AVC Soul is just like a RioVolt... almost exactly the same actually!
Written: Jun 26 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Low price, 650+ megs of MP3/WMA storage, cheap storage, long battery life
Cons: Dancing man in LCD, cheap feeling outer casing, a few skipping problems.
The Bottom Line: In all aspects similar to the RioVolt unit, this is a bargain MP3 player with long battery life and large (and cheap) storage media
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| yusakugo's Full Review: AVC CD-DMP Soul Optical DMP Player |
Note that this is almost the same review as the AVC DMP-01 review in epinions since the products are the same bleeding products! I have made a few minor changes to the original review. The AVC Soul Player is similar to the SONICBlue RioVolt player as well!
AVC Soul Player can be found over the internet at places like Easybuy2000.com and the such... but as you look at the unit, it seems somehow familiar.
There's a reason for that... By now, many of you should have heard of SonicBlue's RioVolt MP3-CD player. It is a unit that has been praised by so many magazines and reviews and "experts". You can't help wonder why the Soul Player looks so similar. Did the makers of the Soul Player copy the RioVolt design?
In reality, both the RioVolt's and the AVC Soul Player's main components are produced at the same factory overseas (I believe it was Korea, but I have to double check) with slight cosmetic differences. What this means is the AVC Soul and RioVolt have almost the exact same performance profile. I bought him an AVC Soul Player and got a chance to see if there were any real differences between the two.
As of 6/22/01, Easybuy.com sells this unit for $149.95 with a car kit included and you have to add S&H costs as well.
Basic Layout
The Soul player is a Discman type player that can currently read MP3 and WMA files off the disc. The unit is about the same form factor as other value and medium priced regular Discmen on the market today. The particular model I'm looking at has a black base and a bronze top with a large LCD. The unit looks similar (not exactly) like the RioVolt. The entire outer casing is made of hard plastic but feels just as cheap as (maybe cheaper than) the RioVolt outer casing.
Like the RioVolt, there are several buttons and a D pad. The layout of the Soul Player and the RioVolt are about the same. On the left side of the LCD, you have a play button that also doubles as the program list function, +10 button to skip 10 tracks at a time, a mode button, and an EQ button. Under the LCD are three buttons, increase and decrease volume buttons and a navi button to access directories on the CD-R or CD-RW in the player. Below and to the right of the LCD is a 4 direction D pad that allows you to access menus, navigate the directories, turn on and off the player, and search, play, and stop the Volt. There is a sliding latch to open and close the player and CDs are held in place through a snap in ball bearing system featured in most CD players now (like Sony and Aiwa). A hold switch and sliding switch are featured on the bottom of the player. The switch on the bottom picks between 10 sec ESP and 40 ESP when playing audio CDs and 120 sec ESP (40 sec ESP Audio CD) versus no ESP for MP3 and WMA file playing. On the right side of the player, there is a headphones port with a connection for the included inline remote, a line out port, and a AC adapter connector. As I said, similar to the RioVolt layout.
The LCD has a soft blue light that stays on for a second or two when pressing buttons on the player or the remote. It makes the display easy enough to read all in all. Just like the RioVolt, you get the battery indicator, mode indicator, and program indicator. You even get the annoying dancing men at the entire bottom of the LCD. There is a two line display for MP3 file information as encoded by the ID tag. The track and time are displayed on the first line while the second line scrolls the ID tag information.
You get a similar carrying case to the RioVolt (i.e. protective pouch with belt loop), cheap earbuds (buy your own), a car adapter kit (woo hoo!), AC adapter, and the inline remote. A good bundle overall!
The inline remote features a 4 directional pad like the player itself and 3 buttons for volume and EQ adjustments. The inline remote looks exactly the same as the one for the RioVolt right down to the spring clip on the back of the remote. The remote is nice enough for the player although there are some problems with it. The remote is a bit small and the buttons are too easy to press by accident when pressing another button on the remote. The headphones plug into the inline remote. The headphones are worse than the RioVolt in my opinion... not that the RioVolt headphones were the standard of absolute quality either (It seems Intel packages the best headphones with an MP3 player!)
