Any MP3 player recommendations to replace these 2008 models?

[Vexr]

Turns out me and a family member have the same problem - our ancient MP3 players are both in need of repair / replacement, and whenever we've tried using our phones or other MP3 players that have a 3.5 mm jack, the sound quality has been ***p in comparison.

The models in question are a repurposed Nokia N95 8GB and a Creative Zen X-Fi 8GB of some sort I believe.

The closest I got to replacing my Nokia was buying an iPod around 2016, with reviews saying this particular model had the best DAC of the iPods at the time, but I returned it almost immediately because it also sounded naff. Messing with the equaliser to get better sound quality just created distortion.

Likewise, with the more modern phones I've had since then (nothing fancy - a Nokia Lumia 735, Lenovo P2, and now a Xiaomi Mi Note 10), all have sounded tinny, lacking bass, depth, fullness, immersion, etc (to use my inexpert language).

We're going to try and fix our respective players either way, and if we don't, we could replace them like-for-like used off the Bay for <£50. But this situation brings up the question - 17 years on, surely we should be able to replace these MP3 players with something new that can at least match their audio quality.

I think the max either of us would pay is £100 or so. £500 'true audiophile' MP3 players are well out of the question compared with just resurrecting our current MP3 players. Likewise, just recommending using a modern smart phone hasn't worked out at all going by my last three smart phones not getting anywhere near the desired sound quality.

Any recommendations to solve this dilemma of ours?

 

[Vexr]

Phones usually have a 4 pole 3.5mm connector (TRRS), usually it isn't a problem but with some headphones (TRS) you will need a splitter to get proper audio quality. If you have a set of headphones/headset with 4 pole try those to see if that shows a quality difference.

I've got one of these I still use as an extender from my amp to headphones with my PC now and then. The extra 50 cm or so cable it affords is freeing

I assume that's a 4 pole 3.5 mm connector. Just tried it with my phone for the first time, plugging my 3.5 mm jack earphones in to the other end, and no improvement in sound quality. I thought the extra pole was for a microphone?

Make more sense to get better phone. The latest Sony 10 VI meant to be decent SQ but is over priced.

I did look at getting the ultra rare LG V60 ThinQ 5G, which apparently has a fantastic DAC for audio while at the same time rivalling the strengths of the Xiaomi Mi Note 10 that I eventually went for in the camera department, etc. Getting one compatible with the networks in this part of the world is another story, and the rare ones that came up on eBay at the time were big £££.

Surely I can get a dedicated MP3 player that sounds great rather than chasing the feature of good audio quality on a phone?

With the exception of the niche LG V60 ThinQ 5G crowd, I have little faith in reviews of phones when it comes to alleged sound quality going by past experience. Regardless, I could buy an actual audiophile £500 MP3 player for the cost of that discontinued five year old LG phone, which is a big no compared to fixing up the N95 8GB / Creative Zen X-Fi 8GB.