Which One Should I Buy?
Jan 28 '01 (Updated Jul 15 '01)
The Bottom Line Read my 'Verdict'
Originally a long time ago. The only portable devices were tape cassette players and the portable CD players which entered the market since 1995. In the days before MD (minidicc), everyone used tape players rather than CD players because they didn't skip. Recently, MD and MP3 players have entered the market to dominate. The main competitors today on the portable market are tape cassette players which are dying off, the everlasting CD player, Minidisc, and MP3 players. Some completely fall short while others make it to the top.
-Tape Players-
*Tape players have been existent for a long time. The portable versions have been popular in the 1980s and early 1990s. Today, they are incredibly cheap. They usually cost below $40 each. Tapes can easily be bought from any store, and songs can be recorded on to them from the radio or CD directly using any kind of stereo system. The songs record directly which means that a 3 minute song will take 3 minutes to copy onto a tape, unlike maybe a minute or so by burning a 3 minute MP3 onto a CD. Tape players unlike CD players don't skip, but they aren't digital and you have to manually rewind to find a song. They are becoming more expensive to use over CD-RWs w/ CD players, so tape players shouldn't even be considered an option.
-CD Players-
*CD players have been existent for a long time. The 1st portable devices came into the market in the year 1995. They were able to play CDs which costed around $18 to $21 at the time. Today, portable CD players have greatly improved over the older bulkier models. Today's newer CD players are much smaller, weigh less, offer besat anti-skip protection, digital bass, and many more features. They are becoming less expensive to operate. You can buy a Sony G-protection which is a complete anti-skip player for around $80. It's very high quality. CDs now are $11 to $13 if you buy them at a store like Best Buy or Circuit City over Musicland. But, there are CD-RWs on the market these days. They're getting faster and cheaper to run. Yamaha holds the best CD-RW on the market with a 16/10/40 speed for only $250. CD-Rs can be purchased on sale for $5 which are Imation 700MB 80MIN 12X CDs which can store a whole lot of songs on. CD with it's anti-skip protection and very cheap CDs and devices is making using portable CD players easier and cheaper than ever. CD players, the ecerlasting workhorse is clearly superior to MP3 or MD players. The newer digital products can't defeat the CD players. They are much more expensive to use, plus newer devices and components must be purchased to use them (Notably MD players) which can cost a lot. Using portable CD players with CD-Rs uses mainly devices that you have in your home now.
-MD Players-
*Minidisc players are another popular music device on the market. Thye use smaller discs which allow people to make mixes on. They are moreover cheap. You can discs very cheap now. Plus, you can hook them up using RCA jacks. You can actually record off any source. Before, I was wrong about MD, but now since the technology is becoming cheaper, it seems that MD will dominate. However, the cost of a player itself is still more expensive than CD, while some portable CD players have become extremely cheap. MD players also don't skip at all, but for now, I'm good with CDs. Soon, MDs should become more popular, and much cheaper.
-MP3 Players-
*Portable MP3 players entered the market with the Diamond Rio MP3 system. These allowed people to download MP3s directly off the internet and play them on these small players in direct MP3 format without having to convert them to WAV files. MP3 players may have some nice features built into them, but they are very expensive to operate. They are also less efficient than CD players. You have to delete MP3s to put on new ones if you don't have enough space. Sony has memory sticks which are 64MB and 128MB that can be inserted into their Sony MP3 players. Memory sticks are very expensive though. I've seen 128MB sticks go for $110. MP3 players don't skip like some CD players, but they are definately too expensive to operate for normal users. The Creative Labs Nomad Jukebox has 6GB of internal space, but costs $500. A CD-RW (Yamaha) is $250 + Sony G-protection CD player $90 + 20 pack of CD-Rs for $5 definately beats MP3 with having more options with less of a price.
-The Verdict-
*It seems that CD wins out. CD players are becoming much cheaper to operate. They also have a basis of older and cheaper technology. CD players don't require many new components to be purchased like MD or MP3 players. With a CD-RW and CD-Rs, there are almost no limits to the CD player. They're very cheap to use, and you can get much more music than MP3 or MD for less. The new technologies are way too expensive and inefficient right now. Tape players which are the last of the old technology are obsolete now, and are only waiting for their doom now. Tape players are becoming much more expensive to use over CD players and are less efficient. Out of all the new portable technologies today, the true winner is CD player by being the cheapest and most efficient.
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Member: Soup Enthusiast
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