DIY: MP3 player buying guide

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.

1. What are my choices? 2. How does an MP3 player work? 3. What kind of MP3 user am I?

4. What else can I do with an MP3 player? 5. Where do I get music? 6. What else do I need?

What else can I do with an MP3 player?

These days, manufacturers are adding an ever-widening array of features to their players in order to set them apart from the competition. These are the extras that you may want to consider.

Extra features:
Radio | In-line remote | Music recording | Voice recording |
Data storage | Personal information management | Sound-tweaking options | Advanced playback features | Port compatibility

Radio
Many players offer FM radio reception, although they're more common on flash devices, which lack the spinning hard drives and the CD-playing features that can interfere with the signal. AM radio is extremely rare. Other radio-related features include FM recording (usually to MP3), transmission (for playing back audio wirelessly through home and car stereos with FM tuners), and presets.

In-line remote For larger hard drive-based or CD MP3 players that you stow in a bag, an in-line remote control in the middle of the headphone cord is a great feature. Look for a model, such as the iPod, with a clip for attaching the remote to your bag strap. Ideally, it should also have a display with full functionality, such as the one found on most iRiver models.

Music recording

Most MP3 players that record high-quality audio suitable for music recording as opposed to voice memos or interviews do so through an analog line-input, but there are exceptions. A few devices also record digitally or from mike-level sources. The former works great for dubbing tracks from modern stereo components. The latter lets you use a small, unpowered microphone for live recording. (You can record live audio without a mike-level input but only with a powered mike that outputs a line-level signal to the device's line-in jack.) If you want the highest-quality recordings, make sure the player has a decent ADC and can record to uncompressed WAV files. Real-time encoding to MP3 or WMA comes in particularly handy when encoding from vinyl, cassette, or CD without a computer.

Voice recording

Some MP3 players have a small internal microphone for recording the spoken word. These are acceptable for documenting a lecture, a meeting, or a conversation but unsuitable for high-quality music recording. The sampling rate is typically low, and the recordings are mono. The upside is that you can usually record several hours of memos, then upload the files to your PC for attaching to e-mail or archiving.

Data storage

Many MP3 players can double as external storage devices, allowing you to shuttle data between PCs. Some models don't even require drivers; thus, you could transfer a resume or a presentation to the laptop of the person seated next to you on a flight. So-called plug-in players don't even need a cable since they have built-in USB connectors.

Personal information management

Some MP3 players can accept phone books and schedules. The information is generally entered into Outlook or another PIM program, then synced to the device where you can view it but not change it on the go. These features tend to be limited and, for most, won't replace a handheld.

Sound-tweaking options

Audio purists generally prefer to hear songs exactly the way the recording engineers mixed them and don't have much use for digital signal processing (DSP), which changes a song's equalization or spatial characteristics. But since digital audio files come from multiple sources and people have individual sonic preferences, EQ and other DSP settings can be useful. Look for a customisable EQ setting (the more bands the better; five is the norm), as well as the standard presets (Rock, Jazz, Bass Boost, and so on). In terms of spatial enhancers, DSP features such as the SRS Wow add-on can make music coming through headphones sound like it's bouncing around a large room. It's purely a matter of personal preference, but we think music sounds better with some degree of customisation.

Advanced playback features

Just about every player offers shuffle, repeat, resume, and playlist functions. Still, there's room for improvement. Newer models offer the ability to create on-the-fly playlists sans a computer; smart playlists that can serve up, for example, a mix of '80s hip-hop; song-rating methods in which preferred tunes appear more frequently in Shuffle mode; automatic cross-fading that adds smooth transitions between songs; automatic volume control, which makes all songs equally loud; and other artificial intelligence modes that can make it feel like a pro DJ is spinning tunes for you.

Port compatibility

All computers sold today come with a USB 1.1 port. All current Macs and certain PCs also ship with FireWire ports, while many PCs have either USB 1.1 or its faster descendent, USB 2.0. All MP3 players use either USB 1.1, USB 1.1/2.0, or FireWire ports for loading tunes from a computer. Some next-generation models even ship with Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and/or Bluetooth capabilities. You should choose a player that has the same type of connection or wireless protocol as your computer(s). If you plan on connecting your MP3 player to your stereo, get a device with a line-out port, or if your stereo supports digital output, be sure your player does so as well. These outputs make songs sound slightly cleaner over speakers.

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