How we test.... MP3 players

Computer Shopper’s MP3 tests show up strengths and weaknesses that may not be obvious at first. In addition to the battery life score that we print with each review, we time how long it takes to copy 500MB of music files onto the player.

We listen to the same set of high quality WMA and MP3 test tracks on every player we test, so we’re very familiar with how they should and shouldn’t sound. We use each player’s standard headphones to see if they’re up to scratch, plus three high-quality pairs so we can be sure that the player itself is.

Ease of use is also really important, so we put the player through its paces, judging how easy it is to find tracks and build playlists, as well as operate the normal playback controls.

Battery life

WHAT IT DOES: This test tells you how long you can expect your music to play from a full charge. We copy our 500MB set of test WMA and MP3 files to the player, allowing its software to convert WMA files to a supported format if necessary. We ensure that the player is fully charged and find a moderately loud but comfortable listening volume on the supplied earphones.

We plug a 3.5mm audio splitter cable into the MP3 player’s earphone output, connecting its earphones into one output and cabling the other to the line input of a computer. We set an audio editing software package to record the MP3 player’s output, start the player running and remove its power. After the battery is exhausted, we examine the recorded WAV file to see how long it continued playing.

Thanks to this consistent method, our battery life results give a fair comparison of each player’s battery life, but it’s worth pointing out that they produce a best-case figure. Real life use often involves switching the player on and off or skipping and scanning tracks, each of which uses up power more quickly.

Reference score

Battery life: 20 hours