BEST FOR SOUND QUALITY
SONY NWZ-W202 £59
Sony’s latest Walkman, a 2GB player, comes in two parts separated by a tough, flexible headband. It has no headphones cord to get tangled up, and the device fits tightly enough to stay in place during even a vigorous workout. When not in use the two ear parts snap together magnetically. It was easy to use one-handed and without looking, thanks to a simple jog dial on the right unit. Sound from the in-ear headphones was by far the best on test: crisp, natural and enthusiastic, with rock-solid bass. The “Zappin” feature, which skips through tracks playing random snippets, was just weird, though.
Verdict Good quality at a low price — a great gym buddy.
BEST FOR SERIOUS RUNNERS
APPLE iPOD NANO WITH NIKE+£126
For £19 more than the standard price of the 8GB Nano, this setup will track your workout, using a plug-in receiver able to communicate wirelessly with a motion sensor that fits inside most Nike running shoes. On the sharp 2in screen, you can see for how long you’ve been exercising and how far you’ve run, or hit a button to have your statistics read out loud. All of which would be perfect, except that the bundled Apple earphones are a big disappointment: the sound is harsh and tinny, and they are prone to falling out during exercise. At least the player has a standard headphone socket, so you can upgrade them.
Verdict For dedicated — and well-heeled — runners only.
MI-SPORT £64.99
What looks like a pair of ordinary wireless on-ear headphones has a 1GB MP3 player built in. The Mi-Sport is waterproof (and comes with earplugs for use when swimming, which you wear under the cans), so if you switch your training between the track, gym and pool you won’t need to buy different players. It also offers equaliser settings for pop, rock and classical music — but sadly none of them really improves the dull sound. The quality of the construction in this plasticky player leaves something to be desired and it has some design quirks as well. For instance, the USB cable fits into the player in two ways, but only one of them allows it to be charged and loaded with tunes.
Verdict Uninspiring sound, but adaptable — and the most comfortable player on test.
BEST FOR LAP SWIMMERS
FINIS SWIMP3 £100
The waterproof SwiMP3 is designed exclusively for swimming and doesn’t look, feel or even work like a normal digital music player.
It’s a two-part player that attaches to either side of a pair of swimming goggles and rests on your cheeks, using bone-conduction technology to transmit sound vibrations directly to your inner ear. Consequently it sounds mushy in the air: the technique works best in water, where the SwiMP3 impresses with rich, smooth tones. It’s not the easiest player to use, though, with small, unresponsive buttons, and the meagre 256MB memory holds only a few dozen high-quality MP3 tunes.
Verdict An ingenious way to alleviate length longueurs.
BEST FOR LONG SWIMS
SPEEDO AQUABEAT £70
This rubberised player, the smallest on test, is aimed primarily at swimmers — and with 1GB of memory it will hold enough albums to get you across the Channel. A stiff plastic clip attaches the player firmly to most goggles, although it did prove too small for one pair. The Aquabeat comes with both long and short headphone cables, but both are prone to tangling. The music controls are sluggish, taking a long time to turn on the player and select tunes; at least they’re textured, so you can identify them without removing your goggles. Audio quality is lightweight and deteriorates further beneath the surface.
Verdict Small and light, but with slow controls — and sound is average at best.
No comments:
Post a Comment