MP3 & Digital Music Buying Guide

Don't be mystified by jargon or fooled by hype. Our comprehensive Buying Guides help you choose the right products.

What you need to know, from the kind of user you are to current technologies:

WHAT ELSE CAN I DO WITH AN MP3 PLAYER?

These days, manufacturers are adding an ever-widening array of features to their players in order to set them apart from the competition. These are the extras that you may want to consider

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.

Line-in remote

For larger hard-drive based or CD MP3 players that you can keep in a bag, a line-in remote control in the middle of the headphone cord is a useful feature. Look for a model with a clip for attaching the remote to your bag, such as the one on the iPod remote. 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 sound suitable for music recording as opposed to voice memos or interviews do so through an analogue line-input, but there are exceptions. A few devices also record digitally or from mic-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 mic-level input but only with a powered mic 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.

The iRiver iHP-120's input and output jacks work with both analogue and digital optical signals.

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.

Data storage

Many MP3 players can double as external storage devices, allowing you to shuttle data between PCs. Some models don't even require drivers; thus, you could transfer a document or presentation to the laptop of the person seated next to you on a flight. Some players don't even need a cable because they have built-in USB connectors.

Personal information management

Some MP3 players can accept phone books and schedules. The information is generally entered into Outlook or another 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 equalisation 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 customisable 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 add-on 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 customisation.

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 without a computer; smart playlists that can serve up, for example, a mix of '80s 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 current Macs and certain PCs ship with FireWire ports, while many PCs have either USB 1.1 or its faster descendent, USB 2.0. All MP3 players use either USB 1.1, USB 1.1/2.0, or FireWire ports 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.

Colour screens and photo viewing

Many new hard drive and even flash based players come equipped with a colour screen that can display JPEG and BMP digital images. This is a nice feature for those who like to carry their precious digital memories with them, but be aware that you pay a little extra for it. Colour screens are the wave of the future, and besides the photo viewing, the displays are brighter and easier to read. Also look out for players with crystal-clear and OLED screens.