MP3 Player Reviews

Ten years ago, only the elite techno-geeks had mp3 players. Today, nearly every music lover has one or more, and anyone younger than twenty cannot believe listeners once had to rewind their favorite album. With all the choices in mp3 players today, it is difficult to wade through the dozens of reviews and ratings. However, two of the most common brands stand out among their peers.

Apple (of course)

Often people call a generic mp3 player an iPod, which shows how important Steve Jobs' brainchild has become to modern listening. Models have gotten smaller and smaller, and an iPod shuffle is available that holds thousands of songs in a player smaller than a baby's hand. There are multiple mp3 players from Apple: the iPod shuffle, Nano, Classic, Touch, iPhone, iPad...and others. Prepare to pay twice or even three times as much for the Apple name, however. The cost is prohibitive and if a listener is looking for economy, the Apple brand is not a good choice. Do not try to buy each new model as they come out. Doing that is akin to handing Apple a loaded wallet. iTunes is a breeze to use, but if you buy music from anywhere but iTunes, cataloging and adding it is sometimes difficult. Also, iTunes bogs down some of the slower computer models. But, all in all, the quality of an iPod is indisputable.

Sansa Clip models

Several years ago, Sansa, a popular manufacturer of mp3 players, created a tiny mp3 player costing thirty to sixty dollars, that can "clip" to a shirt, pocket or anything. This model contained two or four gigabits of storage, a simple, monochromatic screen and extremely long battery life. Although not flashy or stylish like Apple, Sansa still manufacturers the Sansa Clip for good reason; it is marvelous. Adding music is as easy as cutting and pasting, without any extra software. Sound quality and customization is fantastic, controls are a breeze, and the battery simply cannot die. Even if a listener uses it two hours a day, a week or two passes by before it needs a charge. This is one quality mp3 player, and is now available for about thirty dollars.

Check out the Sansa Clip, the tiny workhorse mp3 player.

These are only two choices among thousands, and reviewing that many is nearly impossible. Between these two, Apple is all fine and good, and the quality is unmatchable, but the Sansa Clip, which costs one third the price and has three times the reliability, is perfect for those who only listen to music or audiobooks. If a listener must have access to video, graphics and pretty colors, Apple is the solution, but if a music lover just wants to listen, there is no better choice than a Sansa Clip.

Two of the most common brands stand out among their peers