Take the good with the bad
Jun 02 '00
I can see where people would approach purchasing a portable Mpeg player with a bit of fear. New technology makes people nervous.
MP3 players are not without their share of problems, but a lot of the old myths about them just aren't the rock-solid bastions of truth that they once were. Hopefully this will help clear up some common misconceptions and shed some light on those you hadn't even thought about:
Never enough memory: While that is changing, the standard memory on these beauties are rarely enough by themselves. 64mb of memory can safely store 15 tracks of 3 to 4 minute songs at 128k/s which for the uninitiated is roughly CD quality. While it isn't totally CD quality, through headphones your ears probably can't tell the difference. Lowering the sampling rate will result in even smaller files, but diminished sound quality.
Not enough volume: I can see where this comes from. Sometimes the volume just doesn't have enough pop. Consider this if you want to get one: You may not be able to hear it on the subway/outside, etc. I haven't had too much of a problem with that so far, but I could see where the player just won't get loud enough.
Slow transfers to the player: USB connections on newer players has replaced the slower parallel port/serial port connections on older models. Thank God. The transfer of 64 megabytes of music takes roughly two minutes which is more than acceptable.
Bad software: I'd have to say that this one is legit. The software included with my player, the Rio 500 is okay. It does the job, but there are better titles out there. A lot of third-party titles even allow connections to portables (i.e. MusicMatch Jukebox and RealPlayer) so if you don't like the included bundle, change it.
They're expensive: Can't argue that point. They are. If you want one that sounds good with a descent amount of memory and a good software package + bells and whistles such as FM Radio/Voice Recorder/Contact Management, then be prepared to shell out some bucks. While the RIO 500 can be had for roughly $200 on Buy.com, the Creative Labs Nomad II is much closer to $325 to get all the bells and whistles mentioned above.
On the good side, the stuff on the boxes, while overly glowing tends to be true. You do get excellent sound quality, a shock-proof audio system that can take a licking and keep on rocking, and a portable device that won't weigh you down.
Personally, I have seen the future and it is MP3 players. While they aren't perfect, slowly but surely they're getting there. If you're not sure whether or not a player is for you, then hang out for awhile. Some next generation players have yet to see the light of day, and even if they end up being too expensive, it will drive down the price of the older models, making this a win-win situation all around.
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Epinions.com ID:
VincenzoSI
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Member: Vincent Ferrari
Location: Staten Island, New York
Reviews written: 43
Trusted by: 14 members
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