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Barnes & Noble Review

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Number of Titles

Barnes & Noble is the largest book retailer in the United States, and their selection of audio books is decent. They have over 82,000 audio books to choose from, most of which are on CD.

Prices

Barnes & Noble audio books are decently priced, especially with respect to their MP3 audio books. However, their audio books on CD and cassette tape are rather expensive due to shipping costs. You can get free shipping to destinations within the United States with an B&N Membership Plan or by making a purchase of at least $25.

Membership Plans

Listeners can save some money with a Barnes & Noble Membership plan. You can benefit from their Free express shipping, which takes 1-3 days to addresses within the continental United States. However, purchases made from outside the United States are not eligible for free shipping.

Reward Program Price Benefits
B&N Membership $25/year $25 off NOOK Color
$40 off Hardcover Best sellers in-store
$10 off almost Everything Else in-store
FREE Express Shipping from BN.com orders

Visit Barnes & Noble for more information about B&N Membership Plans.

Sound Quality

Audio books on CD and cassette tape have excellent sound quality. MP3 audio book are of decent sound quality, but are of a lower sound quality than a CD or Audible's Enchained Audio.

Compatible Devices

Barnes & Noble outstrips the competition when it comes to flexibility of listening devices because you can order audio books on CD, cassette tape or digital. And because their digital audio books are MP3s, they are compatible with virtually any portable listening device.

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Customer Support

Barnes & Noble is dedicated to proving quality customer support and service. If you have questions or concerns you can contact Barnes & Noble by email or by Phone:

  • US: 1-800-843-2665
  • International: 201-272-3651
Day Hours
Monday to Friday 8am - 11pm EST
Saturday, Sunday & Holidays 9am - 5:30pm EST

Return Policy

You may return new, unopened purchases within 14 days of receiving your order. Returns can be mailed to the follow address:

Barnes & Noble
Returns Department
1 Barnes & Noble Way
Monroe Township, NJ 08831

If you dissatisfied with your MP3 audio book please contact Barnes & Noble customer support by phone or email for a possible refund.

Technical Information

Available Formats

Audio books from Barnes & Noble are available in three formats:

  • CD: these audio books are available for purchase online and will be shipped to the billing address that you provide.
  • Cassette tape: these audio books are available for purchase online and will be shipped to the billing address that you provide.
  • MP3: these audio books can be downloaded directly to your computer and then transferred to your listening device. You may also listen to these audio books directly on your computer.

Sound Quality

Technically, cassette tapes have a higher sound quality than CDs because they can reproduce a greater range of frequencies. However, CDs have a greater dynamic range, so they can produce loaders sounds. They also do not degrade as quickly over time. Thus the difference between sound quality of a Book on Tape and a Book on CD is debatable.

Audio books on CD have a higher sound quality than MP3 audio books because they can reproduce a greater range of frequencies.

Device Compatibility

  • Barnes and Noble's audio books on CD should be compatible with any CD player made within the last 10 years. Consult your CD player's manufacturer for more information.
  • Barnes and Noble's audio books on Cassette should be compatible with virtually any cassette tape player.
  • Barnes and Noble's digital audio books are in an MP3 file format They are compatible with the vast majority of devices, including MP3 players, iPods, iPhone, Android, BlackBerry, most mobile phones, Kindle and Nook. Check with the manufacturer of your desired listening device for more information on compatibility with the MP3 file format.

Required Software

If you want to listen to a Barnes and Noble audio book on CD or cassette tape, no additional software is required.

If you want to listen to a Barnes and Noble MP3 audiobook, you will need to download the Media Console. The Media Console is free software.

Visit Barnes and Noble's information page for for assistance downloading and installing your Media Console.