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Tune in: Six MP3 players with great FM radios

Jasmine France
Jasmine France, Senior Associate Editor
Updated March 06, 2008
Sure, you've loaded a fabulous collection of digital audio tracks onto your MP3 player, but what to do when your tunes begin to sound just a bit too familiar? That's where an FM tuner comes in. In many places, FM radio still offers plenty of worthwhile content for your listening pleasure, and it can provide a refreshing break from your regular rotation. So, if you're not among the uberdiligent who always remember to sync up their players for fresh content, be sure to pick one with an FM tuner onboard. Unfortunately, although many players come with this nifty feature, not all of them deliver quite as advertised. In fact, some are so awful that I think they should be forced to remove that marketing point from their packaging. But don't fret. There are several players available with decent FM tuners; in fact, I easily found six with great-sounding radios. Not only that, but each of the players here offers an autoscan function and at least 10 preset slots, so you won't have to fumble around finding your favorite stations. If you already own an iPod, but crave an FM tuner, check out Apple's excellent iPod Radio Remote.

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Product name Samsung T10 (4GB, black)
Samsung T10 (4GB, black)  
Creative Zen V Plus (2GB, black)
Creative Zen V Plus (2GB, black)  
Cowon D2 (4GB, black)
Cowon D2 (4GB, black)  
Sony NWZ-S618F (8GB, black)
Sony NWZ-S618F (8GB, black)  
SanDisk Sansa Clip (2GB, candy apple red)
SanDisk Sansa Clip (2GB, candy apple red)  
Microsoft Zune (second generation, 80GB, black)
Microsoft Zune (second generation, 80GB, black)  







Review date December 10, 2007   June 20, 2006   February 27, 2007   August 30, 2007   October 08, 2007   November 12, 2007  







CNET editors' rating 7.7 out of 10 7.7
Very good
8.3 out of 10 8.3
Excellent
8.3 out of 10 8.3
Excellent
7.7 out of 10 7.7
Very good
7.5 out of 10 7.5
Very good
8.3 out of 10 8.3
Excellent







Users' rating 8.6 out of 10 8.6
Excellent
6.8 out of 10 6.8
Good
8.8 out of 10 8.8
Excellent
8.6 out of 10 8.6
Excellent
9.0 out of 10 9.0
Spectacular
7.7 out of 10 7.7
Very good







Buying choices
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Review summary The Samsung T10 won't satisfy audio purists, but users who value lots of features, a fun interface, and a player that will turn heads should give it a look. The Creative Zen V Plus is a superb choice for anyone looking for a compact and feature-filled flash MP3 player with great sound quality. If you're looking for a more sophisticated design (or have large thumbs), check out the iRiver Clix instead. If you can get on board with the Cowon D2's PDA-like touch screen interface, the reward is great-sounding audio, a smorgasbord of features, and a fantastic battery life. The Sony NWZ-S610 series Walkman doesn't bring anything striking or new to the table, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a quality MP3 player with nice extras and a killer battery life. Plus, Sony got rid of SonicStage--the best news ever. The SanDisk Sansa Clip is an incredible value that's set to edge out the competition with a user-friendly interface, gym-worthy design, and great sound quality. The Zune has blossomed from an ugly duckling into a worthy iPod alternative.







Product series See all products in this series See all products in this series See all products in this series See all products in this series See all products in this series See all products in this series







My Products
Basic Specs
PC interface(s) supported Bluetooth , Hi-Speed USB Hi-Speed USB Hi-Speed USB Hi-Speed USB Hi-Speed USB Info unavailable







Flash memory installed 4 GB 2 GB 4 GB 8 GB 2 GB Info unavailable







Flash memory form factor Integrated Integrated Integrated Integrated Integrated Info unavailable







Digital player signal-to-noise ratio 90 dB 92 dB 95 dB Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable







Dimensions (WxDxH) 3.8 in x 3.1 in x 1.7 in 1.7 in x 0.6 in x 2.7 in 3.1 in x 0.7 in x 2.2 in 1.7 in x 0.5 in x 3.1 in Info unavailable Info unavailable







Weight 1.5 oz 1.6 oz 3.2 oz 1.8 oz Info unavailable 4.5 oz







Resolution 240 x 320 128 x 128 360 x 240 240 x 320 Info unavailable Info unavailable







Battery technology Lithium polymer Lithium ion Lithium polymer Lithium ion Info unavailable Lithium ion







Mfr estimated battery life 30 hour(s) 15 hour(s) 52 hour(s) 33 hour(s) Info unavailable 20 hour(s)







Software type Drivers & Utilities Creative MediaSource , Creative Media Explorer , Creative ZENcast Organizer Cowon jetShell , Cowon jetAudio VX Drivers & Utilities , Microsoft Windows Media Player 11 Drivers & Utilities Info unavailable







Radio FM: 87.5 - 108 MHz Info unavailable Info unavailable FM: 87.5 - 108 MHz Info unavailable Info unavailable







Manufacturer warranty 1 year parts and labor warranty 1 year warranty Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable







Product type Digital player / radio Digital player / radio Digital player / radio Digital player / radio Digital player / radio Info unavailable







Color Black Green Black Black Red Black







Sound output mode Stereo Stereo Stereo Stereo Stereo Info unavailable







Width 3.8 in 1.7 in 3.1 in 1.7 in Info unavailable 2.4 in







Depth 3.1 in 0.6 in 0.7 in 0.5 in Info unavailable 0.5 in







Height 1.7 in 2.7 in 2.2 in 3.1 in Info unavailable 4.3 in







Equalizer factory presets R&B , Club , Jazz , Rock , Dance , Ballad , Custom , Normal , Studio , Classic , Concert Pop , Jazz , Rock , Disco , Vocal , NewAge , Classic , Acoustical Pop , Jazz , Rock , Vocal , Normal , Classic Pop , Jazz , Heavy , Custom , Unique Info unavailable Info unavailable







Amplifier total output power 40 mW Info unavailable Info unavailable 10 mW Info unavailable Info unavailable







Digital player (recorder) MP3 , WMA , Ogg Vorbis , Protected WMA (DRM) MP3 , WAV , WMA , ADPCM , Audible , Protected WMA (DRM 9) MP3 , WAV , WMA , FLAC , Ogg Vorbis , MPEG 1 Audio , MPEG 2 Audio , MPEG 2.5 Audio AAC , MP3 , PCM , WMA , Protected WMA (DRM 10) MP3 , WMA , Audible , Protected WMA (DRM) Info unavailable







Digital Player total harmonic distortion Info unavailable 0.05 % Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable







Sound effects Info unavailable Info unavailable BBE , Mach3Bass , MP Enhance Clear Bass Info unavailable Info unavailable







Amplifier response bandwidth Info unavailable Info unavailable 20 - 20000 Hz 20 - 20000 Hz Info unavailable Info unavailable







Product name Samsung T10 (4GB, black)   Creative Zen V Plus (2GB, black)   Cowon D2 (4GB, black)   Sony NWZ-S618F (8GB, black)   SanDisk Sansa Clip (2GB, candy apple red)   Microsoft Zune (second generation, 80GB, black)  







Full specifications Full Specifications Full Specifications Full Specifications Full Specifications Full Specifications Full Specifications







Price range Check latest prices
$80-130
from 8 stores
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$60-93
from 5 stores
Check latest prices
$151
from 1 store
Check latest prices
$166-170
from 2 stores
Check latest prices
$50-65
from 7 stores
Check latest prices
$250
from 3 stores












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