VIn this article, we break down the top 3 MP3 players on the market this year based on their performance and the situations they’ll be used in. We’ll be taking a look at products in every budget range, so regardless of whether you’ve got a few bucks to spare and want the best value or are looking for the best of the best, we’ll have an option for you. So if you’re interested in finding out which MP3 player will be best for you, stay tuned.
First up is the Sony NW-A55 Walkman A-Series, our pick for a great all-rounder MP3 player. The Sony NW-A55 Walkman A-Series has a slim design, a slick GUI, and responsive touch controls. This MP3 player is equipped with an S-Master HX amplifier, so you can listen to your music with higher-quality than CD-quality high-res audio and an integrated DSEE-HX system that can restore high-range sounds that may have been lost during compression. Off the top, the build quality of the NW-A55 is very good and it is built on an aluminum-milled frame. The back of the device is plastic, most likely to allow the Bluetooth and NFC signals to pass through, but nothing feels cheap about it when held in hand. The buttons are well spaced and feature raised dots that make them easy to identify if the player is in your pocket. When it comes to loading music onto the NW-A55, pretty much any format you can think of is supported, including Apple Lossless, DSD, MQA, MP3, WMA, FLAC, HEAAC, and more. You can load them directly onto the player using Sony’s proprietary cable or transfer them using a microSD card. The NW-A55’s proprietary operating system is designed specifically for music playback. With a clean, intuitive, and easy-to-use interface, it gives you the ability to customize your music with custom categories and playlists. When a track is playing, the touchscreen controls become active, and album art, if available, will be displayed. The OS also gives you EQ options and Sony’s Clear Audio Plus. The player comes with a base of 16 gigabytes of internal storage, but if you need more space, you could play tracks directly from the microSD card as well. A 3.5-millimeter headphone jack is in place for connecting headphones or an external speaker, but headphones are not included. Whether you grew up with If you’re an old-school Walkman or just want good DAP to enjoy your favorite tracks in high-resolution audio, the Sony NW-A55 Walkman A Series would be a good choice for you.
Next up is the Astell & Kern AN Norma SR25, our pick for the best MP3 player for high-res audio. The Astell & Kern AN Norma SR25 is a high-quality MP3 player that features a new performance mode, support for balanced audio connections, and LDAC audio technology that allows you to enjoy high-quality wireless audio via Bluetooth. The build of this MP3 player features an aluminum body with a unique, off-center design and a bright, intuitive touch screen. The 3.6-inch HD screen is responsive thanks to a fast quad-core CPU and version 9.0 of Android OS. Internal components include a dual Cirrus Logic CS43-198 Master Hi-Fi level DAC and native support for DSD256 and 32-bit slash 384 kHz audio, which is more than enough to satisfy even the most discerning audio files. Built-in Wi-Fi connectivity gives you access to streaming services, including Deezer and Tidal, while Bluetooth aptics ensure listening with wireless headphones won’t sound inferior compared to wired connections. Also contributing to maintaining high-quality wireless audio via Bluetooth is Sony’s LDAC audio technology, which pushes through three times the data transmission when listening wirelessly. File formats include FLAC, WMA, MP3, AUG, APE, AAC, ALAC, DFF, DSF, MQA, and more. The new performance mode has been designed to help you get the most out of your high-res audio library. By automatically optimizing the player’s memory allocation according to the size of the song being played, this mode, according to Astell and Kern, prevents sonic losses in the data transmission process during the playback of higher-quality files. Battery life is quite good at 21 hours, and charging has been updated from the old micro-USB charging socket to USB-C. If you’re looking for a high-resolution audio player with 21-hour battery life, Bluetooth LDAC onboard, and a great build and design, the Astell & Kern AN Norma SR25 would be a great choice for you. You’ll enjoy using the snappy interface, support for most high-res audio formats, and the updated charging interface.
Lastly, the Apple iPod Touch is our pick for the best Apple MP3 player. The Apple iPod Touch is great for listening to music or gaming, and the new A10 Fusion chip makes AR experiences better than ever. It’s also relatively inexpensive, making it not only a great MP3 player but also a good all-around entertainment device. From a build perspective, the iPod Touch’s hardware is excellent. It’s thinner and lighter than any modern iPhone, and it has the same polish and quality that people have come to expect from Apple products. And while the massive bezels and poor cameras may give it a dated feel, the processor is still snappy enough that it holds up just fine for everyday use. The iPod Touch features a 4-inch, bulky touch retina display with a resolution of 1136 x 640. It has an 800 to 1 contrast ratio and 500 nits of brightness, but is otherwise lacking many of the technological advancements available in modern devices today. There is no wide color support or support for True Tone, but these aren’t criticisms by any means. Using older display technology and the lack of biometrics keeps the price of the iPod Touch down, so you can grab one for listening to MP3s or give one to the kids to keep them entertained without spending a fortune. The A10 chip enables a couple of new features for the iPod Touch, namely group FaceTime and augmented reality. They both work as expected. AR in particular works surprisingly well given how resource-demanding it is. Compatibility with file formats is pretty extensive and includes support for AAC, MP3, PCM, Apple Lossless, Flac, and Dolby Digital formats. Given the iPod Touch’s extensive feature set and comparably low price, it would be a great choice for anyone looking for a very affordable entertainment device. The Touch is capable of gaming, playing music, and AR experiences, and it proves that there is still a place for the iPod in this market of smartphones and premium high-res devices. Alright, guys, that’s all for now.
