Which phone is best for music?

PTFCscott · 17-02-2010, 21:35

I can't decide between a Nokia 5530, Nokia 5800, a Sony W595 or a Samsung Tocco Lite. It would be on pay as you go. They all get good reviews and it's taken me ages to narrow my choices down to these four. I'm currently on Vodafone and would probably like to stay with them so I can keep my number. I currently have an old Sony Walkman phone - I think it's a W800i, which I have been very happy with but it's getting a wee bit old and temperamental.
Does anyone have any experience/opinions?

kosmos5457 · 17-02-2010, 22:52

I really do think the iPhone is best phone for music. I had a Windows Mobile that I just had to get rid of due to how terrible it was at responding to performing even the most simplest of tasks through the touchscreen interface.

I use my iPhone as my main music player in the car, in fact it is on the dash in a holder and so easy to use on the go. I had never had a phone before that where I could say this is my phone and my music player all in one. For me this type of product was essential on the market because I'd often like to take calls even if that meant stopping me listening to music and of course if you have the two things separate, you wouldn't hear the phone if your earphones are in listening to music. Like how the music fades out as a phone call is incoming and then fades back in as call is finished. I suppose there are other phones that do that as well but whether it is as good as the iPhone, that is another thing.

Back to your choices mentioned above, well do not choose the Samsung Tocco Lite whatever you do. My ex girlfriend had the Tocco and it was a pile of shite, the lite version will no doubt be the same. Her brother got the Nokia 5800. He said it was ok and I know of two others with that phone and both said it was great at first. Doesn't it come with a number of free music downloads?

The Sony Ericsson phones seem to break too easily now. Modern ones like C905 for example. That would probably lead me to choosing a Nokia from the 4 phone models you listed above.

ccursons · 17-02-2010, 23:02

The 5800 is great for Music, I used it all the time when I had one and ditched my I-Pod as I got fed up with having to sync with i tunes everytime I wanted to add new tracks.

I got rid of the 5800 when the contract finished and now have a Nokia N97 and have to say the improvement in sound quality is amazing, I have a pair of really good Goldring headphones in it and totally love the phone. I use it for everything, emails, internet, Music the lot, the 5800 and the N97 have an FM modulator in them so you can listen to your music in the car without having any fancy and expensive cradles and connections, it just plays through the FM radio in the car.

fmradiotuner1 · 17-02-2010, 23:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by ccursons

The 5800 is great for Music, I used it all the time when I had one and ditched my I-Pod as I got fed up with having to sync with i tunes everytime I wanted to add new tracks.

I got rid of the 5800 when the contract finished and now have a Nokia N97 and have to say the improvement in sound quality is amazing, I have a pair of really good Goldring headphones in it and totally love the phone. I use it for everything, emails, internet, Music the lot, the 5800 and the N97 have an FM modulator in them so you can listen to your music in the car without having any fancy and expensive cradles and connections, it just plays through the FM radio in the car.

Iam really surprised you say N97.
I find the speakers really tiny but the FM transmitter makes up for that.

You can also add your own mini speakers to the phone but with the 32 GB memory plus extra 16 GB from card you dont have to worry about space.

ccursons · 17-02-2010, 23:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by fmradiotuner1

Iam really surprised you say N97.
I find the speakers really tiny but the FM transmitter makes up for that.

You can also add your own mini speakers to the phone but with the 32 GB memory plus extra 16 GB from card you dont have to worry about space.

I was talking about the sound quality through headphones, I dont use the built in speakers, no phone sounds any good with the built in speakers. I have a nice pair of bluetooth speakers which I use when Im away on business or on holiday.

imagegrill · 18-02-2010, 16:34

I have the N97 and use it with the BH 905s. Excellent

My wife has a 5800 (Valentine's gift) and it is a very good music player too.
If you download a lot of music, might be worth paying the extra and getting the XM edition.

