Jens of Sweden MP-500 (1GB) review

For radio listeners, there's a built-in FM tuner that you can also record from. The MP-500 will also accept an audio source via the line-in jack. If you're stuck without an external recording device, the internal microphone does a fair job. The two small speakers in the side of the chassis let you listen straight back to a recording -- you could use it as a replacement dictaphone, as it's capable of very similar results to the Olympus dictaphones we use to record interviews for the Crave podcast.

The deal breaker for any potential buyer is the navigation system on the Jens. Not only did it take several minutes for us to figure out how to change the player's native language to English, but the touch-pad interface can be extremely frustrating. Because of the occasional delay between pressing a button and the interface reacting, you're never sure whether the player is responding to your first command. Often you'll then press the button again, causing the player to cancel the initial command when it eventually responds. This is compounded by the lack of mechanical feedback from the seamless glass surface.

Performance
Auditioning Ryan Adams album Heartbreaker on the Jens of Sweden MP-500 gave us the overwhelming impression that this player can deliver a good, full-ranged sound. Unlike many MP3 players, the MP-500 doesn't over-emphasise bass, but nor is it arrestingly confident at pelting out a song.

Listening to Damn Damn Leash by Be Your Own Pet on our flat-response reference system, and then on the MP-500 using the same flat-response amplifier and speakers, revealed a few subtle flaws. The MP-500 is notably not as loud as competing players -- no bad thing given the risk of hearing loss associated with headphone use -- but we weren't taken aback by overall dynamics. Where Be Your Own Pet sounded like a nuclear apocalypse through our reference system, it was more like an over-enthusiastic riot on the MP-500. The Jens player is better than many, but it lacks an edge.

The built-in speakers on the MP-500 are, predictably, lacking in fidelity. This isn't typically a problem for those who enjoy listening to music from a small portable device. Anyone who's sat on a London bus listening to teenagers kids blast The Streets tracks out of their tinny mobile phones will understand the market for these players.

The MP-500 delivers a decent enough sound in a tight package. Though it's not the most inspiring player we've looked at this year, there's nothing else out there with the same mix of petite physique and built-in stereo speakers. The MP-500 may be a novelty, but it's a novelty that fills a niche. If you're looking for something to bridge the gaping chasm between headphone listening and full-blown ghetto-blaster, this is the only real option.

Edited by Mary Lojkine
Additional editing by Nick Hide