-
Step 1
What’s your price range? Quality MP3 players can range from one to several hundred dollars. Before you start looking around for an MP3 player to buy, figure out the maximum amount you can afford to spend.
-
Step 2
Where do you get your media from? Some subscription services out there (i.e., Napster) don’t support every MP3 player on the market. Be sure to check with your subscription service to get a list of supported models before buying an MP3 player. Otherwise, you may end up having to look elsewhere for your media.
-
Step 3
What do you want your MP3 player to do? Back when MP3 players started hitting the market, a majority (if not all) of them were only capable of playing music. Nowadays, the bulk of players have the ability to store and view images and videos. If you are interested in an MP3 player that can store your photos and videos, keep in mind that this should also be a factor in deciding on size and display. You’ll want to purchase something that has a clear, crisp picture and can store your media.
-
Step 4
What file format is your media? Not all MP3 players support a variety of formats. The most common file format for music is MP3; however, if some of your songs are in another format (WAV, for example), you won’t be able to access them on an MP3 player that doesn’t support that format. The same thing applies to photos and video. Be sure to check and make sure that the player you are interested in supports the file formats you use.
-
Step 5
What size MP3 player are you looking for? Players can hold anywhere from 1GB to 120GB or more. Keep in mind that the average song is roughly 4-6MB and that there are 1024MB in 1GB. So, a 1GB player can hold anywhere from 170 to 256 songs (this can range depending on the size and format of the song). If you are an avid music fan with a large library that grows regularly, you would be better off investing in a player that holds more. However, if you are a casual listener who doesn’t add music to your library very often, it would be a waste of money to invest in a player with that much storage space. If you ever anticipate running out of space, look at MP3 players that take memory cards.
-
Step 6
What additional features are you interested in? Some people enjoy their MP3 player just so that they can play music, but others make use of other features that are available; such as a built-in microphone, FM radio, or Bluetooth. Be sure to keep in mind what features you think you would or wouldn’t use.
-
Step 7
What about functions and controls? This is more less a matter of preference; however, touch screen MP3 players can be considerably more expensive than the standard button controls. Additionally, you want to make sure that you purchase a player that has comfortable controls for you to use. Nothing is worse than buying an MP3 player and discovering that the buttons are too small for you to navigate easily. Check out some local electronics stores and ask if they have any MP3 players available for you to “test drive”.
