Our mp3 Player Buying Guide offers complete buying advice for anyone in the market for a new mp3 player, whether they happen to be novice or expert. Have a good look around!

mp3 Player: Buying Tips

So what do you need to know before starting the process of buying an mp3 player? These music players can cost you a lot of your hard-earned cash, so you need to make yourself  aware of a few things beforehand.

Budget

Firstly, know your budget. As when buying anything – particularly something like an mp3 player, that could be thought of as ‘unessential’ – work out your absolute limit and stick with it; retailers will always try to tempt you to part with that extra few pounds

Uses

Think about what you need your mp3 player. If you only have a few albums at home and have no intention of buying thousands of downloads,  there’s no point in buying a music player that can hold thousands of downloads – that extra storage costs!

Requirements

An mp3 player isn’t much use without a computer – so if you don’t have one, get one!

Legalities

Don’t take this lightly, please. Although many people get away with downloading ‘illegally’, if you do it, you run the risk of being caught out by your network provider. If you don’t pay for it, be prepared for the consequences.

mp3 Player Buying Advice: Uses

There are thousands of situations where you might want to plug yourself into an mp3 player, but before buying one, you’ll need to think about the sort of situations you are likely to use yours in. It’s important to do this as your answers will affect the kind of music player you should buy. Read on for some pointers….

Travel

If you spend a lot of time travelling, you will need an mp3 player that will give you plenty of storage for long journeys, but not weigh too much to add unnecessary strain. You could either plump for a music player with a large capacity or, if you are travelling around with your laptop as well, a smaller, flash-based mp3 player should do you, and you can access your vast library from your laptop. Make sure you invest in some decent headphones if you are travelling – for comfort, as well as sound quality.

Fitness

If you use your mp3 player in the gym, you’ll need one that is compact and easy to use with one hand. A flash-based model will probably be best as they can withstand the rigours of a workout and you might also require an armband to strap it on. We would also advise grabbing an exercise-friendly pair of earphones, that won’t slip out with lots of movement. You can buy sweat-resistant mp3 players, too, and some music players have extra features for getting fit, including calorie counters or pedometers.

Recording

You’ll need an mp3 player with a built-in mic to use it as a voice recorder/dictaphone. There aren’t many music players that offer decent recording functions, but those that do use line-level sources such as CD players or stereo outputs, meaning you can also create recordings of tapes, CDs and vinyl, and turn them into MP3, WAV, or WMA files, for example. You can also record live audio, although you may need to grab a proper microphone that can output a strong enough signal.

Video

Video playback is a standard feature of modern-day music players and as long as they have a screen big enough, are worth it for their ability to provide something extra on long journeys, for example. We would recommend a minimum of a 2-inch screen – any smaller and you will be causing yourself eyestrain. If you intend to store lots of video, make sure you get as big a storage capacity as possible, as video files are very big.

mp3 Player Buying Advice: Types

Once you have gone through what you can afford and what you might need your mp3 player for, you need to look at the type of  music player you want. There are two choices available to you, both utilising different technologies; hard drive-based and Flash-based devices.

Hard drive devices

Hard drive mp3 players are capable of storing huge amounts of data and would have no problem storing every CD in your collection and your friends’ collections put together. You will generally get more features than are available on Flash-based devices – video playback, for one – but they are heavier and bulkier. If you want one purely for video, you might be more suited to a portable DVD player, for example. It’s important to remember that hard drive players are constructed with movable parts, so are apt skip or jump when out jogging and you should also be aware that battery life can be a short.

Flash drive devices

Flash-based mp3 players have no movable parts and will have no problems with skipping, if you’re out jogging or exercising down the gym. Lightweight and extremely mobile they also benefit from low power usage which means a less battery changes. Storage is limited, so if you listen to lots of music and go for Flash, be prepared to spend a fair amount of time changing music on your PC. Having said this, Flash drives are coming down in price at manufacturing level and storage size is slowly beginning to grow – the next few years might see Flash players becoming the way forward.

mp3 Buying Advice: Features

There is a lot you need to think about before buying a new mp3 player, so here’s a look at some of those key features you will need to equip yourself with before taking the plunge

Storage

Storage, or memory, is vital to an mp3 player as it directly impacts the amount of dat – or songs/videos – you can keep on it. When considering mp3 players, we usually use the measurement known as the gigabyte, or GB. A gigabyte is made up of 1000 megabytes, or MB, and the more GB you have, the more data your music player can hold. Storage in mp3 players ranges widely from 256MB – which is enough space for around 125 songs to 160GB – which is enough for 40,000 songs – and continues to grow with each year. Video uses up a lot more storage – 160GB is enough for around 200 hours of video.

