Computer Reviews and Computer Products – Computer Shopper
Computer Shopper > Reviews > Mobile Connectivity and Entertainment


Search:
Go!


advertisement

Top 5 MP3 players with line-in recording

Jasmine France
Jasmine France, Senior Associate Editor
Updated October 29, 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.

  remove this product remove this product remove this product remove this product remove this product
Product name Cowon iAudio 7 (8GB, red)
Cowon iAudio 7 (8GB, red)  
Toshiba Gigabeat U (2GB, Black)
Toshiba Gigabeat U (2GB, Black)  
Creative Zen V Plus (2GB, black)
Creative Zen V Plus (2GB, black)  
Cowon D2 (4GB, red)
Cowon D2 (4GB, red)  
C. Crane Witness AM/FM MP3 Player
C. Crane Witness AM/FM MP3 Player  






Review date July 19, 2007   August 13, 2007   June 20, 2006   February 27, 2007   October 28, 2008  






CNET editors' rating 8.3 out of 10 8.3
Excellent
7.3 out of 10 7.3
Very good
8.3 out of 10 8.3
Excellent
8.3 out of 10 8.3
Excellent
6.0 out of 10 6.0
Good






Users' rating 7.4 out of 10 7.4
Very good
9.0 out of 10 9.0
Spectacular
6.9 out of 10 6.9
Good
9.4 out of 10 9.4
Spectacular
Be one of the first to rate this product!






Buying choices
Prices from online stores:
processing...

Searching for pricing data...


 
Prices from online stores:
processing...

Searching for pricing data...


 
Prices from online stores:
processing...

Searching for pricing data...


 
Prices from online stores:
processing...

Searching for pricing data...


 
Prices from online stores:
processing...

Searching for pricing data...


 






Local shopping No local stores found No local stores found No local stores found No local stores found No local stores found






Product videos Watch video Watch video Watch video Watch video Watch video






Review summary 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.






Product series See all products in this series See all products in this series See all products in this series See all products in this series  






My Products
Basic Specs
PC interface(s) supported Hi-Speed USB USB Hi-Speed USB Hi-Speed USB Info unavailable






Flash memory installed 8 GB 2 GB 2 GB 4 GB Info unavailable






Digital player signal-to-noise ratio 95 dB Info unavailable 92 dB 95 dB 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






Weight 2.1 oz 1.5 oz 1.6 oz 3.2 oz Info unavailable






Resolution 160 x 128 Info unavailable 128 x 128 360 x 240 Info unavailable






Battery technology Lithium polymer Info unavailable Lithium ion Lithium polymer Info unavailable






Mfr estimated battery life 60 hour(s) 20 hour(s) 15 hour(s) 52 hour(s) Info unavailable






Software type Cowon jetAudio , Cowon jetShell , Drivers & Utilities Drivers & Utilities , Windows Media Player 10 Creative MediaSource , Creative Media Explorer , Creative ZENcast Organizer Cowon jetShell , Cowon jetAudio VX Info unavailable






Product type Digital player / radio Digital player / radio Digital player / radio Digital player / radio Info unavailable






Color Red Black Green Red Info unavailable






Sound output mode Stereo Stereo Stereo Stereo Info unavailable






Width 1.4 in 1.4 in 1.7 in 3.1 in Info unavailable






Depth 0.7 in 0.4 in 0.6 in 0.7 in Info unavailable






Height 3 in 3 in 2.7 in 2.2 in Info unavailable






Sound effects BBE , Mach3Bass , MP Enhance Info unavailable Info unavailable BBE , Mach3Bass , MP Enhance Info unavailable






Equalizer factory presets Pop , Jazz , Rock , Vocal , Normal , Classic Info unavailable Pop , Jazz , Rock , Disco , Vocal , NewAge , Classic , Acoustical Pop , Jazz , Rock , Vocal , Normal , Classic Info unavailable






Amplifier response bandwidth 20 - 20000 Hz Info unavailable Info unavailable 20 - 20000 Hz Info unavailable






Amplifier total output power 52 mW Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable Info unavailable






Digital player (recorder) ASF , MP3 , WAV , WMA , FLAC , Ogg Vorbis , MPEG 1 Audio , MPEG 2 Audio , MPEG 2.5 Audio MP3 , WAV , WMA MP3 , WAV , WMA , ADPCM , Audible , Protected WMA (DRM 9) MP3 , WAV , WMA , FLAC , Ogg Vorbis , MPEG 1 Audio , MPEG 2 Audio , MPEG 2.5 Audio Info unavailable






Flash memory form factor Info unavailable Integrated Integrated Integrated Info unavailable






Manufacturer warranty Info unavailable 1 year warranty 1 year warranty Info unavailable Info unavailable






Digital Player total harmonic distortion Info unavailable Info unavailable 0.05 % Info unavailable Info unavailable






Product name Cowon iAudio 7 (8GB, red)   Toshiba Gigabeat U (2GB, Black)   Creative Zen V Plus (2GB, black)   Cowon D2 (4GB, red)   C. Crane Witness AM/FM MP3 Player  






Full specifications Full Specifications Full Specifications Full Specifications Full Specifications Full Specifications






Price range Check latest prices
$106-110
from 3 stores
Check latest prices
$n/a
from 0 store
Check latest prices
$53
from 1 store
Check latest prices
$n/a
from 0 store
Check latest prices
$n/a
from 0 store









Popular on CBS sites: Fantasy Football | Miley Cyrus | MLB | Wii | GPS | Recipes | Mock Draft


© 2008 CNET Networks, Inc., a CBS Company. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use