Are you a passionate music-lover or audiophile? Do you enjoy listening to music or audiobooks while traveling, exercising or studying? While many people use their smartphones to listen to music, having an MP3 Player can give you more freedom and flexibility when it comes to listening to music wherever and whenever you want.
Here are a few reasons why you might want to get an MP3 Player (even if you have a smartphone):
- You want the enjoyment of having a device that’s solely dedicated to playing great quality audio
- You don’t want to use your phone because you want to save on battery life and space
- You want to be able to take your music with you anywhere, without the interruption of phone calls or the worry of wearing out your phone
With this guide, we’ll help you find the best MP3 player for your lifestyle, budget and personality.
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Last update on 2023-03-27 // The links above are affiliate // Images from Amazon
How to Choose the Best MP3 Player
There are five main questions you should ask yourself in order to choose the best MP3 player for your needs:
- How much do I want to spend?
- How much storage space do I need? (How big is my musical library, am I using large audiobooks?)
- What extra features, if any, do I want in my MP3 player? (Do I want it to play videos, Bluetooth, FM radio, etc.?)
- What size, shape and overall design am I looking for? (Do I want something compact and portable or unique and personalized?)
- What type of audio files do I have and how do I prefer to manage and enjoy my music? (Do I prefer shuffling, creating playlists, gapless playback, etc.?)
There is an overwhelming number of options when it comes to shopping for MP3 players. Ask yourself these questions and follow up with research to make the best choice worth your investment.
MP3 Sound Quality
Sound quality is one of the most important aspects of any MP3 player. Sound quality is commonly influenced by the way the audio files are compressed. There are two notable forms of data compression found in MP3 Players: Lossy and Lossless.
- Lossy: The file size is reduced significantly to help save space, with a sacrifice to quality.
- Lossless: The original data in the file is preserved (it can be compressed or uncompressed) to maintain the original quality.
Which is better? Lossy compression actually removes some of the data from the file to reduce the size, whereas nothing is lost with lossless. What this means for your music is that lossless audio may sound more realistic and better quality. The noticeable difference between lossy and lossless audio may not always be apparent, but this can be an important feature for audiophiles. Choosing a lossless MP3 player may not be necessary unless you’re also using higher-end headphones or speakers.
Storage Capacity
MP3 players typically store files with internal flash memory or external memory in the form of a card. In other words, you can choose to add additional memory to the MP3 player depending on whether or not it has a memory card slot.
Some MP3 players can only hold a certain size of SD card in them. For example, if the MP3 player can only read SD cards up to 64GB, any cards larger (such as 128 or 256GB) will not work. If you already have an SD card that you’d like to use, it’s important to make sure that it’s compatible with the device that you’re looking at purchasing.
The amount of storage you need will vary depending on how many files you want to keep on your device. To put things in perspective, one gigabyte can hold an average of about 200 songs. However, this also depends on many factors, including the quality of the music files and the length of the songs. If you tend to listen to a large number of audio files, it might be worthwhile to invest a bit of extra money into an MP3 player with a good amount of expandable storage.
MP3 Player Screen Size and Resolution
While screen size and resolution shouldn’t be a deal-breaker when it comes to buying the best MP3 player, you should definitely consider the appearance and quality of the device’s screen before buying.
Screen size and resolution will be much more important if you’re planning to use your player to watch videos. MP3 players that double up as video players can have a resolution of 480p or more. That’s not a lot compared to what most smartphones and tablets can do, but there are a few higher-resolution MP3 players available.
Screen size generally ranges from 2.5 inches to 4 inches, with some screens being even less than 2 inches. A smaller screen can mean more portability, but always remember to consider the overall design of the device, including the button placements and the user interface. The actual size of the screen may not be as important as how easily you can navigate through it.
File Support
The types of files in your music library can play an important role in choosing an MP3 player. If you have already downloaded your music in a certain file type, then you will want to make sure that your new MP3 player can read those files.
The most common types of files are WMA, MP3, M4A, FLAC and AAC. If you have mostly FLAC files, then you will want an MP3 player that can play Lossless files. The rest, with the exception of WMA, are lossy file types which most players can handle. WMA can be either lossy or lossless. Nearly all MP3 players will list which file types they are able to read and play.
