MP3 Players That Rock

By: Brett Callow

Most people probably use either Windows Media Player or iTunes to play music on their computer. Both are an excellent option, but they are not the only option nor are they necessarily the best option. Here are some alternatives that are totally free and that totally rock.

• foobar2000. Devoid of eye candy, foobar2000 is certainly an ugly duckling – it actually looks rather like a plain old Windows folder. But under the hood lies a wealth of features that enable you to play MP3s, MP4s, AACs, WMAs, CDA and more. And the sound quality is excellent. Optional add-ons -- some from third parties -- add support for Monkey’s Audio (APE) and enable you to manage your iPod without needing to install iTunes. Best of all, foobar2000 is exceptionally light on system resources – something that you’ll really appreciate if you have an older computer and want to be able to use it while listening to music. (http://foobar2000.org)

• XMPlay. Tiny. Fast. Incredible sound. Need we say more? Un4seen Developments have packed a lot into this small 300 KB download. XMPlay supports MP3, OGG, CDA, WAV to name but a few and, like foobar2000, is extremely economical on resources. The player also lets you stream via FTP and HTTP servers (including Shoutcast and Icecast) and, as it does not need to be installed, you can copy it onto a flash drive and bring it with you on your travels. (www.un4seen.com)

• MediaMonkey. MediaMonkey is an all-in-one music player and manager. It supports all the usual formats, enables you to sync with most music players (including iPods and iPhones) and lets you backup your collection to CD/DVD. MediaMonkey even has a cool Party Mode feature which, when turned on, stops guests from (intentionally or unintentionally) switching tracks or altering your playlists (www.mediamonkey.com)

If Windows Media Player or iTunes is doing the job for you, then stick with it. But if you’d like more customization options, want more features or simply need something that’s a bit lighter on resources, then check out the players that we’ve listed here.

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