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How to Choose an MP3 Player? (Part 1 of 3) |
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Updated: 08/14/2007 by ABJ
Prerequisite: This article assumes that the reader is already familiar with the
different types of MP3 players.
This should be the easy part, yet many buyers feel insecure right up to the moment
they are about to checkout their shopping carts. Who can blame them? With sooo many
MP3 players available, it's difficult to keep up, let alone make a decision. Well,
this series of articles will walk you through what you need to know in choosing the
right MP3 player...
- Narrow Selection by MP3 Player Usage
- Essential MP3 Player Features *** Coming Soon
- Tools to Zero-In on Your MP3 Player *** Coming Soon
Choosing the right MP3 player usually boils down on how you plan to use it. The list
below should help narrow down your choices.
Fitness Buddy
You'd probably like your MP3 player light and durable. And if you're okay not having
your entire music library, as long as the song capacity holds up to your workout
hours, then flash-based MP3 players are for you. Their compactness and lack of moving
parts make them ideal as gym buddies. How small you want your MP3 player will be,
and what accessories you'll need for your sport, will help you decide which one to
get. To visualize, joggers might find it useful to have their MP3 player on an
armband, like the
Sandisk Sansa
e280, on the image to the right.
Travel Companion
If you're always on the go, whether it's short commute or long travel, you might
want to go with better storage capacity to avoid listening to the same music over
and over. This is particularly true if you don't travel with a laptop containing
your music library. High-capacity hard-drive MP3 players are ideal on these
situations. Although not ultra-compact, they are small enough to fit your pocket
or a small carry bag. Extra features that typically come with these MP3 players,
like multimedia capability, are good plus. Depending on the bumpiness of the ride,
you might want to consider models with anti-skip (during audio play) feature.
Audiophile
Music hobbyists who look for high fidelity music will probably opt for minimal compression
on their MP3 files. Since minimal compression results to larger file sizes,
the high-capacity hard-drive MP3 players are possibly the best fit. When only the
very best sound quality will do, go for models with high signal-to-noise ratio,
and high output. Features like anti-skip (during audio play) and custom equalizer
might also be considered important.
Audio Book
There is a different set of requirements for MP3 players if its intended use is
for listening to digital audio books. With audio books, you'd almost go with the
lowest MP3 compression rate that you find tolerable listening to, to conserve on
memory space. Given the scenario, it is probably safer to go with higher-capacity
hard-drive MP3 players. Important features to look for are the ability to pause
then continue on the audio book after interruption, and the ability to sort files.
As more online audio book vendors offer competitive prices, it is prudent to consider
the MP3 player's compatibility with the popular vendors.