MP3 Player Portability
The best MP3 player should be portable enough that you can take it with you in your pocket, purse, bag or car without it weighing you down. It should be slim and lightweight enough to be easy to carry, but not so light that it can break in two if you drop it. For MP3 players with the best portability, look for devices with screen sizes of 3 inches or smaller and avoid devices with sharp corners or awkward shapes.
A smooth, compact and sturdy MP3 player is your best bet if you want something you can carry in your pocket throughout the day. Keep in mind that many MP3 players can come with their own cases, which will add bulk as well as protection. If you are especially active, look for MP3 players that include a clothing clip.
MP3 Player Battery Life
When you’re traveling, jogging or commuting to work, you want to be able to listen to your music without worrying about the battery. For many people, carrying around a portable battery pack isn’t a practical solution. A good MP3 player will have a long battery life and the ability to play hours of music on a single charge.
Battery life in MP3 players can vary depending on what features your player has and the way that you use these features. If you’re using Bluetooth on your MP3 player, then your battery usage will be much higher. If you want to save on battery life, opt to listen to your MP3 player with a good pair of wired headphones.
As a side note, it’s important to remember that the level of volume you use has an effect on the drain of battery life. If you listen to music at a higher volume, it will drain battery life quicker. The brightness of your MP3 player and how long the screen is on for can also quickly drain the battery. For this reason, a lot of manufacturers have an auto-sleep or lock time on the device. If you want to preserve the battery life of your MP3 player, make sure to adjust the screen settings and minimize track skipping.
Best MP3 Players
Apple iPod Touch (7th Generation)
The Best All-Around MP3 Player
Before the rise of the iPhone, the iPod Touch was one of the coolest things you could have in your pocket. Well, they are still going strong today as it’s basically an iPhone missing a few features and sans cellular capabilities.
If you’ve used an iPhone, you’ll feel right at home with the 7th generation of the iPod Touch. It runs the same OS and comes with a similar set of features including a FaceTime HD camera and a Retina display. With a resolution of 1,136 x 640, you can game on this one to a degree. It has the speedy 1.6 GHz dual-core A10 Fusion processor and 2GB of RAM (a decent improvement compared to the previous model).
An obvious draw of the iPod is the fact you get access to iTunes and its massive catalog of music. It’s quite capable on the audio front as well with support for a full range of formats including WAV, AC-3, and AAC among others. The 7th gen iPod Touch also has a built-in speaker along with a 3.5mm headphone jack, Bluetooth 4.1, and Wi-Fi.
The touchscreen is a huge perk along with the battery life which can give you around 40 hours of audio or 8 hours of video playback. The 7th gen Touch available with 32GB, 128GB or 256GB of storage and available in several different colors.
- 4-inch Retina display
- iTunes access
- FaceTime HD camera
- Great for media
- Excellent battery life
- No SD slot
- Relatively expensive
Sony NW-A55/B
Bring Back the Old Days with a Modern Device
Some of us grew with a Walkman in our pockets while others are only now introduced to this Sony legendary piece audio technology. But regardless of how you know about the Walkman, we can all agree it makes life better!
The NW-A55/B is the modern version of Walkman, with a slim design, graphic interface, and touch controls. The MP3 player comes S-Master HX amplifier so you can listen to your music in higher-than-CD quality Hi-Res audio. It also has an integrated DSEE HX system that can restore high-range sounds lost from compression.
If the built-in 16GB of storage is not enough, you can use an microSD card or the BT 4.2 connectivity to stream your favorite tunes. The device also has a 3.5mm jack input for headphones or speakers, so you can amp up your listening experience.
The interface is quite intuitive and the touchscreen is very responsive, but there is a bit of lag when you first boot it up. You also have side controls (good old-fashioned buttons). The interface can be used to select your music, organize it, and customize the overall experience according to your needs.
Lastly, the battery is supposed to give you around 45h of playback time, but it all depends on whether you’re using the BT or accessing the music from local storage. Regardless, you can use it all day long without having to stop for a charge.
- High-quality audio, with customization possibilities
- Modern and durable design
- Convenient to carry around
- 3.5mm jack input
- BT 4.2 connectivity so you can use streaming services
- The interface is a bit confusing
Aiworth MP3 Player
A Large-Capacity, Easy-to-Use MP3 Player
Aiworth 32GB MP3 Player is a cool-looking and well-built device that comes with a great storage capacity and multiple features that make it one of the best-value MP3 players out there. This device comes at an affordable price and provides a decent sound performance and equally importantly, it is easy to use.
