Audio Reviews

Sounded great for a short while. Fuses keep blowing so something is very wrong. Hoping Amazon takes care of this one ... we'll see. Depressing to have something that should work yet won't ... I never cranked it up or drove it hard.

Stay away from Audiosource.

I was on the email list awaiting amazon to stock this item. I grew impatient since i have been on this list since the beginning of 2002. I ordered from an online competitor since i did not know of any retail stores in Atlanta that would carry this model of sub. I paid almost 50 dollars more per sub (I bought two). I still think that they were worth the price. I just wish i could have gotten them for Amazon's price.

I have a huge stereo with 3 reciever/amplifiers daisy chained together to supply 5 pairs of loudspeakers and one passive sub. One sub just wouldn't do, no matter what it's size. Boy was i wrong. One SW-15 could have done the job quite well. But i have two of them and the house shakes from foundation to roof. I have to check and see if my neighbors are home or not to see if i can turn these subs up or not.

I want to address a couple of issues from other reviewers. No banana clip connectors, wah wah wah, if you have them on your speaker cables, just clip and strip to get bare wire, problem solved.

The speakers plunge deep and unrestrained. The lowest of lows is as forceful as those in the upper register of sub frequencies.

Yes, these speakers did sound "tubby", but since i had two of them, i put one on left channel, and one on right channel which eliminated a lot of the tubbiness from playing both right/left channels through one speaker. I am also planning to add more polyfill to these cabinets (which another reviewer suggested) which should provide more definition.

Finally let me address the issue of price, the reason it is much cheaper is because Audio Source isn't as prevailant in the market as Pioneer, Sony, Cerwin Vega, etc. But that's just it, you aren't paying for the name. You are paying for the product only. Which is what makes this one of the best subs on the market. I am completely happy with my subs and turn them up every chance i get.

If you are planning on buying one of these, go right ahead, you won't be upset. If amazon is stocking them, buy it right away, they sell out fast. If you should be like me and decide to buy them elsewhere for a bit more, you still wouldn't be wasting your money.

As many others were before me, I too was skeptical of a 15" sub at such a low price. But I figured, what the heck, if it sucks, I can always return it. After a couple days, I decided it was a keeper.

Out of the box, it is indeed tubby. The really low end was there, but at a much diminished volume. It had issues with definition. The raw power though, my god man! This sub will bring out the harmonics of an entire house. Play something with a bass sweep in it and you will understand what I mean. It gets seriously boomy and muddy at anything over 100hz. The power switch is upside down by normal conventions (up is off, down is on).

Off to the store we go to get some polyfill. I bought 2 pillows that were on sale, ones with polyester filling. Upon arrival at home, I cut the pillows open and pulled the stuffing out. Then, I unscrewed the subwoofer, pulled it out and began stuffing the inside of the box. I put about four inches if not more of polyfill on every wooden surface inside that box. I made sure to cover the ports as thats the way it came. I put everything back together, plugged it back in, hit play on the cd player, and listened. The bottom end magically appeared! The bass tightened up so much, and all the little subtleties appeared. An absoultely amazing difference for a $7 mod and 15 minutes of time. This sub really *will* compete with other subs that go for hundreds more.

4 stars for music
5 stars for home theater (This is the one you are looking for, I can't say enough)
5 stars for value

Strengths:
Goes way deep.
Very Powerful.
Price.
Dead ringer for home theater.
Perfect sub for an already decent speaker system.
Knobs have "notches" for better feel of settings.
Will keep up with fast bass passages.

Weakness:
The mod is an abolute must. If you won't spend a little pocket change and 15 minutes of time, don't bother, you won't be happy.
Size (The manual says to hide it under a coffee table. That's some coffee table. Use it as a coffee table maybe...)
It's not a work of art by any definition.
Power switch is somewhat unconventional.
It's mush over 100hz.
Don't even try to hook this up with your $ computer speakers.
Makes you subwoofer proof your house.

The B&W viewfinder is better than color for manual focus and contrast. Having both in the package is a plus and not a negative.

The Sony DCR TRV310 works _very_ well as a Windows XP camcorder. Windows XP Professional include Windows Movie Maker. This el-cheapo free-bee isn't adequate. In 2002, Microsoft released a free upgrade: Windows Movie Maker 2. Version 2 ROCKS. With a whole host of new camera effects, a zoo of fades, excellent title and credit control, and very controllable multiple audio tracks, it's possible to do quite a bit of movie editing, without paying a dime more for software. Version 2 even allows you to re-record your finished video back onto the camera!

