Smallest and lightest mp3 player for running with a stable or near-stable port?

[tch]

Hi,
Im after a small and light mp3 player for running that works with a stable port of Rockbox as I figure someone else would've wanted something similar! The screen size has to be readable. The other problem is that it's hard to go out and physically inspect some of the non-Apple players (*groan*) down here in Australia. Have so far found the SanDisk players look good although a number of them have unstable ports, the table suggests some of them are nearly there really.

[funman]

Look for a Clip or Clip+

[timtoo]

Don't be scared off by the "unstable" status of some Sansa ports. In my experience they've all be relatively stable. Some builds have occasional glitches, but rarely something a quick reboot doesn't take care of.

I've used Sansa Clip, e200 series (v1, v2 and Rhapsody), and Fuze.

Sansa clip is a miracle of small lightness that can still utilize the full power of rockbox! The tiny display can be a bit awkward and I have seen go "streaky" (nothing to do with rockbox) in some cases. But it blows my mind that such a tiny light thing can run the same Rockbox I run on bigger units. The main limitation is the relative lack of storage space.

e200 series are still fairly small, but they on the heavy side. They feel extremely solid, probably due to the metal casing. I also like the lanyard attachment point for them: i like wearing the player around my neck while bike riding. I turn on the voice menu system, and can control the player entirely without looking at it while riding. Installing rockbox on Raspody variation of e200 series is still a bit of a pain. But it works great once you follow all the steps to get the bootloader on there.

Fuze is a really nice player.  It's more stylish. Despite a larger screen, it's a lot lighter than e200 (but nothing near as light as a Clip). it feels nice in the hand, and the wheel feels very smooth. No lanyard attach point. I have had one fuze lock up in the past so badly that i had to wait for battery to expire before it would respond again: but this has only happened once, and I use my fuze these days on an almost daily basis.

In short, all the Sansas are excellent, and work well in my experience!

[tch]

Thanks a lot for the feedback! Looking mainly into the Clip + and possibly the Fuze now. I've since learnt that a lot of the "stable" Rockbox firmwares are for some really older players.

Also love how Rockbox uses generic MP3 playlists so the small screen on these Sansa players doesn't bother me as I'll set-up most of the playlists on a PC but at least it gives you the option to change a few things on the small screen when away from the PC if you need to.

Thanks again.

[sockbox]

i use the clip+ for running. i've coupled it with the clock_lock2 theme so that i can easily tell the time during workouts.

[Mikerman]

Do note that with the Clip+, the storage space can be mighty impressive--I have an 8GB Clip+ player in front of me right now, with a 16GB microSD card ($18 plus tax after rebate) inserted, for a close to 24GB player.  And if you want to delve into your trust fund, you also can put a 32GB microSD card into the Clip+, for close to 40GB of space. 

[evilnick]

woot.com has refurbished 8GB Fuzes today for $35 if you're based in the US and are quick.

[BigPapi]

I would highly recommend the Clip+.

[Michael7]

The clip is so small I tend to forget it's on me. It's been bounced along the road 3 or 4 times now and has even went through a cycle in the washing machine and it still works

[tch]

Yup, sprung for an 8GB Clip+. It's tiny and is sooo light.

evilnick,
I wish. In Australia, so it cost me around $100 AUD all up (around $95US). Would've got a friend in NY to send that woot.com refirbished Clip+ if I had read that first!

sockbox,
Got RockBox up with that Clock_lock2 theme except SELECT+HOLD doesn't show the time in big fonts like it said? Copied over 1 of 3 necessary fonts from the RB font pack too.

Michael7,
The beauty of a flash-based player I guess!

Thanks again everyone.

[sockbox]

Got RockBox up with that Clock_lock2 theme except SELECT+HOLD doesn't show the time in big fonts like it said? Copied over 1 of 3 necessary fonts from the RB font pack too.

I uploaded a simpler theme called 'clock' that just shows the time. Make sure to run install  the most current build and the entire font pack.

[dreamlayers]

How is the sound quality on a Clip+?  How does it compare to a 5G iPod in terms of sound quality?

[seani]

Got RockBox up with that Clock_lock2 theme except SELECT+HOLD doesn't show the time in big fonts like it said? Copied over 1 of 3 necessary fonts from the RB font pack too.

I uploaded a simpler theme called 'clock' that just shows the time. Make sure to run install  the most current build and the entire font pack.

clock_lock and clock are very well designed themes, thanks.

[BigPapi]

How is the sound quality on a Clip+?  How does it compare to a 5G iPod in terms of sound quality?

Without Rockbox and with EQ's disabled, I felt the Clip+ was a little better. Never had a chance to try a 5G iPod with Rockbox though.