On top of that, it is fitted with multiple features, such as the built-in speaker, a decent battery, and a solid 2.4-inch screen, with an intuitive UO. In addition, there is also the battery saving feature that turns off the device after one minute of no activity, as well as the Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity that allows easy pairing.
Aiworth 32GB MP3 Player supports mp3, FLAC, ape, ogg, and other formats and comes along with a 32GB TF card that should let you save more than 5000 songs.
In other words, Aiworth 32GB MP3 Player presents a complete package. It is affordable, it has a large capacity, and on top of that, it brings a solid audio performance, making it a pretty good deal and one of the best MP3 players in the budget-friendly area.
- Affordable
- Good value for the money
- Good battery life
- Decent sound quality
- Built-in speaker
- Nice looking
- Not the best customer support
- Maximum volume may be a bit too loud
- Static noise appears when there is no playback
FiiO M11
High-Res Lossless Audio Player with Android & Wireless Connectivity
M11 from FiiO is an Android-based lossless portable music player. This means you can listen to your favorite tunes in Hi-Res quality (better-than-CD) and you can use your favorite Android music apps for streaming.
The device comes with lots of cool features, but the most important ones are about audio quality. For instance, it is powered by the hexa-core Samsung Exynos 7872 SoC and has two AKM AK4493 DACs to decode your music. In addition, it is equipped with a custom-made OPA926 op-amp chip, which has a lower noise floor, lower distortion, and overall cleaner power.
Furthermore, the M11 offers a wide range of outputs (2.5mm & 4.4mm balanced outputs, and one 3.5mm single-ended output). Combine all these with the Dynamic EQ feature (10 band dynamic EQ with adjustments up to +/-12dB) and you get a device fit for any music genre.
M11 also offers several ways of listening to music. For instance, you can use the Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity (supports SBC/aptX/aptX HD/LDAC/LHDC formats), the 2.4/5GHz dual-band WiFi feature, or the local storage (32GB default with the possibility to add up to 4TB with 2 micro-SD cards).
The device in itself is modern-looking and durable, fitted with a large and colorful 5.15-inch 10-point multitouch screen (1440*720 resolution). It also supports quick charging, while the 3800 mAh high-voltage battery can last for up to 13h of playback time.
- Durable build with modern design
- A wide range of useful features
- Impressive High-Res audio quality
- Touchscreen that’s easy to use
- Plenty of local storage capacity
- A bit on the pricey side
- Battery life could have been better
SanDisk Clip Sport Plus
The Best MP3 Player for the Outdoors
When you’re shopping for the best MP3 player, SanDisk usually isn’t the first company to come to mind… unless you’re looking for a memory card for your music. Well, the company surprised us with the SanDisk Sports Plus, an affordable option ideal for outdoor enthusiasts.
A few of our top options would be handy to take on a jog, but smaller is usually better when you’re exercising or at the gym. The Clip Sports Plus can handle the treadmill as easily as a mountain trail considering you can clip it to your clothing and go to town. It can take a light drop better than others as there’s not a huge screen to worry about and it’s water-resistant as well.
We’re not going to hit you with Hi-Def tech specs for obvious reasons, but it can play MP3, WMA, WAV, FLAC and AAC audio files along with DRM free iTunes songs. The 16GB variant has enough room for around 4000 songs, and you can use a memory card although that appears to vary by model. Other features include Bluetooth, a micro USB 2.0 port, and an FM tuner.
SanDisk didn’t break any new ground with the design of this one, but it’s a solid little MP3 player that’s perfect for the outdoors with around 20 hours of power. It is tiny at only 1.28 ounces and one of the few that gives you a variety of options out of the gate. There are 4GB, 8GB and 16GB variants of the Sports Plus and around eight colors to choose from.
- Weighs less than 2 ounces!
- Water-resistant
- 16GB of expandable storage
- 2-year warrant
- The display can be hard to read
- Limited formats
Sony NW-ZX507/S
Truly Authentic Sound in a Modern Device
The Walkman series from Sony continues to produce impressive MP3 players that allow users to care for their music collection and carry it around regardless of size and formats.