File Types

When using mp3 players, you will need to get used to the different names of audio and video files. Here are some of the main ones:

MP3 – Used in pretty much all portable music players.
WMA – Designed by Microsoft, WMA files are generally regarded as being of a higher quality than mp3s, and are used by many online music stores. You will find that any CDs ripped in Windows Media Player on your computer will be WMA files by default.
AAC – Apple’s iTunes music store uses AAC files. Not many other music players will support it, but as it can be played on an iPod, I doubt Apple care too much.
WAV – WAV files are raw, uncompressed audio, which most players can play, but most people won’t ever use them.

Connectivity

Your MP3 player to connects to your computer via two main methods, which are USB and Firewire. Firewire was traditionally regarded by many as the fastest and there are currently two standard USB types: 1.1 and 2.0, which is much quicker and now on par with Firewire. Ethernet, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity are also becoming popular in newer mp3 players.

It’s very important to make sure the connections on your computer match with your mp3 player, although it’s often cheap enough to upgrade your PC – for example, you can pick up a Firewire card for £20.

Software

The majority of music players come with software that you can install on your PC and use to rip tracks from your own CDs, download files from the Internet and organise your music or videos. These software packages are generally easy to install and can often be found on the Internet beforehand and can be used without buying an actual player, so it could be worth testing a few out to see which you prefer.

mp3 Player Buying Advice: Brands

There are some big companies making mp3 players; some, like the Apple iPod or the Sony Walkman have become iconic. Most companies will offer a wide range of players with varying functions – here’s closer look at what to expect….

mp3 Player Brands: Apple

iPod

The Apple iPod is probably the most iconic music player in the world, and has really changed the landscape when it comes to how we consume music. There are various types of iPod you can consider, all are controlled via Apple’s iTunes service and there really is something for everyone.

iPod Shuffle

The smallest of the iPod family, the Shuffle is great for those with an active lifestyle, as it is so small, light and compact you can barely notice it on your person, whether it is clipped to the top of your shorts while you are in the gym or housed in a special arm strap when you’re out jogging.

iPod Nano

The Nano is the next size up from the Shuffle and offers a more refined control capability, with multi-touch now a key feature. Great for listening to tunes while out and about, the Nano also features a built in radio and is available in 8GB or 16GB models.

iPod Classic

Apple’s iPod Classic is aptly named and is based on the original design of the very first iPods. The current iPod Classic comes with a massive 160GB of storage space – that’s enough for 40,000 songs, 25,000 photographs and 200 hours of video.

iPod Touch

The iPod Touch is Apple’s newest addition to the iPod family and provides a sort of link between Apple’s music players and the iPhone. Buy an iPod Touch and get ready for some great features, including the ability to download and play games, access to Apple’s FaceTime and dazzle your eyes on Apple’s world-famous, highly detailed Retina Display.

mp3 Player Brands: Archos

Archos are a French company who have been making mp3 players for well over a decade and some of their recent offerings have been designed as somewhere inbetween media players and tablet PCs.

Traditionally a producer of high-end mp3 and video (mp4) players, Archos have picked up a reputation for providing excellent sound quality and even better video quality, although on occasions have been accused as been user un-friendly.

However, Archos fans are generally extremely happy with their products and criticism is often met with a fierce rebuke – clearly, they are doing something right!

mp3 Player Brands: Cowon

Cowon may not be the most famous names in modern electronics, but as those in the know may tell you, they offer some of the best sound quality around for music and media players. Cowon’s devices are based around their self-designed software – JetAudio is their multimedia software and iAudio is used for their mp3 players.

Cowon S9

The Cowon S9 has their typically excellent sound quality and a good set of features, including a responsive touchscreen and Bluetooth for wirless transfers.

Cowon J3

The Cowon J3 features an in-built FM radio and voice-recording capabilities, which are present alongside a lovely large touch-sensitive display and excellent audio response.

Cowon X7

The Cowon X7 features a whopping 120GB of storage and 2GB of flash, while features include a built-in FM radio, impressive battery life and a gorgeous AMOLED display. Amazing sound quality, as usual.

Cowon i9

Cowon’s i9 media player is just 8mm thick and around the size of a bank card, meaning they are perhaps the right choice if you are looking for something portable. There are plenty of features on board – it doubles as a dictaphone – and, as ever, sound quality is exceptional.

mp3 Player Brands: iRiver

iRiver’s range of mp3 players offer a good deal of features at affordable prices. You can pick up a wide range of styles from iRiver; from the small, personal music players ideal for jogging, to large, fully customisable video players.

If you are new to digital music and mp3 players, then iRiver media players could be a great option for you, as they offer a shallow learning curve, are very easy to use and come with concise and clear instruction.

They are also a viable option if you can’t afford to fork out the earth, or refuse to, for something which may be dropped while out jogging!

mp3 Player Brands: Sony Walkman

The Sony Walkman was – and possibly still is – as iconic as the Apple iPod. Excellent design and superb sound quality were the marks of the Sony Walkman in years gone by and although Apple have definitely rocked the boat recently, Sony still have an exceptional reputation for their music player. Have a browse through some of the different models…

A series

The A series from Sony offers the thinnest ever Walkman mp3 player capable of screening high quality video and features noise-cancelling technology and the Walkman’s renowned sound quality. Expect 16GB of storage and a beautiful OLED display.