Hopefully, you already have a CD-R or CD-RW attached to your computer. Otherwise, if your friends don't have one, it is going to be difficult to make CD-R and CD-RW to play on your Soul Player!
Features: The RioVolt... urmmm... the AVC Soul Player I mean!
The main feature is playing CD-Rs and CD-RWs with MP3 and WMA files burned onto it. For MP3s, that means over 600 minutes of music on a single CD-R. More music than the player will play on a set of standard AA batteries! That's 10+ hours of nonstop music! Actually, a fresh set of Duracells or Energizers have lasted close to 14 hours straight on 10 sec ESP/no ESP for MP3/WMA mode. 40 sec ESP/120 sec MP3/WMA ESP cuts the battery life down to 2/3 of that. The same statline as the RioVolt. No surprise there.
Like the RioVolt, the mode button on the Soul Player allows you to select from multiple options. This includes repeat 1 song, repeat all songs in a directory, repeat all songs period, shuffle, repeat a random song, repeat all songs in a directory with random order, repeat all songs in a random order, and cycle through song intros. I have occassionally noted that shuffling through all songs can have songs repeated more than once before hitting the other unplayed songs on the CD-R. This problem hasn't come up after installing the latest firmware updates.
The EQ button lets you pick from Normal, Rock, Jazz, Classical, and Ultra Bass. There is no manual equalizer setting, which bothered me a bit. The equalizer presets worked pretty well overall.
Volume runs from 0 to 20 just like the RioVolt... althrough 20 really isn't all that loud compared to the Rio 800 and Nomad II MG highest volume settings. At 20, the Soul Player is more than loud enough to be heard but not overpowering. The Intel Pocket Concert volume setting and sound output pretty much blows the Volt away (as well as every other MP3 player out there currently... surprising from Intel). I usually keep the volume setting no lower than 12 to hear the playing MP3. Please buy a real set of headphones... or use the Intel neckphones if you bought the Pocket Concert as well!
The included AC adapter is a nice touch. You can hook up the Soul Player to your stereo system and play songs for hours on end with the AC adapter. Unlike the RioVolt, you do get the car adapter kit as well. What a bonus!
The ESP works fairly well overall and tolerates minor bumps rather well. I wouldn't recommend jogging or driving over potholes to test the ESP, you probably will be disappointed. There is a bit of skipping on bumpy car rides (I drive a Ford Explorer and so does my brother) but overall, the unit held it's own on 40 sec/120 sec MP3 mode. I wouldn't go jogging with it though (for other reasons... like the plastic case). The ESP is good enough.
You can upgrade the firmware of the Soul Player by downloading the latest firmware and burning it to a CD-R. Run the CD-R on the Soul and the Soul will be upgraded! Too easy!
Suffering from the same weaknesses as the RioVolt
It only makes sense that the unit would have similar if not exactly the same weaknesses as the RioVolt. The outer casing still feels like cheap plastic... I'm not sure if the Soul feels cheaper than the RioVolt but it is at least comparable. The inline remote is a bit awkward overall. It is too easy to press multiple buttons on the inline remote when pressing one button. Programmed play lists only stay in memory as long as the unit is on... once the unit is off. Poof, say goodbuy to the playlist you made. Also, on the same note, the player will start from the very beginning each and every time you start the player up.
The other problem (although somewhat minor problems) is the size of the player. It is still rather large compared to MP3 flash players and even other Discmen.
Overall
Although you don't have the Rio name brand or SonicBlue backing the warranty, the AVC Soul Player is a good value overall. You get a car kit and a slightly lower price than the RioVolt. It is not the most portable unit and not the highest capacity unit but a good combination of both. The majority of people will be pleased with the unit. However, I would stick to a MP3 flash player for workouts or jogging... especially since prices are trending downwards very rapidly!