As such, the NW-ZX507/S is a slim Walkman device, with impressive audio technology stashed inside its slender aluminum body. In fact, the miracle of engineering starts with the premium aluminum milled frame (for low impedance) and continues with advanced lead-free soldering and a gold-plated circuit board. So, you get a premium-quality device, that’s also durable and built to fit the times.
The player runs on Android and supports WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, which puts you in touch with the most popular streaming apps. The sound quality is higher-than-CD (Hi-Res Audio) due to the S-Master HX amplifier and DSEE Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (restores quality in digital compressed files).
This Walkman can keep playing for up to 20 hours of 128 kbps MP3 files or up to 18 hours of 96 kHz FLAC files. It also has USB Type-C charging, so it won’t be difficult to find a power outlet if you run out of juice.
Lastly, the 3.6-inch full-color touch screen combines nicely with the side controls that are nicely carved on the side.
- Slim design with touchscreen and aluminum body
- Specially crafted for high-res music
- 64GB local storage capacity
- WiFi and BT connectivity
- Android OS
- Good battery life
- It’s not a budget option
- Power output is very low
Astell & Kern KANN Cube
An Audio Powerhouse in your Pocket
This is definitely not the usual MP3 player you can find on every site! In fact, KANN CUBE is the second model of its line. The first thing that stands out is the design – it may be a bit bulky, but it works!
The sharp corners, the metallic-gray color, and the unusual shape make this MP3 player incredibly attractive. Furthermore, the design speaks about the cool features that lie underneath the cool-looking casing.
As such, the device features dual ESS ES9038PRO DACs (designed for Pro Audio Equipment), it has a Quad-Core CPU, supports 32bit/384kHz with Native DSD256 Support, and has three audio output modes (2.5mm balanced, 3.5mm headphone & 5-pin Mini XLR Output for even less noise (4Vrms). Of course, you can also use BT and WiFi to access your favorite online music sources.
In addition, it is equipped with Open APP support for music streaming and can be controlled using the 5.0-inch HD touchscreen (720×1280 pixels resolution). The battery lasts for up to 8 hours of continuous playback and the device provides 128GB of internal storage with one microSD card slot.
- Unique-looking designs
- High-quality touchscreen
- Good battery life
- Professional-sounding audio quality
- Three audio output modes
- 32bit/384kHz, Native DSD256 Support
- It’s expensive for an MP3 player
Astell&Kern A&Futura SE200
Everything You Need from an MP3 Player
Astell&Kern A&Futura SE200 is a premium MP3 player that offers nothing but top-class performance and a ton of features, as should be the case with one of the best MP3 players out there. This is an expensive device that accepts no compromise and presents the ideal small-sized multimedia system that offers a wide file support and can work with WAV, FLAC, WMA, MP3, OGG, APE, AAC, ALAC, and many other file formats.
To make things even better, this player also brings excellent connectivity that involves BT, Wi-Fi, and USB connection. Also, there are the 3.5mm and 2.5mm ports, as well as the dual DAC configuration that includes Sabre ES9068AS and AK4499EQ DAC. Astell&Kern A&Futura SE200 provides a crystal-clear music experience and a 32bit/384kHz playback while offering amazing battery life of 14 hours.
Moreover, this player comes with a staggering storage capacity of 256GB and offers additional expandability through the microSD card slot that can accept cards up to 1TB in size, pleasing even the most demanding music collectors.
In addition, Astell&Kern A&Futura SE200 also brings great portability and a premium build, as well as support for a variety of music streaming platforms including Amazon Music, Spotify, Tidal, Sound Cloud, Pandora, Qobuz, and many others.
In other words, if you are after the best MP3 player there is, you may be sure that the Astell&Kern A&Futura SE200 will fulfill your every need, and much more.
- Excellent connectivity
- It supports a wide variety of file formats
- An excellent battery life
- Large storage area
- Durable build
- Octa-core CPU
- The great music streaming support
- Expensive
FiiO M3 Pro MP3 Player
An Affordable and Feature-rich MP3 Player
FiiO M3 Pro MP3 Player is a well-built, reasonably priced MP3 player that brings just the right combination of features and performance that rightfully positions it among the best MP3 players available on the market.
