Jens of Sweden MP-110 review: Jens of Sweden MP-110

The 256MB MP-110 from Jens of Sweden is an update to the Editors' Choice MP-100, which is almost identical. The MP-110 keeps its progenitor's ultracompact size, light carriage, and robust feature set, while adding better looks and minor features.

The MP-110 comes in a stainless-steel cylinder; open it up, and out pops a silver device roughly the size of a packet of chewing gum. While we found the MP-100's design slightly chintzy, the updated MP-110 steps up to the competition with champagne-colored casing and a cleaner, more solid feel. The cost of these improvements is a small increase in size. Where the MP-100 was 3.1 by 1 by 0.6 inches, the MP-110 is 3.5 by 1.1 by 0.6 inches.

When the MP-100 first came out, we were impressed by its backlit, 128x34-pixel LCD since most other plug-in players had a smaller screen or none at all. But now that some of the competition features larger, more-legible LCDs, the display on the MP-110 isn't as noteworthy. However, despite its small size, the LCD still showcases a great deal of information: track, artist, and album name, along with elapsed and total time, track number, battery life, and volume level. Next to the play/pause/power button on the bottom of the player is a jog dial that lets you skip tracks, adjust the volume, and navigate menus. Transferring music to the MP-110 is a simple matter of pulling off the USB cap, plugging the player into your system's USB port, then dragging and dropping your music files onto the player. A USB cord is also included, which is useful if your computer's USB ports are awkwardly located. The MP-110 works with systems running Windows 98 SE and later, Mac OS 8.6 or later, and Linux OS, so you can plug it into pretty much any machine to upload or download music or other files.

The player doesn't skimp when it comes to extras. It boasts an FM radio with 15 presets, and depending on the sound-quality setting you choose, it can record up to 17 hours of radio to a WAV file. Finally, the built-in mike records between 3 and 17 hours of voice memos (again, depending on the quality setting). "--="" rel="noopener nofollow" class="c-regularLink" target="_blank">&siteid=7&edid=&lop=txt&destcat=ex&destUrl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ejensofsweden%2Ecom%2Findex%2Easp%3Fpage%3Dproducts%26subpage%3D%2Faccessories" target="_blank">Optional extras include two cases, an armband, and a portable travel charger (220V only).

Sound quality on the MP-110 was excellent, thanks to its equalizer and a signal-to-noise ratio of 90dB. Plus, it outputs enough power for most listeners: 7mW per channel at 16 ohms. The MP-110 is armed with nine EQ presets (including Rock, Pop, Techno, and Jazz) and a user-defined mode, which lets you tweak sound to your liking. The MP-110 has the SRS Wow DSP feature onboard, which can improve the sound of your music by simulating a three-dimensional space, adding extra TruBass, and customizing the sound for various speaker sizes (useful if you've connected the player to powered speakers or your home stereo).

The lithium-polymer battery charges via USB and lasts up to 12 hours with the EQ enable intermittently.

We said that the MP-100 mocked the competition by combining decent sound quality and high-end features in a compact, plug-in design. Though the field is getting more crowded, the MP-110 still stands out from the rest with its impressive features and classier design.