What kind of MP3 user am I?

What are my choices?

How to buy a flash-based MP3 player

How to buy a hard drive-based MP3 player

MP3 face-off: Flash memory versus hard drive

What else can I do with my MP3 player?

What else do I need?

What kind of MP3 user am I?

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. Sony NW-S705F (2GB) Sony NW-S705F (2GB) Noise-canceling technology embedded in an MP3 player? Sounds like the perfect foil for that wailing baby for us.   Read review

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. Sony NW-S203F (1GB) Sony NW-S203F (1GB) Get kicking with a bunch of sports dedicated features like step tracking and purpose-built playlists to match your different jogging speeds.   Read review

Traveler

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. Samsung YP-K5 (4GB) Samsung YP-K5 (4GB) Those intercontinental flights can really get to you sometimes. The YP-K5 squeezes 4GB flash memory and 30 hours worth of playback into a 106g form factor that is sure to please users, whether they are in business or economy. And you can dump the speakers at home. This fellow comes with its own.   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 S$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. Apple iPod (30GB; sixth generation) Apple iPod (30GB; sixth generation) Considered by many to be the king of MP3 players right now, the iPod supports both the Apple Loseless and AAC audio formats.   Read review

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 100GB 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. Archos AV700 (100GB) Archos AV700 (100GB) Besides a behemoth of a hard drive, the Archos AV700 has a huge-ass screen that's perfect for video.   Read review

What are my choices?

Hard drive-based players

Most likely, a high-capacity player can accommodate every song you've ever purchased. Hard drives run from 4GB on up, and large players such as the Archos AV700 (100GB) can hold around 28,571 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 20 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). Players such as the Cowon iAudio 6 can't store as much music, 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 non-removable batteries that eventually wear out and need to be replaced.

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 128MB to 8GB. Creative Zen V Plus line, for example, includes flash-based players. Pros: Flash-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.  Cons: They have the highest per-megabyte cost and, at press time, maxed out at 8GB.

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.

How to buy a flash-based MP3 player
Face it. It's tough to find a hard drive MP3 player these days. Possibly because they don't stand up so good against knocks and falls. No doubt many a gym rat would attest to that.

So flash memory has now become the default storage option for most MP3 players. As a result, MP3 players have become lighter, smaller and more accommodative to sporty types. But even in its new advantageous form, there's still a broad spectrum of pros and cons on which to base an MP3 player purchase. Here're the factors we think pertinent in your checklist.

Starting off
What do you already have? A Window-based computer? A truckload of tunes encoded in ATRAC? What you have will decide what you should consider since compatibility is vital in a digital world full of differing standards.

You are in luck. Any MP3 player that supports either the UMS or MTP storage format will be compatible with your machine.

There are limited choices since only UMS-compliant players are supported. No need to fret. The famed iPod is a friend of your operating system.

Generally, UMS MP3 players are the easiest to manipulate. All you gotta do is drag-and-drop the required music files directly into the player and away you go. No fuss, no muss. Recommendations: Samsung YP-U1 Creative Zen Neeon 2

Most MP3 players in this class require a content management software to transfer files into the player. If you have Apple iTunes or Windows Media Player (WMP), you probably are already using one. But it's mostly caveat emptor in such cases since the user experience is dependant on how tightly the hardware is integrated with the software. The iPod/iTunes combo is miles ahead of the pack in this regard, but most top tier manufacturers like Samsung and iriver have been playing catch-up. The new WMP 11 has also been vastly improved. If you are good at finding your way around new software, such players will be a boon since they offer advanced features like smart playlists, podcast subscription and CD ripping. Recommendations: Apple iPod nano iriver S10

Jukebox junkie or casual listener?
Currently the highest-capacity flash memory MP3 players are the SanDisk Sansa e280 and the iPod nano at 8GB. But that's premium territory. It doesn't make economic sense if you listen exclusively to tunes from your two favorite albums.

You might want to stick to the ones that are just enough for your small song collection plus a bit of breathing room. Typically, the average flash MP3 player is still around the 1-2GB range. There are still 512MB and 256MB players, of course, but these are currently fading from the scene due to lower memory costs and consumer demand for larger capacities.

Even at 8GB, a flash player still pales in comparison to a hard drive MP3 player. But if your song inventory is already threatening to bust your hard drive, you shouldn't be looking at flash in the first place.

Recommendations:
For heavy users
SanDisk Sansa e280 (8GB)

For light users
Sony NW-E002 (512MB)

Creature features
Previously, flash MP3 players were positively utilitarian when compared against their hard drive brethren. Now, they hold their own with video playback, gaming and even Bluetooth connectivity.

