Digital-Audio Reviews

Minidisc recorders are one of the greatest inventions ever created. It's SO unfortunate that CD Burners have caused this products popularity to dwindle. You can do so much more with a minidisc than with a cd burner. Erase songs now or 10 years from now, rearrange tracks, give specific track numbers to certain songs, there's virtually no limit to what you can do. NONE of this can you do with a burner, except erase a track, and with most, you can only erase the last track you recorded and you must have a CD-RW to do that, and with those, the quality [is bad]! With minidisc, quality is always 100%. I can't believe with all these features, the minidisc has succome to the limited ability of the cd burner. Unfortunately, minidisc recorders are VERY hard to find these days. A lot of stores have stopped carrying them alltogether. And, good luck finding a place that will work on them SHOULD you ever need it. This is such a shame. An MD Recorder is also 10 times as easy to use as a CD-R. I've had my minidisc recorder for about 3 years and wouldn't trade it for the world. I even have a Sony MD player in my vehicle and LOVE it. Don't let this product fade away like so many other great inventions in our time. I URGE YOU, buy THE BEST, the Minidisc Recorder, let's put this product back on top and drive away...unuseful products, like the CD-R.

This player is an awesome addition to your home system. Trust me, I've been using MiniDiscs since 1997, and i found out that the MiniDisc is the best choice if you want to carry your favorite tunes, with CD quality sound (you'll hardly get that with MP3's!!!). This player (JE440) also incorporates the LP2 and LP4 compression system, so you can turn your 74 min. MiniDiscs into 148 and 296 min. discs!!!!! On LP2, the quality of sound is almost the same as it is without compression. On LP4, you'll notice some variations in music, but this is the perfect mode if you want to record a presentation/conference, because it gives you a little less than 5 hours of recording....

Editing is easy..... all of the functions are available at the stylish and well designed remote controller. Among the editing functions, you can add fade-in and fade-outs to your songs (the length is programmable), you can change the recording levels in +/- 2% increments, combine and divide tracks, among others.

So, go ahead, try this technology (MiniDisc) with this excellent player..... In order to complete my sound system, I changed my car stereo to a MiniDisc In-dash unit with a CD changer in the trunk (tapes???? you cand find them at your local museum!!!)

You won't regret the change to this technology!!!!!!!!!!!!

easy to use and learn. I would advise the purchase of an optical cable - with this connection, there is no need for manual level adjustments, so there are no are no oversaturated or low-level recordings. A few of the functions are a little confusing to start with, but the undo function makes it simple to avoid any lasting problem. A very nice pruduct at a reasonable price - I hope these will be available in the future despite what some other reviewers predict .

I always trust electronics of Japanese brands for they're usually with fine qualities in all espects. I tried this reciever at my friend's. I really enjoyed the digital effect and the convenience of this product.

My husband bought this product two years ago on a clearance shelf!!! It was well worth the money we spent on this item. The sound is wonderful!!!

Well, I bought a AV120, and I have filled half of it already. It has great tech. Videos & photos can be seen clearly in color, and the screen isn't that small. All the description Amazon fives explain what it does clear enough, but the only problem it has are the batteries. In a way, it'd be better to have a discman or cd player, for you can change when they expire, but with the Jukeboxes, you have to charge them. On the manual, it says you have to do it for 3hr, but it doesn't explain or tell how much they will last. I charged it for 2hr, and that was how long it lasted, but what if you go on an 8hr trip, and there is nowhere to charge the batteries? Try changing the batteries? that's a good idea, but you have to take the screws, and that ain't as easy. But besides this little defect, it id great. If you'll use it for short trips, it's a great aid to keep you entertained

The Jukebox works fine and does every thing it can perfectly. Its quite an amazing device giving the fact that you can watch clear DVD quality movies on that little screen and record directly off of a TV, computer etc.This is alot more convenient than buying a portable DVD player and bringing that on an airplane, train etc.
It is extremly simple to use, if you have a current version of Windows (or mac) , than all you have to do is plug it into your computer's USB, and it will then instantly pop up as a second harddisk on your computer screen (for example, in the My Computer folder in windows).Archos definitly hit the spot in the Ease of use catagory. GREAT as a Laptop companion. I have been able to store more than 45 CDs on my Juke box (I have the 20gb model) and I still have used up only 1/4th of the space on Mp3 format(yes, the music plays clearly and their is a whole menu where you can adjust Bass, Treble, pitch etc. Great on Storage

