MP3 Player Reviews and Ratings for the Best Player Choice
MP3 player reviews rate specs and performance for an informed choice among
the constant barrage of new player models. Each player maker promotes theirs as
the best, so we need unbiased reviews to cut through the hype.
MP3 Players Review and Rating Criteria
Key factors to analyze when reviewing mp3 player ratings are:
- Music file format
-
Player type
- Lifestyle
Lets look a little closer at how to evaluate each of these in reviews and
ratings.
Music File Format
Besides mp3, formats include WMA, AAC, ATRAC, OGG and others. Almost all
players are designed to support the mp3 format, but vary widely on others. Songs
for portable players are most often downloaded from web sites in a specific
format. Review the sites and decide where you're going to get your music before
buying a player. If you don't, you may not be able to use their service.
Player Type
Player types include hard drive, flash memory, MiniDisc and CD MP3. A brief review
of each type with
pros and cons follows:
- Hard Drive - full size players like iPod and Creative Zen use a
1.8" hard drive and are about the size of a deck of cards. "Mini" sized
players like the iPod Mini and Rio Carbon Pearl use a smaller 1" drive and
are more compact.
Pros: high storage capacity, more features and ease of use.
Cons: larger player, higher battery drain and expensive battery
replacement.
- Flash Memory - ultra compact players like the iPod Shuffle and
Creative MuVo Micro employ solid-state circuitry with no moving parts.
Pros: tiny size, no skips and many use cheap replaceable AAA
batteries.
Cons: limited storage and features.
- MiniDisc - small CD players play 3" mini discs holding up to
45 hours of music. While larger than hard drive players, they're much smaller than
conventional CD players.
Pros: unlimited storage, convenience and compact size
Cons: limited availability (Sony proprietary technology) and somewhat
expensive.
- CD MP3 - portable CD players with mp3 capabilities that play
traditional CD's and mp3 formatted CD's that hold up to 30 hours of music.
Pros: unlimited storage, flexibility and lowest cost player and media (CD-R/RW).
Cons: largest of the mp3 player types, typically too large to slip in
a pocket.
Lifestyle
If we listen to music while exercising we want to review players that
minimize or eliminate skips. Serious audiophiles will pay attention to sound
quality ratings. If we want our entire music collection to be portable, review
storage limits. If the latest style is important, pay attention to what
reviewers say about that.
In short, even the best mp3 players have pros and cons. Whether looking at
iPod reviews, the Dell DJ, Archos, iRiver, Samsung, Sony or any other brand,
consider how the reviewer rates important features and functions.
For more information and a handy checklist see
Compare MP3
Players.
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