Pocket-Size MP3 Players Pack Powerful Punch for Music to Go

The hottest thing in the music industry, aside from Carlos Santana, is a technology called MP3, which allows music lovers to download tunes from the Internet for free. Songs can then be played on a tiny machine that is less than half the size of a Sony Walkman.

MP3 compresses audio files at nearly CD quality for easy transmission over the Internet. The technology is terrifying the record industry, because the files can be downloaded for free, meaning no sales for the big music companies.

Industry experts believe MP3 will kill both the cassette and CD formats over the next several years.

Music lovers have been bombarded by a flood of portable MP3 players that have hit the market in recent months. And the current wave of MP3 players do more than just spit out tunes. They’re smaller, smarter and connect with your home hi-fi, e-mail account and car stereo.

They’re also less expensive, but still not cheap. I sampled a cross-section of some of today’s more popular models, from relatively inexpensive ones (less than $200) to gadgets aimed to make a dent in your wallet (nearly $800).

To test the quality of the audio of each player, I downloaded tracks from orchestras performing various Mozart pieces (to be soothed); Metallica’s latest rock-classical release (to be motivated); and techno DJ Moby’s record “Play” (to distract myself from the pain while running).

Although each device has its strengths, each of the five players I tested had some sort of technical problem or incompatibility with my computer. Either the software wouldn’t work, the driver wouldn’t load or the instructions weren’t very clear. Nothing too serious, but enough to be irksome. Fixing them means either you’re comfortable working with computer problems--or have a friend who enjoys a technology challenge.

Here’s how I rank them, from best to worst:

Lyra

RCA’s Lyra is a great “introduction to digital music” player. Easy to use, with a large display and bright backlight, the Lyra comes with RealJukebox software that is a snap to install.

Though the 4.8-ounce Lyra is heavier than some of the competition, it’s still light enough to forget about when you’re exercising outdoors. The Lyra’s viewing screen highlights a six-song playlist with an artist’s name and the song title. You also have an array of programming and shuffle options.

It allows you to play RealAudio G2 files--which, like MP3 files, are songs saved in a digital format. Considering that compression technology is changing every day, it’s nice to know that you can have a bit of flexibility when storing or downloading tunes.

The player sounds great, but the limited memory--the basic, $199 version has enough space for only about 30 minutes of music--is annoying. RCA and SanDisk, which makes the memory cards that store the MP3 files, said they will start selling add-ons this year that will let people store several hours worth of music.

That’s great until you realize that the card will cost at least double what you paid for the player.

Rio 500

Diamond Multimedia’s Rio is the granddaddy of MP3 players. The 500, its second-generation machine, was designed to play MP3 files really well--better than the original.

Incredibly light at 2.7 ounces, the $269 Rio comes with enough storage capacity to capture more than 90 minutes of music. One MP3-friendly element is the high-speed connection known as a USB port, which is used to transfer files from your home computer to the player. It is a huge boon over the previous model’s reliance on a slower link.

Diamond also has improved the RioPort Audio Manager software, which instantly tracks down every MP3 tune on your system and lists them in a pop-up frame. It’s a terrific feature, particularly if you download lots of music and tend to forget where you’ve stored your tracks, or have several drives on your machine.

The Rio’s equalizer system is terrific. It includes both presets and manual bass and treble settings. The Rio also is the only portable player that works with Audible.com files, which allow you to listen to audio books available for the Audible MobilePlayer, software that Diamond will roll out soon.

This is the player for anyone who wants to finally dump their cassettes and join the MP3 nation.

eGo

You have the tunes. You want them in the car. That’s the goal of I2Go.com’s eGo, which takes your MP3 files and lets you listen to them with the help of a regular cassette adapter or a direct connection to the stereo’s RCA port.

Surprisingly, the music sounds pretty clear through the car speakers. Drive on bumpy roads, and the music never skips. The player also has several interesting features, which are either a bonus or a detraction depending on your point of view.

You can buy extra memory that can be stored in the player. Of course, anything over the basic (64 megabytes) is going to pump up the price tag--from $189 for no memory, to nearly $700 for the fully stocked model with all the additional memory.

You also can download your e-mail from your desktop through a USB port, and the player will dictate the mail while you drive. You can even send a response back by dictating your reply, which the software will translate into e-mail when you plug it into your computer.

I’m all for toys with cool quirks. But consider the practicality of this last function. Do you really need one more distraction while you’re talking on the cell phone and trying not to speed on the freeway?

Nomad 64

For sheer gadget-loving appeal, you can’t beat Creative Labs’ Nomad. A portable playback device about the size of a big matchbook, the $279 Nomad can pack a bit more than an hour’s worth of high-quality digital music in its memory. It also includes an FM radio and a voice recorder, so you can use the Nomad as a Dictaphone.

When whipped out in the middle of a lunch with several technology executives, the Nomad drew several envious glances and--in a true moment of techno-glee--brought the meeting to a halt. The general consensus among the group: Whoever designed the player’s lightweight, silver case, which sports an oval graphic display that shows the song title, deserves an award.

But then, the Nomad crashed while I was running. Getting it to work again meant unscrewing the case and rebooting the device.

Another downside is that the player plugs into your computer’s parallel port--bulkier, harder to reach, and a much slower link for swapping tunes between the two machines. The Nomad II, due out later this year, will be an easier plug-and-play through the computer’s USB port. And for the audiophile, the Nomad Jukebox--also coming out later this year--will feature enough storage that people will be able to take dozens of hours of digital music out on the road. Creative has not released a retail price for the Nomad II or the Jukebox.

Personal Jukebox PJB-100

The Personal Jukebox from HanGo is an industrial and clunky-looking machine. Imagine a clear, red box about the size of a romance novel, with all the circuitry and wiring peeking through the plastic cover. It’s cool on an iMac, but not for an MP3 player.

But looks don’t matter too much when you consider how much music you can store on the Personal Jukebox: About 81 hours of music, or about 1,200 MP3 files. How do they do that? Instead of using tiny memory chips like the other players, the Personal Jukebox relies on an actual hard-drive similar to the ones inside your PC to save all those songs.

The Personal Jukebox lets you record a CD straight to the player--something that the other players in this review do not. Load the software onto your computer, plug the player in to the computer, and you’re ready to go.

Once the files are sent to the Personal Jukebox, you can categorize the music into sets by using the display and simple up/down keys. (One minor complaint: The shutdown switch is set too close to the other scrolling keys. I kept turning the player off, when all I wanted to do was flip back to a previous song.)

For many people, particularly those who spend a lot of time on airplanes, the Personal Jukebox could be a great way to slim down the luggage and still have hours of tunes. But you’ll pay for it: The player sells for $799. And don’t expect symphony-like quality: Mozart sounded pretty flat, even with the help of some expensive headphones.

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MP3 Sound Check

A new wave of MP3 players has hit the market recently. Here is a quick look at five of them. For more detailed reviews, please see C8.

* Rio 500

$269

Great sound, but plays only music

*

* Personal Jukebox PJB-100: $799

Ugly, but has tons of memory

*

* Nomad 64

$279

A gadget lover’s delight

*

* Lyra

$199 to $249

Easy to use; great for first-timers

*

* eGo

$189 to $699

Transfers tunes to car stereo

* SONG-SWAPPING SOFTWARE

“Napster” has the music industry--and some colleges--up in arms. A1