mp3 Players - Benefits and the 3 Best Models

Do you have hundreds of compact discs lying around collecting dust, just begging to be listened to? If so, then you may wish to consider purchasing an MP3 player.

An MP3 player is an electronic device that stores, organizes, and plays music for you. Well, if you have a large collection of CD's and decide one day that you would like to listen to a couple of tracks from one CD and a couple from another, that would mean that you must swap out the CD when you want to listen to something else. This is fine if you're just sitting at home, but could be quite problematic while running.

It is very inefficient to carry around dozens of compact discs on the off-chance that you may want to listen to one song. Therefore, with an MP3 player, you could carry around your entire music collection in a device that weighs only a few ounces.

Comparing mp3 Players

Apple iPod

One of the most popular MP3 players is the iPod and this is for many reasons. The iPod offers both flash-based and hard-drive players; flash drives are for smaller music collections or for more active users, whereas hard drives are typically for larger music collections.

Many 'bargain-bin' MP3 players simply play music, and if that is what you are looking for, that's great. iPods, however, do much more for a similar price. About two-thirds of the models play videos, photos, games, and have calendars, clocks, and store notes in addition to keeping all of your music within arm's reach. Cheap iPods are available online and you can save some serious cash by avoiding retail stores.

Zen mp3 Players

Famous for its Sound Blaster sound cards and for launching the multimedia revolution, Creative is now driving digital entertainment on the PC platform with products like its highly acclaimed ZEN™ portable audio and media players.

The iPod, the Zune, Zen, or any other MP3 Player are all pretty much the same as far as what they were made for. However all of them have there flaws and also there benefits. The budget models, such as Zen can be a good alternative for those seeking to spend less money and are looking for a cheap mp3 player.

Sansa

The Sansa e200 Series MP3 players are the main products of SanDisks audio line. It is a great value with a slim design, simple interface, plentiful features, memory expansion capability, and solid sound quality with a nice budget price tag. It has a solid sound, user-friendly interface and is a great value.

All things considered, an iPod or any type of player is a solid investment for the music lover in all of us. They are convenient for use at home or on the go, and commonly do much more than just playing music.