Like music? Ready to join the 21st century?

If you’re still spinning CDs, tapes, or God forbid, records, it’s time to face the facts; the days of these artiques are long gone, and the new kid in town is the MP3 file. These handy little files have gained such popularity that they can no longer be considered a passing fad; within our time, it’s now generally accepted that mp3s and other digital audio formats will become the main medium of music. MP3 files can be made from your existing CD collection, enabling you to put every piece of music that you own on a single hard drive.

But what if you want to take it with you? With the plethora of digital audio players currently swarming the market, it’s tough to decide what you need. However, by understanding your own habits, needs, and budget, you can easily make a wise decision while stepping out of the stone age.

What is Digital Audio?

Music files that can be listened to on your computer are considered digital audio files. Most of these files are highly compressed, enabling a great deal of music to be stored on a relatively small file. The most popular of these compression formats is MP3, but it is by no means the only format in existence. Others include Apple’s AAC, Sony’s ATRAC3, and Windows’ WMA. Programs such as Apple’s iTunes and Window’s Media Player can be used to transfer music from a CD to one of the above file formats, and this process is called “ripping” a CD. Online music stores and peer-to-peer file sharing services can also be used to acquire digital audio files.

When picking out a portable digital audio player, it’s important to consider what digital audio format you’re ripping your CDs to and whether the player you’re looking at is able to play the file. Since nearly every modern player on the market is able to use MP3 files, it’s a wise decision to rip your CDs to that format.

Also, if you’re planning on buying music online, you may want to consider a subscription to a music service such as Napster; this will allow you to listen to any music that you want for a low monthly fee, and you can even transfer music you’ve downloaded to your digital audio player if it’s able to play Janus files (Apple’s iPod is not).

There are basically two kinds of mp3 players, those that use flash memory to store music and those that use hard drives. The advantages and disadvantages of each are fairly simple.

Flash Memory Based Digital Audio Players

These devices are usually small, both in physical size and internal storage capacity. An average flash player plays around 256 megabytes of music, somewhere around 62 songs, an average of six albums. However, larger flash based players are available; Apple’s iPod Nano is available up to 4 gigabytes, which translates to nearly 1,000 MP3s.

The biggest advantage of a flash memory digital audio player is that they can be handled rather roughly; there are no moving parts, so it’s perfectly fine to jog with one of these or do any other activity, as long as you don’t get it excessively wet. Of course, like anything else, flash memory will break down over time, so don’t expect one of these to last forever. Still, if you’re the type of person that occasionally drops their expensive electronics down a flight of stairs, you should definitely consider a flash based digital audio player. Note: the exception to this is the aforementioned iPod nano, which, according to Internet message boards, scratches extremely easily (this doesn’t affect the functionality, however).

Hard Drive Based Digital Audio Players

Hard drive based digital audio players allow you to carry massive amounts of music wherever you go; these average around 20 gigabytes, and larger and smaller models are available. 20 gigabytes is about 5,000 MP3s, and some of these players, such as Apple’s iPod, also allow you to play movies and view pictures. For the serious music lover, a hard drive based player is the way to go; however, hard drives are extremely fragile, so extra care must be taken to ensure that these players are not harshly treated. Hard drive based mp3 players are also larger than flash MP3 players and are overall more expensive.

When shopping for a hard drive based MP3 player, you’ll want to start with Apple’s iPod. This is by far the most popular product in the field, and for a reason. With Apple’s iTunes, it’s easy to use, and the features are amazing. The pricing is also reasonable; at the time this article was written, a 30 gigabyte iPod cost $299, with a 60 gigabyte model only a hundred dollars more. On Ebay, iPods go for even less, although as with any used hard drive you’ll want to check to see how the old owner treated the device before placing any bids.

You may be able to save some money by looking at some of Apple’s competition. Most hard drive based mp3 players are less expensive than the iPod, though they lack some of the functionality. For example, Samsung’s YH-925GS, besides having a much less trendy name than the iPod, has extremely long load times and doesn’t display album art for MP3s.

Not all of Apple’s competition is so flawed. iRiver’s H140, besides trying to steal the iPod’s name, has a build in voice recorder, FM radio, and fantastic sound. If you don’t care about brand names or being trendy, it’s worth testing out a few players such as this at your local Best Buy. Look for good battery life (over 12 hours is now standard), an easy interface, and any extra features that you find attractive.

My recommendation, though, is still the iPod; it’s the only player popular enough to ensure that you’ll always be able to find support for it, including firmware updates and repair services.

Computer Requirements

You’ll need the latest version of Windows or Mac OS to use most mp3 players, and either a USB or a Firewire port to connect the device to. Read all of the documentation that comes with your player; incorrectly following the setup procedure might cause damage to your new MP3 player.

Once your new digital audio player is set up, you copy your music collection (or at least part of it, depending upon the storage capacity of the new device) right away, and head out the door into the modern age. With a little consumer savvy, you’ll be dancing down the street in no time. Still, you might need some help on some of those dance moves…

External Links:

• iTunes and iPod - Provides info on iPod and a free download of iTunes.
• Napster - This software allows you to play Janus files.
• Ebay - A great site to begin looking for mp3 players.