Best replacement after my Pilot dies

[Jackboot]

AFAIK the Insignia players are the ONLY DAPs that allow for a high-quality line-in recording in uncompressed WAV and does not require a dongle for line-in recording. This feature in and of itself makes the Pilot irreplaceable to me. I record live music for broadcast and the Pilot is the only device that allows me the quality of a dedicated recording device with the added versatility of being an every-day DAP.

With that said, if the firmware would just add the feature of being able to change the record level on the fly it would be the perfect recorder.

[CrowdAds]

[backin15]

I looked for a long time for a replacement for my pilot whose screen died. There really isn't anything out there with the same features. I got a Sansa Fuze with 8gb for Christmas which is a much higher quality player and has an expansion slot but needs a micro SD card. The screen is smaller and it lacks bluetooth. I'm going to use it in the car and get a 16gb Samsung P3 for the bluetooth and watching videos. Too bad I need 2 players to do what my old one did.

[covertrussian]

I completely understand, luckily I wasn't using the Bluetooth feature, so didn't get spoiled by it yet .

You know after much hesitation, I decided to finally go with a touch screen player... Cowon D2... The main thing that convinced me is the ability to use volume buttons to switch songs

[MJWood407]

"Incidently how long have you had your Pilot? This speaks to the quality of the maker. What makes you think its going dead? Also speaks to Pilot's quality. Why have you not considered an update from the same maker?"

I've had my Pilot for a little over a year. It has been the best player I've ever had and continues to perform great. Mainly because I've treated it with great care.
That said... it's battery life is starting to dwindle. New battery costs around 50 bucks.
The question then is should I (in the near future) spend 50 bucks to keep a player that is now sold out of the cut-out bin or s***can it all and start the search for a new one.
Quality was never an issue. The issue is that Best Buy no longer supports the Insignia brand that it created. They are liquidating everything with that brand name. Check there ads and compare prices to other brands. They want all Insignia gone.
So... the Insignia Pilot is dead, long live the Insignia Pilot.
BTW... My next player will be the Archos 605 wi-fi with 80GB.

[AnitaBath]

The current price on a new battery is $57.95 plus $9.95 shipping!

[covertrussian]

Check eBay...

[leo3]

Originally Posted by MJWood407

"Incidently how long have you had your Pilot? This speaks to the quality of the maker. What makes you think its going dead? Also speaks to Pilot's quality. Why have you not considered an update from the same maker?"

I've had my Pilot for a little over a year. It has been the best player I've ever had and continues to perform great. Mainly because I've treated it with great care.
That said... it's battery life is starting to dwindle. New battery costs around 50 bucks.
The question then is should I (in the near future) spend 50 bucks to keep a player that is now sold out of the cut-out bin or s***can it all and start the search for a new one.
Quality was never an issue. The issue is that Best Buy no longer supports the Insignia brand that it created. They are liquidating everything with that brand name. Check there ads and compare prices to other brands. They want all Insignia gone.
So... the Insignia Pilot is dead, long live the Insignia Pilot.
BTW... My next player will be the Archos 605 wi-fi with 80GB.

I am in the same boat. Should I replace the battery or buy a new MP3 player. I originally have tried Creative Zen (hated it) and Sansa brand (didn't care for either).

The timer feature is what I use every night, if a MP3 player doesn't have that feature I am sunk. I fall asleep listening to it. Anyone know players that have a timer and play audiobooks with major problems? The two I listed above had problems with audiobook not playing back in order.

[wopah]

Goto amazon.com and buy from there: amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B001AO4MWM/ref=dp_olp_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1231132229&sr=8-5

buyer's warehouse has a few since I bought 3 of them from that place and have NO problems with them. All I got lucky and payed 54.55 for each of them.

[covertrussian]

You can get 8GB Pilots cheaper on eBay...

[MJWood407]

Oops, changing my mind. Going with a Cowan player.

[leo3]

After much research, and shopping I bought a Sansa Fuze yesterday, and did the firmware update today. Now I have a sleep timer for my audiobook listening. I hope the battery lasts longer than a year on this new unit.

It seems to be a pretty good unit, hope I like it as much as I did the Pilot :- )

[covertrussian]

I got the Cowon D2, it's great, but I'm not exactly 100% pleased with it .

Part of the problem is the fact that it is not as car friendly as the Pilot is/was.

Charging the player with the car charger will make it only charge and not play music .

Doesn't turn on with the car, have to click on the Music menu when you turn the player on, then click play.

There are a few others...

[covertrussian]

Well actually looking back at it the D2 is really not bad, it just doesn't have the nice auto play feature .

Read more about the D2 here