S series

Available in a variety of colours as 8GB mp3 players, the S series of Sony Walkman features a slim design, video playback, noise cancelling technology and a battery with around 50 hours of playback.

E series

The Sony Walkman E Series offers a bit of fun, with their funky colours and design being topped off with a sing-along karaoke feature. Expect 50 hours playback and 16GB of storage.

W series

Designed for use during sports, the Walkman W Series is small, lightweight, water resistant and designed so that no wires get in your way while running. You get 2GB of storage and 11 hours of playback – more than enough for a few marathons.

B Series

Available in 2GB or 4GB models, the Sony Walkman B Series of mp3 players provides excellent bass response and a large, easily accessible jog dial for controlling. The B Series are another music player good for jogging, as they have a simple clip-on function you can use to attach it to your clothes.

mp3 Player Buying Advice: Jargon Buster

There are lots of little terms used in this website – and others – that may be confusing. However, you need to know them if you want to know what you are letting yourself in for when buying a new, or your first,  mp3 player. Here’s some of the basics…

AAC

AAC stands for Advanced Audio Coding, an audio file format used by Apple in their handheld products, such as the iPod and iPhone

Bitrate

‘Bitrate’ is expressed in kilobits per second(kps) and indicates the amount of data used to store an audio file. The more complicated the sound – for example, pop music – the higher the bitrate is required and the more space it takes up in your mp3 player’s storage space. Audio files really need a bitrate of at least 128kps, although as many people will tell you, 320kps is essential for the audiophile.

Card Slot

Card slots are normally present on music players to allow you to expand storage space, and therefore, hold more music.

Digital Music Player

‘Digital music player’ is the name given to the software that lets you play your audio files as music, for example, iTunes and Windows Media.

DRM

Digital Right Managementis the bane of file-sharers all over the world, as it is encrypted software that controls sharing use of digital music.

EQ

EQs are also known as graphic equalisers and give the user the opportunity to fine-tune settings to their liking. To flat? Turn up the bass. Too muffled? Pump up the treble.

FireWire

Also known as iLink and IEEE 1394, FireWire is a very fast connection lead, similar to USB.

Flash Memory

Lightweight but small and compact, Flash drives have no moving parts and are great for mp3 players if you intend to use it for jogging.

Hard Disk

The complete opposite of Flash drives, hard disks have moving parts which access and save your data. Hard disks are exceptional for storage, but liable to jog and skip when moving

iTunes

Apple’s very own software package used to create personal music libraries and play music files.

MP3

An mp3 is an audio file format that is supported by the vast majority of music players – hence the name, ‘mp3 player’.

MP4

An mp4 is a file format that supports both audio and video – it is also widely supported by most media players – hence the name ‘mp4 player’

Rip

‘Ripping’ is the act of turning a CD audio track into a different format – MP3, AAC or WMA, for example – for playing on your MP3 player.

SD Card

Storage card made by Secure Digital that allows users to expand their storage and keep more music/video files externally

USB

USB stands for Universal Serial Bus and is a very common connection found on MP3 players or other mobile devices. USB 2.0 is the latest version, although a further update is arriving soon

WMA

Windows Media Audio is an audio file format developed by Microsoft, and the default file setting for Windows Media Player on home PCs.

mp3 Buying Advice: Accessories

As in all walks of life, buying an mp3 player isn’t going to be the last money you spend on it. The accessories market is huge and retailers will often try and offer you them as the mark-up on them is huge. It’s fair to say that some accessories are rubbish, but there are some that are worthy of consideration. Here’s our advice on what to look out for…

Earphones/headphones

Earphones that come included with an MP3 player are generally useless – always read the reviews to check what other people who have used them think. As earphones come in all shapes and sizes – not to mention all sorts of prices – you need to think about what you might need from your headphones before buying them; do you need sound-isolating headphones to cut out train or bus noise, or noise-cancellation headphones if you are trying to drown out the wife, for example?

Case

It’s a shame that all this modern technology is so delicate – but there’s not much you can do about it, apart from buying a carry case to protect it. You really don’t want the screen on your £250 mp3 player to break within a week for the sake of eschewing a £15 plastic cover, do you?

Armbands

Vital for joggers or regular gym users, the armband will keep your music player safe and secure while you put yourself through your paces. It might cost a bit extra, but they are well worth it if you are a keep fit fanatic.

Speakers

mp3 players are great, but they aren’t called personal music player for nothing. You can share your music with friends by buying a docking station for when you are at home and some fold-away, flat-packed portable speakers for when you are out travelling. Prices vary depending on size and sound quality.

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