Scott K asked:




So you’ve decided that you want a portable MP3 player to take your music collection with you. You hop online and search for MP3 players and discover that choosing an MP3 player is going to be more difficult than you thought. There are a myriad of options out there. First, the iPod which is the most popular option, second, the other brands of mp3 players that compete with the iPod (some well, some not), and then there’s phones and PDA’s that play mp3s. If you feel like you’ve gotten in over your head choosing an mp3 player, relax. I will give you 5 great tips to make choosing an mp3 player easy.

Choosing an MP3 Player Tip 1: Hard Drive vs. Flash Memory

The first thing to consider when choosing an MP3 player is the type of memory you need. Hard drive players store files on small hard disks just like your computer. The advantage to getting a hard drive player is the capacity is very large. MP3 players with 20, 30, 80, or 160 gigabytes (GB) can be had that store up to 25,000 songs! The disadvantage when choosing a hard drive MP3 player is that the hard drive has moving parts, whereas flash memory does not. These hard drives will war out faster than flash players (although hard drives will still last you several years), and they will skip if you bounce the player when using the player during jogging or other physical activities.

Flash memory players, as mentioned, do not have moving parts so are safe for workouts. They have smaller capacities than hard drive MP3 players, but they can be had cheaply with 1 GB of memory which can easily hold about 250 songs. The flash memory is also more compact than a hard drive, so flash players can be made much more compact and thinner than a hard drive player. When your choosing an MP3 player, consider size, amount of memory, and durability before you buy.

Choosing an MP3 Player Tip 2: Music Options

When you are choosing an MP3 player, you need to determine how you are going to get music on to your player. There are 4 major ways to get music onto your MP3 player:

1. Music software that comes with your player, including iTunes or the Zune Marketplace. You can buy songs online and add them to your player all in one convenient software package.

2. Independent music stores such as Amazon.com. You can buy songs at these stores and download them to your computer, where they can be added to your MP3 player.

3. Subscription music such as Rhapsody or Napster. For a low monthly fee, you can have unlimited music downloads. Some players do not support this, so make sure yours does.

4. Rip music off of CDs you already own.

When choosing an MP3 player, make sure your preferred method of getting music is supported.

Choosing an MP3 Player Tip 3: Photo and Video Options

If you want to watch movies or view photos on your player, consider choosing an MP3 player with a large color screen. Even a small increase in screen size on a compact device can make it alot easier to view photos or videos on your player. Also, if you like movies, choose a hard drive MP3 player because movie files are very large.

Choosing an MP3 Player Tip 4: User Interface and Other Features



It is very important to take a look at the user interface when you are choosing an MP3 player. Try to pick up the player and navigate the menus to get a feel for how easy it is to find your songs or media. If you are buying online, try to read some thorough reviews to get a feel for how easy the player is to operate. This is a major source of customer dissatisfaction, so don’t overlook it.

MP3 players also come with many extra features, such as Wi-Fi syncing or FM radio. When you are choosing an MP3 player, shop around to get a feel of what types of features are offered.

Choosing an MP3 Player Tip 5: Integrated Devices

Some phones, PDA’s, satellite radios, and even GPS units can play MP3 files. Playing music is not their primary purpose so you will have to make some compromises if you choose to go this route. The advantage is you only have to carry one device.

Choosing an MP3 player doesn’t have to be complicated. Just remember these five tips an be sure to shop around for a player that meets your needs in your price range.

Arthur

davomrmac asked:

If you want to share your tunes, but not your earphones, then the Belkin RockStar could be just what you were looking for. Manufacturer website: www.belkin.com Sponsor: www.crucial.com Check out more great reviews on my YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com Or on the website: www.geekanoids.co.uk

Ralph

itmglobal asked:

Portable speaker for iPod, iPhone, MP3 players and other devices with 3.5 mm jack. Available from Amazon.com

Kathryn

Tommy Bland asked:




The modern stereo headphone set is a compact tool that allows you to get the most from your iPod or MP3 player. While traditional headphones provide clarity and response from home-systems, they are not designed for use with portable audio devices. To maximize the quality of sound from a digital audio player, you want headphones / earbuds that are made to be used with devices that put out less wattage than a home system. With the popularity in recent years of the iPod, portable headphones have become a niche-market unto themselves with different manufacturers pouring much money into research & development and marketing.

As with most advances in audio technology, these new earpieces provide for more and more of the experience of being in a concert hall without the inconvenience of interrupting your daily routine. Some of the most popular brands for the earpieces today are Etymotic Research, Panasonic, Shure, SkullCandy, Sony, and Ultimate Ears.

