MP3 Reviews

I definitely like the sound quality of this mini stereo. After buying and returning several mp3 stereos, i decided upon this one, and was surprised that it was able to rewind/fast forward through mp3 files (something critical that most mini stereo manufacturers touting mp3 capability have yet to add). Although the sound isn't audible while rewinding on mp3s,(minor drawback, but the positives outweigh the negatives).

I finally invested in a stereo in which, i feel the manufacturers made mp3s their main focus. Other manufacturers treat mp3 capability as an after thought. With a large collection of mp3 cds, i enjoy being able to listen to them without changing cds all the time. (have yet to hook it up to pc via usb,though)--My main concern was mp3 cds.

The sound quality is excellent. It produces a clean, balanced sound, not too bassy(more natural). DVD movies sound very good through the auxilary inputs. Only issue, is the stereo has a fan built in it, in order to keep from overheating (i guess), which isn't noticeable unless you have very quiet songs or volume turned down low. (the fan is built at the back of the unit and turns on when the unit is on(similar to a computer drive).

I was a more than a little leary of ordering this. I've not had good luck with Philips electronics in the past, but this little wonder put those fears to rest.

First of all, it looks great. I love the styling, although I'm still not real fond of the blonde speaker cabinets, but it's growing on me.

The unit sounds like a washing machine when you first turn it on, I guess it's checking each of the CD drives. The main reason I bought this was the MP3 capabilities, and I believe Philips has optimized it for that purpose. Instead of a single platter type changer, it has FIVE separate cd trays. You can play all 5 CDs straight through, but shuffle and repeat modes only apply to the current disk. So, if you load this thing with 5 CDs, it won't shuffle between all 5 disks, only the current one, then it switches to the next CD. This is fine if you want to shuffle through a homemade MP3 CD each with hundreds of songs, but not so good for plain old audio CDs.

The best feature of the unit is the sound, it is enormous for such a little thang. I have a big Sony system in my with den with huge JBL speakers, and this little dynamo sounds darn near as good.

I've compared standard audio CDs versus my homemade MP3 CDs, and I really can't tell the difference in sound quality. It has 4 equalizer and 4 reverb settings, they all sound great to me. The MAX SOUND is basically a loudness button on steroids, boosting both the highs and lows and adding some reverb. Again, I hate to keep repeating this, but it sounds great for such a little unit.

It has a clock display and a timer feature. The FM tuner is okay, it comes with one of those dopey wire antennas, I wish it had a telescoping type instead.

Overall I am very happy with this unit and would recommend it to my friends.

This is very good sounding for a small room, I have it in the basement, gets the whole family dancing. It plays CDs (CD-R and CD-RW) with MP3s on them as well as normal audio CDs. And hooked up to the computer with USB cable I can listen to the music before burning CDs, also internet radio.

This product kicks. I havent used it in a while, but I'm getting back into it. And with places like iMusic.com this is a good combo of preforance and memory.

I shopped around a lot before deciding on this player, and have rarely been so pleased with a purchase. This thing has GREAT sound quality, easy and intuitive interfaces, easy to use software, and a huge cool factor. I absolutely love it. It is great as an mp3/wma player, and that it records is just a huge bonus. I have used the recording feature for classes and seminars- it's so tiny it is unnoticable.
Highly recommended. If I could use another I'd buy two.

I only buy brand name technology products, because they usually have better support, and they have more financing behind the creation of a new product...I WAS VERY SKEPTICAL OF BUYING A NON-BRAND NAME PRODUCT. THIS PRODUCT HAS SURPRISED ME TO NO END. I am waiting for it to mess up, but is has not yet. Until it does-you have to get this thing-it is smaller than a typical card from a deck of cards(the width and height)...

I will keep it very simple for everybody. This little thing is a portal into the FUTURE. I will explain it this way. I have grown to love putting all of my music on my computer. I play my music for hours by playlists...I have had parties, romantic moments, or just plain background music without the worry messing with scratched cd's or hearing them skip in the middle of the fun moments-life is too short for interruptions.

This little thing records HIGH QUALITY AUDIO FROM ANY AUDIO SOURCE(TAPES-RECORDS) and also from the MICROPHONE-ALMOST STUDIO QUALITY. For some reason, this thing hasnt taken the technology world by storm! But I guess that is the way it goes sometimes. I have archived all of my Stern Audio, old songs from tapes, lectures from school, and even comedy shows from tv.

It is a great mp3 player. Amazon only has the 256mb player, but go to pogoproducts.com and get the 128-I listen to about an hour and a half of music. If you want more, you can buy a SD/MMC card and add space. Get this thing if it sounds good to you. If you want help, I will be more than happy to help.(Call me an altruist)

I purchased this on sale in my local Target and it's the neatest thing since sliced bread. The USB storage device is simple to use (you don't even have to install any software if you're running Windows 2000/ME or higher) and it stores enough for a good run (52 mp3s has been the max I've been able to put on it so far). This thing eats batteries like candy, so I only give it a 4 star rating. If you do buy this, use lithium AAA batteries, not alkaline- they're more expensive, but they'll last a lot longer.

i like it because it comes with the speakers and it can hold 80 songs i dont know why you would want a mp3 player that holds 1,000 songs

Great sytem for the price , highly recomend for anyone wanting a MP3 player ...cool thing is it also comes with those great little speakers .....they kick --- !