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The only problem I have with jukboxes (yea, all jukeboxes) is that you still can not take this to places where you will be away from AC power, or places where the Jukebox could get damaged. I have recently taken the Jukebox to Austrailia and back, and it has been great on those long flights, but you would have to watch your battery life. (with a cd player, you just have to replace those affordable Alkaline batteries, not with Jukeboxes). It has also has been great on space. It is nearly a hundred times smaller than a CD player + all the CDs you have to carry with it. .

So in conclusion the Archos AV 120 / 140 is PERFECT for home and office use, short trips and short airplain flights. It is also good for vacations where you know you would be visiting a AC power socket for re charging the battery. The only place where the Jukebox does not belong are places where it could get damaged (example, boating) or places where you would be away from power, in those cases, you should take your more durable CD player.

I find Archos AV 120/ AV 140
A Highly Recomended Product

When I first looked at the price, I thought "Man, this thing isn't going to help me at all." But, I had no choice because I needed sound and it was the price I could afford. But when I recieved it, I was very surprised that the sound quality is exce

When i bought th ecard i thouggt it was a cheap alternative for an expensive card like the creative. But i am impress withit ! the sound is very clear n worth every penny !

I ordered the h1940 on Amazon with free shipping and it arrived the next day! (The website said it will take 5-9 business days...). I've had it for 3 weeks now, and I must say this is quite a piece. I shopped around in stores, and this was the smallest handheld device on the market. It works great with my desktop PC, and keeps me very organized. Now that I'm so organized, I don't know what to do with all this free time I discovered I have, so I'm here writing reviews...

It doesn't come with a case or a cover, so you'll have to find one or risk damaging your display screen. I got the Belkin leather case designed for this model for $11. If you're interested in upgrading to Wi-fi, you can get the SD (Secure Digital) Wi-Fi card for about $90-100.

Update: I'm reducing the ratings to 4 stars because of the following: I mentioned earlier that you can go wifi by adding an SD wifi card for $90. I discovered later that the iPAQ H4155 already has built-in wifi and it only cost $400. In addition the H4155 has a 400mhz processor. If you are interested in wifi connectivity I would recommend you buy the H4155 instead of this one. I wanted to save money so I obstained from the h4155, but now I wish I had bought that one instead of this one. Not that this pocket PC isn't good, in fact it's great. But if you want wifi this isn't the right choice.

Had the 1940 but, with the addition of integrated Bluetooth wireless communication and a faster processor, the h1940 is what I really needed. So much power in a machine that weighs just 4.37 ounces and is very small (4.46 x 2.75 x 0.5 in). Also like the upgrade to Microsoft® Windows® Pocket PC 2003 Professional that is included.

(...) If you are looking for an "all-in-one" unit look no further. Make no mistake, the sound and power from this receiver will bring new life into your speakers. The volume control appears a little off because you have to crank it up to hear it at an average listening range. This problem can be fixed somewhat with Monster Cable and attaching digital optical cables to your inputs for CD and DVD players. With this system, I am able to carry the remote all throughout the crib and even outside and still operate it!!! The Compulink system definitely works with other JVC equipment (CD, VCR & DVD players). With compulink connected, you can press play on the remote and the CD player is playing or push in a VCR tape and sit back and watch the movie. The unit is excellent for home theatre setups with a variety of preset features to adjust the sound. This unit allows you to has a two-room mode which allows you to operate two sets of speakers in different rooms. You can actually listen to the radio in one room and listen to CD's in the other.

The instructions are detailed and could be a little time consuming to understand but with several college courses you can get through it. My only knocks about this system is the instructions, volume control and the unit remote not having all the functions to fully operate the CD player. Other than that it is a great unit.

Now I didn't buy this product, but I did get it off the back of a truck from some guy named Habib. I didn't think it would be a good deal for only five bucks. But man! This thing works wonderfully. Definitly begin to start to commence considering buying this baby. It is great if you like it, but not good if you don't.

