Hi-Res Audio and more: what mobile players can now do

Without wires, but with quality

While the functions of wireless charging of portable devices have not yet stepped onto the wide market and are perceived as exotic, the opponents of the "noodles" can only rely on Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technologies, which manufacturers still do not forget to build into top-end audio players. Along with high-quality listening to music, you can connect to the nearest Wi-Fi hotspot and browse a few of your favorite sites, for example, Cowon iAudio Z2, built on Android, or a trendsetter in the Apple iPod Touch market. But since Wi-Fi is a technology that is not directly related to sound, its presence in the player is rather a pleasant bonus. But Bluetooth will allow you to forget about the dangling headphone wire. You just need to purchase the appropriate headset or headphones.

Support for the aptX protocol in the player and Bluetooth headset will provide you with high-quality music playback without wires. And the presence of built-in NFC technology will allow you to "make friends" both devices in the blink of an eye - just bring one gadget to another. The second option for the wireless audio lover is to purchase a Bluetooth -enabled portable audio system and use the player as a sound source and remote control. If you have become attached to your native speakers, it doesn’t matter either - a small Bluetooth audio adapter will easily turn your home or car speaker system into a wireless one.

Your personal fitness guru

The player is a good assistant for a beginner athlete. The gadget is capable of more than just playing tracks while jogging through the park or stadium. Turn on the album you want to listen to or your favorite FM station, but don't forget to count your calories burned and distance travelled. For example, in Cowon iAudio E3, an appropriate sensor and a simple built-in programme are provided for this - just enter your gender and weight as parameters, and you can begin to estimate the intensity for any route traveled.

Apple and Nike have created a system for collecting statistics about sports training

For even more advanced timing and workout settings, you'll find the latest Apple iPod Nano integrated with the Nike+ app, allowing you to not only organize and plan your workouts, but also share your progress with friends on Facebook and Twitter. You can also connect compatible heart rate monitors to the player via Bluetooth.

iriver stepped even further in the technology of a personal training assistant with its ON, which can hardly be called a player - rather, it is a fitness assistant with the possibility of musical accompaniment of training. The futuristic-looking gadget is equipped with special sensors and, thanks to the patented PerformTek technology, can even measure the heart rate. True, you will have to use a special smartphone application to collect and analyze data and build training programs, so you can’t do without another device in your pocket.

Hi-Fi grade components

Technology does not stand still and now a Hi-Fi class device that fits in your pocket is no longer a fantasy. A new type of mobile gadgets has appeared - Hi-Fi players for music lovers and audiophiles. Their main difference from conventional ones is the use of premium components for excellent sound quality. So, in the FiiO X3 2nd gen, a bunch of OPA1642 + LMH6643 chips from Texas Instruments is responsible for amplifying the headphone signal. And for digital-to-analogue conversion - the Cirrus Logic CS4398 chip, which is used in many stationary Hi-Fi systems, for example, in Marantz players. The result is a sound that is better than conventional players and smartphones! In addition, some models like the iBasso DX50 can drive almost any (even high-impedance) headphones thanks to the built-in amplifier. And for those who are looking for a premium solution and do not pay much attention to the price tag, you should take a look at the products of the Astell & Kern series from iriver. For example, an AK100 II with a touch screen and "analogue" volume control, or an AK120 II equipped with two CS4398 chips (one for each channel).

FiiO X3 2nd gen (the second generation of the hit Hi-Fi player) impresses with the quality of the components and the sound of the music

Many music lovers are looking for a special sound from the player. Therefore, the completion of a purchased gadget by a master or the use of a separate headphone amplifier bundled with it is not such a rare occurrence. And in some products, such an opportunity is even incorporated “from the factory”. For example, HiFiMan players offer the buyer a choice of several options for the amplifier board, which can be replaced later for the best match with the headphones.

Hi-Res Audio or studio-like sound

Manufacturers sometimes donate little things that are not important for music lovers (like viewing photos and videos) in order to be able to listen to music with Audio CD quality. As Lossless tracks with lossless quality compression (in FLAC, APE, etc. formats) and uncompressed WAV files. Some newer models, Sony NWZ-A17, Fiio X3 2nd gen, Cowon PLENUE 1, also play high-definition audio (Hi-Res Audio). This is the name for recordings with parameters of 24 bits and 96 or 192 kHz, as well as DSD files (copies of Super Audio CDs). These tracks are close to the studio standard and sound better than regular music CDs, not to mention MP3 files. It's great that, despite the larger amount of data required to store high-quality tracks, portability is not sacrificed in such players. For example, the Sony NWZ-A17, weighing only 66g, has 64GB of internal memory and a microSD card slot, while providing up to 30 hours of Hi-Res Audio playback.

What else do you need to discover the tracks of your favorite bands and artists in a new way? Perhaps, only to add to such a player the corresponding high-quality headphones, sharpened for Hi-Res Audio and being a light burden for mobile devices. For example, Sony MDR-1A with an extended frequency range of 3-100 kHz and high sensitivity, Audio-Technica ATH-MSR7, playing from 5 Hz to 40 kHz, and OPPO PM-3 with planar magnets and a range of 10-50000 Hz.

Jogging and in the pool

The popularity of an active lifestyle is growing. And manufacturers are paying more and more attention to the needs of tourists, athletes and extreme sportsmen. Players with water protection are still rare, but there are also unique specimens with which it is not scary not only to be in the pouring rain, but also to dive into the pool! For example, the Sony Walkman NWZ-W273 allows for "musical immersion" to a depth of up to two metres.

Walkman NWZ-W273 is practically the only player suitable for training both at the stadium and in the pool

So, if you are bored of training in the pool, take such a gadget with you and enjoy working on improving your body to the rhythms of dynamic music. Just be sure to properly install the headphone seal to avoid water leaking and degrading sound quality. The manufacturer honestly warns that this player is not friendly with sea water, so you should limit yourself to fresh water and a pool. But the NWZ-W273 headphones are not needed, they are built into the device case.

Download software and buy music

The presence of a touch screen in modern models of audio players is not only a convenient interface for playing music or video, but also the ability to use the gadget as a notebook. After all, storing text files does not require a lot of space, and you can read them on a small screen. Cowon iAudio D20 and X9 players, for example, have Documents and Notepad items in the menu. In the first mode, you can view books or other documents in TXT format, and in the second mode, you can create small notes using the touch screen. These functions, together with a voice recorder, can come in handy when attending master classes, lectures and work meetings.

Apple iPod Touch is the most functional player. In addition, it has a stylish design, good battery life and good sound quality.

However, a truly wide functionality and work with numerous applications, offers Apple iPod Touch. In the AppStore you can find apps and games for it for all occasions, and in the iTunes Store there are thousands of albums and millions of tracks of various music. Since it runs on iOS 8 and has a performant hardware, the player almost does not lag behind the iPhone in terms of capabilities. So far, in terms of capabilities, the iPod Touch has no worthy competitors.