LostFool · 20-02-2010, 11:35

I know Blackberries aren't really designed to be media players but I'm constantly impressed with how good they are.

dosanjh1 · 20-02-2010, 12:48

If you want a phone purely for music get the Sony W595.

PTFCscott · 20-02-2010, 17:54

Thanks for all the replies. I don't think it's made my decision any easier though

There'sjust too many choices and it's a lot of money if you're not entirely happy with it. There should be some way to try before you buy.

linkinpark875 · 20-02-2010, 21:54

The W995 is the best music phone. Quality on par with the Iphone, speaker dock, great sound, 8GB memory.

bushmaster · 20-02-2010, 22:44

I have used both a 5800 and an iPhone. I would steer well clear of the latter if you are into listening streamed music off the internet. The iPhone does not do multitasking and you will not be able to listen to e.g. last.fm while browsing the web. If you just want to download music to the device, you will find the iPhone synchronisation very restrictive. Unlike the iPod, you will not be able add music from more than 1 computer to the iPhone. If you attempt to copy music from a second computer, it will wipe all existing music off the iPhone first before copying. The 5800, on the other hand, is super. Can't comment on the Sony or the Samsung.

bprentice2009 · 21-02-2010, 12:04

 iPhone™

Scottishwhite · 21-02-2010, 13:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by ccursons

.........., the 5800 and the N97 have an FM modulator in them so you can listen to your music in the car without having any fancy and expensive cradles and connections, it just plays through the FM radio in the car.

Has the 5800 got one of these? If so how do you access the facility?

daveetwo · 21-02-2010, 14:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scottishwhite

Has the 5800 got one of these? If so how do you access the facility?

I also have the 5800 and not found the fm facility. be great if it did though. Look forward to hearing a response to your question.

cwmparc · 21-02-2010, 14:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by daveetwo

I also have the 5800 and not found the fm facility. be great if it did though. Look forward to hearing a response to your question.

And me

bushmaster · 21-02-2010, 20:48

The 5800 does not have a FM modulator, only a FM receiver.

TeeGee · 21-02-2010, 20:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by cwmparc

And me

FFS we ALL want to know!!!

ElectricWarrior · 22-02-2010, 12:50

[quote=ccursons;38553720], the 5800 and the N97 have an FM modulator in them so you can listen to your music in the car without having any fancy and expensive cradles and connections, it just plays through the FM radio in the car.[/QUOTE]

I have a 5800 and would welcome instructions on how to use the FM transmitter feature. Also, can this be used whilst usung the Satnav at the same time?

Thanks

imagegrill · 22-02-2010, 16:21

With the N97 yes, transmitter and sat nav can be used together. I would get yourself an in car charger though

FM transmitter feature not available in 5800 AFAIK.

whackyracer · 22-02-2010, 16:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by PTFCscott

I can't decide between a Nokia 5530, Nokia 5800, a Sony W595 or a Samsung Tocco Lite. It would be on pay as you go. They all get good reviews and it's taken me ages to narrow my choices down to these four. I'm currently on Vodafone and would probably like to stay with them so I can keep my number. I currently have an old Sony Walkman phone - I think it's a W800i, which I have been very happy with but it's getting a wee bit old and temperamental.
Does anyone have any experience/opinions?

You can move providers and still keep your number.

Gormond · 22-02-2010, 16:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by bushmaster

I have used both a 5800 and an iPhone. I would steer well clear of the latter if you are into listening streamed music off the internet. The iPhone does not do multitasking and you will not be able to listen to e.g. last.fm while browsing the web. If you just want to download music to the device, you will find the iPhone synchronisation very restrictive. Unlike the iPod, you will not be able add music from more than 1 computer to the iPhone. If you attempt to copy music from a second computer, it will wipe all existing music off the iPhone first before copying. The 5800, on the other hand, is super. Can't comment on the Sony or the Samsung.

The iPod has this restriction too BTW and isn't much of an issue for most people as they keep there music collection on 1 computer anyway. Being on PAYG I doubt he is into stream music as it would get rather expensive fast.