With this MP3 player, you are getting excellent compatibility that makes this player suitable for a wide variety of file formats, including MP3, AAC, ALAC, AIFF, APE, FLAC, and others. Also, this device comes with a very responsive 3.5 inch, high-sensitivity, capacitive IPS touch 800×340 screen, as well as a powerful 1000mAh battery that delivers around 15 hours of playback.
FiiO M3 Pro MP3 Player features EQ with seven presets, offers a 3.5mm analog connection, and has a USB output audio support. This MP3 player is run by the Ingenic X1000E and is fitted with the ES9218P DAC. Together, create a decent 192 kHz/24 bit sound, with firm bass.
In addition, FiiO M3 Pro MP3 Player also comes equipped with the TF card slot that supports cards that are up to 2TB in size; it features a 10-digit display calculator and supports rapid file transfers through OTG.
All in all, it offers quite a lot for its price and makes one of the better options if you are after a solid, yet not too expensive MP3 player.
- Excellent battery life
- Good file support
- Well built
- Reasonably priced
- Very good IPS screen
- USB DAC Function
- Clear sound reproduction
- No BT
Conclusion
Music is medicine for the soul. If you’re passionate about your music, you should think about investing in the best MP3 player that you can rely on for several years of audio enjoyment.
In addition to finding the best MP3 player, you should also be on the lookout for the best wireless headphones, earbuds and noise-cancelling headphones to truly enhance your audio listening experience.
I’m looking for an MP3 player suitable for listening to audio books. I would like a player that will return to the place I was listening to when it’s switched off and back on. I would like a cheaper to middle range model.
SanDisk Clip Sport Plus is a great choice for your needs.
I am looking for an MP3 player suitable for taking on a long (3 month) coastpath walk so must have long battery life, reasonable sound quality and be easy and comfortable to carry. Budget up to £400.
Hi Annabel.
Cowon Plenue D might be a good fit for your needs.
I use my mp3 player to listen to lectures ranging from 30-45 minutes each. I’m willing to pay a higher price if I can obtain the features I want: (1) play the lecture series in correct order (2) restart at same place I stopped when resuming listening (3) permit me to replay a section of the lecture without having to go back to the beginning of the lecture. (4) Easily load a folder with 24-48 lectures at one time. Any idea if there is a good player that does these things?
Hi Christine,
(1) play the lecture series in correct order
– it depends on the way your lecture files are named. make the proper naming (lecture 1, lecture 2, etc.) and the files should be in the correct order
(2) restart at same place I stopped when resuming listening
– it’s quite a standard feature. even a $30 AGPtEK M20S has it
(3) permit me to replay a section of the lecture without having to go back to the beginning of the lecture.
– we are not sure on this (how the sections are marked?). but the above mentioned AGPtEK M20S gives you the ability to add up to 10 bookmarks for each audio file so if you mark sections manually, you’ll be able to navigate through them.
(4) Easily load a folder with 24-48 lectures at one time
– It shouldn’t be a problem with modern mp3 players. But it’s always better to double check with the seller.
As you don’t opt for a high audio quality, AGPtEK M20S may be a good choice. It’s extremely cheap (most likely you’ll need to expand the storage though) so the risk is very low and it may turn out to be just enough for all your needs. (But, again, we recommend double-checking all your questions with the actual seller)
Be careful that the player you choose can cope with folder and file names that are longer than 12 char. I’ve tried about 6 recently and all of them struggle when CD1, CD2, etc folders of an album are combined into 1 album because the part of the name at the end of the tag is truncated. Likewise song titles often aren’t fully visible, so you can’t tell where you are in a list if they all begin with the same text. My old Sony NWZE585 had no problem splitting and displaying correctly but I’m appalled that newer players can’t cope with tag info in the files.
AGPtEK were one of the culprits, though otherwise it was quite a nice player – the track text details were visible to the naked eye, unlike some of the others.
I’m looking for an MP3 player with the strongest/longest Bluetooth range to use for my wedding and reception. The other items I’m interested in, in order of importance, are: sound quality, user interface (easily navigable playlists, etc), storage, and battery life.
Thanks!
