Top 5 portable music players for today's audiophiles

Bangalore: The days of the audio tape playback devices that often ran on standard AA batteries are gone. Today we have much evolved portable music players with rechargeable batteries, which allow users to carry and listen to their music at anywhere and anytime. These music players also offer built-in storage for tens of thousands of songs that make them stand apart from their ancestors. There are people who prefer to have a portable music player which is small in size, while others like to go for a bigger on with wide-screen video playback. Listings below are the five portable music players that have gained much popularity among users. Check this out. Apple iPod Touch 4G One of the most power-packed portable media players (PMP) available today, the fourth generation of Apple's iPod Touch has super-sharp screen and cameras with the capacity of HD-recording. The device is equipped with excellent media playback quality and thousands of downloadable applications. In terms of music and video services beyond iTunes, the iPod Touch is much more flexible than iPods in the past. The user won't feel any hassle in transferring any unprotected MP3, AAC, Apple Lossless, AIFF, or WAV audio file to it. It also offers Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR support and Nike +iPod support which works with Nikon + iPod Sensor (sold separately). The latest iPod Touch gives you a fine sound quality, which can be even more improved by offering custom EQ or a suite of audio enhancement settings. Apple iPod Touch 4G is priced at 19,900. Cowon S9 Comes in a curvaceous design, Cowon S9 is a bit smaller than the iPod touch but a bit thicker and weighs just about 76 grams. The 3.3-inch AMOLED display is one of the S9's biggest selling points. It has a 480 x 272 resolution screen which is positively gorgeous to look at. It has extensive file format support including MP3/WMA/WAV/OGG/FLAC/APE formats for audio and Xvid/WMV formats for video. The player also has Bluetooth with a 2DP and AVRCP profile support. It has an internal flash memory of 16GB. The sound quality from Cowon's S9 is stellar. Lows are punchy and decisive, mids are smooth and highs are distinct without being piercing. So, if you're into audio above all else, you can't go wrong with the S9. Cowon S9 is priced at 11,999. Zune HD (32GB - platinum) Comes with a brilliant OLED display, the Zune HD also offers HD Radio tuner, long battery life, movie rentals, and subscription music integration. It has a glass-covered 3.3-inch screen defines the front of the device. On the main menu there are options for music, videos, pictures, radio, Marketplace (Microsoft's music download portal), and Internet. The audio player supports MP3, AAC, WMA, and WMA Lossless formats, as well as audio book files from Audible or OverDrive. If the Zune HD is connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi, album listings will show an artist's entire album catalog and let you preview and download additional songs, or explore the music catalog of similar artists. The 32GB Zune HD costs $269 ( 12,075 approx). Sony X-Series Walkman (16GB) With a sleek design, Sony X-Series Walkman has got an engaging interface. The device is compatible with both Mac and Windows and supports podcasts from iTunes and videos from Amazon Unbox. Its key features include an onboard Slacker app, integrated YouTube support, Wi-Fi, an FM tuner, and built-in noise canceling. The sound quality of Sony X-series Walkman is excellent. For people who want a luxury device with an excellent touch-screen interface and plenty of other features, X-Series is a superb choice. The device has a 3-inch OLED display and supports transferred songs in MP3, WMA (subscription included), AAC, and WAV format. The player also supports purchased video from Amazon Video On Demand and any other online store that uses protected WMV. Sony X-Series Walkman also offers a plethora of sound enhancement options as well. The 16GB Sony X-Series Walkman cost $299 ( 13 421 approx). SanDisk Sansa Clip+ (4GB, red) The SanDisk Sansa Clip+ comes with a solid pocket-friendly design. It offers interesting fearture such as a MicroSD card slot, Rhapsody DNA, a voice recorder, an FM tuner, and support for FLAC, Ogg, Audible, and podcasts. The Clip+ is available in 2GB, 4GB, and 8GB options. The SanDisk Sansa Clip+ has wireless capability and support for photo and video. It offers playback of a wide array of audio formats, including MP3, secure WMA (subscription music), WAV, FLAC, OGG, and Audible. There's also a built-in mic for voice recording and an FM tuner with an autoscan mode and 40 preset slots. The 4GB SanDisk Sansa Clip+ costs $49.99 ( 2,244 approx).