MP3 Reviews

Another customer, Brian O'Sullivan, wrote a review here entitled "home kit doesn't deliver", which you should read.

I would just add a couple things:

The remote control that comes with the home kit has very few functions. Play/pause/stop, forward to next track on current playlist or album, reverse to previous track on current playlist or album. It has a volume control, but that only works with the headphone jack, not the line out jack. You CANNOT use this remote to change artists, playlists, or albums.

The docking station is really not much of a convenience, especially since it doesn't come with the power adapter or cord to plug into your home stereo.

What is the docking station good for? You plug 3 things into the docking station: your unit's power cord, the line out to your home stereo, and the usb or firewire cable to your computer. Then, you can simply insert the player into the docking station (which takes about 5 seconds) instead of plugging these three cords directly into the player (which takes about 10 seconds). A savings of 5 seconds! Woo-hoo!

But if you own the leather slip case that was made for the jukebox 3, you will have to take it off to insert your player into the docking station, and put it back on when you take your player to the gym or wherever.

It would have been nice if we had the option to buy the remote separate from the docking station---you don't need the docking station to use the remote (and vice versa). But then, I'd only pay about 10 bucks for such a limited remote.

I bought 3 of these kits and was extremely disappointed. What I wanted to do, and what, in my opinion, the description of the kit led me to believe I could do, was hook up one at home, one at my ski cabin and one on my boat so I could simply unclip the Nomad 3 and easily use it at any of those 3 locations. The problem is that the unit doesn't come with either an ac adapter or a stereo mini to RCA "Y" cable. Thus if you want to use the Nomad in mulitple locations you have to trundle back to the store and purchase an ac adapter and a stereo mini to RCA "Y" cable. Since the Nomad operates on 5 volts DC, it is virtually impossible to find a dedicated plug and you have to buy a multiple voltage converter. These are expensive. The cheapest I could find was $25 (US) and I checked 4 stores. The stereo mini to RCA "Y" cable was less money, but still $5 (US). So all in all I spent $59.99 on each unit but had to spend an additional $30 (US) just to be able to connect it! I would seem that Creative Labs could have included an AC adaptor and a mini cable for a lot less than it cost me to search for them on the open market. I would also seem that they could have clearly disclosed to the potential purchaser the fact that this unit did not include these items.

The Infrared Remote works great with the Jukebox by itself or when it's in the Home Docking Station. This makes the jukebox a super addition to the home stereo.

It's handy with the computer to leave the firewire or USB cables connected and just pop the Jukebox in and out.

Having the power supply plugged into the Docking Station all the time makes it easy to keep the batteries charged too!

My CD's are going in storage.

This system is WAY too expensive. I considered buying one until i actually heard it.
There is NO BASS!!! So you have to buy a subwoofer if you want good sound from it.
If you add it up(400 for the stereo, 300 for a decent subwoofer) 700 BUCKS!

I like the overall looks of my stereo, very cool!!!!!!!! For how my parents spent on it, $399.00 ouch! But it's on Ebay for less, but it's worth the money. Plays mp3's so I have music for hours.

Having read the reviews below, I feel compelled to set the record straight.

First, the speakers DO produce bass. It's not the overwhelming blowout hip hop concert kind, but it's bass nonetheless. If you want spine-tingling lows, get a more expensive system -- or one with a subwoofer. Or, better yet, adjust the bass on this system up a step or two. I'm pretty picky when it comes to audio (I also own a pair of B&Ws) and I'm pleased with the overall sound from these speakers.

Second, the system really does look great. One reviewer said it's impossible to turn off the display light. That's not true. Hold down the power button, and the display light turns off completely. Five stars for looks.

The features are great too. I wont go into too much detail here; you can read about that stuff online. I personally like the gradually increasing volume on the alarm (which will wake you up to your favorite CD).

Finally, my complaint: the remote control, which you WILL use, just sucks. It is not backlit, and its shape is such that you have no way of telling which buttons you're hitting in the dark (the buttons are indistinguishable from one another by feel). Result: it's really hard to use the remote at night in bed. This is an example of design run amok.

Otherwise I'm happy with the thing.