I bought my Sony DCR TRV310 used (partly broken). Since the input/output connections don't work properly, I just plug my TRV310 into the FireWire port, and use Windows Movie Maker 2's capture mode to control the camcorder -- right on the computer screen!

I sent somebody some video I had shot, stored as a .WMV file on a CD-R. He sent me back a note thanking me for the DVD!!!

This model is aging, and its cost is going down. Since it does everything you'll want, including playing back 8-mm and Hi8 tapes directly into Windows XP in digital format, it's still an excellent buy -- and an even better value than ever!

Windows Movie Maker 2's minimum computer requirements are, CPU 1,500 Mhz (1.5 GHz), 512 K RAM, lots of disk space (20 GB+), and a FireWire port. Since Windows Movie Maker 2 uses Microsoft-specific storage formats, you may want to spend a few $$$ to purchase third-party video editing software, which will record to more formats, or give you DVD authoring capability.

Suggested equipment upgrades for the TRV310: External clip-on microphone for better forward gain & extended bass sound; 8-hr InfoLithium battery HIGHLY recommended.

I bought this camcorder for two reasons:

1) Exceptional imageand sound quality 2) Ability to digitally edit videos on my PC

Thevideo quality is superb, with excellent auto-exposure capabilities. The 20x optical zoom is great -- I leave the digital zoom switched off. Good fades are complimented by some neat SFX modes -- image trails, sepia effect, slow "shutter speed" and (limited) image keying. The standard battery doesn't last much longer than an hour, so you should factor in the cost of an extended battery into your budget.

If size is the most important thing, then you should look at DV format cameras. I found them to be too small -- the Sony camera size and weight make it easy to handle while not being a burden. Hi8 tapes are also much cheaper than DV tapes.

For editing, there are several fully digital capture cards available for PCs and all support this camera You can edit and review video on your PC (in real time on some cards) and render back to the camera for final recording on tape. All without any analog<->digital conversion and therefore without any loss in quality.

If quality is important, or you have any aspirations to editing your videos rather than just taping the kids, vacations and weddings, then this is the camera for you.

I need to start off by saying, that i really wish i could give this product but a 4 1/2, but...amazon wont let me! But on with the review!

~ok, this player is simple amazing...i knew what to expect from the machine (considering the hours and hours of research that i did) and this beautiful player fulfilled that and SO much more. I chose this over the sony D-ne1, and i'm happy i did!

Design

~the design is simple, but modern. There's no screen at all on the player itself, it's even void of controls! it's all been placed on their remote. The player itself isn't actually a circle, it's actually an oval, but the extra space on the top is so small that i doubt it's noticable at all that it's not a circle. The player is very light, and seems very fragile, but what can you expect considering how much it ways? the remote has the same kind of feel to it. But overall it's a great looking machine.

Remote

~ this and the somewhat fragile design is why i had to give the player 4 1/2 stars. The remote itself is just as well designed as the player, but it can be sooo confusing at times... it takes a lot of getting used too, but once you have gotten used to it, it's actually quite simple. But that means, if you're thinking about sharing it with friends or whatever, they may need some tutorials in the use of it. The jog sticks also act as buttons to go through the menus and such, and these are your main navigation tools. The stop and play buttons only act as what their names describe. Also a BIG problem with the remote is that larger headphones, where the jack is larger even though it's still a 1/8th size don't completely fit in! this can be truly annoying when your trying to use some of the nicer headphones out with with this player. i own a pair of AKG K240S, and with them i'm using a 1/8th adapter from radioshack, i can't even fit it in all the way to get the full effect of the headphones! and yes, it is the right stereo phone plug size...

*Overall!

~beautiful player+great remote once you get used to it
~thing and small! a great combination
~problems with headphone plug-ins
~fragile design

Like a few others who've written reviews here, I upgraded to an iMP-550 after my I broke my Rio Volt SP250 (which, it turns out, was actually a branded iRiver too.) Here's what I found from two weeks of use.

