Jasmine France,
October 30, 2008
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 computer or home stereo set-up. 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 some of our favorite devices that offer the extra. Some of the players below, such as the CC Witness, even have a silence-detection feature that will automatically split tracks as you record.
| Product name | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $105.99 to $109.95 | $69.95 | $53.99 to $95.21 | $119.99 to $124.99 | Check Prices |
| CNET editors' rating |
|
|
|
|
|
| Average user rating | |||||
| Review date | July 19, 2007 | August 13, 2007 | June 20, 2006 | February 27, 2007 | October 28, 2008 |
| The Bottom Line | The Cowon iAudio 7 beats the industry heavyweight iPod Nano in price, features, battery life, and sound quality. The user interface could use some refinement, but all-in-all this is a very impressive MP3 player. | The Toshiba Gigabeat U is one tough, classy player that nails all the right features at a great price. | The Creative Zen V Plus is a superb choice for anyone looking for a compact and feature-filled flash MP3 player with great sound quality. If you're looking for a more sophisticated design (or have large thumbs), look elsewhere. | If you can get on board with the Cowon D2's PDA-like touch screen interface, the reward is great-sounding audio, a smorgasbord of features, and a fantastic battery life. | The C. Crane Witness AM/FM MP3 player is expensive, has some questionable interface issues, and doesn't have a lot of the bells and whistles of most modern MP3 players, but if you must have an AM tuner and the ability to schedule radio recordings, this is the device for you. |
| Similar Products | Compare more products | Compare more products | Compare more products | Compare more products | Compare more products |
| Features | |||||
| Battery technology |
Lithium polymer |
Info unavailable |
Lithium ion |
Lithium polymer |
Info unavailable |
| Digital player (recorder) |
WMA FLAC ASF WAV Ogg Vorbis MPEG 1 Audio MPEG 2.5 Audio MPEG 2 Audio MP3 |
WMA WAV MP3 |
WMA WAV ADPCM Protected WMA (DRM 9) Audible MP3 |
WMA FLAC WAV Ogg Vorbis MPEG 1 Audio MPEG 2.5 Audio MPEG 2 Audio MP3 |
Info unavailable |
| Digital Player total harmonic distortion | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
0.05 % |
Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
| Software type |
Cowon jetShell Cowon jetAudio Drivers & Utilities |
Windows Media Player 10 Drivers & Utilities |
Creative ZENcast Organizer Creative Media Explorer Creative MediaSource |
Cowon jetAudio VX Cowon jetShell |
Info unavailable |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) |
1.4 in x 0.7 in x 3 in |
1.4 in x 0.4 in x 3 in |
1.7 in x 0.6 in x 2.7 in |
3.1 in x 0.7 in x 2.2 in |
Info unavailable |
| Color |
Red |
Black |
Green |
Red |
Info unavailable |
| PC interface(s) supported |
Hi-Speed USB |
USB |
Hi-Speed USB |
Hi-Speed USB |
Info unavailable |
| Mfr estimated battery life |
60 hour(s) |
20 hour(s) |
15 hour(s) |
52 hour(s) |
Info unavailable |
| Flash memory form factor | Info unavailable |
Integrated |
Integrated |
Integrated |
Info unavailable |
| Weight |
2.1 oz |
1.5 oz |
|||