This system is WAY too expensive. I considered buying one until i actually heard it.
There is NO BASS!!! So you have to buy a subwoofer if you want good sound from it.
If you add it up(400 for the stereo, 300 for a decent subwoofer) 700 BUCKS!

I like the overall looks of my stereo, very cool!!!!!!!! For how my parents spent on it, $399.00 ouch! But it's on Ebay for less, but it's worth the money. Plays mp3's so I have music for hours.

Having read the reviews below, I feel compelled to set the record straight.

First, the speakers DO produce bass. It's not the overwhelming blowout hip hop concert kind, but it's bass nonetheless. If you want spine-tingling lows, get a more expensive system -- or one with a subwoofer. Or, better yet, adjust the bass on this system up a step or two. I'm pretty picky when it comes to audio (I also own a pair of B&Ws) and I'm pleased with the overall sound from these speakers.

Second, the system really does look great. One reviewer said it's impossible to turn off the display light. That's not true. Hold down the power button, and the display light turns off completely. Five stars for looks.

The features are great too. I wont go into too much detail here; you can read about that stuff online. I personally like the gradually increasing volume on the alarm (which will wake you up to your favorite CD).

Finally, my complaint: the remote control, which you WILL use, just sucks. It is not backlit, and its shape is such that you have no way of telling which buttons you're hitting in the dark (the buttons are indistinguishable from one another by feel). Result: it's really hard to use the remote at night in bed. This is an example of design run amok.

Otherwise I'm happy with the thing.

This system is WAY too expensive. I considered buying one until i actually heard it.
There is NO BASS!!! So you have to buy a subwoofer if you want good sound from it.
If you add it up(400 for the stereo, 300 for a decent subwoofer) 700 BUCKS!

I like the overall looks of my stereo, very cool!!!!!!!! For how my parents spent on it, $399.00 ouch! But it's on Ebay for less, but it's worth the money. Plays mp3's so I have music for hours.

Having read the reviews below, I feel compelled to set the record straight.

First, the speakers DO produce bass. It's not the overwhelming blowout hip hop concert kind, but it's bass nonetheless. If you want spine-tingling lows, get a more expensive system -- or one with a subwoofer. Or, better yet, adjust the bass on this system up a step or two. I'm pretty picky when it comes to audio (I also own a pair of B&Ws) and I'm pleased with the overall sound from these speakers.

Second, the system really does look great. One reviewer said it's impossible to turn off the display light. That's not true. Hold down the power button, and the display light turns off completely. Five stars for looks.

The features are great too. I wont go into too much detail here; you can read about that stuff online. I personally like the gradually increasing volume on the alarm (which will wake you up to your favorite CD).

Finally, my complaint: the remote control, which you WILL use, just sucks. It is not backlit, and its shape is such that you have no way of telling which buttons you're hitting in the dark (the buttons are indistinguishable from one another by feel). Result: it's really hard to use the remote at night in bed. This is an example of design run amok.

Otherwise I'm happy with the thing.

Is there a better option for you than the Speck Products iPod Skin? Perhaps. Consider where/how you'll be using your iPod, and what features you'll need, and go from there.

This product offers basic protection for your expensive gem, however. If you'll be dropping it in a pocket, tossing it in and out of purse, or laying it in a cupholder or on a desk, you'll probably want an extra barrier to prevent scuffing and small scratches. This product will do that. The folding flap on the bottom will allow you to dock your iPod while in the skin, and all buttons are accessible.

Getting your iPod into the skin may be a little tricky, as it fits quite snugly. If you've ever worn a wetsuit, you're familiar with the wriggling necessary to get the skin on your iPod.

An unexpected benefit--because of the tactile rubber, I had more difficulty getting my iPod out of my pants pocket, as the rubber would tend to grip the pocket. I appreciate this, as there's much less chance that the unit will zoom out if I lean back in a movie seat, for instance.

I bought this skin for the sole purpose of preventing major scratches on the outside of my ipod, as it develops them quickly and they are not attractive. I also wanted an extra buffer between the ipod when it is in, say, a bookbag or purse. This skin is perfect for those purposes, as I took it on a two week trip where it spent most of the time in the bottom of my daybag or on my lap sitting in planes, buses, and trains. No major damage inflicted (yay!). I had no huge complaints, and have even decided to try to take it in the car, where it sits comfortably on the passenger seat WITHOUT SLIDING OFF when I have to make a sharp turn or sudden stop. The gripping ability is a perk for klutzes anywhere, as it is harder to drop. My only real complaints were that the buttons were harder to push with the skin on, and that when on, the ipod will not fit in my front jeans pocket, although that might be just from lack of trying. Overall, it is a good product, and I would recommend it for basic ipod protection.

