Player type |
Sound |
Battery |
Software |
Music formats |
Other features
 Player type | ||
|
If you don't need a very small, skip-free device, you're probably better off with a player that uses a cheaper form of storage. MP3 CD players leverage your CD burner and let you store the most music on the cheapest medium. Hard drive-based players contain the most music but are generally bigger in size and cost more. More memory means longer playtime. For flash players we recommend looking for a flash memory unit with at least 256MB of onboard memory and an expandability slot so you can add more memory once the prices for storage drop. | ||
|
||
| Sound | ||
|
For louder audio, go for players that have a headphone output rating of at least 10mw. Plus, do not buy an audio player with a signal-to-noise ratio of less than 85dB.
| ||
|
||
| Battery | ||
|
Go for flash memory players if you want a model with long battery life (20 hours or more). With hard drive MP3 players, you'll end up having to charge the battery each day since they give only an average life of 10 to 12 hours. Players with removable cells are also convenient for long trips.
| ||
|
||
| Software | ||
|
Most audio players include software for synchronising music directly to the device. However, watch out for proprietary DRM (digital rights management) software. These schemes can require the creation an encrypted copy of every song that you want to put on the player, making a generally beautifully-designed hardware ugly to use. | ||
|
||
| Music formats | ||
|
New portable devices should play other music formats like Windows Media Audio (WMA), Advance Audio Coding (AAC), Ogg Vorbis and even high-quality Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC). Also check whether a player supports the playback of encrypted music. Some models won't recognise DRM-enforced files downloaded from online musical pay sites such as iTunes and Rhapsody.
| ||
|
||
|
Other features | ||
|
Consider extras such as voice recorders, FM tuners and memory card expansion slots. For the fastest possible file transfers to a hard drive-based MP3 player, look for USB 2.0 or FireWire.
| ||
|
Related Articles:
10 mistakes to avoid when buying an audio player
Like this article? Click below to send it to your mobile for free!
Prince
17/03/2007 04:31 AM
i want mp3 player.
Report offensive content
okyankie@yahoo.com
23/06/2007 10:47 AM
i think i wont a mp3playr for my christmas:D
Report offensive content
leegee
13/01/2008 03:00 AM
I want a link to product reviews....
Report offensive content