As for best music phone for you in PAYG I would suggest a SE walkman phone as they are rather good for music playback, used one for years like yourself with no issues.

bushmaster · 22-02-2010, 21:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gormond

The iPod has this restriction too BTW and isn't much of an issue for most people as they keep there music collection on 1 computer anyway. Being on PAYG I doubt he is into stream music as it would get rather expensive fast.

As for best music phone for you in PAYG I would suggest a SE walkman phone as they are rather good for music playback, used one for years like yourself with no issues.

The iPod does not have the same restriction - you can add music to the iPod from any computer by simply dragging files from Windows explorer to the iPod tab in iTunes. You can also listen to the music and watch the videos stored on the iPod from iTunes on any computer. These are handy features to have if you ever have to travel on business with a work laptop and want to be able to watch a pre-recorded video in the hotel without squinting at a 3 inch screen.

As to PAYG, all PAYG iPhones come with 12 months free "unlimited" wifi and data. After 12 months, the data bolt-on costs £10 a month, an amount that won't exactly break the bank. In fact, after 12 months, have the phone unlocked and for £10 a month on a 30 day contract, Tmobile will give you 100 minutes, 100 text and "unlimited" data. Why have a smart phone if you are not going to use it? Even if you don't have an unlimited data bolt-on, you might still want to listen to an internet radio off wifi while catching up with the news on the BBC website. I was able to do (and did) this sort of thing on a HP iPAQ back in 2002, but can't on an iPhone in 2010.

17-02-2010, 21:35	#1
PTFCscott Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 106	Which phone is best for music? I can't decide between a Nokia 5530, Nokia 5800, a Sony W595 or a Samsung Tocco Lite. It would be on pay as you go. They all get good reviews and it's taken me ages to narrow my choices down to these four. I'm currently on Vodafone and would probably like to stay with them so I can keep my number. I currently have an old Sony Walkman phone - I think it's a W800i, which I have been very happy with but it's getting a wee bit old and temperamental. Does anyone have any experience/opinions?

17-02-2010, 22:52	#2
kosmos5457 Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Anglesey Posts: 1,262	I really do think the iPhone is best phone for music. I had a Windows Mobile that I just had to get rid of due to how terrible it was at responding to performing even the most simplest of tasks through the touchscreen interface. I use my iPhone as my main music player in the car, in fact it is on the dash in a holder and so easy to use on the go. I had never had a phone before that where I could say this is my phone and my music player all in one. For me this type of product was essential on the market because I'd often like to take calls even if that meant stopping me listening to music and of course if you have the two things separate, you wouldn't hear the phone if your earphones are in listening to music. Like how the music fades out as a phone call is incoming and then fades back in as call is finished. I suppose there are other phones that do that as well but whether it is as good as the iPhone, that is another thing. Back to your choices mentioned above, well do not choose the Samsung Tocco Lite whatever you do. My ex girlfriend had the Tocco and it was a pile of shite, the lite version will no doubt be the same. Her brother got the Nokia 5800. He said it was ok and I know of two others with that phone and both said it was great at first. Doesn't it come with a number of free music downloads? The Sony Ericsson phones seem to break too easily now. Modern ones like C905 for example. That would probably lead me to choosing a Nokia from the 4 phone models you listed above.

17-02-2010, 23:02	#3
ccursons Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Swindon Wiltshire Posts: 1,078	The 5800 is great for Music, I used it all the time when I had one and ditched my I-Pod as I got fed up with having to sync with i tunes everytime I wanted to add new tracks. I got rid of the 5800 when the contract finished and now have a Nokia N97 and have to say the improvement in sound quality is amazing, I have a pair of really good Goldring headphones in it and totally love the phone. I use it for everything, emails, internet, Music the lot, the 5800 and the N97 have an FM modulator in them so you can listen to your music in the car without having any fancy and expensive cradles and connections, it just plays through the FM radio in the car.

