A good mp3 player but not a keeper
Written: Aug 20 '01 (Updated Sep 25 '01)
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Pros: plays my growing pile of mp3 CD's!! YES!
Cons: a bit slow in mp3 mode, no hold button, quirky menus.
The Bottom Line: This is way better and much more practical than RAM based mp3 players. Sound is excellent.
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| dg1201's Full Review: Memorex MPD8505 Personal CD Player |
8.20I got this yesterday from Target for $99. I had previously bought a regular portable CD player w/car kit 31 days ago and my friend told me that I should just get a CD player that can play mp3 CD's. I thought, what a brilliant idea since I have been downloading and burning mp3's onto CD's for a while now (ah the joys of DSL and a CD-RW drive). So I went and bought it.
There was this Memorex model and a Jensen model to choose from, both the same price. The Memorex came w/the car kit so I was sold. And also taking the epinions on it into account, I felt safe. The Jensen model didn't look too appealing either. It had a cramped interface and buttons. I liked the Memorex's design, even though it's a lil thicker than regular portable CD players.
It came in that annoying plastic shrinkwrap that takes forever and a day to open. Good thing I always carry my trusty box cutter in my purse...=P So I got to the car and plugged it in. The cigarette lighter adapter's pretty large! Oh well. I wasn't expecting much from the sound since I don't really buy Memorex brand items. But I was pleasantly surprised! I popped in my mp3 CD and noticed that the bass boost works very well and enhanced the sound wonderfully. Wow! So I was psyched. Great sound! And I am extremely picky on sound quality! With the previous CD player I had, it took me 3 or 4 tries with other models until I finally stayed with that one! If there are a lot of mp3's on a disc, it'll take a while for the CD player to start up though. The display scrolls the ID3 tags on the mp3's (provided that they are there when burned). Pretty neat!
I noticed though that it only reads the first session of an mp3 CD. I tested this by adding a few more songs to the CD in a second session and the player didn't recognize it; it only played the first session. Boohoo! I guess that means that I'll have to invest in some CD-RW's now. Ah well.
I didn't even touch the headphones that came w/this player. I already know that most headphones that come with any portable player are just junk. I did however use my full sized headphones to fully inspect the sound quality. I was not disappointed at all. This thing gets pretty loud, especially w/the bass boost on! Oohh yeah! It totally rocks. And I've come to like the analog volume control. With my previous player, it was digital so I had to keep hitting the volume button several times to get it to the level I wanted. Got annoying. I don't have that problem with this. I also like that there is a separate line out jack. I'm planning to get some new speakers to use with this player! =)
The menu system sucks though. Argh. I wish there was a cancel button so if you accidently go into a menu, you can cancel out of it. But no. Once you unintentionally hit a menu button, like to search for a file, etc., there's no way to get out of it so you're stuck there and have to let it finish blinking for about 5 seconds. Arrrgh. Annoying! But I like how you can select to play by directories. That's helpful, especially if you have memorized what songs are in which directory. The search for file command is nice too, although you have to spell out the full file name, like "Oops I did it again", (yeah so sue me i listen to Britney every so often,) or else it won't search. Cumbersome task but it works. There are quite a few buttons on the player because they are the alphanumeric keys (like those on a phone) used to type.
The player also pauses randomly when it plays mp3's. I don't know why. But it only happens every once in a while. Maybe it's a problem with the CD burning quality. But I don't really mind.
The ESP protection is impressive. I have yet to get this thing to skip. I can't wait to try it out when I jog. I know it eats batteries like mad so I'm happy it came with an AC adapter. Good thing I also have some rechargeables handy.
All in all, I think this is way better than my regular portable CD player. I just paid a few more dollars for the ability to play mp3's. What a value. I really was thinking of getting a memory based mp3 player but when you can have 650-700MB worth of music on this player, compared to say 128MB max on a Diamond Rio or something, I'll take this one any day! Plus, CD'Rs are a dime a dozen now so that makes this player extremely practical! I will definitely put it to good use.
8.21 Bought a set of Cambridge Soundworks CS310 speakers at Comp USA. Hooked it up to the Memorex and wowwww. I don't think I want to leave my room anymore...The sound is just phenomenal.
9.25 I returned this player. The random hiccups just got to me and I couldn't stand it. The menu also drove me nuts. I needed something better so I got a Rio Volt instead. Read my review here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_40645398148
The Rio is so much better. You really get what you pay for.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 99
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Epinions.com ID:
dg1201
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Location: CA
Reviews written: 21
Trusted by: 16 members
About Me:
karaoke queen.
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