On Campus: Mp3 = Aural Ecstasy

Part Walkman, part jukebox, all serious listening machine. Portable Digital Audio devices, or Mp3 players as they’re commonly called, are about as avant-garde as you can get when it comes to taking your music on the fly. Mp3 players come in myriad shapes, sizes, capabilities and prices. They’ve hit the mainstream, and no self-respecting music lover should be without one.

Mp3 players have tons of advantages over portable CD players. First, Mp3 players are lighter and much less bulky than CD players. Mp3 players can be as small as a pager, and many are no bigger than your computer’s mouse. Second, because of their size, Mp3 players are extremely portable. They’re easier to slip into a pocket or bag, or even clip on your waist or strap to your arm. And no CD collections to lug around. Third, Mp3 players are capable of holding hours of music; as many different songs in whatever order you see fit to create! They never skip a beat. And finally, by downloading music from the Web or ripping CDs, you’ll be paying a fraction of what you had been paying for music. Here’s a smattering of what’s available right now.

Creative Labs has introduced the Nomad IIc DAP6406. They know what they’re doing in the digital audio field, and this affordable Mp3 player delivers the goods. At around $130, you get 64 megabytes (MB) of storage capacity, or a little over an hour of music. Memory is upgradeable with a SmartMedia card (sold separately) for over two hours of audio. Nomad IIc supports Mp3, WAV and WMA audio formats. The Nomad also has sound recording capabilities for taking down your spontaneous epiphanies or thoughtful diatribes. This is probably a good buy, as Creative Labs is a proven purveyor of digital audio goods. www.creative.com

RCA gives us the k@zoo. Also storing 64 (upgradeable to 128) MB, the k@zoo RD1060 is about as big as a kazoo, one of the smallest Mp3 players out there. k@zoo has 5 preset equalizer modes (flat, bass, pop, rock, and jazz), and 4 play modes (play, shuffle, repeat [all], and program). As a dedicated Mp3 player, the k@zoo only supports Mp3 format audio, and has no other peripheral capabilities (read: “bells and whistles”). But for only $100, it’s one of the best values in the Mp3 market. Very small profile, very competitive attitude. www.rca.com

Samsung’s yepp Mini Digital Audio Player YP-30S is definitely the coolest looking package I’ve seen so far. $150 gives you 64MB of storage and all your necessary accessories (lanyard for carrying around your neck, arm strap, waist/belt clip, earphones, battery) that many Mp3 packages don’t include. The yepp YP-30S is also among the lightest players, and compares in size with RCA’s k@zoo. yepp also has voice-recording capabilities in case you want to doze off during lecture. The only drawback to this very appealing Mp3 player is the lack of expandable memory. But I’m not mad at it, it’s still cool. www.samsungusa.com

For you Mac fans, there’s the iPod. This is an extremely slick package with lots of capabilities and storage capacity. But like most dedicated Mac stuff, it’s a bit more expensive. iPod starts at around $300. www.apple.com

Because Mp3 players are so new, their dependability and durability have yet to be proven. Nike’s psa play Mp3 player claims to be athletics-oriented, with a water-resistant case. However, my roommate’s Nike Mp3 player ceased working properly after a few trips to the gym, and a friend who works at an electronics store has seen quite a few returned due to moisture damage. This is only one example, but I’d be wary of heavy-duty activities with an Mp3 player. www.nike.com

All Mp3 players come with software (most PC and Mac) for transferring audio files from your computer to your player via USB port. There’s even the Digisette cassette (!!) with USB capability for recording from your cassette deck, radio and even record player. Most Mp3 packages come with earphones and other accessories (like armbands), but check the packaging for what’s included, and what you’ll need to buy to make your Mp3 player keep up with you.

“Jukebox” style Mp3 players have built in hard drives, capable of holding MANY hours of music, and have lots of cool features (sound recording, editing, etc). They’re less portable than the 32-128MB Mp3 players, more expensive, but if you’re a DJ or an ultra audiophile, a very cool item. Most Mp3 players are also “future-upgradeable,” meaning future audio formats will be compatible with your current Mp3 player. Cool. Leave your CD’s at home and meet the hottest new music box in town. The Mp3 player has arrived.