Best MP3 Players

By Shifali Rao . Last updated Aug 2, 2013.

What should you look for in an MP3 Player? Right from pocketable models to sophisticated stereo systems, you will find an awesome choice in the market. When you peruse ReviewGist's continuously updated details of the best MP3 player models and brands, reviews in nutshells, expert-speak and price comparisons, you will be equipped to choose the perfect MP3 player that suits your requirement.

The choice of the best MP3 player boils down to its use. The most obvious criteria is that your MP3 player must deliver excellent sound. However, there are other uses too - you may wish to have the music available on the go, or you may want to listen to audiobooks, store files, record audio, or even watch video. Manufacturers tailor and release products to suit such different purposes, and experts test out the products. We analyse such reviews and the best MP3 players are then graded on a few leading parameters. Key review extracts are displayed under the following broad headings -
* Audio
* Interface
* Image
* Video
* Screen size, Appearance, microphone and other features.

When you shop for an MP3 player you will need to focus on certain aspects -

MP3 player usage - Do you like to listen to audio whenever you travel or commute to work? Do you commute by car? Are you looking for a player that accompanies you when you workout? Do you like to amass as much digital music as any of your devices permit? Or do you need to record specific audio from certain sources? Perhaps you want to use the device as a portable video player. Whatever the end use, you will find players of different sizes, shapes and storage capabilities that answer to each need, or several needs.

Type of MP3 player - The usage of the MP3 player is related to the kind of storage it offers. The most popular are - in increasing order of bulk - flash memory, hard-disk and CD MP3 players. Flash memory devices like iPod nano, iPod shuffle, Creative Zen Nano, and SanDisk Sansa offer extra portability, are more durable, and allow storage of up to even 32GB. Hard-disc players like Apple iPod and Creative Zen Vision M can store a lot more, but involve moving parts. With MP3 CD players, you will need compatible CDs, but they are the least expensive.

Supported formats - Most of the new MP3 players of 2013 support not only MP3, but also other music-compression formats like .aac, .wma, .wav, and atrac. This means you will be able to download and play formats other than MP3.

Interface - You should be able to conveniently download files from the PC to your player with standard interfaces, and in reasonable time.

Other functions and features: The newer models today are some of the coolest MP3 players incorporating more features like Wi-Fi, FM radio, voice recording, Bluetooth, games, camera, speaker, touchscreen, rhapsody service.

You can easily see the best MP3 players in the market today ranked under these parameters. The frequently updated rankings will help you in judging the better and more popular models, so that you zero in systematically to reach the right audio device to suit your need.