CONS
1. My only real complaint about the iMP-550 is that it's really loud -- louder than any other CD player I've ever had -- which can annoy others in a quiet setting. When it's reading the disk, it grinds away and it seems as if it would never end. There is a software band-aid for this (a `polite' mode to lessen CD reads), but it doesn't help. Why didn't iRiver fix the problem at the source instead? I could live without the gee-whiz thinness if iRiver needs room for a quieter motor. And did I mention it's loud?
2. The earbuds are [...] (but that's a given with any portable, so don't blame iRiver). Check out [website's] "Cheap Headphones" buying guide for replacements. I like the Sennheiser PX-100 (open) or PX-200 (sealed).

PROS
1. ogg support! ogg files sound better to my ears than mp3 or wma files of the same size. This was the main reason I chose the iMP-550 over other models.
2. Excellent sound quality. Better than other cd portables I've tried.
3. Extremely configurable.
4. It handled all the CDRs I've fed it, even ones burned at fast speeds.
5. One reviewer reported that the iMP-550 doesn't handle VBR. Maybe he's got an older version, but mine (firmware 1.50b) handles VBR fine.
6. The controls on the remote, though small, are well thought-out and give a lot of physical feedback. It only takes a few sessions before you can navigate without looking.
7. Comes with all the extras you could needs -- car plugs, a cassette adapter, an external battery source for AA batteries, a nice carrying case, and so on.
8. The manual is easy to skim & read.

COMPARISON TO THE VENERABLE RIO VOLT SP250:
1. The interface is an upgrade of the old SP250's software, so the learning curve is easy.
2. The iMP-550 picks up weak radio signals better than the SP250.
3. iRiver has more frequent firmware upgrades than Rio.
4. The NiMH batteries seem hold a longer charge.
5. I don't miss having the controls on the player (instead of on the remote) as much as I thought I would. When I want both the player and controls close at hand, I stuff the remote's cord into the player's carrying case, then flip the case over and clamp the remote's holding clamp onto the carrying case's rubber belt strap.

CONCLUSION I'm glad my SP250 broke, because this is a much better player. The sound quality, the better FM tuner, and especially the ogg support, make this player the one to beat. If only the motor wasn't so loud, it would be perfect. I give it 4.5 stars and round up to 5 for Amazon.

There is not a single feature lacking in this product. Rest assured it will not go out of date, as firmware updates are downloadable from the manufacturer's website.

The sound from this unit (including the included Sennheiser earbuds) is absolutely flawless. Crisp, clear sound even on the lowest bitrate MP3s. No hiss, no crackle, no ambient noise.

Supports every major CD-R protocol, from standard ISO to packet written to Romeo discs with filenames over 128 characters.

Newly designed carrying case keeps unit snug and secure, prevents scratching (all features are controlled via remote) and a belt clip is provided, unlike previous models (i.e. the 350)

The manual is detailed and printed on glossy paper, the packaging is superb, the website well designed, and most importantly, the unit is extremely easy to use... a quick glance through the manual and you can be up and running within no time at all... the only major delay is to let the batteries fully charge/discharge for the first time. (You can use the AC adapter to try it out while you wait however!)

Rush out and buy this item... do not even consider any other brands, none come close to the quality of this item.

I work out a lot and this player works quite well; however I would recommend using your own headphones. I found it holds about 57-61 WMA files and 20-24 mp3s. Either way you get a decent amount of music and the instillation onto your computer should be easy, at least it was for me

Product typeDigital player
PC interface(s) supportedUSB
Flash memory installed64 MB Integrated
Digital storageNone
Software includedMoodLogic,Apple iTunes,RealOne Player
Carrying Case
Case typeSoft case
StrapBelt clip
Digital Player / Recorder
Digital formats supportedMP3,WMA
Playback modesA-B repeat,Intro scan,Repeat all,Random play,Repeat shuffle,One track repeat
Supported bit rates64 - 192Kbps
ID3 tags supportYes
Built-in Display
Built-in displayLCD
Backlight colorBlue
Audio Features
Sound output modeStereo
TimerPlayback,Stopwatch
Built-in clockTimer,Digital clock
Additional featuresBass control,Digital volume control,Battery level indication
CD System
CD systemNone
Equalizer
Equalizer typeDigital graphic
Factory preset qty6
Factory presetsPop,Jazz,Rock,Normal,Trance,Classic
Radio
Tuner typeNone
Remote Control
Remote controlNone
Headphones
Headphones typeBinaural
Sound output modeStereo
Connectivity technologyWired