But don't gel distracted when the salesman starts tempting you with one impressive feature after another. Basic rule of thumb--the more features, the costlier the player. So keep in mind what you need and what's merely fluff.

Important things you should be looking at first:

• Does the player support the audio/video codecs that your existing content library is encoded with?
• If you really want video, is there a bundled video conversion tool? (Most video-enabled flash players support only one video format).
• If the intention is for the MP3 player to double as a mass storage device as well, it makes sense to get a player with a built-in USB jack.
• What's the battery life like? Batteries would ultimately have to be replaced in the end. So it's best to buy an MP3 player with a long playback time. A good bet would be in the realm of 18 hours or more. Sony's MP3 players are renown for a rated battery life of up to 50 hours.

How to buy a hard drive-based MP3 player
Though the first MP3 player used flash memory, it was the hard drive that really drove the digital audio player up the ranks of the digital jukeboxes. The cost per megabyte for hard drives today is still far cheaper than flash memory.

If song capacity is your chief concern when it comes to selecting an MP3 player, then take a byte out of our guide to getting the most out of your next digital audio player shopping spree.

What do you use?
What do you already have? A Window-based computer? A truckload of tunes encoded in ATRAC? What you have will decide what you should consider since compatibility is vital in a digital world full of differing standards.

Mac or PC, take your pick and mark your first step towards your new MP3 player.

You are in luck. Any MP3 player that supports either the UMS or MTP storage format will be compatible with your machine.

There are limited choices since only UMS-compliant players are supported. No need to fret. The famed iPod is a friend of your operating system.

Generally, UMS MP3 players are the easiest to manipulate. All you gotta do is drag-and-drop the required music files directly into the player and away you go. No fuss, no muss. Recommendations: Creative Zen Neeon Cowon iAudio 6

Most MP3 players in this class require a content management software to transfer files into the player. If you have Apple iTunes or Windows Media Player (WMP), you probably are already using one. But it's mostly caveat emptor in such cases since the user experience is dependant on how tightly the hardware is integrated with the software. The iPod/iTunes combo is miles ahead of the pack in this regard, but most top tier manufacturers like Samsung and iriver have been playing catch-up. The new WMP 11 has also been vastly improved. If you are good at finding your way around new software, such players will be a boon since they offer advanced features like smart playlists, podcast subscription and CD ripping. Recommendations: Apple iPod Sony NW-A1000

The laws of physics apply here--the larger the hard drive, the larger the mobile device. The Archos AV700 comes packed with a whopper of a hard drive (100GB), but it's also the Big Mac of the portable video player world.

So you should be looking at something smaller, and possibly bag-able, if not pocket-able. It's also good to calculate what you need, so you wouldn't be fazed by the numbers. A music file encoded with the MP3 format at a bit rate of 128Kbps would have a file size of about 4.5MB. A 30GB Creative Zen Vision:M can easily accommodate 6,666 copies of that file. If you don't foresee your music collection growing by leaps and bounds, it makes sense to buy one within your storage means.

Recommendations:
For heavy users: Archos 504 (80GB)
For light users: iriver E10 (6GB)

Creature features
Traditionally, hard drive MP3 players are packed with lots of features and it's rare to find a hard drive version without the benefit of video these days. A chief reason is that with a hard drive, large video files can be easily housed without accompanying storage headaches. But check the screen size as well. A full-length movie wouldn't work well on a player with a tiny display.

Games are expected to become standard fare on the MP3 player as well, in line with the consumer electronics trend of product convergence. The ceding of functional priority has seen trespasses on dedicated functions which was once inviolate. Look at the modern mobile phone. It has both entertainment and business elements borrowed from a variety of devices.

As with all consumer electronics, too many bells and whistles tend to scream high prices. So pick and choose with the prudence of a housewife on a tight budget. Less, in this case, can sometimes be more.

Here's what you should look at:

• If video is important, look at the video formats supported. You will want a player that supports as many as possible in order to minimize the inconvenience of re-encoding your video. Check the screen, too. A bright display is paramount for a good video viewing experience.
• Does the player support the audio/video formats that your existing content library is encoded with?
• What's battery life like? Batteries would ultimately have to be replaced in the end. So it's best to buy an MP3 player with a long playback time. A good bet would be in the realm of 18 hours or more.

