These days, it's no easy feat to hunt down a portable music player capable of creating quality recordings with push-button simplicity. This list compiles our favorite MP3 players that produce great results using a standard line input cable. Some of these players, such as the Toshiba Gigabeat U and Cowon iAudio 7, can also detect the silences between songs and automatically split the recording into separate tracks--handy for recording entire albums in one pass.
If you're looking to add recording capability to an iPod, check out the Griffin iTalk Pro.
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| Product name |
Cowon iAudio 7 (8GB, red) |
Toshiba Gigabeat U (2GB, Black) |
Creative Zen V Plus (8GB, black) |
Cowon D2 (4GB, red) |
Creative Zen Nano Plus (1GB, Black) |
| Review date | July 19, 2007 | August 13, 2007 | June 20, 2006 | February 27, 2007 | June 05, 2006 |
| CNET editors' rating |
Excellent |
Very good |
Excellent |
Excellent |
Very good |
| Users' rating |
Very good |
Spectacular (
from 2
users)
|
Good |
Spectacular (
from 9
users)
|
Very good |
| Buying choices |
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| Local shopping | No local stores found | No local stores found | No local stores found | No local stores found | No local stores found |
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| Review summary | The Cowon iAudio 7 beats the industry heavyweight iPod Nano in price, features, battery life, and sound quality. The user interface could use some refinement, but all-in-all this is a very impressive MP3 player. | The Toshiba Gigabeat U is one tough, classy player that nails all the right features at a great price. | 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. | If you're looking for a feature-packed flash player but you don't want to spend a ton to get one, Creative's Zen Nano Plus is the device for you. |
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| Basic Specs | |||||
| PC interface(s) supported | Hi-Speed USB | USB | Hi-Speed USB | Hi-Speed USB | Hi-Speed USB |
| Flash memory installed | 8 GB | 2 GB | 8 GB | 4 GB | 1 GB |
| Digital player signal-to-noise ratio | 95 dB | Info unavailable | 92 dB | 95 dB | 90 dB |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 1.4 in x 0.7 in x 3 in | 1.4 in x 0.4 in x 3 in | 1.7 in x 0.6 in x 2.7 in | 3.1 in x 0.7 in x 2.2 in | 1.3 in x 0.5 in x 2.6 in |
| Weight | 2.1 oz | 1.5 oz | 1.6 oz | 3.2 oz | 0.8 oz |
| Resolution | 160 x 128 | Info unavailable | 128 x 128 | 360 x 240 | Info unavailable |
| Battery technology | Lithium polymer | Info unavailable | Lithium ion | Lithium polymer | Alkaline |
| Mfr estimated battery life | 60 hour(s) | 20 hour(s) | Info unavailable | 52 hour(s) | 18 hour(s) |
| Software type | Cowon jetAudio , Cowon jetShell , Drivers & Utilities | Drivers & Utilities , Windows Media Player 10 | Creative MediaSource , Creative Media Explorer , Creative ZENcast Organizer | Cowon jetShell , Cowon jetAudio VX | Drivers & Utilities , Creative MediaSource |
| Product type | Digital player / radio | Digital player / radio | Digital player / radio | Digital player / radio | Flash player |
| Color | Red | Black | Blue | Red | Info unavailable |
| Sound output mode | Stereo | Stereo | Stereo | Stereo | Stereo |
| Width | 1.4 in | 1.4 in | 1.7 in | 3.1 in | 1.3 in |
| Depth | 0.7 in | 0.4 in | 0.6 in | 0.7 in | 0.5 in |
| Height | 3 in | 3 in | 2.7 in | 2.2 in | 2.6 in |
| Sound effects | BBE , Mach3Bass , MP Enhance | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | BBE , Mach3Bass , MP Enhance | Info unavailable |
| Equalizer factory presets | Pop , Jazz , Rock , Vocal , Normal , Classic | Info unavailable | Pop , Jazz , Rock , Disco , Vocal , NewAge , Classic , Acoustical | Pop , Jazz , Rock , Vocal , Normal , Classic | Pop , Jazz , Rock , Classic |
| Amplifier response bandwidth | 20 - 20000 Hz | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | 20 - 20000 Hz | Info unavailable |
| Amplifier total output power | 52 mW | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
| Digital player (recorder) | ASF , MP3 , WAV , WMA , FLAC , Ogg Vorbis , MPEG 1 Audio , MPEG 2 Audio , MPEG 2.5 Audio | MP3 , WAV , WMA | 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 | MP3 , WMA , Protected WMA (DRM) |
| Flash memory form factor | Info unavailable | Integrated | Integrated | Integrated | Integrated |
| Manufacturer warranty | Info unavailable | 1 year warranty | 1 year warranty | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
| Digital Player total harmonic distortion | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | 0.05 % | Info unavailable | 0.1 % |
| Product name |
Cowon iAudio 7 (8GB, red)
|
Toshiba Gigabeat U (2GB, Black) |
Creative Zen V Plus (8GB, black)
|
Cowon D2 (4GB, red) | Creative Zen Nano Plus (1GB, Black) |
| Full specifications | Full Specifications | Full Specifications | Full Specifications | Full Specifications | Full Specifications |
| Price range |
$135 from 1 store |
$70 from 1 store |
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$145 from 1 store |
$n/a from 0 store |