This ipod case is nice... having said that I have a few editorial comments.
Negatives
1. The Case doesn't protect the ipod screen, something I am constantly scared about when the ipod and its case are in my pocket.
2. The case adds bulk to ipod
3.The buttons are harder to push, not too bad though.
Positive
1.OVERALL protection is given to my ipod (dropping the ipod has been absorbed by the mushyness of the case.
2.I can just set this on a surface in my car and IT WONT SLIP!!!

This Ipod skin is very useful for covering my ipod and protecting the body of it. Unfortunately I am still scared about the screen of my precious $318.57 (yes I still remember exactly how muhc it cost) GEM. I love this music cube, and this case gives my gem some protection!

I bought this for my thinkpad X31 to be used as CDRW/DVD player, not so much for music listening. I got iriver cd MP3/WMA player for that. I do not think there are too many MP3/WMA player that could beat iriver's feature. anyways, going back to Sony... it seems to be working fine as CD/DVD reader but I haven't yet had success with recording/writing to CD yet (except for making 4 CD costers for my desk). I have had 5 different kind of CDRW that I have used and never had problem until this one (never read manual to operate). I used there provided software and windows explorer but neither one seem to complete the writing successfully. I am following the manual (I actually read the maual) correctly. I'll try couple more time with different setting and if still doesn't work than I'll have to return them.

Nice Idea; Poor Execution; Not Ready. Sub-1.0 release.

1 example:
Plays MP3-DVDs containing upwards of 1200 songs (files). But device has only a single-line lcd readout & NO FILE BROWSE MODE.

What does this mean? Say you want to listen to song #1172...
1. obtain carpal tunnel wrist brace.
2. hit up/forward on remote's jog-diall <<<1171>>> TIMES!
(of course if you are a gambling man you could always just put it on random and take side-bets with your friends.)
3. enjoy?

No file browse mode, no plus 10 or plus 100 buttons, no easily accessible battery (sure, feel free to care around the external harness dock thing and EIGHT AA's (that's 8).

Not ready for primetime.

Wanna buy mine? I am selling it cheap and it's as LEMONy-fresh.

I don't understand what JK-47 is complaining about. If you have 1200 songs, you should have them arranged in folders. Divide by genre, artist, album, etc. Then you can find your song without this 1200 clicking. What's up with that? :d

The thing has a lithium ion battery built in. On top of that, one gives you the option to power it with batteries. I am confused about this complaint. They are giving you a bonus. You don't want to use the cradle? Don't use it.

I think what JK-47s problem might have been is that maybe he was just looking for a super streamlined MP3 player. If all you are looking for is an MP3 player, this should obviously not be your first choice. Look into an iPod or something.

This device is basically for someone who's looking for an external DVD, CD-RW drive who happens to be in the market for an MP3 player also. I am one of those people and I have to say I am incredibly happy with it. It does everything it's prescribed to do very well.

One thing you should consider: iTunes only seels MP4s, and Napster only sells WMA files, neither of which this device supports. It's a pain to try to buy music online and put it in this thing. You need to burn it into a CD and rip it back. Blech. Oh well.

I got one of the Mp3 players, and within my first day of using it, it was already screwed up. Also, Samsung is taking forever to reply to my complaint, and I probably don't have a warrenty because I won it at a football game!

Overall, I was pretty happy with my Yepp until, three months in, I dropped it from a few feet high (about waist high). Afterwards, no headphones could get sound out of it. Otherwise, until then, I was happy with the function of my Yepp.

I like everything about this player except everytime I pick it up it needs a new battery. I expected that after listening to the radio/music for 2 hours a day I would replace the battery every week. But, instead of 15 hours of play it should say 15 hours to drain the battery, play or not!

At first I thought it was the carrying case pushing buttons so I removed the case and left it sitting in my desk drawer overnight. It didn't make any difference, every other day I am replacing batteries no matter how much I listen to the music.