I've had my CDX-MP30 installed in my 1995 Camry for about six months now. In that time, I've gotten very spoiled by having massive amounts of music on hand in just a single CD caddy; a typical CD-R blank can store around 10 1/2 to 11 hours of music (at a 160kbps/CBR rate, which I prefer). The sound quality for a low-priced unit of this sort is excellent, with ample wattage and Sony's D-BASS bass expander circuit in play to assure both clarity and 'buttkick' when the unit's driving a decent set of speakers.

The tuner appears to be quite sensitive on both AM and FM reception, although perhaps not quite up to the mark of the prior Sony which I had installed. It should be noted, however, that that unit was designed with more of an eye toward receiver performance; it was a grey-market cassette AM/FM/shortwave unit, not a typical US market offering but one for the Australian market.

The CD section works well on many types of CDs...regular CD-audio, open and closed CD-Rs, and of course data CDs with MP3 files. It can handle ISO9660 file-type data discs only, the standard PC write format, and within this can only deal with eight levels of folder depth including the root directory. Still, there's little likelihood that anyone would ever build a disc that runs that 'deep', so no issues there. Maximum number of items (folders and files) per disc is a hefty 302; of this, only 150 folders can be on a disc and the rest must be files. Audio quality from both CD and MP3 playback is superb, with ample skip-buffering for all but the most bone-jarring driving conditions.

However, there are certain ergonomics issues with the CDX-MP30 that've caused me to dock the unit a star. These are:

Inability to display either ID3v1 or 3v2 info tags. The unit will ONLY display 3v1 tags, requiring you to do some judicious tag maintenance before creating discs to be used with this device.

Weird display behavior: certain characters cannot be displayed, and the manual isn't distinct about which ones these are. Also, while the track display will scroll past ONCE with track/artist/album, it then stops scrolling, leaving you only with eight characters of the beginning of the ID3v1 listing or filename, depending on the display you're using. You also cannot make it scroll again without cycling through the whole list of display options.

Annoying placement of the track change and FFWD/REV control on the same knob. This can cause you to do something you might not want when you'd intended something else.

VERY irritating panel illumination...while the main panel is an excellent and legible blue-green fluoro display, knobs and some buttons are lit with a dim red light which can be extremely difficult to make out in low light/night conditions. Other buttons are unlit altogether, such as station select and the hard-to-see-in-general 'MODE' button which selects receiver bands.

Other than these issues, plus one I'm still not sure about regarding operating temperature (I've not had the unit through a summer before, and it does appear to run chronically hot), this is an excellent buy for anyone who wants to dump their loads of cassettes or stop carrying their valuable CDs around. Even with the issues noted above, I've no regrets about making this device a part of my car.

PROS:
plays mp3s
detachable face
remote for you lazy ones
no skippage when playing cds
well worth the money

CONS:
the dials on each side seem loose and chinsy

I chose to get this nicely priced car MP3 player mainly because of the MP3 capability and the SONY brand.

ID3: The unit can read ID3 tags embedded in the MP3 songs, but only ID3 V1 not the ID3 V2, which can contain more information. And while it disply the tag/album/track, it will scroll the whole name once and then stop scrolling, displaying the first 8 characters, which I don't like.

Recognize Disc: To play a mp3 disc, it takes about 10 seconds to read the contents, for a disc contains 680MB and around 100 files. After that, you never notice any waiting to switch between sounds. The manual said you can't have the file tree for more than 8 levels, which I think is more than enough. And the more levels you have, the more startup time. And I don't think the player can memorized the disc it reads before, so every you insert a disc, it take the same amount of time to recognize it.

MP3 bitrate: All my songs are compressed using lame, with 192KB+ VBR (sometimes, 320KB). This unit has not problem at all read and play them. And while it plays MP3, I didn't notice and skip even if I shake the unit hard. :)

Connectors: On the back end of the player, you will find iso socket, antenna connector, 2 sets of RCA connector for external amplifier (Front and Rear). 1 set of RCA for the audio input. And a bus terminal.

Sound Quality: I didn't compare this unit with others. The manual said it rated 90dB for CD audio, which relatively low in its class.

Temperature: I tried the unit in a open environment (not in the car) for 8 hours, then it becomes something like 70F.

