Small but cool...
Written: Sep 27 '05 (Updated Dec 21 '05)
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Pros: Simple to use, compact, and light weight...
Cons: Buttons are a bit hard to press...
The Bottom Line: No too expensive MP3 player for beginners...
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| vchand's Full Review: RCA Lyra RD1080 (128 MB) MP3 Player |
I purchased this MP3 player before I bought my iPod because I wanted to see if getting rid of my CD’s would be worth it or not. I did not want to pay $150 or more on an iPod and later decide that it was not for me, so this was my try out player. I only used this player when I went to school and maybe sometimes at home too. Overall the unit provides good quality sound and it has radio.
DESIGN & CONTROLS :
The RCA Lyra MP3 player is very light weight and compact for efficient portability, but with certain limitations. This unit is about 2.4 inches in height and width, and about 1.2 inches in depth; amazingly it only weighs 2.08 ounces.
The face of this player has all the necessary buttons to control the music quickly and efficiently (play/pause, stop, DSP, mode, and arrows). To turn on the player, just press the play/pause button and to turn it off, use the stop button. You can use the DSP button to adjust the quality of the sound with preset equalizer settings (flat, bass, pop, rock, jazz, tone). The mode button allows you to select between repeat one, repeat all, random playback, random shuffle, program and program repeat all modes.
The unit takes two triple A (AAA) batteries to operate which is located in the back of the unit. I personally had a hard time figuring out how to open the battery compartment cover. I still have a hard time opening it; I never got used to it.
On the bottom of the unit there is an USB port so you can connect it to your computer and transfer music to the internal memory. You can also use Secure Digital (SD) or Multimedia (MMC) flash memory cards to store and play music from. On the top there is a slot to accommodate for both these card types.
On the top left side of this unit are the volume control arrows. Press the up button to increase the volume and likewise the down button to decrease it. On the top right there is a little loop so you can put a chain (or something similar) and wear it around your neck.
The LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is oval that displays big and clear characters. Well it is not really a LCD screen but a 3-line dot matrix display (kindda like LCD). There is backlight on the display so you can clearly see and read it when it is dark. This screen displays you a variety of things like total tracks, the track being played, elapsed time, bit rate, DSP modes, play modes, volume level, battery indicator, hold, radio frequency, and USB download status.
SUPPORTED AUDIO FORMATS :
The following are the format and bit rates supported by this player:
1. MP3 - 32 kbps to 320 kbps.
2. Windows Media Audio - 48 kbps to 160 kbps
3. MP3PRO - 64 kbps to 96 kbps
BATTERY LIFE :
The specifications say that the battery will last for about eight hours but mine always lasted for around six to nine hours depending on the usage. I would say that the two triple A’s do a very good job; but the life also depends on the brand of the batteries also. I have used some generic brands and they only lasted me for a couple of hours, so if you want longer battery life, use some good name brand batteries.
MY EXPERIENCE :
I had used this MP3 player for about a year before I got my iPod, but it was the most compact and light weight player that I ever owned. I even used a cassette adapter in my car to play music from this unit. The good thing was that I did not have to carry any CD’s with me. I just downloaded the songs to the internal and external memory and I was ready to go.
This unit is designed to be safe even if I drop it. The cover is made of some kind of rubber/plastic material to prevent scratches or other kinds of damages. The only thing that I did not like was that the buttons were a bit hard to press because of this protective material.
The quality of the music is good, but not great; I sometimes did hear some static. The head phone that came with it was good, but I did not like the design. I like to smaller headphone like the one’s that come with the iPod’s.
MAJOR SPECIFICATIONS :
Storage Capacity: Built-In 128 MB
Expansion Slots: Multimedia/Secure Digital Cards
Audio Format: MP3 & WMA
MP3 Bit-Rate: 32 kbps - 160 kbps
WMA Bit-Rate: 32 kbps - 160 kbps
Signal to Noise Ratio: 75 dB
Interface: USB
Addition Features: FM Stereo Tuner
Battery Type: 2 x AAA Batteries
Battery Life: 8 hours
FINAL THOUGHTS :
I have always liked using this player besides my iPod, but the hard to press buttons was the only discouragement for me. I would definitely recommend this player or the newest model to everyone who wants to get rid of their CD’s and step into the future of portable music.
SOME OF MY OTHER REVIEWS :
ViewSonic E70 17" Monitor
Gateway EV 910 19" CRT Monitor
Samsung SynMaster 763MB 17” Monitor
PNY Verto GeForce 6800GT 256MB Video Card
SanDisk Cruzer Mini 256MB USB2.0 Flash Drive
SanDisk Cruzer Mini 128MB USB2.0 Flash Drive
Kingston Technologies 512MB DDR 400MHz RAM
HP OfficeJet 7310 All-In-One
Xerox WorkCentre 470CX InkJet Printer
Lexmark x75 All-In-One InkJet Printer
Olympus Camedia C-8080 Wide Zoom Digital Camera
Canon P1-DHIII Calculator
Panasonic KX-T7433B Corded Phone
Panasonic KX-T7425B Corded Phone
Copyright vchand 2005, All rights reserved.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 99.99
Recommended for: Athletes - Lightweight and Portable, Perfect for the Gym
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Epinions.com ID:
vchand
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 - Top 200 |
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Member: Vic
Location: San Francisco, CA
Reviews written: 177
Trusted by: 103 members
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