...with the Sony NW-MS9.

As usual, I spent numerous hours researching this product before I finally settled on it. I considered other Sony MP3 players, their MiniDisc players, as well as MP3 players by other manufacturers. Honestly, I expected sound quality not to be a problem, so I was looking for the best looking player that would be likely to survive any format change (somehow I believed my friends that MP3s were on their way out because of copyright infringement issues). I've had my NW-MS9 for 5 months now and I still love it.

The player:
Sleek metal casing. Beautiful backlit screen. Easy to use controls and volume adjustment. The supplied earbuds are also surprisingly good. Battery life is also great (10 hrs) but I seem to have to recharge pretty often. Mine shipped with a 64MB Memory Stick (2hrs worth of music), but I plan on upgrading to 128MB soon.

Software:
I'll have to admit that most of the music I listen to is from CDs I purchase, although I do have my share of downloaded music. The software provided copies your CDs into Sony's ATRAC format so that songs can be transferred to the player. MP3s must be converted by the same software, which is kind of an extra step but usually a piece of cake. I have had problems converting a large number of MP3s into ATRAC simultaneously. The program freezes (even under XP!). I just take it a couple songs at a time now, as opposed to converting 50 songs at once.

Transferring music:
A breeze. With XP I did not have to load any drivers (although those are included should you need them). I just plugged in the USB cable to the computer and player and was ready to go. I ripped a CD and transferred it (along with some other songs) to the player in under 10 minutes.

In brief, I am very happy with my player and have recommended to friends. They have all been impressed by it as well because of it's stylish good looks and great sound quality. (I also can't tell you how many curious looks I've gotten when wearing it around campus and in town--it stands out.)

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 250