Are there any players I can buy for using Rockbox?

[depperl]

Hey folks! 

Years ago I've installed Rockbox on my little Sansa Clip+ and have been happy with it since then. I love it to set a sleep timer of 5 minutes and it stays set, so I can listen to a podcast while falling asleep, and when I do not do that during the first 5 minutes, then maybe the second or third 5 minutes, all without having to go to settings again and configure the sleep timer again.

But now, my Sansa Clip+ stopped working: Its power button seems to be broken, so I can only switch it on by plugging it in somewhere. Not feasible while being half asleep!

I've searched for that device, but I cannot find it for sale new, and the second hand prices are eg. 140 pounds. I've also started to look up the devices specified as stable ports, but they all seem to be gone from the market!

So, long story short, is there any device still available for buying that I can use with Rockbox?

[Duceboia]

Fiio m3k

[Julian67]

Fiio m3k has been discontinued (for maybe a year now) and can't be found for sale new.  It's hard to find even used.  The last ones I saw new were being sold at several times their usual retail price.

[azndante]

ErosQK clones -  HIFI WALKER H2 or  Surfans F20

[depperl]

Where can I find those ErosQK clones?

When I look for the two names you provided at eg. Am*zon, I only find very very expensive devices that only have "quite similar" names.

[Julian67]

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32857385213.html
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32856969398.html
https://www.amazon.com/HIFI-WALKER-H2-Resolution-Bluetooth/dp/B072C4YPCG
https://www.amazon.com/iRULU-F20-Bluetooth-Lossless-Resolution/dp/B07VWK4FP3

[GayProtogen]

Depending on the podcasts, maybe an iPod na-no (new battery) or maybe just any iPod you can find for a cheaper price?

[depperl]

Depending on the podcasts, maybe an iPod na-no (new battery) or maybe just any iPod you can find for a cheaper price?

Do those support Rockbox? :-o

[philden]

Many iPod models support Rockbox. You can find them on-line already refurbished with new batteries and flash memory, or you can buy an original to upgrade yourself.

[quickdeals]

Are there really no good players for a decent price? the links before cost $123.
I think you can still buy some sandisk players, but those that support Rockbox won't connect to bluetooth device.
I am looking to buy a player now, any recomended?
Someone mentiond ipods, are there any good ones (that support rockbox) for a good price?
I was attracted to rockbox for the ability to rewind automaticaly upon pausing, is there such a setting in other players?
Thanks

[keptskb403]

I would like to know, too. Cannot find anything. It's good to see rockbox is still alive, but it might as well be dead given the lack of devices.

Too bad I had my original rb device stolen 10+ years ago...

Most pragmatic seems to be buying a trash android spyphone, no SIM, no nothing, installing foobar2000 on it offline using the APK directly.

pros:
- surprisingly, cheaper than any of the technically utter garbage audio players that can still be bought
- available

cons:
- bigger than they need to be (bigger than an ipod nano = pointless)
- battery life sucks even offline without 24/7 spying

The only audio players around that you can buy mostly everywhere are utterly insane:
- prices often many times more than you can buy entire usable linux laptops for
- garbage software that doesn't even play opus
- pure marketing for fake audiophiles ('384 khz on the go!11111111')

A device that can run itty bitty rockbox and has huge storage (32-64GB flash in bulk costs literally nothing to corporate) should not cost more than 10-20 bucks today. But I guess that's just not how capitalism works. Zero efficiency, as long as they find a way to market garbage.

Building something ourselves seems very much doable, but doing so efficiently solo or as a small group is not realistic, either. The legal and other nonsense costs around are many times more than the actual material for someone starting from scratch.

My vote goes to '2nd hand offline android spyware'. Would appreciate rockbox devices though, if anyone has a link to something affordable in Europe.

Cheers

[A600]

A Surfans F20 available in all the european Amazon stores for 125€ (got mine for 85€ one week ago):

https://www.amazon.de/-/en/High-Res-MP3-Player-Expandable-32GB-Grayish-Black/dp/B07VWK4FP3

I installed the native port and I did the battery test playing flacs and it lasted 26 hours. The original firmware also has a DAC and that is a plus

https://www.rockbox.org/wiki/AIGOErosQK

[depperl]

Unfortunately, the Surfans F20 is huge with the long side 9.4 centimeters long! That is way too large for below-the-pillow.

[vitt13]

There is refurbished FiiO M3K on Aliexpress https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2255799973732203.html
But it seems overpriced.

[whiskerc]

Longtime (daily) rockbox user.  Originally I used Sansa Clip+'s and then sometime back switched over to the FIIO M3K which has been and continues to be excellent.  I echo the other comments on this thread.  It shouldn't be so hard to find hardware that runs rockbox and just does the one thing well - but alas there is too much market/corporate/govt push to get everyone doing as much as possible with a smart (sic) phone. 

@depperl if you are still monitoring this thread, I have one perfect Clip+ and two with touchy headphone jacks, all of which I'd be very happy to mail you for the cost of the postage (US).