RCA Lyra Digital Player RD1080
Written: Jan 17 '03
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Pros: Lightweight compact design, back lit LCD display, 128MB memory, expandable memory, Radio, Music Match Jukebox
Cons: Battery life, Radio reception, Battery cover, no Mp3Pro Support yet, USB cover.
The Bottom Line: Overall I give the Lyra RD1080 high marks. If you are looking for a flash based Mp3 player I would seriously consider this one.
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| gadgetsherpa's Full Review: RCA Lyra RD1080 (128 MB) MP3 Player |
The RCA Lyra RD1080 is an excellent little player despite it's minor problems which are easy to get over.
PROS:
Design-
The RD1080 is fairly ergonomic, small; and lends itself well in ones hand. Controls are easy to access through a mini joystick and five supplemental buttons. The mini joystick located at the center bottom of the unit controls the manipulation of a specific function (except volume); and when depressed acts as an Enter Button. Five other buttons control access to a specific function. There are as follows: Volume, DSP, Mode, Stop, and Play/Pause. This unit as with most current Mp3 players is not designed for heavy abuse; but is durable enough for average use.
Playback-
Playback on the Lyra is good. RCA provided us with 5 DSP modes (Rock, Pop, Bass, Jazz, Tone, Flat). I find the rock setting to be the most enjoyable; perhaps others will prefer one of the other four. People may complain about a slight windup sound on start up, or a slight hiss during playback; but it is not noticeable when music is playing. Fast forward and rewind could be quicker and smoother. The Lyra is capable of Play Modes, Programming Tracks, Editing Program, and Key Lock which are useful.
Headphones-
Nothing special here; just your standard street style (I think that's what they are called) headphones. They sound good to me. I am sure you can buy better ones.
Display-
To display information the RD1080 utilizes an LCD display which is oval in shape, and monochrome in text. When the player is turned on, or when the joystick and function buttons are utilized; the back light on the LCD display is activated giving off a lovely lite blue color which contrasts well with the monochrome text.
Memory-
128MB of internal memory are included with the RD1080 with the option to add an additional 128MB via an SD/MMC card. That gives the Lyra 1.5 to 2.5 hours of music which is about 25-35 songs at 128kb/s - 320kb/s on its internal memory. Add an optional 128MB card and you double the amount of course the smaller the file the more music you can hold; but the music quality suffers.
Radio-
There is not much to say about the radio other than fact that one is included on this Mp3 player. Which is an automatic bonus considering that radios are a rarity on today's Mp3 players. Reception is bearable.
Extras-
The Lyra includes a lanyard that I find useful to take on my runs. Belt clip is cheap and practically useless considering that the unit is small and lite enough to put in ones pockets. It also hampers on the ability to use the units function buttons. Two AAA batteries are included which is always nice.
Software-
Ahh yes...the famous or infamous Music Match Jukebox.
I had no problems, and I enjoy using this jukebox. There is a slight learning curve for the unfamiliar, but when you become accustomed to the interface it's pretty much smooth sailing (especially for version 7.1 which came with my unit ).
CONS:
Battery Life-
Battery life on the Lyra is decent considering how bad the average battery consumption for flash based players are. But I still find myself using more batteries then I would like. If you buy this player (or any Mp3 player for that matter) look into getting rechargeable NiMH Batteries, they should help increase the play time of the Lyra.
Radio reception-
As mentioned above the radio reception is bearable; But needs improvement.
Battery Cover-
I have had no problems thus far with the battery cover; but it does not feel secure and I can see it being a problem in the future especially under heavy use.
USB cover-
At this point the USB Rubber cover is the only serious point of contention. Frankly I am very annoyed with RCA about this. The rubber cover is so thin that if you held it up to the light you can almost see through it. Needless to say during normal use ( inserting and removing USB cable ) it ripped:(
Volume-
The volume is good. Could be a bit higher
Mp3Pro-
If any body from RCA is reading this:
WHERE IS THE MP3PRO FIRMWARE UPDATE !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks for reading my review:)
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 129.99
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Epinions.com ID:
gadgetsherpa
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Location: Brooklyn, New York, USA
Reviews written: 1
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