I listen to music when I run. 

I tried listening to music from my smartphone (Samsung Note2 and Samsung S7 Edge) before, but I found it too troublesome and heavy to carry a smartphone to run. After some scouting around, I decided to use an MP3 digital music player instead. My latest addition is Transcend MP330 as my latest MP3 digital music player to accompany me during my run.

Here is to share my experience with Transcend MP330 MP3 digital music player as a runner.



Transcend MP330 Digital Music Player's Specification

Screen type         : 1" white monochrome OLED 128 x 32 pixels
Capacity             : 8 GB
Dimensions        : 85mm x 25.5mm x 11.5mm (3.4" x 1.02" x 0.46")
Weight                : 25g (0.88 oz)
Music format      : MP3, WMA, WAV
Recording format:  WAV
Line-in function  : Yes
FM Radio            : Yes
Recording Time   : 20 hours
Playback time      : 16 hours



8 reasons why I chose Transcend MP330 digital music player

I have 8 solid reasons why I prefer to use Transcend MP330 digital music player instead of my smartphone for non-stop music playback experience during my run.

1. Lightweight, small, ultra-portable with a detachable sport clip

Weighing only 25g (0.88 oz) with the dimensions of 85mm x 25.5mm x 11.5mm (3.4" x 1.02" x 0.46"), Transcend MP3 digital music player is truly a very lightweight, small and ultra-portable digital music player. The carefully crafted ergonomic shape and brilliant 1" white monochrome OLED display makes it easy to read from any angle, even in broad daylight. I personally find that this good looking Transcend MP330 digital music player is very stylish too. It's very nice to hold too with its ergonomic shape - no sharp edges at all!

One of the key reasons why I chose Transcend MP330 digital music player over other brands was because of its detachable sport clip. I believe this is a unique feature of Transcend MP330 digital music player which allows the owner to connect the detachable sport clip to pockets, backpacks, jackets, or tracksuits. For me, I connect the detachable sport clip to my running shorts and listen to the music through Pioneer ear phone to give me hands-free music! Awesome!


2. Digital music player functions as a USB flash drive

Even though Transcend MP330 digital music player comes in a compact size, it doesn't lose its features and functionality. The nice looking Transcend MP330 digital music player supports MP3, WMA, and WAV audio files. For my running needs, I only store MP3 audio files. It suits me perfectly.

I used it to transfer some work files from my office laptop in office back to home laptop to work too using the same digital music player Transcend MP330. You might ask, "What? Can Transcend MP330 digital music player do that?" The answer is a big yes!! Transcend MP330 digital music player also functions as a USB flash drive for you to transfer, store and share files. Pretty cool, huh?


3. Storing up to 2000 songs

With the capacity of 8GB, Transcend MP330 digital music player can store up to 2,000 songs (or 512 hours of voice recordings). 

How on earth can I listen to so many songs running a full marathon? If one song is four (4) minutes, 2,000 songs would have been an amazing 8,000 minutes of non-stop music playback experience! That will take me 133 hours of non-stop music listening! 


4. Listening to FM radio

I remember when I was in Thailand and Taiwan on running vacations, I used Transcend MP330 digital music player to listen to local radio stations when I was relaxing in the hotel. I also listened to local FM radio stations when I did my Sunday long slow distance (LSD) running. This flexibility allows me to switch from the music which I'm already familiar with to the local favors or DJ's favors!! It adds some spice to my run!

5. Smart recording

And if you are bloggers or just simply interested in interviewing runners along the route about their experience, you can also use Transcend MP330 digital music player as a voice recording to record up to 512 hours. Smart phone can do that too but I don't think it can record up to 512 hours like Transcend MP330. Ready to be a sport reporter while running? :)

I personally have not used this feature before, but it might come in handy one day.

6. Long battery life

Another key factor for me to look at when selecting a digital music player is the long battery life. I don't want the battery to die on me when run a full marathon or even an ultra marathon. When the spirit is down, the energy level is low, motivation takes a beating in a full / ultra marathon, especially during "hit the wall" time at KM30 onwards, music makes me alive!! Hence, long battery life is a must!!

Transcend MP330 digital music player doesn't disappoint me. It comes with 16 hours of playback time. Thus far for my full marathons and a 50 km race, Transcend MP330 stood strong and never failed to perform with its long battery life. Very reliable indeed!

7. Fast charge

Nowadays everyone wants things instant. Even smartphones nowadays come with quick charge function. With Transcend MP330 digital music player, you can just simply plug it into any laptop or USB charger. After just 6 minutes of quick charging, you can enjoy non-stop playback of your favorite songs for a full hour. Pretty fascinating with such a little music player!

8. Value for money

It's one of the cheapest digital music players out there that comes with quality of a trusted brand. At 139 Malaysian Ringgit, it's a price that I would pay to have high quality, reliable non-stop music playback experience during my run!



For more product information, you can visit Transcend product page by clicking here.


Written by Vincent Khor on August 7, 2017.