Frontier Labs NEX 3+ MP3 Player Review

If you’re looking for a simple MP3 player with a built-in FM transmitter to play your MP3s on your car stereo, then you might want to check out this review of the Frontier Labs NEX 3+.

Introduction

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A couple of months ago, I looked at the NEX 3 from Frontier Labs. Today, I am looking at the NEX 3+. The only difference between the two devices is that the NEX3+ has a FM transmitter in it so you can play your songs through your car’s radio. So, I will point you to my review of the NEX 3 for most of my thoughts about the design and use of the player. That review can be found here: https://bjorn3d.com/read.php?cID=814.

Features & Bundle

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Here are the features and bundle of the NEX 3+.

Features

• Stylish, Light and portable
• Single Jog-Lever for easy and precise control
• Solid state construction with no moving parts
• Uses Secure Digital memory cards for storage
• Infinite memory expansion configuration (limited by the capacity of memory card)
• Supports multiple formats, such as MP3 & WMA™ and WMA with DRM9
• Backlight (with choice of backlight settings)
• Displays ID3 Tags, duration of songs, memory level, battery level & etc.
• Equalizer – 5 bands
• Pre-set sound mode – Jazz, Rock, Classic, Dance & Latin
• Smart play functions (repeat once, repeat all, single folder, repeat folder and random)
• Draws power from USB connection
• Built in FM Radio
• FM Record in MP3 format (bit rate selectable)
• Direct line in encoding in MP3 format (bit rate selectable)
• Voice recording in MP3 format (bit rate selectable)
• Multi-language support
• ID3 Tags V1, V2, with lyric support
• USB2.0 Plug & Play Mass Storage Device
• Mac, Win 98/ME/20/XP compatible
• Firmware upgradeable
• Sleep timer, multiple folder support, Menu scroll during song play, Resume and Auto shut down
• FM Transmitter
• Car Power Supply

Bundle

• NEX 3 MP3/WMA™ player with radio and recorder
• Stylish earphone with neck strap
• Windows Media Player™ 10.0
• Instruction Manual
• USB cable
• Line in cable
• Car Power Cable

So, you can see comparing this to the NEX 3 I reviewed everything is the same except the car power adapter and the transmitter. Since you can look at the NEX 3 review I did here, I am just going to cover the transmitter part in looking at the NEX 3+.

Using the NEX 3+

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The first thing I want to point out is the transmitter only works if the car adapter is plugged in and getting power. On the other end of the adapter, it plugs into the USB connection that is the same one we use to download songs. It turns out the transmitter uses the car cable to as an antenna for the FM signal, but it also powers the NEX 3+, saving some battery life on the player.

Once you have everything hooked up, it is very simple to use the transmitter. You find a station on the radio that is not being used, and then you enable the transmitter with the menu and jog dial. Once the transmitter is enabled, it lets you choose a frequency to broadcast on. Match the frequency to what you have set on your car radio, and you are listening to your music.

I used the NEX 3+ for my trip down to Alabama to check out the house and town I am moving to soon. With the 15-hour trip down and back, we had to change the station’s frequency a couple of times, but it was very easy to do.

Conclusion

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The NEX 3+ works just as well as the NEX 3. The FM transmitter function is easy to use and works well. It’s a nice addition to this simple player.

Pros:

+Nice small unit, easy fit in a shirt pocket. Also works well for a child’s hands.
+Rubber coating protects from drops and scratches.
+Good quality ear buds.
+Amount of songs depends on size of SD card you buy.
+Transmitter easy to set up and use.

Cons:

–Comes without any memory card (a small card would have been nice).
– Jog Dial takes some getting used to.
–Wish transmitter would have worked for other broadcast besides car radio.

Final Score: 7.5 out of 10