Small, Powerful Audio Players

The latest generation of portable audio players offer interesting new features and more storage, and the best of them deliver excellent sound quality. The highest-capacity player we've tested recently is the 80GB Apple iPod, which can store around 20,000 popular songs of average length and compression level. The Microsoft Zune has a neat new wireless sharing feature, and the SanDisk Sansa e260R integrates easily with the Real Rhapsody online music service. Many models appear similar at first glance. We point out differences in features and performance to help you weigh which is the right player for you.

Sound-Quality Tests
The PC World Test Center conducted sound-quality tests on the 21 players we reviewed for this story, using an ATS-2 analyzer provided by Audio Precision, a maker of audio test and measurement equipment. The first test assessed the output level each device could attain before reaching 1 percent distortion, generally regarded as an acceptable threshold. A second test determined the frequency response using 30 tones ranging from 20 Hz to 20 kHz. The lab also measured crosstalk (how much the left and right channels blend, thereby narrowing the stereo field), signal-to-noise ratio, and total harmonic distortion. Obviously, the less distortion and noise an audio player creates, the better it sounds.

Online Stores
To buy music, owners of Apple iPods must shop at the iTunes Store, which supports only AAC-encoded files. But owners of devices that support the PlaysForSure digital rights management system (which uses the WMA format) can select from a range of stores such as Napster, Urge, Wal-Mart, and Yahoo Music Unlimited. Notably missing from the list of players compatible with PlaysForSure, oddly, is Microsoft's Zune, which doesn't support PlaysForSure and works only with the Zune Marketplace DRM system.

The top spot on our flash players chart went to the Creative Zen V Plus, in part because the product is reasonably priced and well designed. The 2GB model we tested sells for $140, but a 4GB unit costs just $40 more. Apple's second-generation iPod Nano placed a close second. The device offers even better audio quality, though it delivers fewer features. We tested a 4GB model that sells for $199. You can also buy a 2GB version for $149 or an 8GB unit for $249.

Samsung prices its 2GB YP-T9JQB at an attractive $125. The 4GB iRiver Clix provides a large screen and an interesting user interface, and costs $200. MobiBlu's 2GB US2 costs a low $130 and delivers very good audio quality.

Each of the players on our chart is compact enough to slip into a shirt pocket, but still roomy enough for a color screen. You can view photos stored on the players, but the screens are so small (most of them measure 1.8 inches or less) that it's hard to make out much detail. The iRiver Clix has the largest display, at 2.2 inches. All except the iPod Nano play videos, but, again, the little screens make them barely usable in this capacity. In addition, few flash-based players support anything other than their native video format, so you must use the player's video conversion software before moving files to the device; two exceptions are the iRiver Clix and the Samsung YP-T9JQB, which can play MPEG-4 files natively.

All of the players except the MobiBlu US2 support the display of album cover art while songs are playing.