Archos Jukebox Recorder (20 GB) Digital Media Player

Every month, manufacturers unleash even more MP3 players to an increasingly confused public. Not only do these devices have wildly divergent features, but ongoing format wars mean the MP3 player you choose dictates where you can buy your digital music. These devices are anything but one-size-fits-all.

First, there's the question of design. A player can have every feature in the world, but if the design doesn't match your lifestyle or if the interface is impenetrable, you still won't enjoy it. You'll want to look closely at performance; sound quality and battery life can make or break a player, especially if you travel a lot or have the so-called golden ears of an audiophile.

Before you start checking out specific models, you should have a basic understanding of the types of MP3 players available. Note: all types of players mentioned below can play other formats besides MP3, such as WMA, ATRAC3, OGG, or AAC, but we still refer to them as MP3 players.

Types of players: Hard-drive-based | Micro hard-drive-based | Flash-based | MP3 CD


Hard-drive-based players
Most likely, a high-capacity player can accommodate every song you've ever purchased or ripped from a CD. Hard drives run from 20GB on up, and large players such as the 80GB Apple iPod can hold around 23,000 songs, assuming an average file size of 3.5MB per tune.



Hard drive MP3 players such as the Microsoft Zune can hold a luxurious amount of music and video.

Pros: They store all your music on one device. They also tend to have more features and larger screens and are overall easier to use. High-capacity players give you the best bang for your buck in terms of price per gigabyte (for example, $300 30GB iPod vs. $250 8GB iPod Nano).
Cons: These players are usually built around a 1.8-inch hard drive; thus, they are larger and heavier than the others. Also, hard drives have moving parts, so these players aren't ideal for strenuous physical activity. Finally, most use rechargeable batteries (usually lasting 8 to 20 hours per charge) that you can't replace yourself, so after several years, you might have to pay for a new model or pay to get the battery replaced.


Micro hard-drive-based players
Straddling the line between full-size hard-drive-based MP3 players and compact, flash-based players, these models aim to give you the best of both worlds by using miniature hard drives (about 1 inch or less in diameter) with capacities of up to 12GB. So-called "micro drive" players are being largely phased out in favor of high-capacity flash devices, but you can still find compact hard-drive players such as the Creative Zen Micro Photo for sale online.



Micro hard-drive players such as the TrekStor Vibez are becoming rare, but they still offer an appealing compromise between hard drive and Flash-based MP3 players.

Pros: They're smaller and lighter than high-capacity players but still hold more tunes than flash-based models with the same price.
Cons: You get fewer megabytes per dollar than you do with a larger player, and these models have many of the same disadvantages of larger hard-drive-based units, including the moving parts that limit physical activity and nonremovable batteries that eventually wear out and need to be replaced. Luckily, many new micro drive-based players such as the Creative Zen Micro feature a user-replaceable battery.

This is a basic summary of MP3s, there's many types all of which have similar features.
Overall Rating: 10/10

ARCHOS JUKE BOX IS A GREAT PRODUCT..HAS EXCELLENT SOUND QUALITY AND EASY TO DOWNLOAD MUSIC TO..VERY WELL BUILT WITH SIMPLE TO USE FUNCTIONS..
THOUGH IT IS A LITTLE HEAVY..IT HAS BY FAR THE SOUND OUT OF ANY MP3 PLAYER I HAVE USED..TONY BORIS..PORT SAINT LUCIE, FLORIDA

I have 2 of these mp3 players, one is 6 years old and the other is 4 years old. I’ve never had a single problem with either and they've been through hell with me. One of them went out the window of a moving car at about 20mph and was still playing when I got back to it and picked it up. You can use one of these things to smash any other mp3 player into dust while jamming away to your favorite tune.

I will say though, get ROCKBOX for it. The built in OS is a joke; it’s like the put all the development money towards armor but not brains. ROCKBOX will make this thing smarter than today's iPods.

Also, just because it’s 15 GB, doesn't mean anything. It’s a standard PATA 2.5" laptop hard drive, and easy to swap out. I did it with both of mine. One of them now has a 60 GB and the other has a 160 GB.


Again, probably one of the most adaptable players out there, and perfect for a tech geek because there is so many small upgrades you can do to them.

i really liked the amount of headphones it came with. the cables i could do with out, but i think i'll find a use for most of them. i was hoping that i could at least hook the archos to my computer and put rockbox on it or something, but now i have something to take apart. overall nice stuff, good seller

This is merely the most recent Archos product. I've purchased. The rechargable batteries are inexpensive and easy to find. This unit is a great value that makes great recordings. Ipods are nifty and well-designed but they make you a slave to Itunes and have many prohibitive features that restrict user's ability to move files around and back them up. (I have videos on YouTube. Search "burpo cartoons.") :)