Kris
Hi Kris,
The majority of players use Bluetooth 4-4.2 class 2 so the realistic range is just 10 meters (33 feet). It’s still better to ask the manufacturer or reseller regarding the actual range (they rarely mention this data). Some players provide aptX for a better sound quality over a Bluetooth connection (Fiio X7ii for example) so this is something you may consider as well.
You can go for one of the Fiio models (FiiO X3 doesn’t offer aptX). iPod Touch and Sony NW-A35 are also decent options for the money (no aptX either). But still, regarding the range, we are unaware of players that provide class 1 Bluetooth (up to 100 meters) and are not sure if there are any. Sorry about that.
Hello TTL Staff,
Besides expandable capabilities, are there other significant qualitative differences between having/playing music stored on a SD card vs. internal built in storage? I’m undecided whether to spend more money on a device with greater built in storage or just to rely on the SD card for the bulk of it. Thanks!
Hi Tony,
There should be no difference in terms of quality. This article on Wirecutter has some good points on SD card quality as well.
Im looking for an MP3 player that I can transfer my playlists onto from Windows media Player on my laptop. Its very important to me that these playlists are retained in the MP3 player. Any recommendations?
Hi Helen,
It’s more about using a Windows media player than choosing an MP3 player because nearly all modern MP3 players allow creating playlists. You just need to move your playlists to Sync tab and then sync with the MP3 player. https://www.screencast.com/t/OhPXhWzoFm
HIDIZS AP60 Pro Buetooth MP3 Player ?
You cannot directly sync a Sony Walkman to the Windows Media Player for music or playlists. Would be useful to know what mp3 players allow you to sync directly from the Windows Media Player. Sony makes you transfer your music to MediaGo which is tedious and not user friendly before you can sync. Very unhappy with my last Sony because of this. Any suggestions for a replacement?
FiiO should work fine with WMP but it’s always better to consult with the manufacturer.
hi
looking for a MP3 player capable of playing music videos
iPod Touch is the most obvious bet=)
Hi, I like to sleep with relaxing music, and for that! I use a portable radio. However, when I travel, I don’t have that option. I like an MP3 player for that purpose; no to fancy or pricy, but one that will allow me to download music, particularly relaxing music.
If you sleep with headphones on then any of these will suffice. If you want an mp3 with a speaker, you can try this player from AGPTEK https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D784TGZ.
I’m not sure how often it comes up, but I’m trying to find a player that allows playlists to be created or edited directly from the devices ui, wothout needing to resync from another computer. I’m mot sure whether thats a normal feature to look for.
Some players like FiiO X7II allow this. So it’s ok to look for such a feature. But playlist management is often a pain and this is not a common feature.
It’s always better to consult with the manufacturer.
Hi I’m looking at getting an MP3 player to connect to a music system for a wedding. For ease I’d prefer not to bring a laptop. Easy switching between playlists is important, as is battery life and decent sound quality.
What do you recommend? And what if anything should I be aware of?
Hi Liam,
Probably it’s better to go for something midrange like Sony NW-A45/B, FiiO M7 or Cowon Plenue D. You shouldn’t have any problems with switching playlists yet still it’s better to test everything beforehand=) FiiO M7 is weaker in terms of battery life (20 hours) but it should be enough anyway.
Also, check if you need an RCA adapter for speakers (depends on speakers).
And you still may want to get some sort of a backup plan just in case. Like a cheap AGPTEK player. It’s an important day and who knows what may happen=)
What form of data compression does the Sandisk use? Lossy or Lossless?
It supports both. It supports WAV and FLAC so you can use these lossless formats.
Could you tell me which units have the largest library capacity? I recently bought the mid range Sony Walkman but was disappointed to find that even though it can expand to up to 2TB the library can only handle up to 20,000 songs. My library is pushing 75,000 and I’m looking to replace an aging FIIO X5 (2nd gen)
Hi Mike,
It’s about the size of the space your library requires, not about the number of songs. 2TB is insane for players. Not that many of them are expandable for more than 512GB and for good reason. You won’t even be able to find a 2TB MicroSD. 1TB MicroSD already costs around $300, so 2TB would cost more than $600.
It depends on the audio format of your songs. For example in case with MP3, 75,000 would weight just around 262GB. In case with lossless formats, like Flac for example, 10,000 would weight around 250-300GB.