Connectivity
Cable(s) includedUSB cable - External
Connector type1 x Headphones Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm,1 x US
Slot(s) provided1 x SD Memory Card
Battery / Power
Battery1 x Alkaline AA type Standard battery
Mfr estimated battery life35 hour
Power supply includedNone
System Requirements
Interface devicesUSB port
Min operating systemMicrosoft Windows 98,Microsoft Windows XP,Microsoft Windows 2000,Apple MacOS 9.0.4 or later,Apple MacOS X 10.1 or later,Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition,Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition

This Mp3 player is the best Mp3 player on the market, for it's price range. It's no Ipod, but it get's you to the gym and back without a sweat.

Some of the info in this review was obtained at www.ZDNetReviews.com

Did some research on MP3 players to use while working out. Biggest complaints surrounded use of software to download MP3's or WMA's(Windows Media)to the player. Also wanted to be able to Rip songs off my current CD's to download to the Player. The software was very easy to install (I use Win 2000) and my pc had no problem picking up the new USB connection. After I installed the Software I connected the player and was ready to go. I used Windows 2000 to copy my CD's down to the hard drive in the WMA format. Then using RIO manager I could pick and choose which songs I wanted to hear. The software allows you to sort very large libraries of songs by Genre, Album, Song List and Playlist. The download time for a full CD's worth of sound is about five minutes. The display shows Album, Artist and song title and other info like volume and battery meter. You can shuffle songs and you can apply several setting using an onscreen menu list (i.e. equalizer, powersaver, etc). Also the battery life has been excellent, 3 hours of use and still showing 3/4 full. Headphones are OK (ear plugs only) Very nice padded belt clip stays where you put it.

Bottom line: Great product for the money and the workout person.

If you workout, like being outside, or anywhere that you would like to have your own personal music playing without looking like some kid from the 80's with a giant walkman strapped to themselves, then this is the product for you.
First off I want to be straight forward with the downsides to this product. The battery will not last long, unless you use Nihm batteries or if you do not run your Yepp at full volume. The programing that comes with the Yepp leaves some to be desired in music organization, but not much worse (or better) then say Windows media player or Real One. The last downfall is the limited controls.
After all those listed short commings of the Mini-Yepp why on earth would I give it 4 stars. Simple because I would give it 5 stars except for those three down falls each easily over come.
First of all think about what you are wanting to buy. This is not a multi-gig player for thosse long trips. This is a COMPACT SUPER LIGHT WEIGHT short term player. YOu can extend battery life by using Nihm batteries and not trying to blast the volume all the time.
The programing is simple but just takes time to set up play lists and search for files. The easiest way is to organize the files on your hard drive and add them via the program by searching your hard drive, rather than your data base (unless you have a very good preset up data base, like name, artist, and all that jazz).
The last problem being the limited controls only matters when you have time to play with them. For the most part this product is aimed at the on the go person who doesnt have time to program in different sound levels and playlists all the time.
The great things about this player is it's fast uploading, decent memory (64), size, adn weight. I personally use this for when ever I am working out, doing Kata (Karate dance), biking or hiking outdoors, and many more.
So if you want a great product to serve your 1hr to 2hr workout or what ever this is a great subtle MP3 player. I would suggest this product over most of the other small players, unless you are looking for the super hitech, long travel MP3 player.

I travel a great deal and was looking for a tiny MP3 to take on trips and workout with. I have the 64MB model and have roughly 2 albums worth of music on it. I'm new to MP3 technology and found the software very easy and intuitive. After roughly an hour I had started copying my CD's to MP3. It does come with an armband and pouch and the only downside is that this little sucker is a battery eater (to be expected because of the size) and the earphones fall out of my ears easily. I'll likely have to get a new set if I run or ski with it. Love the price. I'm very satisfied.

The best MP3 player i have ever seen. Sound is great at 128kb and it is considered one of the smallest MP3 player in the world!!! My friend bought Sony instead of Samsung and now he keeps saying that he should have bought Samsung because Sony MP3 player can only be downloaded with their own file format. that means whether you have MP3,WAV, or WMA, you have to encode into sony unique files and it takes really long time to do it. Every each file should be encoded into sony preferred file. Samsung's yepp software it's so easy as 1,2,3. You just have to click one button to transfer songs into portable samsung yepp player. I heard a lot from web site about this little samsung's yepp player that its sounds quality isn't good as they expected, but that's not true. Excellent sound quality at 128kb, good at 96kb, and bad at 56kb. It also has equalizer, repeat, forward and backward, time, date, etc. Fast downloading by USB connection. I love this. If five stars is the best rating, i would give 6 stars.....

