In the first of a regular series of Mental Media gadgets, here’s a run down of the ten best audio gadgets you’ve never thought of.

Stay tuned for more lists in the Mental Media series coming soon.

10). DIY iPod BoomBox

What is it?

Having an iPod is great for listening to your tunes, but have you seen the price of external iPod speakers? The DIY iPod Boombox solves that problem and adds a bit of nostalgic street-cred too. Looking like an old 80s boombox, you simply slot your iPod into it and voila – now everyone can hear your tunes (which may or may not be a good thing depending on your music collection!)

Why it’s mental

It’s made from cardboard.

No, seriously, it’s made from cardboard – you have to assemble it yourself, just like you used to with those old X-Wing fighter models you cut out from the back of cornflake packets when you were a nipper (ask your Dad if this sounds like Olde English to you!)

9). Wireless floating speakers

What is it?

“Wireless floating speakers”…now what could they be?

Well, firstly, they’re speakers, and they’ll play music from any MP3 player. Secondly, they’re wireless. They come with a transmitter, which you plug into your MP3 payer or stereo, and have a range of about 150 feet. And thirdly…

Why they’re mental

…they float! Whether you’re in the pool, the bath or even drowning in the park lake, the Wireless floating speakers will always be with you, belting out Stairway to Heaven as you slowly disappear beneath the surface of your chosen body of water.

8). Oono Transmitta

What is it?

Wireless HiFis are becoming more and more popular, but they’re expensive, particularly if you want to stream your tunes to more than one room in the house.

Fortunately Oono have a solution in the form of the appallingly-named Oono Transmitta VII. The Transmitta VII features a transmitter (hence the name), which you plug into any device’s 3.5mm headphone jack or USB port, and a receiver, which you attach to a speaker or amp of your choice via an auxiliary socket. Once complete, you can then transmit your tunes anywhere in the house (well, within a 50 foot range anyway). You can even pipe your TV’s output through to your hi-fi.

Better still, it’s a cheap solution at just

You can see the complete top ten after the jump.

To be fair, this list comes from AdvancedMP3Players, a somewhat niche UK-based online store, and so shouldn’t be seen as representative of the MP3 player market as a whole. However, the store caters to people who want their MP3 players to be more than just clones; players that really stand out and add something a little bit extra. In other words, the type of people you’d expect to buy an iPod Touch, but who clearly aren’t.

Maybe the iPod has lost its touch, at least with the early adopters?

The complete top ten follows below:

Top 10 MP3 Players

1. iRiver Clix 2 8GB MP3 Player
2. Cowon iAudio 7 16GB MP3 Player
3. Cowon iAudio D2 4GB MP3 Player with DAB Digital Radio
4. Cowon iAudio D2 4GB MP3 Player
5. Cowon iAudio D2 16GB MP3 Player
6. NU Dolphin Waterproof 1GB MP3 Player
7. SumVision M18 4GB FM MP3 Player
8. Samsung YP-K3 1GB MP3 Player (Samsung Reconditioned)
9. Cowon iAudio D2 8GB MP3 Player with DAB Digital Radio
10. Apple iPod Nano 8GB MP3 Player (New)

[Source: Advanced MP3 Players]

So we’ve done the hard work for you and compiled a list of the top Bluetooth MP3 players on the market today, together with links to the all the Bluetooth MP3 players from the major online stores.

Yes, we’re very very good to you people!

Why buy a Bluetooth MP3 player?

A Bluetooth MP3 player is a must-have couch potato gadget who prefers listening to their tunes without moving, rather than having to fiddle about with wires to hear their tunes. A Bluetooth MP3 player will let you do some or more of the following:

• listen to your tunes wirelessly, either through a Bluetooth headset or an external Bluetooth speaker. No wires, no fuss, just stream your music from the MP3 player to the speaker, no matter where it is in your lounge.
• stream your tunes to your car stereo wirelessly – a number of car radios now also come with Bluetooth, meaning you can listen to your tunes from your MP3 player in your car without having to use headphones (dangerous and, er, illegal!) or one of those annoying FM transmitters.
• take calls from your mobile phone via your MP3 player – never get up to answer the phone again!
• wirelessly copy your tunes to and from your PC – no more fiddling about with USB cables.

Wired MP3 players are so lost year, while Wi-Fi ones are still a bit pricey. If it’s a decent MP3 player you’re after, you might as well throw Bluetooth into the mix as well – you won’t regret it.

We’ve come up with the following list showing five of the best Bluetooth MP3 players on the market today. If these don’t tempt you, check out our links to the Bluetooth MP3 players from the major online stores.

1). The Samsung YP-T10 Bluetooth MP3 player

Looking not unlike a mobile phone, the Samsung YP-T10 lets you stream your music from the device to a Bluetooth earpiece or a Bluetooth wireless speaker using Bluetooth A2DP technology.

Nothing flash or fancy, the Samsung simply lets you play MP3 tunes with or without wires. It comes in several variants, from 2GB up to 16GB, and also features an intriguing “character animation” user interface, to stop you getting bored from looking at a dull list of tunes! Good value too, with prices starting from just