Garden.

originally posted by: IagainstEye

Seriously though, what device is going to include a speaker that would meet any normal needs?

That's the thing I've been the most unsure about, because I just don't know how much small speakers have improved over the last few years.

They probably haven't improved quite as much as I was hoping they had.

a reply to: BrokenCircles

I have the same player as i posted. It plays MP3, FLAC, WAV and ogg files. Even plays MP4 AVI files, You can always use a portable bluetooth speaker.
Like i mentioned before it also has Fm/AM and is a great voice recorder. I have used mine to record my band during rehearsals. Sound is great when recording and playback. I had a ipod and this player is twice as loud and clear crisp playback of FLAC files. Good bang for the buck.

a reply to: BrokenCircles

I just did a YouTube search and there are a few in-depth reviews...

Also want to let you know Sansdisc stands behind their product. I had a 32 gb thumb drive up and died on me after a few years of heavy use. I wrote to the company and they even paid for the shipping the bad drive to them. UPS dropped off and picked up the return padded envolope that Sansdisc provided. About ten days later I got a 3 pack of 64gb cruiser thumb drives. Who does that? I mean the thumbdrive was way out of warrantee too.

a reply to: INnEedOfgOD

Is your player pretty durable?