MP3 face-off: Flash memory vs. hard drive
MP3 players come in two major storage flavors--flash memory and hard drive. Common sense would tell you to get a hard drive version if big storage is what you crave for, and flash if something small swings to your beat.

But by far the most popular question is: Which is better? Unfortunately, there is no straight answer for that. What works for you may not necessarily work for others. It's a clear case of different people, different strokes.

So we are going to take a listen from both camps and let you decide what's best for you.

Flash is best

If you ever had a flash memory player drop on you, you'll likely not bat an eyelid. Without moving parts, flash-based MP3 players are more likely to survive with all your songs intact plus a few scratches. This also makes flash-based MP3 players ideal companions for a trip to the gym. Here's an added virtue. Hard drives come with actuator arms to move the read/write head over a hard drive platter. That's a lot of movement and will wear out in the long term. Flash-based MP3 players do not suffer from such wear-and-tear.

Flash players can afford to be smaller because memory modules are invariably tinier than hard drives. Pick up an iPod nano and compare it with a regular iPod. The former obviously looks sexier. Recommendations: iriver S10 Apple iPod shuffle

For its smaller size, most users would be tempted to use their MP3 players as a spare thumbdrive. Some flash-based MP3 players do come with their own USB jacks to facilitate this. Recommendations: Creative MuVo V100 Samsung YP-U2 Sony E005

The hard truth

The biggest hard drive player now is 100GB, while the largest flash-based player is just 8GB. That's 13 times larger. Hard drives also offer the best bang for your buck. Per megabyte cost is much lower than flash memory, and judging by current storage technology, it's a status quo that will remain for years to come.

If you are looking for portable video as well, hard drive MP3 players are still the way to go. And it's not just their size… well, in a way, it is. The larger form factor allows for a bigger screen and, as any video aficionado knows, the gateway to video nirvana is a big-ass screen. To do justice to the screen, the video would have to adopt a higher resolution. In order to do that, the video file size would naturally be larger. A hard drive can easily pack in more such larger files without storage bottlenecks. Recommendations: Creative Zen Vision W Apple iPod

With great size comes great responsibility. Data backup. Rather than go out and buy an external hard drive or spring for lots of DVDs, your hard drive MP3 player can do all the heavy work. A USB 2.0 connection can make short work of all your critical data and, just for those days when you need to bring lots of office work home, your MP3 player might just be your hero.

What else can I do with my MP3 player?

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 email or archiving.

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 customizable 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 addon 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 customization.

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 1980s 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 2.0 port. All current Macs and certain PCs also ship with FireWire ports. All modern MP3 players use USB 2.0 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.

What else do I need?

Headphones

Some headphones can keep external noise from interfering with your music. Noise-canceling models work by electronically negating external sound, while sound-isolating headphones form a seal around the ear canal to stop other audio from getting in. Both types are great for planes or other boisterous environments, but we wouldn't recommend them for biking through city streets or any other activity that requires awareness of your surroundings.

The Etymotic ER-6 earbuds have rubber seals that block out lots of surrounding noise.

Optional add-ons

Scour product reviews and manufacturer Web sites to determine whether any optional add-ons are available. Examples include in-line remote controls, jogging kits, deluxe carrying cases, flash memory adapters, FM transmitters, flash memory, docking stations, USB/FireWire kits, extra rechargeable batteries, car adapters, and more. Just because these extras are optional doesn't mean they won't enhance your enjoyment of the device. How about using an MP3 player in your car? As far as cassette adapters go, they work with anything that has a mini headphone jack, so there are no compatibility issues. Yet you have to be really careful with power adapters for both car cigarette lighters and wall plugs. Use only those provided by the manufacturer; even if the plug physically fits, you still need to confirm the adapter's polarity, voltage, and amperage. While amperage can usually be 20 percent less or up to 100 percent more than what's needed by the player, polarity and voltage must be identical to the unit's requirements. If you're unsure about these factors, skip the bargains and buy the power adapter sold by the manufacturer--you'll avoid frying your player.

The Ten Technology Navipod lets you control your iPod from across the room.

Battery type and life

Most hard drive-based players come with non-removable Lithium-ion batteries, which typically last two to four years. Many manufacturers have some sort of return/repair plan, so check the warranty policy before you buy. Flash and MP3 CD players are split between those using AA or AAA batteries and those with an internal rechargeable cell. Since flash players need to be synced more often and it's easy to recharge as you sync, flash players with rechargeable batteries are usually preferable. Generally speaking, the larger the player, the longer the battery life, but this isn't always the case, so be sure to read the battery-test results in our reviews before you pull out your wallet.