[Solved] Difference between cheap and overpriced MP3 players

I have an ipod shuffle 3rd gen
the stock earphones stopped working and i'm unable to buy a replacement as the apple earphones are way overpriced for their quality
and i cannot buy any third party earphones as the controls of the shuffle 3rd gen is in the earphones

so i'm thinking of buying a new mp3 player

i have a doubt though

if i buy a cheap mp3 player and a very good pair of earbuds will i miss out anything??

will a cheap mp3 player produce the same quality as a costly one when the same pair of earbuds are used?

Reply to revaerluos

in terms of sound quality....maybe. it all depends on the individual electronics used. but assuming that the cheaper one doesnt introduce any more noise or distortion...no you wouldnt hear much of a difference.

in terms of function....the more expensive mp3 players often offer more functions and easier to navigate controls. the ipod shuffle and nano are CRAP in terms of function. the classic is much better. in general you want all the controls to be on the unit and not in the headphones.

personally i love my ipod classic. its big, heavy, and can last a week of constant use on one charge. my old first gen ipod nano was nice as well but the new ones suck in design. the sony walkmans arent too shabby either.

things are hit or miss with headphones. some cheap headphones sound GREAT for the price and some higher end headphones sound like overpriced crap. i thought that the ipod headphones while overpriced worked rather well. a cheap alternative is the gummy brand. currently i'm using $150 studio headphones on that same ipod classic i mentioned earlier.

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Reply to ssddx

ssddx wrote :

in terms of sound quality....maybe. it all depends on the individual electronics used. but assuming that the cheaper one doesnt introduce any more noise or distortion...no you wouldnt hear much of a difference.

in terms of function....the more expensive mp3 players often offer more functions and easier to navigate controls. the ipod shuffle and nano are CRAP in terms of function. the classic is much better. in general you want all the controls to be on the unit and not in the headphones.

personally i love my ipod classic. its big, heavy, and can last a week of constant use on one charge. my old first gen ipod nano was nice as well but the new ones suck in design. the sony walkmans arent too shabby either.

things are hit or miss with headphones. some cheap headphones sound GREAT for the price and some higher end headphones sound like overpriced crap. i thought that the ipod headphones while overpriced worked rather well. a cheap alternative is the gummy brand. currently i'm using $150 studio headphones on that same ipod classic i mentioned earlier.

so if i buy a good earphone and use it with my cell phone.....will there be any difference between it and my ipod?

Reply to revaerluos

Best answer

as i said...between different electronics it will vary.

on my android phone and ipod classic though.... there isnt any difference in quality although the ipod is able to deliver more volume probably due to the style of internal amplifier. a mini-ipod probably doesnt have the power of its larger cousin.

you want to know if theres a difference? listen to them both and figure it out. its not an exact science.

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Reply to ssddx

ssddx wrote :

as i said...between different electronics it will vary.

on my android phone and ipod classic though.... there isnt any difference in quality although the ipod is able to deliver more volume probably due to the style of internal amplifier. a mini-ipod probably doesnt have the power of its larger cousin.

you want to know if theres a difference? listen to them both and figure it out. its not an exact science.

i'm thinking of buying a SENNHEISER CX 280

if you do know any other better earbuds @ ~30$........do tell

http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheis [...] ine_502848

Reply to revaerluos

Sound quality depends on 4 basic factors:

1. The quality of the source material.
2. The quality that the music was encoded at.
3. The electronics of the MP3 player.
4. The headphones.

Buying a cheap MP3 player means cheap components have been used and the audio quality will most likely not be as good as more expensive MP3 players.

Buying a cheap pair of headphone limits the potential of the MP3 player; unless the MP3 player's audio quality is pretty bad to begin with. Then it just makes it worse.

Sennheiser generally makes good headphones. How good are the ones you are buying is unknown to me.

Best answer selected by revaerluos.

Reply to revaerluos

my old first gen ipod nano was nice as well but the new ones suck in design. the sony walkmans arent too shabby either.

Reply to yuessii

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