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 are my choices?
Every month, manufacturers unleash even more MP3 players to an increasingly confused public. Not only do these devices have wildly divergent features, but ongoing format wars mean the MP3 player you choose dictates where you can buy your digital music. These devices are anything but one-size-fits-all.
First, there's the question of design. A player can have every feature in the world, but if the design doesn't match your lifestyle or if the interface is impenetrable, you still won't enjoy it. You'll want to look closely at performance; sound quality and battery life can make or break a player, especially if you travel a lot or have the so-called golden ears of an audiophile.
Before you start checking out specific models, you should have a basic understanding of the types of MP3 players available. Note: All types of player mentioned below can play other formats besides MP3, such as WMA or AAC, but we still refer to them as MP3 players.
Types of players:
Hard drive based | Micro hard drive based | Flash based | MP3 CD
Hard drive-based players
Most likely, a high-capacity player can accommodate every song you've ever purchased. Hard drives run from 10GB on up, and large players such as the 60GB Creative Nomad Jukebox Zen Xtra can hold around 17,000 songs, assuming an average file size of 3.5MB per tune.
Pros: They store all your music on one device.
Cons: These players are usually built around a 1.8-inch hard drive; thus, they are larger and heavier than the others. Also, hard drives have moving parts, so these players aren't ideal for strenuous physical activity. Finally, most use rechargeable batteries (usually lasting 6 to 16 hours per charge) that you can't replace yourself, so after a couple of years, you might have to pay for a new model.
Micro hard drive-based players
Straddling the line between full-size hard drive-based MP3 players and compact, flash-based players, these models aim to give you the best of both worlds by using miniature hard drives (about 1 inch in diameter) with capacities of up to 6GB. Players such as the Rio Carbon can't store as much music as a
20GB Creative Zen Touch, but they feel a lot lighter in the pocket.
Pros: They're smaller and lighter than high-capacity players but still hold more tunes than flash-based models with the same price.
Cons: You get fewer megabytes per dollar than you do with a larger player, and these models have many of the same disadvantages of larger hard drive-based units, including the moving parts that limit physical activity and nonremovable batteries that eventually wear out and need to be replaced. Luckily, many new micro drive-based players such as the
Creative Zen Micro feature a user-replaceable battery.
Flash-based players
The original MP3 player design, these have no moving parts and are known for their shockproof operation and ultracompact dimensions. Devices range in capacity from 32MB to 1GB. Creative's Nomad MuVo line, for example, includes mostly flash-based players.
Pros: FlashFlash-based players are tiny. They also have no moving parts, so their batteries last longer, and you can jog, snowboard, or bungee jump with them without causing skipping or damage. Many flash players include lots of extra features such as voice and line-in recording, but these
additions make them a little harder to use.
Cons: They have the highest per-megabyte cost and max out at 2GB.
MP3 CD players
These look just like portable CD players, except they can read data CDs filled with digital music. You can burn approximately 150 MP3 songs (10 albums) on one 650MB disc. But if you want to take your CD collection with you, no worries -- these devices can play standard CDs, as well.
Pros: These are the least expensive of all types of MP3 players, and they use incredibly cheap replaceable media (CD-R/RW discs).
Cons: They're large and can skip when jostled.
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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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