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This is a small, light and stylish music player with a simple matchbox-like design and a big, wide screen. It's an upgrade on Cowon's previous MP3-player model, this time with a volume dial, Bluetooth and more features. This could be a dealbreaker for some people, but if you only listen to music through streaming services such as Spotify and Tidal, these music players aren’t for you. For a few years, we were recommending the Astell&Kern AK70, which did offer Wi-Fi connectivity. Sadly, it’s now out of production.
The player is built with a full version of Android, complete with Wi-Fi connectivity and the Google Play Store, which results in it being kind of like an Android version of the iPod touch, able to do much more than just play music. However, the Onkyo DP-X1A is built for super-high-quality audio, and it's an absolute dream. It supports a range of music formats, including FLAC, OGG, WAV, MP3, ALAC, and more. In terms of hardware, the device has two chipsets, one to power the overall device, and one to handle the DAC and amplifier – resulting in a noise-free experience. If you’re looking for something to keep you company on long journeys, we’d opt for something with a longer battery life that also has more storage space. The Sony NW-E394 below should last you 35 hours, while three of the devices on this list come with a microSD slot for you to expand the amount of storage to accommodate even the largest of music collections. Can I use my MP3 player to stream music? We have state-of-the-art testing facilities in London, Reading and Bath, where our team of experienced, in-house reviewers tests the majority of hi-fi and AV kit that passes through our door, including the higher-end portable music players that might well be used in a portable hi-fi or desktop scenario. Yes, once you own a DAB radio it doesn’t cost anything to listen to digital radio (except for the electricity costs of recharging your radio). How about a customisable PMP with interchangeable DAC modules? That's the idea here – and we liked it so much, we gave it What Hi-Fi? 2021 and 2022 Awards. The SE180 is the third model in Astell & Kern’s near-flagship A&futura range, following the inauguralSE100andSE200, both of which gainedAwards from this very publication in 2019 and 2020 respectively.As the name suggests, Lossless Audio doesn't sacrifice any of the musical information: the successors to the WAV format used in CDs, which is also lossless, use more advanced technology to take the audio information and make the file smaller without compromising on quality. There are several versions of Lossless Audio including Apple Lossless, FLAC and WMA Lossless, and as you'll see from our guide above you'll often find that the best MP3 players support at least some of those formats. Brand – Some of the radios reviewed here are made by established brands such as Roberts and Sony, while others are made by less well-known Chinese brands such as Benss. While you can normally expect better build quality from established brands, this isn’t always the case. We tested the player with multiple pairs of headphones across multiple price ranges, and were stunned with the clarity and exceptional quality of the audio. There’s a reason the Onkyo DP-X1A sits atop this list – it’s a beast in the portable audio world. Always look for the latest model of digital radio as it will have the most up-to-date technology. For example, you should avoid buying the Roberts Sports DAB2 and instead buy the newer Roberts Sports DAB5.
Where the NW-A306 is let down is not in its music-playing skill, but slight niggles with its all round usability. During our testing, we found that the menu could be a little unresponsive, the battery longevity would vary and it surprisingly sounded like it struggled when playing a standard 128kbps audio file, which all together let down our all-round experience just a tad (well, by half a star to be exact). But there’s no denying that the positives vastly outweigh the negatives here. The interface is easy to control. Tap through options using the touchscreen, and select the music you want to listen to. It could be more responsive, but you get used to it. Battery life is around nine hours, which isn't amazing, but not terrible either. READ NEXT: Best running headphones The best MP3 players to buy 1. Sony Walkman NW-WS413 Waterproof 4GB: Best MP3 player for workouts There are even MP3 players here that can double up as a DAC to enhance the sound between your smartphone/laptop and headphones/speakers. Some have built-in access to streaming services, too, while others have even more functionality that mirrors a smartphone's (for better or worse). We test dozens of hi-res portable music players every year at TechRadar, and that means we know exactly which features, specs, file support and wireless audio codecs to look out for.It's important for us to compare the performance of these players against the claims made by their manufacturers, which is why we take the time to make sure the stamina, durability, connectivity and sound quality claims are legit.DAB+ is a more modern digital radio standard than DAB. Currently, there are stations on both DAB and DAB+, with many new stations being broadcast on the DAB+ and some existing stations choosing to move across. In the future, you may find that you need to switch frequency if your favourite channel begins broadcasting on DAB+. Look for a radio with DAB+ capabilities so that it’s “future-ready” and you won’t miss out on your favourite shows.
If you pair one of the devices in this buying guide with a set of the best headphones you’ve got the ultimate in premium, portable music: high-quality music that you can take on your travels.This feature is really helpful if you’re listening to the radio while walking, running, cycling or doing any other physical activity. You’ll get the best results using decent headphones and playing high-resolution files – lower-quality headphones and compressed files lose a lot of the detail, to the point where you may as well be using a smartphone. Isle of Man, Isle of Wight, Northern Ireland and the Scottish Highlands) may take longer to reach you. The Sony Walkman has long been a staple of the MP3 player market, and this latest model keeps the brand firmly in the game. The Sony NW-A306 is a remarkably petite and light device, but still capable of putting out powerful, authoritative audio with a wealth of detail.
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