If you are crazy about MP3 music this one is the best you can buy. Although you can also look pictures on it and even films this is not the reason why I bought it. Nice to have, but need to be??? No, I bought it for the music, the 40GB is great and in price absolute better than the Apple Ipod.... The extra feature using it as a extra harddisk is great. The sound setup is good en easy. All together great but It looses 1 star because the batterylife is not that great. Only to use with a AC adapter will cost 1 star. 7 hours???, I doubt it, it charges fast so that is a good thing but if there would be a possibility to use normal batteries it would be a winner forever... Still great too bad for the batterylife.............

I can't believe the folks at Archos aren't getting more press - they are fantastic! I have the AV140 w/DVR100 and Camera module, and the interface is great, music quality is fantastic, and video quality is stellar. You have full control of the sound (treble, bass, loudness, bass boost, balance, etc). Transferring music from CDs or downloads is really easy, drag and drop. Plus, you can use the Archos AV140 as an external hard drive! And best yet, the Archos doesn't convert music into some proprietary format (ahh...like the iPod). Tech support is fantastic. I cannot say enough good things about this company or their products.

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

I just bought this CD player, the problem that I find is that the resume botton, that helps to continue the music at the same moment where it was stop, only works for some minutes. After that, I have to find where I stay before and because the search is not fast, it takes a lot of time. In this case, I have always to remeber where I stop the CD. This will work when the mp3 file is not to large, but if it is a 30 minutes file, imaging you stop at the 15 minutes, it will take some time to get there.

The rest of the CD player is ok.

I was lookin' for a MP3-cd-player and I ended up on this one...It matches all of my needs, REALLY, I visited several sites about this cool Discman (...).

You should check it out....IT BEATS EVERY OTHER DISCMAN!!!!
Greetz Matthiaz

I bought the RCA RP2410 (also available on Amazon.com) a couple weeks before I bought this model. The sound was poor, not only on the headphones it came with, but also on the high quality headphones and high-end stereo I own. So I quickly returned it and shopped around online. I figured I'd spend an extra 40 dollars or so and get a model I was less likely to return, so I bought this one. The sound quality is perfect; just what I was looking for. The design is gorgeous (which, ok... isn't that important, but hey, it's gotta look good, right?). And the battery life is very good as well. Also I'm a huge fan of backlit displays, and this model's is VERY handy. 100% visible in complete darkness.

The only downfall is the headphones it comes with. I WOULD recommend using your own. But they ARE free... so no biggie. Use them for spare parts. All together, I highly recommend this player.

Sound: * * * * *
Design: * * * * ½
Bat. Life: * * * *
ESP Qual.: * * * * *
Usability: * * * * ½
Accessories: * * * *

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.

The RCA2625 is a great unit for the price. Which is a little like saying that a guy looks pretty good...for his age. The sound quality is great, and the change-while-playing feature of the CD player is a nice addition. The remote control is full featured, EXCEPT for the tape player: the tape player is mechanical (push buttons). This is not a big deal if you primarily listen to CDs.

The two major design flaws relate to the MP3 player.

1. The player will drop the last two to three seconds of an MP3 file and go to the next one. While this is not a big deal for songs that fade out, if a song remains strong to the end, or if you are trying to listen to speech (say, the Bible on MP3, which is my purpose), it is kind of annoying.

2. The other flaw is this: the MP3 player only supports 16 directories. If you have a CD with more than 16 directories, it will only play the first 16. This won't work for my Bible on MP3, which has 39 directories for the Old Testament, and 27 for the New Testament. And putting all 900+ files in one directory won't work either: it just sits there "Reading" forever.

So, keeping those limitations in mind, this unit is certainly worth considering. Especially for the price!

This really is a SUPER Audio System. The Price is GOOD, the Sound is fabulous, and it is a big plus that it plays both MP3s, and WMAs. The Remote is very well layed out, and offers almost all comon features right in the palm of your hand. I Deffinently recomend this System.

I bought this stereo for 3 main reasons: alarm clock (I know it's a little big for an alarm clock, but it works PERFECTLY), MP3 CD, and a radio..

As an Alarm Clock: The alarm clock works very well. You can choose the time it turns on (obviously) the source (CD, Tape, Radio) it turns on to, and what time it turns off. It's very efficent because when my stereo turns off, I know I have to get up then. Also, if you need a little bit more sleep, you can turn off the sleep function for 120, 95, 60, 45, 30, 15 or 10 minutes.
Alarm Clock: 5/5

As an MP3 CD Player: I actually have not have much experience with this, but I know that it is very easy to surf through your MP3 collection with such selections as: Artist, Song, Genre, Your Selection and Album. All sorted alphabetically except for Your Selection. The sound quality is great, no complaints.
MP3 rating: 4.5/5

Radio: Great for the main stations, but it might not pick up all the signals for all the stations in your area. However, all the stations that you can get, you can get good quality. I haven't used the AM radio, just FM.
Radio rating: 4/5

Overall: Buy this stereo. At a good price, reasonably good sound, good MP3 CD playback and all the other features I mentioned, it is a very good deal.
Overall rating: 5/5

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!!