Donald Bell,
Senior Editor
November 18, 2008
If you're searching for the best possible sound quality from your digital music collection, you need to start at the source: the audio. Unlike MP3s, lossless audio formats, such as Apple Lossless, WMA Lossless, FLAC, and WAV, promise bit-for-bit reproductions of music ripped from CDs.
There are many drawbacks to lossless audio, however, and the most obvious of those is file size. A 4GB iPod Nano, for instance, can only hold 150 songs encoded with Apple Lossless, compared to the 1,000+ MP3s you could fit in the same space. With this in mind, high-capacity portable audio players, such as the 120Gb iPod Classic or 120Gb Zune, make the most suitable containers for taking large lossless audio collections on the go.
Another issue with lossless audio is forward-compatibility. You can pretty much depend on MP3s remaining broadly compatible with music devices over the next 5 to 10 years, but the same cannot be said of lossless formats. So far, the only universally-compatible lossless format for portable audio is the compact disc.
The following six MP3 players support at least one type of lossless audio. Apple's iPod Classic (as well as the Nano and Touch) work with Apple Lossless, while the Zune 120 and Flash-based Zunes support Microsoft's Windows Media Audio (WMA) Lossless. Cowon's O2 supports both Apple Lossless and WMA Lossless, as well as the non-proprietary FLAC format and Monkey's Audio. Other noteworthy FLAC-compatible players include the SanDisk Sansa Fuze, SanDisk Sansa Clip, Iriver LPlayer, Cowon D2, and the Cowon iAudio 7.
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| Price | $219.95 to $249.99 | $232.90 to $263.84 | $199.95 to $204.95 | $89.95 to $130.28 | $129.99 to $139.95 | $99.95 to $159.99 |
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| Review date | October 01, 2008 | September 17, 2008 | October 30, 2008 | March 12, 2008 | February 27, 2007 | June 27, 2008 |
| The Bottom Line | The iPod Classic refines the formula that put the iPod on the map. Few can match its combination of storage capacity, battery life, and intuitive user interface. | The Zune 120, with a unique focus on music discovery, is a fierce competitor to the iPod Classic. The Zune's substantial storage capacity combined with its Zune Pass music subscription makes it an ideal solution for restless music fans with large appetites. | The Cowon O2 isn't flashy, but it's an incredible value for a convenient way to take your video library on the go without the hassle of converting files. | The SanDisk Sansa Fuze is a great value--a slim design, simple interface, plentiful features, memory expansion capability, and solid sound quality all come with an easy-to-swallow price tag. | 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 Iriver LPlayer is a pint-size version of the well-received Clix. You get most of the same features in a smaller package offered at a pared-down price point. |
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| Features | ||||||
| Battery technology |
Lithium ion |
Lithium ion |
Lithium polymer |
Info unavailable |
Lithium polymer |
Lithium polymer |
| Display type | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
TFT 4.3 in - Color |
Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
| Digital player (recorder) |
WAV AIFF Audible MP3 AAC Apple Lossless |
WMA WMAPro Audible MP3 AAC |
Info unavailable |
WMA FLAC WAV Ogg Vorbis MP3 Audible |
WMA FLAC WAV Ogg Vorbis MPEG 1 Audio MPEG 2.5 Audio MPEG 2 Audio MP3 |
WMA FLAC ASF Ogg Vorbis MP3 |
| Software type | Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
Microsoft Windows Media Player 10 Drivers & Utilities Microsoft Windows Media Player 11 |
Cowon jetAudio VX Cowon jetShell |
Drivers & Utilities |
| Device type | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
Digital AV player |
Info unavailable | Info unavailable | Info unavailable |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) |
2.4 in x 0.4 in x 4.1 in |
2.4 in x 0.5 in x 4.3 in |
Info unavailable |
1.9 in x 0.3 in x 3.1 in |
3.1 in x 0.7 in x 2.2 in |
2.4 in x 0.5 in x 1.7 in |
| Color |
Silver |
Black |
Silver |
Silver |
Black |
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