I purchased the RipFlash MP3 play to work out to and not for the digital voice recording features. This is my first MP3 player so I have no point of reference compared to other MP3 players. Given that, here are my experiences so far.

Pros:

- very good sound - especially with the equalizer
- fast transfer rate from my PC - 30 songs in less than 5 min
- very lightweight

Cons:

- no software for ripping CDs. I had to buy some but found a good one called MP3 Workshop...

- can only read MP3 format. Would have been nice if it could read WMA format. Then I could have used the Windows Media Player to rip the CDs.
- earplug earphone sounds good but had trouble keeping them in my ears.

Things you should know:

- If you do want to add a SmartMedia card, the songs on the card will be played separately from the ones in the built-in Flash memory. (this may be important if you want to play randomly)
- The display is small and somewhat hard to read, but did not bother me.
- I haven't tried to Rip CDs with the line-in but I think it is a useful feature.
- Would have been nice to have a belt clip for working out.

Overall, very good player. As I said, I like it very much, but it does have a few minor flaws. I can live with them for working out and would buy it again.

I bought this mostly to record lectures digitaly for pesonal use and public distribution. The sound quality is excellent, even recording at 32 kbs in a conference room, it sounds like a sound studio. At this recording rate an hour takes about 14M, or 50 hours worth on a 700M CD.The size is great, the fact that it records directly to mp3 format is very convenient, and it is easy to convert old tapes to mp3. It also runs fine on rechargeable batteries. I would give it five stars if it included two things, a bookmark feature (if you leave off in the middle of a one hour lecture you have to remember where you left off and then fast foreward to get back) and if it included some kind of mp3 editing software. But if you are in the business of distributing lectures this is an excellent product.

After having done a month search, i think it will be fair to add one more star to it!

Original I wanted to buy a good music player for my husband, in addition to it, I could record lecture three times a week. RipFlash's metal look makes it a winner. The review mentions about the wrist band, but mine did not come with one. I had Archos Jukebox Recorder 10 and RipFlash 128mb Digital Recorder.

Software Problems:

RipFlash's software is very basic. Installation was easy. I could drag songs directly from the MP3 manager software when it was first installed. But on the next day, this function was not working. Furthermore, when I disconnected the USB from the computer, the devise still has the 'pc usb' signal on. Meaning? i have no way to play it until and unless i take out the battaries and reinsert it. It happens very often.

Neither Archos Jukebox Recorder nor Ripflash software is a good file organizer. The Archos Jukebox has one more problem than the Ripflash. When i closed the MusicBox software and disconnected the protable device, an error message saying improper disconnection will cause pc hardware problems..... I guess no one would expect to see such a message after having done everything in great care. In fact, it crashed my computer more than twice. I had to reboot my computer. I gave up, and returned it

As the RipFlash player does not display title, i have to guess what is coming next. I bought a SM card for extra memory, the eject 'button' is difficult to use. It seems i have to push the card out myself.

Voice recording

I have to admit that the voice recording function is very easy to use and very sensitive, compare to my Archos Jukebox Recorder. Unlike the Archos Jukebox, the Ripflash allocates a new file for voice recording automatically. The Archos one asks for a new name everytime. Otherwise it will either replace your existing 'new song' file or refuse to record. I missed almost 10 minutes lecture because of setting up the Archos. And the battaries ran out within an hour. I was caught in the middle for recording exam tips! Definetly I will not recommend the Archos Jukebox Recorder for reporters or students alike. As a matter of fact, the RipFlash recorder is a very eligant and handy devise for recorders or students.

Final conclusion: there is no prefect mp3 player!
With almost 90 bucks more, why should i buy Archose Jukebox Recorder10 instead of Archose Jukebox 10 or other Jukebox? I am still considing whether to keep RipFlash because of the unreliable software.

A month later, i had returned the ripflash and the Archose. I did a lot of research, it seems no mp3 can fit in my need. Hey i have to trade off. Pal, if you are looking for something to convert your old plastic disks into good digital songs, the Ripflash series seem to be the solution. PoGo has some improved products. check out its website.