17-02-2010, 23:19	#4
fmradiotuner1 Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: TheEssexSunshineCoast Clacton Posts: 15,220	Quote: Originally Posted by ccursons The 5800 is great for Music, I used it all the time when I had one and ditched my I-Pod as I got fed up with having to sync with i tunes everytime I wanted to add new tracks. I got rid of the 5800 when the contract finished and now have a Nokia N97 and have to say the improvement in sound quality is amazing, I have a pair of really good Goldring headphones in it and totally love the phone. I use it for everything, emails, internet, Music the lot, the 5800 and the N97 have an FM modulator in them so you can listen to your music in the car without having any fancy and expensive cradles and connections, it just plays through the FM radio in the car. Iam really surprised you say N97. I find the speakers really tiny but the FM transmitter makes up for that. You can also add your own mini speakers to the phone but with the 32 GB memory plus extra 16 GB from card you dont have to worry about space.

17-02-2010, 23:22	#5
ccursons Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Swindon Wiltshire Posts: 1,078	Quote: Originally Posted by fmradiotuner1 Iam really surprised you say N97. I find the speakers really tiny but the FM transmitter makes up for that. You can also add your own mini speakers to the phone but with the 32 GB memory plus extra 16 GB from card you dont have to worry about space. I was talking about the sound quality through headphones, I dont use the built in speakers, no phone sounds any good with the built in speakers. I have a nice pair of bluetooth speakers which I use when Im away on business or on holiday.

18-02-2010, 16:34	#6
imagegrill Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 307	I have the N97 and use it with the BH 905s. Excellent My wife has a 5800 (Valentine's gift) and it is a very good music player too. If you download a lot of music, might be worth paying the extra and getting the XM edition.

20-02-2010, 11:35	#7
LostFool Forum Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 59,737	I know Blackberries aren't really designed to be media players but I'm constantly impressed with how good they are.

20-02-2010, 12:48	#8
dosanjh1 Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 5,803	If you want a phone purely for music get the Sony W595.

20-02-2010, 17:54	#9
PTFCscott Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 106	Thanks for all the replies. I don't think it's made my decision any easier though There'sjust too many choices and it's a lot of money if you're not entirely happy with it. There should be some way to try before you buy.

20-02-2010, 21:54	#10
linkinpark875 Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 24,424	The W995 is the best music phone. Quality on par with the Iphone, speaker dock, great sound, 8GB memory.

20-02-2010, 22:44	#11
bushmaster Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 37	I have used both a 5800 and an iPhone. I would steer well clear of the latter if you are into listening streamed music off the internet. The iPhone does not do multitasking and you will not be able to listen to e.g. last.fm while browsing the web. If you just want to download music to the device, you will find the iPhone synchronisation very restrictive. Unlike the iPod, you will not be able add music from more than 1 computer to the iPhone. If you attempt to copy music from a second computer, it will wipe all existing music off the iPhone first before copying. The 5800, on the other hand, is super. Can't comment on the Sony or the Samsung.

21-02-2010, 12:04	#12
bprentice2009 Forum Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Warwickshire Posts: 163	 iPhone™

21-02-2010, 13:37	#13
Scottishwhite Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 1,203	Quote: Originally Posted by ccursons .........., the 5800 and the N97 have an FM modulator in them so you can listen to your music in the car without having any fancy and expensive cradles and connections, it just plays through the FM radio in the car. Has the 5800 got one of these? If so how do you access the facility?

21-02-2010, 14:04	#14
daveetwo Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Southampton, Hants Posts: 5,366	Quote: Originally Posted by Scottishwhite Has the 5800 got one of these? If so how do you access the facility? I also have the 5800 and not found the fm facility. be great if it did though. Look forward to hearing a response to your question.

21-02-2010, 14:53	#15
cwmparc Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: South Wales Posts: 359	Quote: Originally Posted by daveetwo I also have the 5800 and not found the fm facility. be great if it did though. Look forward to hearing a response to your question. And me

21-02-2010, 20:48	#16
bushmaster Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 37	The 5800 does not have a FM modulator, only a FM receiver.

