The MP3 player market covers a range of shapes, sizes, features, storage capacities, file formats, and download services. Amid such variety, how are you to choose? This guide will help you pick the perfect player.
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1. What are my choices? 2. How does an MP3 player work? 3. What kind of MP3 user am I? |
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What else can I do with an MP3 player? 5. Where do I get music? 6. What else do I need? |
What kind of MP3 user am I?
Figure out what kind of MP3 player user you are and help narrow the field.
User profiles:
Commuter |
Fitness freak |
Traveller |
Audiophile |
File hoarder |
Audio recorder
As we see it, here are the main personality profiles for MP3 player users, as well as questions to help determine which camp(s) you fall into. Some people align with more than one type, and they should possibly consider buying more than one MP3 player to address various needs. For instance, you might want an ultracompact flash player for jogging or skiing and a high-capacity hard drive-based device for more general use.
Commuter
You listen to your stereo at home and to your computer at work, but filling your commute with tunes requires a portable player. If you commute by car, look for a hard drive-based model; size doesn't matter much in this situation, so feel free to save money by buying a heftier unit. You'll also need a cassette-style adapter and a cigarette-lighter charger. The former can be purchased anywhere, but for the charger, stick with manufacturer-approved accessories; that way, you'll avoid frying your player with the wrong voltage or polarity. If you commute via subway or bus, look for a compact flash-based player and, to seal out as much of the din as possible, a pair of noise-canceling or sound-isolating headphones.
Nomad MuVo² |
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Creative Nomad MuVo² (4GB) The lightweight MuVo² scores on size and sound, and its performance is equally tip-top. |
Fitness freak
If you spend all your free time in the gym, you need an MP3 player that can keep pace. It should be compact and easy to operate with one hand. Rather than looking for one with massive storage, choose a flash-based model (with up to a 1GB of storage) that can also withstand tough workouts better than hard drive-based players. You may also want an armband, an option on many ultracompact models, and a set of headphones that will stay in place rather than the cheap earbuds typically included.
Philips Nike psa[256max |
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Philips Nike psa[256max The Philips Nike psa[256max should appeal to casual and serious athletes, and runners will get a marathon's worth of stored music. |
Traveller
If you spend a lot of time on the road, you need an MP3 player that will enhance your journeys with music yet doesn't add undue weight to your carry-on. If you travel with the same laptop that stores your music, a compact flash-based player is the way to go, but if you'd rather leave the laptop at home, try a high-capacity player that will hold all or most of your music. Accessories worthy of consideration include noise-canceling or sound-isolating headphones for the plane, as well as a portable speaker setup for your hotel room.
Apple iPod (4th Generation, 20GB) |
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Apple iPod (4th Generation, 20GB) Still the smallest high-capacity player around, the iPod fits the traveler's needs to a T, although long-distance travelers should look for a model with even longer battery life. Read review |
Audiophile
Although often misused, the term audiophile refers to those users who prize sound quality above all other factors. Audiophile stereo systems often run upward of $10,000 and include pro-level components connected with gold-plated cables. Audiophiles have been reticent to adopt the MP3 format, due to its lossy compression, but if they choose high-enough bit rates and look for lossless codecs in their MP3 players, their portable needs can be satisfied. It goes without saying that audiophiles would never use bundled headphones, so high-end replacement 'phones are a must.
Rio Karma (20GB) |
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Rio Karma (20GB) Within this player's small, square chassis sits capabilities worthy of audiophile ears, such as a 95dB signal-to-noise ratio and an extremely high output of 60mW per channel. In addition, the Karma supports the FLAC format, which compresses music files by about 50 percent without losing a single bit of sound quality.
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File hoarder
If your appetite for digital music has your computer's hard drive(s) bursting at the seams, you fit the description of the file hoarder. While sound quality and features are important to you, what you need most is an enormous capacity: at least 40GB but maybe even more. Today's portable music devices max out at 60GB or so, which should be enough to keep you satisfied until manufacturers can fit more memory into the 1.8-inch drives used by high-capacity MP3 players.
Creative Nomad Jukebox Zen Xtra (60GB) |
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Creative Nomad Jukebox Zen Xtra (60GB) The Zen Xtra was the first MP3 player we reviewed to have a 60GB capacity, yet it costs less than the 40GB iPod. Those who hoard files as well as batteries will appreciate the Zen Xtra's rechargeable cell, which can be replaced in a matter of seconds by an average person (unlike the internal batteries that come with most other hard drive-based players). |
Audio recorder
For some reason, MP3 player manufacturers have been loath to embrace tapers and other portable-recording aficionados and rarely include a mike-level input. That said, a number of players on the market can record from line-level sources such as CD players or stereo outputs, so they're great for converting CDs, tapes, and vinyl records to digital formats such as MP3, WAV, or WMA. Those wishing to record live audio can do the same, although they'll need a powered microphone that can output a line-level signal.
Sony Hi-MD Walkman |
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Sony MZ-NH600 Hi-MD Walkman Sony's upcoming Hi-MD portable music players, supporting a gigabyte of removable storage thanks to the company's new higher-capacity MiniDisc. Uncompressed Linear PCM recording is also possible to achieve high quality sounds at 1.4Mbps. Read review |
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Hen
03/10/2004 07:40 AM
Nice review, answered all my questions.
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ray
05/10/2004 03:16 AM
Great review, able to confirm the mp3 players I looked at airport duty free were all that was available, now, all I have to do is buy one.
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Bobra Wilbakns
06/04/2005 10:37 PM
We're looking for an MP3 player with high output for use with helmet set for motorcycling. Many MP3 players we've tried can't be heard above standard, normal motorcycle pipes when using a full-face helmet and volume and equalizer turned up all the way. Any suggestions?
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nick
26/07/2005 12:24 AM
i have bought an mp3 player and wanted more info on the diferent formats. i would like to know which format i should put my music onto the mp3 player. MP3 and WMA are the obvious ones and all my music is on my computer as WMA at 192kbps. i want to get as many songs on my mp3 player as possible and a resonable quality. will i fit more on with mp3s or WMAs at similar qualities. if someone can explain the differences or know a website that gives this information please email me at nick___X@hotmail.com
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daveinozbikes
13/01/2006 11:37 PM
This cleared my mind..hard to get straightforward info. for a beginner...well done..Dave in Mandurah,WA
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Pat
15/08/2006 03:47 AM
is there a mp3 player out there that records off the radio and plays videos, but is not huge??
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Neale
13/09/2006 05:17 AM
Need to update this article. Flash based players are now at 8GB and will grow larger, fast. The way to go is; 1. Flash; 2. Replaceable battery; 3. Drag and drop.
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aleesha
16/11/2006 03:43 PM
i loved the video and all of the great info a big thank you to all the mavens out there well done. Cheers~Aleesha
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Steve Farless
03/12/2006 12:26 AM
I have not experienced any skipping problems with my CD mp3 player, the only complaint I have is that they’re rough on batteries. I love the concept and I hope they work on a solution.
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