Archos 105

One of the better digital music players under $100, the 2GB Archos 105 will appeal to the budget music lover. For $89.99, you get a device that can load your music, videos, and photos. The Archos 105 is thin, smaller in height and width than a driver’s license, and an ideal companion for a run or a bike ride. While it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of the players that reach beyond the $100 range, it performs well at the tasks it can carry out.

The volume range for the Archos 105 is wide, but the lower volume levels were hard or impossible to hear. At high levels, we heard a little distortion, but the audio sounded crisp in the midranges. The picture and video quality on the 1.8-inch OLED (organic light-emitting diode) color screen is better than we expected for the price; however, it isn’t nearly as impressive as we’ve seen in more expensive players.

The interface lacks finesse, with clunky-looking icons, and it is somewhat difficult to navigate. For instance, don’t expect the Menu button to get you back to the main menu. The Archos 105 has proprietary software called ArchosLink (www.archos.com/archosphere), but it also supports other programs, such as Windows Media Player. It’s compatible with audio formats such as MP3, WMA (Windows Media Audio), protected-WMA, and WAV, and it also supports WMV (Windows Media Video) files and JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) files.

iriver E100

The feature that stands out most on the 8GB iriver E100 is the presence of external speakers. Not because the quality is exceptional (it’s fair, at best), but because they are actually included. Very few digital music players have this feature, probably because it’s difficult to offer a high-quality set at such a small size. The E100 also features an FM tuner (20 presets), a microSD card slot for expanding the memory, and line-in recording capabilities.

The audio quality of the E100 in the midranges is quite good. It offers a broad range of volume levels, but we heard some distortion in the highest and lowest volume levels. The 2.4-inch color screen offers full, rich colors for photos and videos, but the objects appeared pixilated and rough around the edges. The E100’s menu is more elegant than the Archos 105, but the menu and controls lack simplicity. It’s often difficult to know which arrow and button you’re supposed to press. Available in black, white, sky blue, and pink, the E100 has a clean-looking appearance and rounded corners, which we think makes it look chic and trendy.

The iriver Plus 3 software comes with the player, but the E100 also supports files from services such as Rhapsody, Napster, and Yahoo! Music. Compatible audio files include MP3, WMA, ASF (Advanced Streaming Format), OGG (Ogg Vorbis), and FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec) formats. The E100 also supports video formats, such as MPEG-4 SP (Moving Picture Experts Group-4 Simple Profile) and WMV9 and photo formats, such as JPEG, BMP, PNG (Portable Network Graphics), and GIF (Graphics Interchange Format).

Sansa View

The Sansa View gives the value hunter a lot of bang for his buck. In addition to playing music, videos, and photos, this midpriced device includes other features, such as an FM tuner, voice recording, and support for microSD and microSDHC (Secure Digital High Capacity) cards.

The sound quality on the Sansa View is very good, but the bass levels don’t come through as well as we would have liked. Also, the Sansa View’s volume level can get very loud, but not very soft. Overall, however, the sound quality is above average.

The 2.4-inch color screen displayed rich, bright colors in photos and videos. This is a big plus for this particular player because the size, weight, and excellent battery life of the Sansa View make it more attractive to consumers who are looking for an affordable video player, and not just to someone who needs a music player just for the gym. A clear plastic coat prevents scratching on the screen. It also prevents images from being as sharp as they could be, but images still looked very good.

Using the scroll wheel to spin through the bright and colorful icons was very enjoyable. The menu includes a specific place for audio books, which only a few players currently offer. The Sansa View is compatible with MP3, WMA, WAV, and DRM-free audio files, and you can download the Sansa Media Converter for files that aren’t compatible. This player also supports MPEG-4, WMV, H.264, and DivX video files, along with JPEG photo files. You can download content from sources such as Napster and Rhapsody.

Walkman NWZ-S718FBNC

Don’t let the size of this Sony Walkman fool you. This tiny digital audio player produces big and powerful sound. Smaller than a driver’s license, this Sony Walkman includes audio technologies such as DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) and Clear Bass. According to Sony, these particular technologies produce CD-quality audio, while restoring the higher sound frequency lost when making compressed music files. The Clear Bass technology ensures the bass is enhanced without distortion, while Clear Stereo technology is designed to minimize signal leakage from one channel to another. This Sony Walkman has noise-cancelling abilities, but it can only be used with the supplied EX Quality Headphones. Luckily, the headphones are more comfortable than typical supplied headphones, and the noise-cancellation feature worked very well.

The interface of this Sony Walkman is crowded with numerous buttons, but the menu is user-friendly and well-designed. This player has regular shuffle, as well as Time Machine shuffle, which lets you shuffle songs from a randomly selected year. Initial Search is a feature designed to help you quickly find songs using the first letter of the song, album, or artist. Although there likely won’t be many people who purchase this Walkman solely for the video capabilities, we should note that the 1.8-inch screen displays a great image, but the size is definitely not ideal for a lot of video and photo viewing.

This Walkman supports MP3, WMA, AAC-LC (Advanced Audio Coding-Low Complexity), Linear PCM (pulse code modulation) audio files, along with MPEG-4 and M4V (MPEG-4 Part 2) video files. It also displays JPEG photo files. The battery life (33 hours of audio), coupled with the diminutive size and the FM tuner, make this device a great workout companion. There is not, however, support for a memory card, voice recording, or podcast management.

Zune

The Zune is simply a great device for audiophiles. It offers several features that the smaller players can’t, starting with its massive 80GB capacity. The Zune provides subscription music support, a 3.2-inch color screen for widescreen video playback, photo viewing, and audio and video podcast support.

The Zune has an FM radio that is RBDS (Radio Broadcast Data System)-enabled, meaning that it can display station call letters, genre, and the currently playing artist and song. The Zune also has built-in Wi-Fi capabilities, which let it connect to a wireless home network and share music with other Zune devices. You can also stream content from your Zune to your Xbox.

Not only does the Zune offer several advanced features, but the audio and video quality is excellent, as well. The volume level doesn’t get as soft as other players, but the quality of the audio is well above average. Additionally, images from pictures and videos come across bright, clear, and detailed on the widescreen display. The menu and the Zune Pad (Microsoft’s name for the button controls and touchpad) make wading through the various functions, settings, and options both fun and easy.

The Zune offers a large collection of compatible file formats, including AAC, MP3, WMA, Protected WMA, and WMA lossless. Supported video files include WMV, MPEG-4, DVR-MS (Digital Video Recorder-Microsoft), and H.264. It also supports JPEG photo files.

Tune In

Digital audio players are clearly so much more than their name suggests. Because you have such a variety of features to choose from, consider where you’ll be going and what you’ll be doing with your music player. This can help you narrow down the selection and choose which player will be a lasting traveling, biking, or viewing companion.

by Tessa Breneman

Buying Tips Consider what you’ll be doing while you use your MP3 player. If you want to listen to tunes while you work out, you’ll benefit from a small player with flash memory. For long layovers and traveling, find a player that lets you watch movies and TV shows. Don’t judge an MP3 player by its headphones. Most headphones that come with MP3 players are average at best, and you’ll benefit from purchasing a more comfortable pair. With a little hunting, you can find a pair of headphones that fits well and is comfortable to wear for long periods of time.

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