After months of throwing my CD/mp3 player off the machines at the gym, I decided I might need a small mp3 player. You know something that wouldn’t take horrible nosedives off the stairstepper or skip when I was on the treadmill.

I led a passive search until the Nachus pendant mp3 player showed up on Woot. I plunked down the $85 (including shipping and handling) and had my new mp3 player a few days later.

IN THE PACKAGE A few specs:

  • 256MB flash memory
  • Weighs 15 grams and measures 1-5/8 inches wide and 3/8 inches thick
  • MP3 format support (no WMA)
  • 20Hz-20kHz frequency range
  • USB 1.1 interface
  • Supports Windows 98/2000/Me/XP, Mac OS 9.2 or above
  • Approximately 8 hours of play time
  • Lithium-ion battery
Nachus pendant mp3 player with accessories

Accessories included:

  • Neck strap earphones
  • DC to USB converter
  • USB cable
  • 2.5mm headphone plug adapter
  • Installation driver CD (only needed for Win98)
  • User manual

First of all, it’s seriously tiny. If you throw it over your neck you won’t even notice it’s there. It stores 256 MB which isn’t huge by mp3 player standards. However, for my purposes it’s more than adequate.

MY PURPOSES Since I mentioned “my purposes,” I suppose I should explain them. If for no other reason than to stem a slew of “just get an iPod” comments. I needed a mp3 player small enough so as to be invisible to me as I worked out. I wanted adequate space to hold enough music to keep my workout mix random. An mp3 player that would serve for short trips was a plus. I wasn’t overly concerned with supported file formats. I was happy as long as mp3 format was supported. Flash-based was ideal as I didn’t want to worry about moving parts that might break if I dropped it. I wanted this all for less than $100. In the interest of saving more comment space, I should also note that this was before the iPod shuffle was released.

THE GOOD AND THE BAD
Pros:

  • Small size – Have I mentioned it’s tiny?
  • Memory – The 256 MB is enough to store around 4 hours of music for my workout listening pleasure.
  • The “What is that?” factor – It’s so small I’m often asked what it is. People can’t believe it’s an mp3 player.
  • Serves nicely as a mass storage device when not used for mp3 playing.
  • Simple to recharge via USB.

Cons

  • No LCD – I’ve never missed it since I never look at the player as I workout. But as this is an important feature for many, it should be noted.
  • No randomize functionality – Yep, you have to listen to the music in alphabetical order. This is annoying if you have multiple songs by the same artist on the player.
  • Ambiguous three-function control button – Because of the limited real estate available on the Nachus, the stop, play, and next track functionality are all on the same button. Definitely difficult to manage at first.
  • Only supports USB 1.1 – This means slower moving of mp3 tracks, but isn’t overly noticeable when you’re only working with up to 256 MB of music.
Nachus close up

I can’t stand earbuds, so I don’t use the included ones. It’s not really a pro or con as most people like earbuds. But if you’re like me, this is an FYI that you will need to purchase alternate headphones.

CONCLUSIONS
I love the Nachus. That doesn’t mean it’s for everyone, though. It’s definitely not for those that like to carry around their entire life’s collection of music. However, it’s great for those that want a small, light mp3 player for working out, short commutes, or short trips. A randomize functionality is one thing I really wish it had, but if I keep my music list fresh, I don’t notice it as much as I would otherwise. Overall, I would highly recommend it – especially for those that don’t need a lot of features, but for who (think runners, travelers) small and light are very important mp3 player qualities.

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