Earpieces for the serious audiophile

Most of our parents’ and grandparents’ portable audio devices had their own poor little sound amplifiers built in to make the sound loud enough for our hearing. Now days, you can get really high quality portable audio devices that don’t mess with poor little sound amplifiers. Instead you can provide your own little cool head phone amp to turn your high quality little portable stereo system into a booming sound experience. The head phone amp is the latest in audiophile gadgets. They are a bit more to haul around than your old headphones and earpieces, but they provide a sound experience to make it all worthwhile.

Accessories for the serious audiophile

To get the most of your portable audio experience, you need a good portable audio accessory kit. You’ll find that you are soon looking forward to all of those times that were once boring when you have a good accessory kit.

Even if you aren’t taking your portable audio device along everywhere you go, you may want to take your earphones. A long airplane flight will be greatly enhanced when you have a pocket-sized earphone kit to plug in and watch the in-flight movie.

Your accessories should include cable clips. These keep your headphone cables all nicely organized so you are free in movement to do other things while you enjoy your own little concert hall experience. All audiophiles have had experiences where our cords hung on something and got ripped away, often taking other things with them.

A good accessory kit will also include replacement accessories to make sure a small malfunction or accessory loss doesn’t ruin an entire day. You’ll want a spare ear phone, spare jacks, spare ear pads, and spare cables. This is especially important if you’ve invested in a very expensive sound system and you don’t want to be stuck with anything less than the best.

What goes in must be hygienic

Remember you are putting these headphones or earpieces in your ear for quite a while. You can get wax buildup and other things building up on them. Over time things can start growing cultures on your valuable sound device if you don’t take due time for cleaning. If you love your audio, you must also keep your headphones and earpieces cleaned regularly with some cleaning solution or alcohol.

Frederick

lost asked:


i am getting ready to buy an mp3 player. any suggestions besides ipod? i looked on amazon and have the choice of hard drive or flash. what does that mean? i know what a hard drive is.

CARY

Samirah asked:


I saw speakers and stands for an Ipod..but didn;t see them for an MP3 player?

MOSES

monkeyness asked:


I am tired of my iPod, well, iTunes for the most part. I need a high-capacity mp3 player that I can just hook up to the USB port, have any computer recognize it as a removeable drive, and I can drag and drop or copy and paste mp3 files onto it, as well as any other files I need to bring with me. I know that there are a lot of lower capacity players, like the iShuffle, that can do this, but I am looking for something that is 30GB or higher. I have been interested in the Toshiba Gigabeat, but cant find it in any stores. The Microsoft Zune player comes out soon. Any ideas for me? Thanks in advance - much appreciated!

RUDY

Cat asked:


I have lost my ipod and can’t afford another one, i am considering getting a more affordable MP3 player but my speakers have the connection for an ipod so i was wondering if there are any other MP3 players that have the same connection so i can still use my speakers.

OTTO

Andi asked:


I’m putting songs on my ipod and someone told me about just searching the web for a good site for mp3 players.Thing is, I can’t seem to find any good ones.Any suggestions anyone???

CHRISTIAN

Douglas Taylor asked:


The invention of the mp3 player has changed the way we listen to music. Never before have you been able to take your music with you as easily as you can with a small portable mp3 player. These wonderful gadgets can be made even better with the proper accessories.

Because of the huge amount of popularity mp3 players have there has been many new accessories made available for your mp3 player. You can buy almost anything for your mp3 player from external speakers to fancy remote controls. Because of the competition these accessories can usually be found at a fair price and they will greatly add to the usefulness of your mp3 player.

The main thing the iPod and the other players are about is sound. This article will look at upgrading your stock earbuds to improve the sound of your player with the best headphones for your mp3 player.

The most important upgrade you can do for yourself is to purchase a set of quality earphones. The first time you put the better set on your head you will be overwhelmed at the difference in sound quality.

The earphones that come with your mp3 player may or may not be sufficient for your needs. Depending on how sensitive your ear is will depend on whether the stock earbuds are adequate. Some people cannot hear a lot of difference in stock earphones and the better aftermarket varieties. One thing is for sure; a lot of people will want to upgrade their headset for a better sounding pair.

The first thing to think about is how comfortable are your earbuds. If they are a hassle to wear you will not like them no matter how they sound. Look for a set of earbuds made with the foam that is soft and will expand. These seem top fit most peoples ear the best and do a great job of blocking out external sounds.

When you are deciding how good a sound you want out of your phones you need to remember generally the more you pay the better they will sound. You can get some pretty decent starter types of earbuds at your local department store.

The high-end models normally start at around a hundred dollars and go up from there. If you are a serious audiophile you will want to purchase a quality set that will run you a few hundred bucks. This will be a set of earphones that would satisfy the most demanding audio lover.

The portable mp3 player is here to stay and improving the sound with the best headphones for your mp3 player is usually the very first upgrade you should consider. You will be amazed at the results.



BRYCE