Reading reviews on Amazon, it does seem to be the case that many lower end players state they have a size capacity for Micro SD cards but the library software can only cope with X thousand tracks. If that’s a 9,000 or 15,000 track limit in the software, yet the size of the card allows for more files than that, then they won’t all be available
He’s talking about firmware limitations. Most of the best players only can see 20,000 files. A stupid, short sighted, limitation. Collection GROW. I have 30,000 and 400 are full albumwrap albums. All mixed mp3’s and flac using 311gb. So, triple that amount for a 1tb card, that could hole around 90,000 + files. Probably around 50-60 thousand flac files.
I’m looking for a replacement for my iPod Classic 160GB, which was full. Capacity (>256GB), ease of use, and sound quality are most important features. Never use it for video. Blue tooth would be nice, but not mandatory.
You’ll need to purchase a microSD card to expand the storage. Some of them, like HIDIZS AP80 don’t have built-in storage at all. FiiO M6 or HIDIZS AP80 may be a good option. They are quite portable and fairly priced and the sound is decent (I’m currently using AP80 because it’s so small). They all have Bluetooth, but AP80 only supports LDAC and SBC. The battery life of them both is around 12-13 hours which isn’t that great honestly. If you need more, you may consider Sony NW-A45/B or Cowon Plenue D.
I listen to podcasts and often need to skip backwards a few seconds to replay a something I did not understand/missed.
I tried a SanDisk but it only allows skipping back to the very beginning of the podcast.
Any suggestions which other mp3 players have this functionality?
Sorry, that is incorrect. It can skip forwards and backwards within a track. Just keep the key pressed. Thanks to the great SanDisk Support
Hi – I need an MP3 player which I can plug and play, and directly transfer playlists from WMA to. What do you suggest? Sue
They all are pretty much plug-and-play and can be synced with windows player (except the iPod). And if you use a microSD, you can even sync it with windows player using the card reader and then insert the microSD into the player. The choice should be more about the storage, quality and price.
I’m finding they will sync with WMA , but not the playlists. The music gets transferred across, but gets dumped into general storage. Seems the only way is to make up the playlists on the device itself, which will take too long (I have many playlists, some of which are several hours long). Alternatively I’ve been advised to make up a folder and copy that across, but I’m not having any luck with that. I had two Samsung YP-R1s which transfer the playlists across just fine, but are no longer working properly. I have had them for several years now. I bought a Supereye, but am not having much luck with that.
Hi Susan,
Regarding the folders, it should work fine, at least with a microSD. For example, we recently owned Sony NW-ZX300 and HIDIZS AP80 and on both you can easily navigate through folders on your microSD card. It’s true for almost all mp3s out there. To transfer songs to microSD, you can use a card reader like this one https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006T9B6R2/ (cheap yet does the job). With some players (like in the case with Sony NW-ZX300), you need to format the microSD card before you can use it the specific mp3.
Thanks, I’ll give it a try with a microSD. Do you know of any MP3 players though, which will allow direct transfer of playlists from WMA, like my Samsung used to?
We’re sorry but it’s better to consult with the manufacturers on this one. We tested it on Sony NW-ZX300 and it didn’t work, (while it creates playlists automatically from the microSD).
Thanks very much.
Hello again. I’ve tried with a microSD and managed to get playlists onto my mp3. It will take ages as it has to be done a song at a time, copying and pasting. One question I have still, is how to get the order of play to stay as I’ve pasted it in. Once the folder is closed and opened again it rearranges in numerical order. I don’t want to have to rename all the songs, is there an easier way? It’s so easy in WMA, clicking and dragging, one of the reasons I would prefer to transfer directly from WMA, but that isn’t possible.
Hi Susan,
To make the playlist copying process faster, you can use AmokPlaylist http://www.amok.am/en/freeware/amok_playlist_copy/download/#. It’s old software but I just tested it and it works fine. You drag your playlist file (“Your computer\Music\Playlists”) there and then can easily copy all songs from the playlist to one location/folder.
Regarding the specific order, you’ll probably have to rename the files for that (just adding 01,02,03,04 etc in front).
Thanks, I’ve since found I can actually sync the playlist from WMA to the microSD card, but have to renumber and rearrange them once they are on the card, as the original source material usually contains a different number from the WMA playlist for some reason. Thanks again for your help.
I’m desperately trying to find an MP3 player for my elderly mother, who is blind. Can anyone help?