This review dealt with the RioVolt/AVC Soul Player versus the TDK Mojo CD-MP3 players... http://yusakugo.epinions.com/content_1561895044
This was my first review on the deciding on the current crop of MP3 players and most of its various incarnations...
http://yusakugo.epinions.com/content_1025089668
The Intel Pocket Concert costs $299 at MSRP. I have been able to find it for $230 at the lowest... and the average price is $270-280 on the web. This is a 128 MB player with the best and loudest sound of any flash MP3 player! It also has an FM tuner! Read my review by cutting and pasting the following link:
http://yusakugo.epinions.com/content_16884993668
The Rio 800 128MB costs $299 at MSRP... only $20 more than the Rio 800 64MB version. This unit has one of the best LCDs packing the most information I've seen to date. It doesn't have a FM tuner but it does voice record. The unit is expandable through the Rio Backpacks as well. Read my review on the Rio 800 64MB version (the only difference is the memory on the 128MB and 64MB versions) by cutting and pasting the following link:
http://yusakugo.epinions.com/content_11880205956
You might want to read the Rio 800 Extreme... this is the same Rio 800 unit but with 256 MB internal memory and a 128MB Rio Backpack added to the mix. This means 384MB of monster music in addition to all the great Rio 800 features all for $599. To read my review cut and paste the following link:
http://yusakugo.epinions.com/content_16723119748
Read my RioVolt review... this is a CD MP3 player which is the most cost effective MP3 available. You get up to 650 MB of storage (i.e. the CD-R or CD-RW) or even 700 MB on specialized CD-Rs. You get great battery life as well, great MP3/WMA skip protection, and the ability to play CD (but only decently due to poor skip protection for regular music CDs). Cut and paste the following review:
http://yusakugo.epinions.com/content_16976219780
Read the AVC Soul Player review... this is basically the same unit as the RioVolt but cheaper and with different accessories! Cut and paste the following link:
http://yusakugo.epinions.com/content_19010981508
Read my regular Nomad II MG review here... only less memory than the Special Edition unit. Cut and Paste the following link:
http://yusakugo.epinions.com/content_12093918852
Read my Nomad II MG Special Edition review. 256MB of flash memory and all the great features of the Nomad II MG for $499. Cut and paste the following link:
http://yusakugo.epinions.com/content_20338151044
Read my Nomad IIc review here. 32MB of flash memory with voice recording for a low $129... so what's wrong with it? Cut and paste the following link
http://yusakugo.epinions.com/content_20535348868
I also suggest the hard drive jukebox players like the Creative Nomad Jukebox ($299 MSRP... I just purchased one for $239 brand new), the Creative Nomad Jukebox C, and the Archos Jukebox. There are other brands but they hover around 6GB in storage capacity... yes! 6GB of storage!
This is my CD-MP3 player review on two of the best players as of June 2001. Cut and paste the following link:
http://yusakugo.epinions.com/content_1561895044
You may want to read my first choosing an MP3 player review. Cut and paste the following link:
http://yusakugo.epinions.com/content_1025089668
Developments in the MP3 player world
By the time you read this, several players and new companies will have entered the field. Samsung will have released many of their latest Yepp players with flash memory up to 64 Megs and their top model having a fairly hi-res color LCD. SonicBlue will have a Rio 800 with 128 Megs of memory ready for the market around April or May. 128 Meg SmartMedia cards will have been released (the Nomad II and II MG are compatible with them after a firmware update!). Later this year, a company called DataPlay will likely have released tiny 500 Meg optical discs the size of a nickel (three companies are going to release products so far... one of these companies is Pine). Details are sketchy right now so we'll see how that goes. Intel also has more in store for the Pocket Concert series of MP3 players as well. Also, the Rio 600 32MB runs for less than $170 and the Nomad IIc (no, it's not an Apple model... remember the Apple IIc anyone?) will also be released. The Nomad IIc is a stripped down version of the Nomad II with 32MB of onboard memory and a SmartMedia slot. Accessories are extra however. This is proving to be an exciting time in the MP3 world! Also read my MP3 futures review...
http://yusakugo.epinions.com/content_1692377220
Recommended:
Yes
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yusakugo
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Member: Rich Go
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