Top 5 MP3 players with line-in recording
(Credit: CNET Networks/Corinne Schulze)In the world of MP3 players, not unlike the world of fashion, one day you're in; the next, you're out. If you're a passing feature fad, that is. While certain functions have gained and retained traction--playlist support, album art display, photo-viewing capability--many have fallen by the wayside. (Remember the micro hard drive?)
One such feature is integrated line-in recording, which allows you to record directly to the MP3 player from another audio source, such as your sound card or home stereo setup. Line-in has enjoyed brief surges in popularity since the inception of the MP3 player but is currently somewhat difficult to come across.
We're attempting to make it a bit easier by rounding up a few of our favorite devices that offer the extra. Some of the players even have a silence-detection feature that will automatically split tracks as you record.
For more than five years, Jasmine France has covered a variety of tech products for CNET--from scanners to keyboards to GPS devices--but she's happiest where she is now: sitting atop a pile of MP3 players, "testing" every music service known to man, and jamming a variety of earbuds in every shape and color into her absurdly small ears. E-mail Jasmine.
Donald Bell is an electronic musician, a veteran record store employee, and a fearless hardware hacker. He's also CNET's Senior Editor for MP3 and digital audio.
Jasmine France is CNET's resident digital audio doyenne, writing and editing product reviews, crave blogs, and feature stories on all things MP3. And if you need advice on headphones, she's your girl.