It needs to be large. Large in size not storage space. She can’t do fiddly little things.
It needs to be NOT touchscreen. They simply don’t work for her, nor does voice activated stuff.
She has decent hearing and listens to audiobooks. Sound quality isn’t a priority.
I’ll be setting it up with a couple of books, she’ll be pressing play to listen and pause to stop.
It needs big buttons that she can feel. I might be putting a lump of superglue on a button so she can tell the start button.
Simple and big.
No Apple products ( iTunes makes me angry).
I’ve tried about a dozen and none work very well for her. She ends up skipping by mistake and can’t find where she was, or switches it off and can’t get it back on again.
She’s using a very cheap non-brand one at the moment. It goes to sleep but she can wake it by pushing the play button, the again to play the book.
Can anyone recommend anything?
Hi John,
When I started reading your comment I instantly thought of ipod shuffle but looks like it’s not an option=)
From what’s on our list, you can try SanDisk. Other than that, you can go for AGPTEK G02 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0722KVJM3/) as it’s very simple and the concept is similar to shuffle.
Aaaalso, you can try SYRYN Mp3 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018YKTD1Y/). Yeah, it’s for swimming and you don’t need all the accessories that go with the player but it only has 3 buttons which are big and tactile. It may work=)
iPod shuffle tried and tested and failed 🙂
Same for Sandisk (too fiddly).
the AGPTEK looks tiny judging from the pic with the hand in. (She can barely hold anything that small).
The waterproof looks like it’s worth a try, depending on size (just had a quick look, I’ll look at its dimensions tomorrow).
I’m even considering a cheap phone, or a Ghetto Blaster type device.
Thanks for the help.
Hello. Maybe someone can help me here. I’ve been in the market for a new player (obviously) and I’m having a hard time deciding. My main needs are:
1. Storage capacity. I have a giant music collection that will never be transportable, but I’d like to take as much as possible without needing to swap out cards. I’d be quite pleased with around 500 gb.
2. Quality. I’m not an *audiophile* playing on some 6-digit equipment, but I like my flac to sound like flac, not 192 kps mp3. I’ll be playing mainly flac (16bit cd rips but also some vinyl), the usual mp3 and even random things like some ALAC (but I can get around this if necessary).
That’s pretty much it. I was sold on Onkyo for quality, two slots, and brand name (I’ve been using their equipment for years), but the hardware and battery seems to get atrocious reviews everywhere. Is there anything similar? Or just anything that will fit my needs without breaking the bank.
Hi Ziggy,
Considering such a budget, you can eve try Sony NWZX300/S (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075MV7XRT/). I have one of those and I love it. Also, there is a smaller brother released last December, Sony NW-A55 (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08286VLNB/). The first one’s battery is rated 30 hours while A55 is said to last for up to 45 hours which is exceptional. For storage you’ll need to use an sd card. Both of these players support up to 2TB microSDXC cards from what I know (I use 512 GB in mine). Some say that Sony’s menu and navigation is terrible, but I personally don’t have any problems with it.
Also, you can consider Fiio models as the brand usually provides great value for money.
I’m looking for an MP3 player for my dad. He would like to have actual buttons (not just touch screen). He also wants to be able to make playlists from the MP3 player or at least be able to filter the song list. For example, be able to create a playlist of three artists or albums on the MP3 player. What would you recommend?
SanDisk Clip Sport Plus has buttons and you can create playlists inside the player. It’s not a high-end player but it may be enough.
Hello, do you think that a Sony mp3 player like the one s above are going to use the same tech as their latest smartphones? I own an Xperia 1 ii but the music player, even with an app like Poweramp, is still terrible.
From what I was able to find, Xperia 1 ii uses Cirrus Logic CS35L41 amp, while the Sony players on our list have S-Master HX amp. I don’t know how they compare, but I have an older Sony ZX300 and it sounds amazing (at least for my taste). Also, have you tried any external amps with your phone? Maybe they’ll be enough.
Thanks for info:) Over a weekend too! Thank you. I’ve never heard of external amps before will give them a search just now. Thanks again:)
No problem. We have an article on headphone amps https://www.techsmotion.com/best-headphone-amp/. Not all of them work for phones (and we’ll be updating the article soon), but you can start your search there=)