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I'm travelling sometimes and want a cheap mp3 player that can read a really large external memory source, i.e. a big micro SD / SD card slot (say 200GB or greater) or has a USB socket that can host flash drives (I already have a 256GB one that I could use).

I don't have any interest in high end features and amazing audio quality, just something fairly stable that is usable with a large music database. If it was really cheap and a bit nasty with a bad interface I'd put up with that, if it allows a really big external music source to connect to it.

The only players I've found that support say 200GB sized micro SD cards are the expensive fiio players which are way more than I want to spend. I'm not actually sure if any MP3 players can host a USB device, it's just something I'd like to think exists but maybe it doesn't.

Anyone know of any players that meet this spec ? Oh and to clarify, ideally I want something small, i.e. "MP3 player" size.

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    How much are you willing to spend?
    – ArtOfCode
    Commented Oct 4, 2016 at 13:34
  • Are you looking for something that will fit in your pocket, or does it just need to be portable? There are a few portable speakers that can read flash drives.
    – browly
    Commented Oct 4, 2016 at 17:23
  • If you have a tablet or smartphone that supports USB OTG, you can get a OTG cable for $5 to let it read your flash drive.
    – browly
    Commented Oct 4, 2016 at 17:41
  • One could build something using a Raspberry Pi, a small external touchscreen, and a rechargeable LION battery......other than that.....I am in the same boat,
    – NZKshatriya
    Commented Nov 4, 2016 at 1:42
  • MP3 player size: You do realize this is not really a good descriptor right? Example: Nomad Jukebox, was the size of a CD player, then there is the opposite end of the spectrum, Apples shuffle.
    – NZKshatriya
    Commented Dec 4, 2016 at 6:17

2 Answers 2

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$36 - Android with USB OTG support and OTG Player App

Get the iNOVA EX756 Android Tablet for $36 with the USB Video Player - OTG Player app. Or some other Android tablet or phone with USB OTG support.

  • Comes with a USB OTG cable, so you can plug in your flash drive (probably doesn't provide enough power to spin up a hard drive, though).
  • SD slot only goes up to 32 GB, but you said "or USB"
  • USB Video Player - OTG Player will play files directly from the USB device, without copying them to your tablet. This means you shouldn't be limited by what size filesystems the tablet can access, just what the app can access, since the app accesses the USB device in raw form.

This How-To Geek article has some more tips on accessing a USB device from Android.

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  • Hi @browley Thanks for the suggestion. I am travelling though and often light, sometimes with just a rucksack and I really would like something that isn't a tablet ideally. Any ideas on something smaller ?
    – AdamJones
    Commented Oct 5, 2016 at 0:29
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    OTG Player app works only for videos, unfortunately. Tried it just yesterday with a mounted USB stick full of music and nothing was detected. I have found no way to use a player app to play music from USB without rooting the Android device.
    – user2601
    Commented Jan 19, 2017 at 15:10
  • @Ctouw Good to know. Just curious, can it see the music files if you convert them to mp4 first?
    – browly
    Commented Jan 19, 2017 at 16:32
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The best that I can come up with that meets your demands is the following:

Fiio X5 (2nd Gen)

Note, this is not exactly cheap:

Storage

Memory Type Flash Memory

Memory Capacity Dual Micro SD card Supporting up to 256GB (128GB x 2)

Expansion Slot Micro SD

Screen

Display Size 2.4"

Display Resolution 400 x 360

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