MP3 players: does the make and model of said player affect the quality of sound?

[Soul Reputation]

I've never owned an MP3 player before. I ordered a combo MP3 player/digital voice recorder from Newegg, and it's on its way to me now.

I'm wondering if MP3 players are like sound speakers in that the quality of sound is and can be drastically affected in large degree by the make and model of the unit itself?

Forget about headphones: I'll note that I'm wondering about the quality of sound as the MP3 player plays music through external speakers and NOT through headphones. Just like you'd see at a birthday party or a wedding...where the music is being played for everyone in the audience to hear.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16873100012
http://www.olympusamerica.com/...oduct.asp?product=1292

 

[darth maul]

Yes there are differences. Sansa Fuze is supposed to be good but don't take it from me, as I don't have one. It has the recording capabilities like the one you linked to as well. FM radio. Video playback. Etc.

 

[Soul Reputation]

Originally posted by: darth maul
Yes there are differences. Sansa Fuze is supposed to be good but don't take it from me, as I don't have one. It has the recording capabilities like the one you linked to as well. FM radio. Video playback. Etc.

Sansa Fuze? Whoa...I've never even heard of Sansa Fuze till you mentioned it. What's nice about the Fuze is that it comes with a voice recorder, just like the Olympus I'm buying. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[Soul Reputation]

I read where something called a "bit rate" can make all the difference in the world when it comes to MP3 sound quality coming of out of an external speaker (don't care about headphone sound quality - only external sound quality like you'd experience at a birthday party or wedding).

For example, the difference between 120-something kbps and 320kbps is supposed to make a night and day difference in sound quality.

 

[boomhower]

From the same line of the FUze is the Clip, excellent sound quality for very little money.

 

[darth maul]

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1138035

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/ol...&cp=1&id=1218010175671


Built-in microSD/microSDHC media card slot
Lets you add additional content (media not included)

 

[darth maul]

Originally posted by: Soul Reputation
I read where something called a "bit rate" can make all the difference in the world when it comes to MP3 sound quality coming of out of an external speaker (don't care about headphone sound quality - only external sound quality like you'd experience at a birthday party or wedding).

For example, the difference between 120-something kbps and 320kbps is supposed to make a night and day difference in sound quality.

Bit rate matters! Very much so. If you encode with LAME at 128 vs 256, the 256 on most products sound a good bit better then the 128kbs encode. When comparing 256 to 320 that is more of a stretch to say there is a good bit of difference. I have been encoding most of my stuff at 256. DirecTV has a media playback system that allows for MP3s to be streamed from your computer to the DirecTV box and played back over your stereo system, now it might not be the best judgement for bit rates, but I will only encode at 256 or 320.

Audio books probably can get by with less, but I don't own any of those so I can't comment on that either.

But I did decide for myself that I will be getting the Fuze I linked to at best buy. 2GB isn't much, but I have a few micro SD cards that can boost that size up. Will need to get a dedicated 8GB or maybe just a 4GB card in the future, of which 2-3 weeks ago I bought a 4GB micro SDHC (SD high capacity) class 6 card (class six means it is a fast card ) for $8, so if you figure on another $10-$20 to get the capacity up a little higher the Fuze at BB seems like a hot deal.

 

[Cybertronic]

I think for MP3 player audio, Creative Labs and Sony are the best ... never tried the fuse yet though i must say its designs are interesting

 

[ArizonaSteve]

I thought the Cowon players were known for their sound quality.

 

[shortylickens]

Given that I am not an audiophile and I would be using small earbuds: No.
But I suppose if the player were exceptionally bad I would notice the difference.

 

[erwos]

iPods are fairly infamous for so-so sound quality. The Zune has a line-out on the docking connector that supposedly works quite nicely.

 

[Munky]

I have a Cowon U2 which has great sound quality, better than the gayPod I compared it with. But these days when I'm on the go I just use my phone and stereo bluetooth headset to play music. Doesn't sound as great, but the convenience makes up for it, and with all the ambient noise around me I'd be hard pressed to notice the subtleties.

To answer your question: yes, the make and model of an mp3 player does affect sound quality, as does the quality of the actual mp3's you're playing.