I purchased the RipFlash MP3 play to work out to and not for the digital voice recording features. This is my first MP3 player so I have no point of reference compared to other MP3 players. Given that, here are my experiences so far.

Pros:

- very good sound - especially with the equalizer
- fast transfer rate from my PC - 30 songs in less than 5 min
- very lightweight

Cons:

- no software for ripping CDs. I had to buy some but found a good one called MP3 Workshop...

- can only read MP3 format. Would have been nice if it could read WMA format. Then I could have used the Windows Media Player to rip the CDs.
- earplug earphone sounds good but had trouble keeping them in my ears.

Things you should know:

- If you do want to add a SmartMedia card, the songs on the card will be played separately from the ones in the built-in Flash memory. (this may be important if you want to play randomly)
- The display is small and somewhat hard to read, but did not bother me.
- I haven't tried to Rip CDs with the line-in but I think it is a useful feature.
- Would have been nice to have a belt clip for working out.

Overall, very good player. As I said, I like it very much, but it does have a few minor flaws. I can live with them for working out and would buy it again.

I bought this mostly to record lectures digitaly for pesonal use and public distribution. The sound quality is excellent, even recording at 32 kbs in a conference room, it sounds like a sound studio. At this recording rate an hour takes about 14M, or 50 hours worth on a 700M CD.The size is great, the fact that it records directly to mp3 format is very convenient, and it is easy to convert old tapes to mp3. It also runs fine on rechargeable batteries. I would give it five stars if it included two things, a bookmark feature (if you leave off in the middle of a one hour lecture you have to remember where you left off and then fast foreward to get back) and if it included some kind of mp3 editing software. But if you are in the business of distributing lectures this is an excellent product.

After having done a month search, i think it will be fair to add one more star to it!

Original I wanted to buy a good music player for my husband, in addition to it, I could record lecture three times a week. RipFlash's metal look makes it a winner. The review mentions about the wrist band, but mine did not come with one. I had Archos Jukebox Recorder 10 and RipFlash 128mb Digital Recorder.

Software Problems:

RipFlash's software is very basic. Installation was easy. I could drag songs directly from the MP3 manager software when it was first installed. But on the next day, this function was not working. Furthermore, when I disconnected the USB from the computer, the devise still has the 'pc usb' signal on. Meaning? i have no way to play it until and unless i take out the battaries and reinsert it. It happens very often.

Neither Archos Jukebox Recorder nor Ripflash software is a good file organizer. The Archos Jukebox has one more problem than the Ripflash. When i closed the MusicBox software and disconnected the protable device, an error message saying improper disconnection will cause pc hardware problems..... I guess no one would expect to see such a message after having done everything in great care. In fact, it crashed my computer more than twice. I had to reboot my computer. I gave up, and returned it

As the RipFlash player does not display title, i have to guess what is coming next. I bought a SM card for extra memory, the eject 'button' is difficult to use. It seems i have to push the card out myself.

Voice recording

I have to admit that the voice recording function is very easy to use and very sensitive, compare to my Archos Jukebox Recorder. Unlike the Archos Jukebox, the Ripflash allocates a new file for voice recording automatically. The Archos one asks for a new name everytime. Otherwise it will either replace your existing 'new song' file or refuse to record. I missed almost 10 minutes lecture because of setting up the Archos. And the battaries ran out within an hour. I was caught in the middle for recording exam tips! Definetly I will not recommend the Archos Jukebox Recorder for reporters or students alike. As a matter of fact, the RipFlash recorder is a very eligant and handy devise for recorders or students.

Final conclusion: there is no prefect mp3 player!
With almost 90 bucks more, why should i buy Archose Jukebox Recorder10 instead of Archose Jukebox 10 or other Jukebox? I am still considing whether to keep RipFlash because of the unreliable software.

A month later, i had returned the ripflash and the Archose. I did a lot of research, it seems no mp3 can fit in my need. Hey i have to trade off. Pal, if you are looking for something to convert your old plastic disks into good digital songs, the Ripflash series seem to be the solution. PoGo has some improved products. check out its website.

