YEE HAW! For the money, it's definitely worth it!
Written: Apr 30 '03
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Pros: Fantabulous Storage, splendid sound, easy drag and drop files, batteries rock
Cons: A little heavy. CD recording issues with music match. Headphones blow.
The Bottom Line: If you are looking for an inexpensive, quality ridden, sound smashing, storage struttin' portable MP3 player, then here you are.
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| toasterdance's Full Review: Archos Jukebox Recorder 20GB MP3 Player |
This is an overall smashing product, and I'll tell you why.
Pros:
1. If you've got Windows XP or 2000, as soon as you plug in your Recorder via USB, it shows up on the desktop as "Mega Storage USB Drive", or conveniently, "Jukebox." This allows for simple drag-and-drop management of your music files, and you can create all the directories and tags and such right on your PC.
2. The sound quality is great, and I wasn't convinced to buy an Archos until my friend let me listen to Santna on his, and boy was it rich! There are so many sound functions you can execute to alter the output to your liking, such as Bass Boost and even Loudness.
3. Storage capacity is overwhelming. I fit my entire music collection (about 200 CDs) on the 20 GB hard drive, and I still have space for more. You can also save other types of files like Word documents or other sound files, although the Jukebox Recorder only plays MP3s. It also comes with a car kit, USB cable, and various other wires and gadgets.
4. This thing is too easy to use. I can't imagine anyone complaining about how intricate and convoluted the interface is. I didn't even need to use the manual--just install music match, and it basically explains itself. You can browse by Genre, Artist, Album, and Song, and all this can be done on your computer. You could probably add even more directories if you wanted.
5. The battery life is outstanding. I go to school in Boston, and I spend most of the day walking or riding the T. Not once has my battery been even halfway used. When I come home, I just plug it right into the DC jack, and that's it. You don't even have to worry about leaving it in all night as long as you have the upgraded firmware. And, the batteries are user-replacable, not like those internal batteries you'll find on other MP3 players that have to be replaced in a factory.
6. The thing almost never skips. I went for a 2 hour run this morning with it, and it didn't even skip. The only way you'll get it to skip or freeze is to take it and shake the hell out of it for a solid 5 minutes or so--I haven't tried this, but I unfortunately know certain individuals who have the time in their schedules to carry out this experiment.
Cons:
1. Although this player is my baby, there are some things that Archos could improve on. The first thing is the head phones. Let's be frank. They blow. I went out and got a pair of $20 Sonys that sound amazing, and that solved the problem. Small price to pay for what you are saving in total compared to other 20 GB MP3 players.
2. When Music Match records a CD, it places all the tracks in alphabetical order as opposed to track number. Does anyone know of a way to fix this? The only problem is that you have to then look up the album song list and tag each song with numbers. Just a little extra time spent is all.
Also, when you play a full album on the recorder that has songs that flow into each other (the back side of Abbey Road) there is a short blip or pop between each song. This is obviously due to the format of MP3s, and hopefully Archos will come out with an updated firmware that includes a crossfading option, which would solve the problem. It's rarely noticeable, unless you're a big Classic Rock connoisseur like me.
3. It's a little heavy and slightly bulky, but not like other MP3 players that take up a whole room. I run with this thing. Anyone who says that the Archos Jukebox Recorder 20 is way too big is obviously a spoiled iPod crybaby who eats Snackwells and talks to their cats.
4. It freezes once in a blue moon, but less than any other hard drive would. It's rarely happed, like the skipping, and when it does, it's simple to shut it down and then reboot it. It works fine after that. Much more worth it than a CD player.
5. There's not an external volume control--it's regulated through a couple steps in the menu, but now I'm just being picky because I've run out of destructive criticism.
In closing: This thing is too good not to pass up, and it is simple to overlook the petty cons I've listed above. Go the Distance!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 214.00
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toasterdance
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Reviews written: 1
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