If they could fix this problem this would be an awesome player.

I bought the Aiwa CDC-MP32 five months ago. For the first two months I was satisfied with its performance, until that really "cool" retractable faceplate FELL OFF, left dangling by only a flex cable. Luckily it was still under warrantee and I shipped it to a local service center for repair.

It's been ten weeks since I shipped them the broken stereo, and I still don't have the unit back. That's ten weeks commuting to and from work in total silence (I've really improved my whistling skills). I called the repair shop and I called customer service to complain but nobody seems to care. I talked to someone at the repair shop today and they said it will probably be another week, but I'm tired of hearing that. I registered a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, and while I was on their web site I noticed that Aiwa has an "unsatisfactory" rating. At this point I am so fed up I don't want the unit back I just want a refund. I left a couple of voice messages with my Aiwa customer service rep (and a fax) saying I want my money back, but they won't even acknowledge my request. They just keep saying it will be fixed soon. So if you're thinking about buying this product definitely get the longest extended warrantee offered.

While it was working I only had one small gripe, and that was with the remote control you strap to the steering wheel. At first I thought it was a great idea, but it kept falling off the strap when I pressed the buttons. Also, since it uses IR for a signal it has to be almost perfectly lined up with the main stereo unit - so it won't work if you are turning the steering wheel (even a little bit). Other than that, I was satisfied with most of the other features of the stereo (while I had it).

After doing careful research, I settled on the Aiwa CDC-MP32 unit for my wife's car. My wife's sister worked for Aiwa, so I got a fairly soliod deal on it; price aside, this unit offered some essential features: displayed ID3v1 tags, handled CD-R and CD-RW discs, and provided an input jack for direct connection of any device (no more car kits!)

After installation and a full two years of product testing, I can really write the definitive review. Too bad you have to search high and low for these: Aiwa was subsumed by Sony last year.

The unit plays MP3s with surprising clarity and volume. The trick to any MP3 playback on any device is to first normalize the volume levels, then decide on a bitrate/ sampling combination.

Without delving into much technical essay, if you have tins ears then 44Hz stereo with 128kbps sampling is more than adequate. If you like a little more fidelity and you are certain you normalized volume, then 44Hz stereo with 192kbps will be your bottom limit. Anything at 256 or higher really requires a top-end system to appreciate. Keep in mind, this is a car stereo.

The display is bright, clear, supplies you with some color options if you like, but more importantly, it will scroll your ID3v1 tags. These tags can indicate the artist, title, and album you're hearing. It doesn't support ID3v2 tags (more information possible), but then again this is four year-old technology and that's light-years in electronics. The tag scrolling is clear and a decent rate.

The "random" function is sometimes prescient, sometimes stuck on a genre. Some days it'll know the right song to follow, and I'll swear it read my mind. Other times, it will insist I need to hear four Donna Summer songs in a row (don't ask, it's my wife's car). It makes me laugh, so that's actually kinda cool.

I don't really like the flip-down face, because I live in a tough town and detachable faces are safer (read: easier to keep). Sometimes the unit will briefly flake: the wife had a bad couple days when the face refused to come back, but it was stuck on a very loud Spanish-language station (again, it's the wife's car and she's Brazilian). The fix was kinda simple but unfortunate: pull the fuse for the radio, start the car, shutoff the car, replace the fuse. You lose your presets and you have to get rid of the default scrolling, but it beats very loud Merengue songs while driving to work.

The remote was useless. It's wireless, swell, but the attachment was worthless for actually attaching it to the steering wheel. It lasted a week. Besides, the wife never used the remote, so no loss there.

After two years, it plays MP3s better than my Sony portable CD player, scrolls the tags so I can read it at night, and pumps considerable volume. AM/FM reception is about what I'd expect, with FM tuning in rather well and AM somewhat spotty depending on the station. It plays pressed-CDs as well, and it'll decode CD-TEXT if your CD is so equipped. That's actually kinda nice.

In all, this unit should be a measuring stick for anyone looking. If you can score one of these lightly used, do it. It's been reliable for us, aside from the few glitches, and it delivers what you'd expect.

