I don’t want something I have to deal with some software like iTunes for and would rather plug in the device into any computer and move files and have the player automatically recognize it.
Want to use it when going for runs. Audio jack and Bluetooth support is a must. No need for anything else fancy
Edit: I came across the SanDisk 16GB Clip Sport Plus MP3 Player. Seems like it might be what I’m looking for. Anyone have any other simple mp3 players with Bluetooth support they recommend?
Something supported by Rock Box firmware.
Back in the day I flashed a HDD iPad with this open source firmware. ITunes was a system crushing bloated DRM piece of crap. RockBox turned in into a portable hard drive that played everything great.
I’ve been using iTunes since I got my iPod in 2006. The iPod gets a fair bit of use these days since they took headphone jacks out of phones and i don’t have Bluetooth in my vehicle.
I have no problem drag/dropping music files (just not flac) in to my library. It’ll even rename my files according to the tags and sort them for me. Then I sync the whole thing every time I plug it in.
I dunno, I like it.
Look at Fiio. They’re a Chinese company that makes pretty good quality mp3 players. They have some expensive models but also a few for less than a hundred bucks. I’ve owned two of them now and love them.
You can just drag and drop files onto a microSD card and then the player will recognize that new files have been added. It’s super simple to manage and no iTunes or other software required.
Edit: The M5 and M3 pro both use a proprietary OS. The M6 is android based so you can also load Spotify/YT music/tidal/etc. These models are all touchscreen. If you want one more old school without the touch screen, they’re m3k model is still on aliexpress. And they used to have models with scroll wheels (I dont remember the model number) that I’m sure you could find used on ebay or something.
SanDisk is certainly the way to go. They literally make an mp3 player specifically for your use case.
I would Google around budget audiophile mp3 player and see if there is something else that might fit your preference better.
I’ve used my Sansa Clip for 10+ years. Never had a problem yet. When it finally dies I will buy another one.
I’m quite fond of my Agptek player. Add in a micro SD card to get an extra 256 GB, and I’m all set.