21-02-2010, 20:50	#17
TeeGee Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Dark Satanic Mills Posts: 4,821	Quote: Originally Posted by cwmparc And me FFS we ALL want to know!!!

22-02-2010, 12:50	#18
ElectricWarrior Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Granadaland Posts: 112	[quote=ccursons;38553720], the 5800 and the N97 have an FM modulator in them so you can listen to your music in the car without having any fancy and expensive cradles and connections, it just plays through the FM radio in the car.[/QUOTE] I have a 5800 and would welcome instructions on how to use the FM transmitter feature. Also, can this be used whilst usung the Satnav at the same time? Thanks

22-02-2010, 16:21	#19
imagegrill Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 307	With the N97 yes, transmitter and sat nav can be used together. I would get yourself an in car charger though FM transmitter feature not available in 5800 AFAIK.

22-02-2010, 16:25	#20
whackyracer Guest Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 13,792	Quote: Originally Posted by PTFCscott I can't decide between a Nokia 5530, Nokia 5800, a Sony W595 or a Samsung Tocco Lite. It would be on pay as you go. They all get good reviews and it's taken me ages to narrow my choices down to these four. I'm currently on Vodafone and would probably like to stay with them so I can keep my number. I currently have an old Sony Walkman phone - I think it's a W800i, which I have been very happy with but it's getting a wee bit old and temperamental. Does anyone have any experience/opinions? You can move providers and still keep your number.

22-02-2010, 16:29	#21
Gormond Forum Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Scotland Posts: 15,714	Quote: Originally Posted by bushmaster I have used both a 5800 and an iPhone. I would steer well clear of the latter if you are into listening streamed music off the internet. The iPhone does not do multitasking and you will not be able to listen to e.g. last.fm while browsing the web. If you just want to download music to the device, you will find the iPhone synchronisation very restrictive. Unlike the iPod, you will not be able add music from more than 1 computer to the iPhone. If you attempt to copy music from a second computer, it will wipe all existing music off the iPhone first before copying. The 5800, on the other hand, is super. Can't comment on the Sony or the Samsung. The iPod has this restriction too BTW and isn't much of an issue for most people as they keep there music collection on 1 computer anyway. Being on PAYG I doubt he is into stream music as it would get rather expensive fast. As for best music phone for you in PAYG I would suggest a SE walkman phone as they are rather good for music playback, used one for years like yourself with no issues.

DS Forums

Which phone is best for music?

22-02-2010, 21:24	#22
bushmaster Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 37	Quote: Originally Posted by Gormond The iPod has this restriction too BTW and isn't much of an issue for most people as they keep there music collection on 1 computer anyway. Being on PAYG I doubt he is into stream music as it would get rather expensive fast. As for best music phone for you in PAYG I would suggest a SE walkman phone as they are rather good for music playback, used one for years like yourself with no issues. The iPod does not have the same restriction - you can add music to the iPod from any computer by simply dragging files from Windows explorer to the iPod tab in iTunes. You can also listen to the music and watch the videos stored on the iPod from iTunes on any computer. These are handy features to have if you ever have to travel on business with a work laptop and want to be able to watch a pre-recorded video in the hotel without squinting at a 3 inch screen. As to PAYG, all PAYG iPhones come with 12 months free "unlimited" wifi and data. After 12 months, the data bolt-on costs £10 a month, an amount that won't exactly break the bank. In fact, after 12 months, have the phone unlocked and for £10 a month on a 30 day contract, Tmobile will give you 100 minutes, 100 text and "unlimited" data. Why have a smart phone if you are not going to use it? Even if you don't have an unlimited data bolt-on, you might still want to listen to an internet radio off wifi while catching up with the news on the BBC website. I was able to do (and did) this sort of thing on a HP iPAQ back in 2002, but can't on an iPhone in 2010.