Yesterday, I wrote a review of this unit after having had it in my car for about three weeks, saying that it was a pretty good unit for the money but that I resented enormously the fact that I couldn't get rid of the scrolling advert running across the display. An hour later I got into my car and figured out how to get rid of it. So I retract utterly my erroneous comments about the unit itself, and substitute a minor point about the inadequate manual that came with it, which most definitely does not indicate how to get rid of the ad. (You do it by holding down the "dis" button for about two seconds until it beeps, after which it will stay on the display you have selected without defaulting back to the rolling ad).

Sorry Aiwa. It's great unit after all.

I purchased a Jensen In Dash CD player similar to this one about 8 months ago. After about 2 months the unit stopped functioning. I contacted Jensen to find an authorized repair station - the unit had a 1 year warranty. A recorded message informed me that 'due to unforseen circumstances the customer help line is out of action' I have called several times over the last months only to get the same message. It would appear that Jensen are not standing by their product warranty.
I also contacted the Better Business Bureau who told me that they couldn't contact Jensen either.
I would seriously caution anyone thinking of purchasing any Jensen product to think again.

I've had my MP3310 installed in my car for almost a year now. It's awesome. It plays everything I put in it (MP3s) and I haven't had any trouble at all with it. It's cheap (can be found for less than $...), and works wonderfully. If you're looking for an affordable MP3 CD receiver for your car, I hearitly recommend this.

The only potential negatives I can think of are:
1)No FF/RW within an MP3 - doesn't bother me but might be an issue for some.
2)Some people might not like that it's silver/red - doesn't bother me

But the positives far outweigh those (potential) negatives
Brian

i picked one up on saturday ... at first i thought its a jensen... i shoped around a bit and did some research.
this deck has everything that one of those waste of money sony ... i purchased a warranty through good guys and had them install it for free. this is the best mp3 you can buy for [the] amount. sure its a jensen but comes with some steller offers such as anti skip (it doesnt) and uses 3 laser beams to read cds. the remote is set up perfect. at first when i played it i was amazed by the sound. i do have infinity speakers so that helps. i realized when i was setting bass and treble i forgot about loudness button. when you press it it pumps alot more watts through speaker and realy makes a difference. this was a great deck to buy with the money I had. I could get a amp or some more speakers. and if you doubt it mine will last longer then the others because they only have one year factory warrantee.

i bought this a couple of months ago and was initially highly satisfied with the batteries. however, a week or so ago the charger stopped working. every time i'd plug it in the light would be on for half a second before going off. you could jiggle the charger in the plug to see if it worked, but the charger doesn't stay in the position.
so i'm basically left with four good batteries and a charger that doesn't work, and now i'm back to using my old charger which would take over a whole night to recharge.
you're far better off with a rayovac or something, the new ones which charge batteries in fifteen minutes.

I have recently purchased a Canon A60-digital camera, which, like all other digital cameras, is a power-hungry device so it made sense for me to purchase rechargeable AA-NIMH batteries plus a charger. I evaluated MonsterCable pack (4-AA batteries plus charger) but I have found the Lenmar Gamma 1Hour the better choice. Lenmar Gamma provides higher-capacity AA batteries (2000mAH NIMH). Lenmar's charging-time is 65 minutes for 4 2000mAH AA-batteries; MonsterCable needs 3 hours. The Lenmar Gamma Mach 1 is designed with 4 separate circuits for charging one or two, or three, or four (AA or AAA) batteries. It has a plug-in cigarette adapter so one can charge batteries while in one's car (or SUV). The microprocessor-control is superior. Each cell is monitored and quickly and fully charged without overheating; then the current is reduced into "trickle-mode". [Note: it is not recommended to charge NiCad batteries on the Lenmar Gamma 1Hour Speedcharger.]

My techie friend w/ $$$ parents likes to buy Monster products so i gave it a try. I am a photographer and need good power when I am on the red carpet like movie premiers. This delivers enough juice for about 80-100 flashes and I exchange out to the 2nd set of Monsters I have. This is my budget way of getting good consumer batteries so I don't have to pay the $4-500 in a professional battery hip pack which would last me 900 flashes which I don't need. Decent product. The batteries are marketed well. These batteries I have are manufactured in China or Pakistan. Don't like it affects the quality.