Which? reviews: MP3 players

Try Which? for a month for just £1

Tune in to find out where you can get a reliable, great sounding, easy-to-use MP3 player. We've reviewed MP3 and MP4 players, putting them to the test for their sound quality, usability and battery life. 

There are two types of MP3 and MP4 players – hard disk and solid state. 

Larger-capacity players use a hard disk for storage, much like a PC does. They tend to be bulkier than solid-state players, but you can fit more music on to them. 

Solid-state players get their name because they have no moving parts. This means the players can be incredibly small and light, but in many cases you can't store a huge number of songs on them. 

Below, we explain more about the features of MP3 players.

 
 
 

Battery life

Most models come with rechargeable batteries, which means you don’t have to keep shelling out on replacements when they run out.

Solid state players typically last longer, providing on average just over 21 hours of play time per charge. Larger memory hard disc players last for an average of around 16.5 hours.

Charging takes on average three hours, but some of the players with larger memory capacity can take over four hours. With most models, you can recharge the batteries without removing them.

Colour screens

A nice big colour screen means that in addition to watching video or viewing photos you can see your track listings in colour and look at album covers.

You might be able to view photos and videos on a player but that won't be much good if the screen size is too small. Ask for a demo in-store. Players with screens of a couple of centimetres square don’t fare well in our video tests - they are just too small to watch video properly.

 
 
 

Connections

You connect your MP3 or MP4 player to a computer via either a USB or a Firewire connection.

A Firewire connection will transfer music at about twice the speed of a standard USB connection. However most new players are supplied with the newer USB 2.0 standard, which is almost the same speed as Firewire.

Some MP4 players let you record directly to them. All you will need is the right sort of lead to connect the player to your chosen source.

Headphones

If you buy only one accessory, make it some new headphones. The sound quality of supplied headphones varies between models, but apart from the very best, it is normally nothing to get excited about.

However, our listening tests reveal the unrivalled importance of a good pair of headphones.

 
 
 

Speaker docks

These mini-speaker systems may not carry the same punch as a connection to your hi-fi system, but they are a compact and portable option for the seasoned traveller.

Charging leads

Most players’ batteries are charged when connected to a computer via the supplied USB cable. For charging via the mains, a separate adaptor cable has to be purchased.

 
 
 

So what's the best MP3 player for you? Put us to the test, try Which? for a month for just £1. You'll instantly unlock all the reviews and advice on www.which.co.uk including MP3 players.

Which? doesn't take advertising. This means you’re presented with unbiased reviews based on test results, not advertising favours. 

© Copyright Which? Ltd 2009, all rights reserved.

Please note that John Lewis Plc does not take responsibility for the content of any reviews compiled by Which? and reproduced here.

 

Inspiration & advice