This receiver has everything! I am amazed at the features that are on this unit. I replaced an older receiver with the RX1028 and it sounds excellent! I did a little research before I bought it and found out that it is JVC's top of the line receiver from last year, but the only real difference between it and the newer model is that the price is much lower. It has assignable optical audio inputs for everything. Another feature that I really like is the IR remote. I can now adjust the volume from my back porch or any room in my house. That is really convenient and I did not see that feature on any other brands. The power output is great and the sound quality that is attained using the fiber optical cable is far better than regular RCA cables.

As always, I am happy with the service from Amazon and thrilled with the price that I paid for the product!

I would rank its 3 functions in this order: camera, MP3 player, video recorder. Details on each follow:

Camera: As a 2 Megapixel camera, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the pictures. This won't replace a dedicated camera, but as a device you can always have with you, it does a good job. Its primrary limitations are the very short range of the flash (making group photos tougher than you would like) and the lack of zoom (it's a fixed-focal length lens set at a pretty wide angle).

MP3 Player: First the bad news - you have to use the supplied software to upload music to be played. The Jukebox software "locks" your music in an attempt to add some sort of digital rights management. Which means if you already have a large library of encoded music, you still have a slow import process to go through before you can put music on the device. Painful and unnecessary. However, the quality of the playback is good. I wish the cord on the headphones was longer. If you put a large SD card in this, you can have a 512mb MP3 player that is also a decent camera for not much more than a 256mb dedicated MP3 player.

Video recorder: This is pretty nominal. Resolution is fixed at 320x240 with a fixed (no zoom) wide angle lens. And you cannot move very quickly or the image immediately blurs. So it's OK as a quick use item and marginally better than the short video functions on most digital cameras. But don't buy this for its video ability.

Overall pros and cons....

Pros: Great form factor and design. Like the iPod, this is a device you just have to hold in your hands to enjoy fully. It is a pleasure and a delight (it is also smaller than the iPod!). It is really impossible to convey how petite, yet right-sized it is without seeing it in person. Camera is better than you expect and MP3 playback is decent.

Cons: At less then $200, this would be a deal. At current prices, it is slightly steep. Since they only throw in an 8 Mb SD card, count on getting a 128/256 Mb card yourself for photos/music (another $60-120). Or even 512 Mb if you want to do video capture. But be aware that the video mode is pretty nominal. The lack of any optical zoom hurts as well.

Overall, I would recommend to those lookng for a small, all-in-one device. Particularly if you already have invested in SD cards for other devices. Shop around and aim for as close to $250 as possible.

I got this camera about 6 weeks ago. I have heard that the best camera is the one you have with you when you need it. So that would make this a good camera. I take it with me everywhere because it is so small and fits in my pocket. It is no more inconvenient to carry than a cell phone.

A couple problems I have with it are that the lens rotates so you can take a pic of yourself....but the flash does not rotate with the lens. So if you are in a poorly lit area and want to take a pic of yourself, all the benefits of having a rotating lens are lost. This is only a minor problem to me, but I think it is poor design.

The second problem is that the SD card it comes with is small...very small. 8mb. Is that some kind of joke? Most digital cameras come with small memory cards, but they are promoting this thing as a multi function device: camera, camcorder, mp3 player. My Panasonic mp3 player came with a 64mb card, why does this come with only 8mb? It is supposed to be an mp3 player too. They might as well have not included any memory with this camera. I was lucky that I bought it while Panasonic was having a promotion and they sent me a free 128mb card. Which only took about 1 week to arrive, not 6-8 like they said.

I only use the camera function, so I cannot comment on the other functions, but overall I am happy with it. However I would not want this to be my only camera. When I go on a trip or someplace where I know I will be taking a lot of pics I will bring a different camera, as this camera is only 2mp and does not have an optical zoom. If you want a small camera you can carry with you at all times then this one is good. If small size is not the most important thing to you, then you should look at something else.

Picture quality is just OK for email or memo.
It is not good for print out.
But I always can carry and easily take a photo as memo.

Music player function is very good.

GOOD / PROS --
- Compact and small
- Good quality screen
- A neat gadget
- Plays and records sound clearly

BAD / CONS --
- Complicated
- Buttons are TOO small
- Hard to focus -- takes bad still pictures

The trouble with most combination devices is that they try to do too much, and thus end up doing lots of things poorly. With the D-Snap 50, Panasonic has avoided this all too common design flaw... mostly.