Ok, For all thoes people who put bad reviews about the music Quality, it is fine. This thing is a HARD DRIVE, the quality is EXACTLY THE SAME as the quality on your computer, unless you changed some options in the software to increase Transfer speed/Storage memory on the unit. If you have low quality music on your computer, you will have low quality on the mp3 player. Also, it may be the headphones. I found nothing wrong with this unit, it is cheap, and not all show like the Ipod's are. I upgraded my Archos Jukebox by puting in a new 120 gb hard drive, that you can get for $80. P.S. By opening you'r unit, you will void you'r warrenty. Do not do that unless you know what you are doing. Also, find instructions on a web site. I or Amazon can not be held responsible for what ever happens to you and/or your hard drive and Archos Jukebox.

I think this device is great and this is why.
GOOD THINGS:
1. You don't have to be a computer genius to work the jukebox. I took it out of the box and was listening to music on it in less than a half hour.
2. It comes with alot of useful equipment.
3. If anybody is in a band or into recording live concerts the jukebox 10 is a great thing to have. You can hook a better mic up to the jukebox and record an entire concert in mp3 format. Than just put the recorded music back on your computer, split up the songs, and you have a live concert CD of your band! It's great!
4. Can rip records easily without special software.
5. Easy to navigate and organize.
6. I can store my memory eating movies on it too, along with any other kind of file.

BAD THINGS:
1. I dislike MusicMatch, but its not that bad.
2. It takes a little more time than a CD player to load songs.
3. No hold or safety button to prevent accidental button pushings.
That's about it! I think the jukebox 10 is really great and you get what you pay for.

After getting so fed up with the Creative Labs Nomad Jukebox awkward shape and the stupidly short battery life I returned it and bought this silver and blue baby.

The manual is full of spelling mistakes and errors, but its not THAT bad once you sit down and read it. Being able just to drag and drop files using Windows Explorer is a breath of fresh air compared to the Nomad's buggy Playcenter program. The Archos is full of neat features such as on-the-fly MP3 encoding (analogue or digital). It won't randomly shuffle files in different folders but I overcome that by making a new playlist daily to fit my mood. (naming it Today's Playlist). The MusicMatch program [stinks] but I use Winamp to make my playlists and its much easier than MusicMatch.

Archos seemed to have listened to people complaining about the early 6000's bad interface and bugs. Operation using the cursor keypad and the 3 F buttons is a breeze and the UP and DOWN cursor controls volume during playback.

So Far So Good its been reliable, soundquality is great and overall im happy. Ill keep you updated.

Watch This Space..........

After looking at various MP3 players, I decided on the Rio S50. I liked how it was expandable, upgradeable (firmware), and had a FM radio built in. After much anticipation, I received it yesterday. So far, I'm a bit disappointed.

After opening the package, the first thing I noticed was that there was a large speck of something behind the clear plastic but on top of the LCD. There's no way I can get to it without taking the player apart. It's quite visible and it's going to stare at me for the life of the product. So immediately, I wondered about the quality of the player.

After recharging the included NiMH AA battery, I immediately upgraded the firmware to the latest (1.6). I had read in previous reviews about the bad FM reception and how the firmware upgrade made it better. The FM reception is still terrible! So much for listening to the radio when/if I get tired of listening to the MP3s I loaded on it.

I loaded as many MP3 files onto it as I could last night. The software to transfer files to the player worked fine (Rio Music Manager). The player didn't have any problems playing the files I loaded on to it. It seemed a little lacking in the bass, but I don't know if that's an attribute of the player or the earphones that came with it. The 5-band equalizer (with presets) helped a bit. I also noticed that the buttons sometimes don't work and you have to push them more than once to work. The volume buttons, on the other hand, make the volume go up or down quite drastically instead of 1 increment at a time.

Overall, I think it's an ok MP3/WMA player with some nice features. However, it's an awful FM receiver and the firmware hasn't made it much better. I expected more from this player, especially considering the price, and I'm a bit disappointed.

PROs:
small, compact, very lightweight
expandable, upgradeable
built in 5-band EQ with presets
easy to use software (Rio Music Manager)

CONs:
horrendous FM reception
questionable quality or QA
slow or overactive buttons
pricey

The performance of this unit for playing mp3s is AOK. The radio is not good enough, and I frequently find myself carrying a radio in another pocket when I carry the S50. I would love to have the same thing with 256 MB built in--and dispense with the radio if they can't do better than this.

