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The best-sounding MP3 players: signal-to-noise ratioNot surprisingly, the Creative Zen Vision:M came out on top of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) heap. Basically, the higher the SNR, the less background hiss you'll perceive. The Creative Zen Vision:M has a rated SNR as high as 98dB, one of the most impressive figures we've seen or heard. Samsung's YP-Z5 and Cowon's iAudio X5 performed admirably, though humans will hardly notice the difference between the top nine players. We thought the more intriguing results were the relatively low SNRs of the Cowon iAudio U3 and the iRiver U10, both considered good-sounding players. Notice that the Apple iPod family has a relatively high SNR--interesting because Apple doesn't publish iPod SNRs and because many users dog the iPod for its poor audio quality. Signal-to-noise ratio (longer bars are better)
Creative Zen Vision:M
83.8
Samsung YP-Z5
83.5
Cowon iAudio X5
83.2
Archos Gmini 402 Camcorder
83.1
Apple iPod (5G)
83
Sony PSP
83
Apple iPod Shuffle
82.6
Apple iPod Nano
82.6
SanDisk Sansa c150
82.1
Creative Zen Micro Photo
75.8
iRiver T10
71.6
Cowon iAudio U3
69.5
iRiver U10
68.5
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DistortionTalkBack
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Article discussion: MP3 player sound-quality chart
Latest post:
"The Answer to have to make extra XP accounts is NO"
The best answer is to design the software properly. For example, Creative MP3 players work PER... (Read more).
by Calm_Eddie (See profile) - June 17, 2008 4:08 AM PDT
Just because YOU found a work-around does not mean other people are a schmuck.The best answer is to design the software properly. For example, Creative MP3 players work PER... (Read more).
iTunes is a big mess.
My Daughter has an iPod, I a Zune. Zune software (in my opinion) is heads and ta... (Read more)by Rod Roddy (See profile) - May 7, 2007 10:46 PM PDT
1 out of 11 users found this comment helpful
iTunes is a big mess.
My Daughter has an iPod, I a Zune. Zune software (in my opinion) is heads and ta... (Read more)by Rod Roddy (See profile) - May 7, 2007 10:45 PM PDT
I CREATED THIS ACCOUNT TO WARN PEOPLE ABOUT IPOD
I went throught the trouble of creating this account specifically to warn people... (Read more)by humbll (See profile) - February 6, 2007 7:31 PM PST
16 out of 16 users found this comment helpful
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4
comments
U10 last,but not least!
I have the U10,and love the sound.Regardless of this test,I know the sound i... (Read more)
by cutienoua (See profile) - June 4, 2006 9:43 AM PDT
CNET hates success of Ipod
Cnet seems to hate the success of Ipod and rate "underdogs" highly eventhou... (Read more)
by jmhwood (See profile) - June 3, 2006 9:20 AM PDT
5 out of 10 users found this comment helpful
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4
comments
Sound quality and numbers
Great that you guys found equipment that can judge a 0.1dB difference. What is n... (Read more)by peter.mortensen (See profile) - May 31, 2006 12:33 AM PDT
Has it occurred to the designers that....
Has it occurred to the designers of the audio test that the sounds of the variou... (Read more)by Sirocco (See profile) - May 30, 2006 4:51 PM PDT
0 out of 5 users found this comment helpful
Ears vs. Analyzer
Forgive me for being a curmudgeon. If my ears cannot detect the difference... (Read more)
by macmook (See profile) - May 30, 2006 4:24 AM PDT
0 out of 5 users found this comment helpful
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2
comments
Correction: Samsung YP-Z5 uses a SigmaTel STMP3600
Correction: The Samsung YP-Z5 uses a SigmaTel chip called the STMP3600 (not a sa... (Read more)by (See profile) - May 12, 2006 9:53 AM PDT
5 out of 5 users found this comment helpful
