Vision 15 Archos MP3 Player - Best Tiny Music Player

I probably never would have chosen the Insignia Kix in the first place, simply because I'd never heard of the brand, but then I was lucky enough to win one in a Best Buy contest. Almost immediately, I became a raving fan. Nothing fancy -- but it just turned out to be a good fit for my modest needs.

If that MP3 player hadn't been discontinued, I'd just have got another one. But it's no longer available, of course -- so old-school now with the advances in media players technology -- so I did a lot of searching and comparing, to find a player that had the most important of those features I'd come to know and appreciate in my old player.

Here's what it came down to:

For me, besides low cost, FM radio, and easy-to-use drag-and-drop file upload, the single most important factor for me was the size of the player -- lightweight and small.

A few years ago I was given a Kix, a very small portable music player which I think was designed for kids. It was tough, tiny, and had decent sound quality - perfect for my needs - but finally died after 4 years of good service. Time to get a new tiny player for my digital music collection plus FM radio. Sadly, the Kix had been discontinued, and I'm too cheap to fork out for an iPod or the like - besides, an iPod is too big and clunnky. I really wanted a very very teensy-tiny player.

Wish List of MP3 Player Features:

• Small, slim, lightweight -- but reasonably well-made and sturdy
• Cheap, cheap, cheap!
• Easy to use -- ideally, a player I could control with one hand and/or with gloves on, for winter use
• Drag-and-drop uploading for my music files and audio books (no requirement for iTunes, please!)
• USB plugin to recharge the battery
• FM radio built in-- I'm a big fan of public radio, so that feature is not negotiable!

And of course, good sound quality.

Archos Vision 15 4GB MP3 player / media player with FM radio
(aka Archos 15 Vision or A15VS).

Above all, what I need is an MP3 player with a few non-negotiable basic functions -- see above -- but one that's not so pricey I'm afraid to use it in case I break it or lose it. Basically, the kind of MP3 player you'd probably choose for a fairly intelligent elementary-school-aged child. :-)

Why was the Archos Vision 15 the best choice for me?

Read on...

• ARCHOS 15 Vision media player
• USB Cable Mini B/A
  for recharging the battery and loading files onto your player via USB
• User Guide
• earphones
  ...but be advised, the earphones are pretty much crap -- the sound isn't bad, but the earbuds are pretty uncomfortable for most people -- and you'll probably want to replace the earphones that come in the package with a better pair that feel comfortable to you.
  On the plus side, there's a little attached loop you can slip around the MP3 player to take the strain off that little tiny earphones wire, to keep it from breaking inside the way those wires so often do.

The USB-rechargeable battery is already installed in the MP3 player, and it comes with some (admittedly, rather lame) sample music -- so you can pull it right out of the package and your Archos Vision 15 is ready to use.

Playing audio files is the core function of the Archos Vision 15, of course, and it's where this tiny MP3 player really shines. The Archos company has a solid reputation for making low-cost media players with very good sound quality - excellent sound quality for the price, in fact - and the Vision 15 is no exception.

Thumbs up for the audio quality. (Even better if you replace the included el-cheapo earphones with a better set of buds.)

Archos Vision 15 gets another thumbs up for easy file management.

To get your MP3 files onto your A15VS, there's no need to fuss with proprietary or OS-specific software. Just plug the gadget into the USB of your computer (compatible with Linux, Windows, or Mac) to drag-and-drop files where you want them, just as you'd do with a flash drive or other external storage device. The USB Cable Mini B/A is included in the package.

The built-in FM radio uses the earphone wires as an antenna, and again you can expect to get sound quality that's every bit as good as you'd get from a table-top or car radio. Scan for stations and you can quickly set a preset for those stations you listen to regularly.

Like most portable FM radio receivers, you'll find the Archos Vision 15 does have a tendency to drift off the preset after a minute or two of radio play. That's easily fixed - just tap the back arrow to return to the main menu, then hit Radio again, and it will then hold the station just fine.

Bonus function: Recording the radio!

At any time, with a couple of taps on the control panel you can record whatever is playing on the radio and save the recording to listen to again, to transfer to your computer, or to share with others. I really enjoy having the record function when I'm out walking and listening to a really interesting interview or news story and meet someone who wants to talk. I just set the radio to record itself, take out my earbuds, and enjoy the conversation, knowing I can replay my program later.

If you're asking yourself why anyone would want to try to watch a video on a 1.5-inch screen... join the club.

The resolution is not too bad for the size, as you'll soon see if you watch one of the sample videos that come with the Archos Vision 15, and you can certainly hear the audio track just fine, but, really? Watching video on a screen so small you can hide it completely with your two thumbs? Frankly, I can't imagine a use for this feature.

My best guess is that the Archos company felt pressured to add a few more features to a perfectly good little base MP3 player, simply to compete in the tough gadget market where number of functions is all-important. Pay no attention. As an MP3 player, the Archos Vision 15 really rocks. As a video player? Not so much.

Although looking at a photograph on a 1.5-inch screen is not quite as ridiculous as trying to watch a video on the Archos Vision 15, I've yet to think of a good practical reason why you'd want to. Small is an asset for portable audio, but not so good when it comes to pictures.

Sample photos (which you can easily delete) do come with the Vision 15, in the internal memory, so you can have a look and judge for yourself... but again, I can't help feeling this was a feature Archos added just because the market demands it and because it's technically possible.

This is a great little audio player, but don't buy it for the video and photo features.

One feature I hadn't been looking for in an MP3 player, but have found quite useful - especially since I don't always carry a phone, PDA, or even a pen-and-notebook - is the ability to record a quick voice memo.

The Archos Vision 15 has a built-in microphone so there's nothing to fuss with, just a few taps on the control panel and you can record your voice to play back later.

I've found that the quality of the recording will depend a lot on the pitch and volume of your voice, as well as the amount of background noise. One of my friends can record his deep sports-announcer voice with the Vision 15 held out at arm's length, but for it to pick up my own lighter voice clearly, I've found I need to hold the unit quite close to my mouth while speaking. Practice a few times to find what works best for you.

Here are the technical specs for the Archos Vision 15, as given by the manufacturer:
Dimensions: 2.83 x 1.5 x 0.23 inches
Weight: 0.63 ounces
Internal storage: 4 GB
Screen: 1.5 x 1.5 inches
Music playback: MP3, WMA (non-protected), WAV, FLAC, APE
Photo playback: JPEG, JPG, BMP
Video playback: MPEG-4 AVI (conversion needed Windows® software included in the internal memory)
FM radio: 87.5 - 108 MHz
Recorder: Records voice from the built-in microphone and FM radio in WAV format
Text files: Displays TXT and LRC (lyrics)
Rechargeable battery: Up to 10 hours of music, depending on usage
Compatibility: Windows, Mac and Linux in mass storage mode
PC interface: USB 2.0 high speed