Not too expensive, but with a lot of features. Its small and compact. Comes with a case that has a belt clip. It comes with 128MB of memory which is enough for about 35 songs and can be upgraded up to 256MB. It downloads the songs very fast (about 5 seconds per song) and the software is easy to use. The headphones that come with it are pretty good, but can break easily. I recommend upgrading them to Koss "The Plug" Portable Stereophones. Also if you use normal headphones, then the volume might not be very high. The batter life is great. It comes with a charger and and one rechargable battery. It takes a couple of hours to charge fully and is good to go for a while. You can also use a standard AA battery. The radio is okay, you can set 6 presets, but the recption is not the greatest... but better than nothing. Also if you're traveling to Europe the radio should work there as well. The player has 6 equalizers: Normal, Rock, Jazz, Classical, Pop, and Trance or you can customize your own. You can also set up to 9 bookmarks. The player also supports both MP3 and WMA. It also has a clock and it also tells the day of the week. You can also choose from it counting down of how much of the song is left, or how much of the song is played. It also has a stop watch. The software can let you edit the ID3 tags (the information that contains, the name of song and artist and ablum) so it can show up on the mp3 player. Overall this a very good MP3 player, if you want the volume at its highest then buy good quality earphones, not headphones. Also if you have a lot of songs to store, then I would go with the Ipod or the Archos, because even after upgrading it to its fullest memory, it will only hold about 70 songs. But for me thats enough. This will make an awesome gift for teenagers.

This would be a really great product if it didnt continually need to be re-set. Its annoying because it resets for seemingly no reason at all, and I lose all my information, and then have to re-synch with Outlook, which defeats the whole point of having the unit. Im trying to find an answer from Tohiba, or to find out if I have the biggest lemon in the world

This is a great PDA if you know your tech stuff and don't mind soft resetting the unit often.

1. WiFi works great even with WAP encryption tunred on. However, setting up wireless ActiveSync was painful even for someone who is familiar with networking. The configuration just isn't intuitive at all and is scattered in many different places.

2. The extra large screen is a big plus. 3.8 inch vs 3.5.

3. Media player works fine. I am able to stream live TV program to this unit without skipping frames. This is a pleasant surprise.

4. I was able to get ActiveSync to work with Outlook after several tries. I havn't tried synching with Exchange Server. Again, if you are none technical, you will most likely run into problems.

5. The built-in speaker sucks. Most other PDAs have better speakers.

6. Soft Reset will be your daily activity. I don't believe Toshiba is at fault. It is a built-in Microsoft "FEATURE".

7. There is no COM port built-in. If you want to use serial GPS, you will need to get the software driver that turns USB into simulated COM port. Even then, it is painful to use and requires lots of resets.

8. 32MB build-in extra FLASH storage means you probably don't need memory card soon.

9. No Bluetooth

10. The manual is pretty much useless except for telling you how to soft reset the unit.

11. Be careful with hard reset. You DO lose everything that's not in the flash memory.

Upgraded from a Jornada 548, and very glad I did.

Pros: Processor is very fast; moving between programs and views is a breeze; screen redraws almost instantaneous; screen is bright and text clear; 3.8" screen vs. the usual 3.5" is nice; WiFi is a nice feature; has tons of memory--96MB RAM, CF and SD. Also nice to have a switch to turn the battery off completely.

Cons: comparatively minor for what you get w/ the 755, particularly at the Amazon price. The record button is located on the upper left side of the unit about where I put my hand to remove it from the docking station, inadvertently engaging the record function, so I disabled it. Not quite as easy to insert and remove from docking station as some units, such as the HP Jornada, but again minor stuff; WiFi switch a bit difficult to switch on/off. Manual doesn't have an index.

Great out-of-the-box experience. Purposely did not read the directions; took only a couple of minutes to set up the PDA (select proper time zone, align screen) and then I flipped the WiFi switch and 20 seconds later I was connected to my wireless home network. Wireless syncing is a bit more difficult to negotiate though--still working on that. And while some find the Toshiba design uninspiring, it has nice clean lines I would term as simple sophistication.

While some improvements come with the new MS OS, you'll still want to download the now standard plug-ins for the Today screen. Pleasant surprise: handwriting recognition appears improved from the 2002 version. Have tested it numerous times and it has worked near flwlessly--I might actually use this feature now. All in all, a great unit--if I had it to do again, I'd make this purchase again.