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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.
Music recording
Most MP3 players that record high-quality audio suitable for music
recording as opposed to voice memos or interviews do so through an
analog line-input, but there are exceptions. A few devices also record
digitally or from mike-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 mike-level input but only with a powered mike 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.
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 e-mail
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 resume or a presentation to
the laptop of the person seated next to you on a flight. So-called
plug-in players don't even need a cable since 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 PIM 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 equalization 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 customizable 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 customization.
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 sans 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 computers sold today come with a USB 1.1 port. All current Macs
and certain PCs also 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.
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