Your next MP3 player, guaranteed!
Written: Sep 28 '02 (Updated Sep 28 '02)
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Pros: Compact and lightweight; Carrying case with belt clip; Infinite memory expansion; USB compatible; Incredible sound.
Cons: Included headphones are too small.
The Bottom Line: If you want great sounding music in a small, compact package, look no further than the NEX II. Lightweight and portable, you can take this MP3 player anywhere.
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| bsproles's Full Review: Frontier NEX II MP3 Player |
As some may know, I'll be headed back to Singapore for a visit in December. As no one knows, my old Diamond Rio 300 MP3 player is very outdated, using a proprietary cable to transfer the songs to and from the player.
It was time to look for something new.
The hunt is on: I'm happy to say that I found my new MP3 player via Epinions.com. I needed something inexpensive, but still expandable for the future. All of this and more I found in Frontier Labs' NEX II.
Thanks to some very well-written epinions, I was convinced to try this MP3 player I had never even heard of up to that point.
HOW small is it??: This is a very small MP3 player, approximately 3.5 inches long, 2.5 inches wide, and not even 3/4ths of an inch thick. It fits quite easily into a shirt pocket, but with the included carrying case, you can also clip it onto your belt.
Controls: This is a very minimalist MP3 player. On the left side, you'll find the earphone jack, a button lock switch (so you don't accidentally hit buttons while exercising), a function button and a stop button.
On the right side you'll find + and - volume control buttons and the much talked about "jog lever."
The jog lever is the key to controlling the NEX II. Push it in to turn the player on, and a listing of songs in memory is shown on the screen. Use the jog lever to scroll up and down to choose the song you'd like to play. Push the lever in to begin playing the song. During playback, pressing the jog lever up or down once will switch between songs, while pressing and holding the lever will rewind (up) or fast forward (down) the current song. The jog lever is actually quite simple to use once you try it out.
Visual control: The NEX II's 112x64 LCD screen is a wealth of information in a small space. The title and artist scroll across the middle of the screen during playback. Other information includes which type of file it is (The NEX II will play both MP3 and .WMA files), as well as the song length, and both a numerical and bar display of the song duration. That's not all - the screen also shows the encoded bitrate of the song, and the current play mode - shuffle, repeat one, or repeat all.
Don't worry about being able to see all of this information. The fonts used are clear and legible. If you prefer, you can also set the display to show a spectrum view.
Sounds and such: You won't believe this, but the NEX II also has an equalizer, with six settings: Flat, Rock, Latin, Dance, Jazz, and yes, even a User Adjustable 5 band EQ.
Memory Matters: The NEX II doesn't come with any internal memory, but some sellers will bundle a Compactflash card with the player. Compactflash memory has become a standard in the last few years, working in everything from MP3 players to digital cameras (and as I've tried, works in both my NEX II and my Kodak DX3900 without formatting the card.)
Because the NEX II uses Compactflash memory, the memory expansion is virtually limitless.
Power: The NEX II runs on two AA batteries, and these constitute the bulk of the player's weight. Personally, I've been using Duracell Ultras in my player, and I've had HOURS of enjoyable listening. I don't know exactly how much, but it's definitely been at least 10 hours so far, with no signs of weakening batteries.
So how do I transfer songs?: The NEX II is USB compatible, meaning that you can just hook it up and Windows will see it as another disk drive. You can then simply drag and drop your songs into the player. For some older Windows systems, a CD with NEX II drivers is included.
Bonus feature: The NEX II's memory card will accept any type of file that you drag and drop onto it, so it can actually double as a portable mini drive as well.
Upgrades and expansion: As well as the expandable memory I discussed earlier, the NEX II has easily upgradeable firmware via updates from Frontier Labs' website (http://www.frontierlabs.com). All you do is download the update, put the appropriate files on a blank Compactflash memory card, insert it into the NEX II and turn it on. That's all there is to it.
WARNING: While the upgrade is simple enough for anyone to do, be absolutely sure that you aren't about to run out of battery power! If you do run out during the upgrade, you can render the player unusable!
While this may sound like a stern warning, it's easily avoidable by just using fresh batteries.
The only con I have about this MP3 player is that the included wrap-around headphones are too small. Obviously this won't be a con for everyone, but if you're tall or have a large build, you may have to use better fitting headphones.
In Conclusion...: This is an absolutely amazing MP3 player, with excellent battery life, crystal clear sound, and easily portable wherever you plan to go. Get the NEX II when you're ready to upgrade. You won't be sorry.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 80.00
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Epinions.com ID:
bsproles
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Member: Bryan Sproles
Location: New Orleans, LA
Reviews written: 67
Trusted by: 67 members
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