When it comes to audio, video, and photo support, we recommend the Archos 405 over the Philips GoGear SA6185, without hesitation. Unfortunately, the Archos 405 lacks the FM radio, integrated speakers, and voice-recording found on the GoGear, which some users may consider must-have features.
Performance
Unsurprisingly, the audio and video performance of the Philips GoGear SA6185 is as middle-of-the-road as its features and design. Its sound quality during music playback is clean and lively, and can be shaped by a simple built-in custom EQ. The quality of the Philips GoGear SA6185's video playback is admirable considering the limitations of its 320x240 screen resolution and the inherent video degradation caused by converting all content before syncing it to the device. For the money, however, we prefer the video and photo quality of the Creative Zen or Archos 405.
We found voice recordings made with the Philips GoGear SA6185 free from the background hum and mechanical noise common to most inexpensive voice recorders, however, the 8kHz mono WAV files created by the player are far from high quality. The GoGear's FM radio offers decent reception, and although the player requires a connected pair of headphones to act as an FM antenna, users do have the option to play the radio through the built-in speakers. This throwback feature to the days of transistor radios is fitting, since the quality of the Philips GoGear SA6185's internal speakers is about what you'd expect from your grandpa's old Philco.
Philips rates the battery life of the SA6185 at 20 hours of audio or 5 hours of video.
What You'll Pay
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