The D-Snap 50 is an excellent gadget for professionals on the go, combining a two megapixel video camera, a digital voice recorder, and an MP3 player all into a package smaller and lighter than a pack of cigarettes. The bundled software is complete (if unexceptional) and the controls are fairly intuitive - most people familiar with digital cameras should be able to master the basics in a few minutes of use.

Nonetheless, there are a few questions I'd like to ask the D-Snap engineering team. First, did you intend for me to amputate my right index finger in order to take a decent picture? Second, just how many songs, memos, pictures, and videos do you expect me to fit on a measly 8 megabyte memory card? Third, why so many different quality settings for images when only Superfine (or Fine and big) is even good enough for email? Finally, would Macintosh support have killed you?

Despite these grievances, this is a great buy for a select target audience, such as people considering the Palm Zire 71 that prefer to organize their thoughts using spoken words instead of text. With a little practice - and a 256 MB or 512 MB Secure Digital Card - the D-Snap's annoyances will quickly fade. Three-and-a-half stars now, four when the price comes down a little.

I really enjoy this product. I ordered it off the internet and i had read some reviews saying it was just ok... so i felt a little wary. However, this is the coolest product ever! All of the photos and video are good quality and the MP3 is really cool! I am so pumped to show all of my friends! It is a real attention getter and I love it! It is so tiny that you can take it ANYWHERE. SMALLER THAN MY CELL! Its a great product and i encourage anyone to buy! Im gonna go use it some more now! LOVE IT! 5

This is a nice LCD DVD player. I like the fact that this operates in DC and AC modes without bulky power adaptors. The cables and remote neatly hide in the small storage compartment. My kids figured out the operation with zero help from me.

The only feature I'd like to see is the ability to resume playback after a power outage. The 12V power plug in my car cuts out when I start the car. Unfortunately, the DVD player insists on starting all over again. This is only a small inconvenience since we use this player primarily for long trips.

Pros:
Excellent video quality
Very Compact
Nice Features
Supurb costomer service

Cons:
Very poor sound (must
buy headphones to use)

All in all this is an excellent item. The Sound quality is so poor, that I couldnt use this item until I bought a pair of good head phones. The Costomer service at Amazon.com was the best Ive ever seen. The first unit that was sent to me had a problem with the screen(which should be bigger, it was innefective at this size). The LCD display would not light correctly on one side of the screen, so I sent an email to Amazon.com's costomer service center, and right away(within the next day) I revieved and answer. They said it would be fine, to just send them the deffective player, and they would send out a new one(checked over personally by them) ASAP. And I guess they did, because the new item arrived within the next week. Orrigionally I wasnt supposed to recieve the player for another two weeks, so all in all, I recieved the second, working one, before it was predicted that I would get the first one. THANK YOU AMAZON.COM. If you order this product from Amazon.com you will be amazed by the quality of the product and service.

Easily the best mobile DVD player you can buy for the car, short of having an expensive professional system installed.

This unit is also safer than those "in a bag" portable DVD players, which hang on the back of the seat. Imagine what would happen in a car accident with one of those. I wouldn't want to be sitting behind it.
The RCA rests on the seat, and is buckled in with the seatbelt, a much better (and safer) design.

The only downside is there is no battery, but if you are using this for the car, or for a hotel room, you simply don't need one.

this mp3 player is great it's small enough to hold in the palm of your hand but not so small that you can't use the buttons. it's easy to put songs from your computer on it and the sound is fantastic. it doesn't hold is many songs as i thought it would but it holds plenty. i def. think that this is one of the best buys for your money if you are looking for a good mp3 player!!

This is the only one of four MP3 players i tried that had acceptable sound quality. All the others; Rio, RCA, Nike had a strange high pitched noise no matter what the source of the audio files. The Yepp does not, and the WOW sound is really quite good. The only problem is that no matter how you put songs into thae player, it plays them back in alphabetical order. This drove me crazy. The only solution to this is to put each album(or collection of songs) in its own folder and copy them using windows explorer. Then each folders songs are in order. other than that problem this is the best MP3 player you can get for the money.

Samsung makes a great mp3 player. This tiny thing has so much in it. The sound is out of this world! A great deal!!