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There are plenty of reasons why you'd want to load up a digital music player and take it with you instead of streaming music from the cloud, like better audio quality, not wanting to drain your phone's battery, smaller size. Whatever your reasons are, last week we asked you which device you kept handy to keep and play your digital music (that isn't the iPod, since it's clearly the king of the market.) You answered with tons of great suggestions, and then we took a look at the top five digital music players and put them to a vote. Now we're back to highlight the overall winner.
The majority of you—45% of the overall vote, in fact, say that your smartphone, whether it's Android, iOS, Windows Phone, or something else, pulls double duty as both streaming and local music player. Why carry another device, when you already have a phone with tons of storage in your pocket? Behind that, 21% of you showed some love for the now-defunct Microsoft Zune and Zune HD. In third place with 18% of the votes cast is the Sandisk Sansa line of music players, like the Sansa Clip and Fuze. 9% of you preferred the Creative Zen series of music players, and bringing up the rear in fifth place was Cowon and its line of music players, which many of you praised for great audio quality.
Streaming music is great, but if you're somewhere without a data connection, like a flight or underground on the subway, some of our favorite cloud services won't do you much good. For times like those, or when you need a device that's loaded up with all of your favorite tunes and tons of playlists, it's better to have something with your music stored right on it so you can listen on the go. This week we're going to look at five of the best digital music players (that aren't the iPod, since it's clearly the king of the market) based on your nominations.
Earlier in the week, we asked you which devices you used to store your music locally and listen to it on the go. We specifically excluded the iPod because, well, it's clearly the juggernaut of the industry, and you don't need us to recommend one to you. We wanted to hear what other digital music players you think are worth the cash, and well over 200 nominations later, here's a look at the top five.
We expected this one, and you came through in spectacular fashion—many of you have given up the stand-alone digital music player entirely in exchange for carrying a phone that's capable of storing and playing your music collection. Considering most phones come with tons of storage these days built-in, and most Android phones have upgradable SD cards, you have the option of carrying a smartphone with 64GB of storage in your pocket and your whole music collection if you so choose. Plus, that's one less device you have to carry around—you always have your phone, so you always have your music, whether it's local or streaming. Photo by Johan Larsson.
The Sandisk Sansa series of mp3 players are still widely available, and according to your nominations, they're a fantastic option. They're long-lived, robust, come in different shapes and sizes depending on what you need them for, are stuffed full of storage, work with just about any desktop OS or media player you have, and, of course, the price is right. Depending on how much storage you need, you can get a Sansa Clip with 2GB of storage for around $30, or a Sansa Fuze with 16GB of storage for around $100, many of which with expandable memory for even more storage. The sheer number of options, colors, supported formats, and sizes make a Sansa player an attractive option for someone looking for a good-looking player that will stand the test of time. Don't forget you can replace the firmware with Rockbox and unlock a wealth of new features. Photo by Iwan Gabovitch.
Even though they're no longer in production, the Zune and Zune HD line of media players are still great options if you're looking for a simple DAP without a ton of fuss. The original Zune was a rugged, slightly ugly device, but it was robust and sturdy. The Zune HD was a different matter-slim and attractive, it was probably one of Microsoft's most underrated products. It never quite got over being called the "iPod Killer," even though it could match or beat earlier iPods feature-for-feature. Combined with the Zune Marketplace for music, it was a great combination, but the Zune player didn't even need that—you could use it with any media player, and it could be mounted like a simple USB device. The UI was sharp (again, especially on the Zune HD), and its screen was crisp and clear long before DAP buyers appreciated such things. The Zune HD's high price tag and lackluster app support were regrettable, but if you can still find one for a song (and they're still out there) you'll invest in a great media player for music and movies. Photo by Robert Nelson.
Creative was in the digital music player business before most of its competitors, and the Creative Zen series has been around for almost as long—a long time ago, it was known as the Creative NOMAD, one of the first DAPs on the market. Creative still makes the Zen series, ranging from the pocket-sized Zen Style series to the Android-based and wireless Zen X-FI line and Zen Touch series. Many of you have a specific passion for Creative's older players over their newer ones, noting their spectacular battery life, modding options, long life, and low price tags. These days, Creative has put their lot in with Android for their media players and Bluetooth for built-in wireless audio, even on their smaller devices. Touchscreens abound on their players, but their prices are still reasonable, with a 4GB Zen Style running you around $30, and even a brand new 16GB X-Fi3 only setting you back close to $140. Photo by Oswaldo Rubio.
Cowon has come a long way. Initially perceived as a department store knockoff brand (at least in North America), the company has gone on to create some seriously elegant and design-focused media players that look as good as they sound. Their most recent players, like the Cowon J3 and the iAudio 10, offer high-end features like AMOLED displays, touch-sensitive controls, and Android-based software. Their newer players come at high-end prices, but you get a lot for your money (the J3 starts around $180 for 8GB, and the iAudio 10 starts at $150.) Their earlier players however, are still available used at rock bottom prices, and are easily hackable to run Rockbox. It doesn't hurt that many of you testify to the expandable storage, FLAC support, and—perhaps most importantly—fantastic sound of Cowon's players, either. Sounds good to us. Photo by Clément Delafargue.
Now that you've had a look at the contenders, it's time to vote for an all-out winner.
Honorable mentions this week go out to Samsung, specifically for the Galaxy Player, which many of you said is not just an excellent Android-based alternative to the iPod Touch, but a stellar media player that can play music, movies, and even games without skipping a beat, and the battery life is great. Also worth noting is the Sony Walkman series of media players, which many of you praised for great format support, portability, and fantastic battery life.
Did your favorite contender not make the list? Have something to say in defense of one of the final five above?, Remember, the Hive Five contenders are based on your nominations in the call for contenders thread from earlier in the week. Share your thoughts in the comments below.
When you want to take your music with you on the go, you have a couple of options—you can stream everything from a web service, but that doesn't do you much good if you're on a flight, in the subway, or somewhere else without a data connection or Wi-Fi. Sometimes it's just better to load up a device with some tunes, plug in your headphones, and go. This week we want to know which device you think is the best fit for the job.
The iPod is still the king of the digital music player market, so we're pulling it out of the running so we can get some great competitors in the lineup. If you just use your smartphone to carry your music (and who can blame you, it's a great option, one you have with you at all times), then just comment with "VOTE: MY PHONE." No need to get into model numbers or brand names. Aside from that, if there's a great music player that you rely on when you travel, whether it's old or new, we want to hear about it. Leave your vote in the comments below.
Hive Five nominations take place in the comments, where you post your favorite tool for the job. We get hundreds of comments, so to make your nomination clear, please include it at the top of your comment like so: VOTE: BEST NON-IPOD DIGITAL MUSIC PLAYER. Please don't include your vote in a reply to another commenter. Instead, make your vote and reply separate comments. If you don't follow this format, we may not count your vote. To prevent tampering with the results, votes from first-time commenters may not be counted. After you've made your nomination, let us know what makes it stand out from the competition.
About the Hive Five: The Hive Five feature series asks readers to answer the most frequently asked question we get: "Which tool is the best?" Once a week we'll put out a call for contenders looking for the best solution to a certain problem, then YOU tell us your favorite tools to get the job done. Every weekend, we'll report back with the top five recommendations and give you a chance to vote on which is best. For an example, check out last week's five best meeting minutes services.
