Very nice WMA recorder with long record time-
Written: Sep 06 '03 (Updated Sep 23 '03)
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Pros: Excellent record quality, Std AAA batteries, easy operation, LONG record time (WMA), expandable memory
Cons: Bug on 128kbps record rate, no external mic, no speaker.
The Bottom Line: Excels as a recorder, and records direct to WMA format-
Sophisticated looking device with great capabilities
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| wingerr's Full Review: Pogo RipFlash DX (128 MB) MP3 Player |
The distinguishing feature of this recorder is that it encodes directly to WMA format, which provides a higher quality recording with the most efficient use of the available memory. It has selectable record bitrates of 8, 16, 32, 64, and 128kbps, which is much more flexible than most, which generally only offer two or three quality settings.
The problem I've had with this unit is that the 128kpbs has been unusable, however- when I set it to the 128kpbs, the recordings break up, as if there were an intermittent connection. I've returned the unit to Pogo after trying a few of the suggested corrective actions, such as uploading a new codec, and making matters worse, eventually not being able to record at either 64 or 128.
I sent it back for RMA, but the unit I received back showed the same problem, which led me to believe it may be a design issue rather than a single defective unit. My original call to customer service suggested using a maximum of 64kbps instead of 128, so I thought it was a known issue that's still unresolved. I've contacted them again, and they've tested the units on hand there, and they don't have the problem, so it'll be going back for another try-
Update: I've found that the use of NiMH batteries or any batteries other than new alkalines (with the attendant higher voltage) causes the 128kbps record problem, at least on my unit. Only with fresh alkalines does the unit record cleanly at 128kbps. This would be a problem if I needed to record at the highest possible quality for a long period, only to find out afterwards that it was worse than even using the low quality rates, since it will start breaking up when the battery falls below some required threshold (which I can't detect based on the battery status indicator). Hopefully the 2nd exchange unit I get will fix all that ails this one. Might be good to be on the lookout for this if you get one-
Update: The third unit I've tried still shows exactly the same problem, so it must be an inherent design issue, and not an isolated defect.
That problem notwithstanding, the 64kbps provides more than adequate record quality, and will give you 4-1/2 hours record time on the built in 128MB memory. Selection of the still quite usable 8kpbs rate will give you over 33 hours record time (!). Sound on that setting is still very understandable, but it gives the effect that you're talking in a tunnel, with a hollow echo to it.
Size
The unit itself is nice and compact, 3-1/4" x 2-1/2" x 3/4", and has good tactile feedback to the 6 buttons. A slide switch is used for the hold function, to lock out the controls to prevent inadvertent operation, which works better than the method implemented on the Ripflash Trio, which requires sequential presses on the controls to toggle.
Accessories
Accessories provided include an inline remote for control of the unit while it sits in your pocket, earbud phones to listen to the output through the standard sized mini audio jack, USB cable for PC connection, and a line in cable, for recording from external sources such as a portable CD player or amplified microphone.
I don't use the inline remote, because I use it mostly for recording, and the microphone is on the unit. The unit is small enough that there isn't much advantage to having the separate control, as you would with a portable CD player, where you would clip it to your belt, for instance. It's less cumbersome just operating it directly.
It would be nice to be provided an external microphone, but it isn't supplied, and if you get one separately, it has to be preamplified, because it only accepts line level inputs. There are companies that supply neat packages for amplified microphones for this, but they're expensive- Pogoproducts is about to come out with an amplified microphone, listed at $50.
There's no adjustment of input sensitivity for the line inputs, so you need to tailor the input levels to achieve the proper recording levels.
Ease of operation
It's fairly easy to use, with a mode button selecting the different features, such as equalization, repeat mode, memory display, record input source, record bit rate, internal/external memory selection, and delete. You step through each of the above modes sequentially by pressing the mode button, and you need to view the display to see what mode it's in.
You could use the unit without looking at it, but generally, it's not really that easy without looking at the display. The stop button is combined with the play button, which is a bit less useful, because pressing it while playing a file toggles between pause and play, and you need to hold it down for a second to stop. A separate stop button would have been welcome, but not a big issue.
There is no built in speaker like on the Trio, which is a drawback, because you'll have to have the earbuds attached to listen to the recordings. Thankfully, it's a standard size jack, so you can plug in without the annoying dongle adapter needed on the Trio, so it's not too bad an arrangement.
Power
It uses standard AAA batteries (2), and seems to do well in battery life, with no LED indicators staying on during operation. There is a dim blue electroluminescent backlight that comes on briefly while operating the buttons, and it's not adjustable. I use NiMH cells with no problem (except for the 128kbps problem, that is), and it's a simple matter to change batteries with the time comes- I like this arrangement much better than the proprietary battery pack on the Trio, simply because the AAA's are so readily available. It's still pretty tiny, even without all the concessions to size, and is easier to operate, because the buttons are on the side, and the display is larger and more legible than the Trio.
The recordings made on the unit are named RECVxxxx.wma, RECWxxxx, etc and the xxxx are numbers that increment with each recording. Recordings made on the internal memory get a 1xxx suffix, while external memory recordings get a 2xxx suffix.
On standby, the display shows the current/total file number, scrolls the name of the file, current repeat mode, battery level, and volume indication.
While playing a file, it also shows the bit rate of the recording and the time location of the current track, and equalization setting.
Pressing the mode button once while playing a file allows you to change the equalization settings and with a second press, the repeat mode. Selection is made by pressing the FF and REV buttons to cycle through the settings.
It also has an A-B repeat button, which allows you to repeat a section of the recording over and over, which would be handy when transcribing, for instance. Playback speed is not selectable as is possible on the Trio, but I don't mind much, because it simplifies operation some, because that's one less multiplexed operation of the buttons-
Memory
Expandable memory: it accepts MMC or SD memory, so it essentially makes the record time capability unlimited- just add memory cards to bring it up to whatever requirements you have. Downloading from external memory takes noticeably longer than it does from the internal memory, so if you have both, using the internal memory is probably preferable until you need the extra storage. Playback of files, whether stored in internal or external memory, is done in the same mode; they're ordered in the sequence they were recorded. External files downloaded to the unit seem to be placed at the back end of the file list, which makes deleting the voice files more difficult, because you then have to step through all the files to get to the middle, and that requires individual presses of the buttons. No fast skipping by holding down the buttons, for some reason-
When hooked up to the pc, you have the ability to change the order of the files regardless of the filenames, so it doesn't sort by filename. Because the unit doesn't have date/time stamping on the files, I generally avoid reordering, because it would add to the confusion. Music playback would be where you'd want to reorder the files, but this generally isn't what I use it for. There's no ability to handle directory structures, so navigating a large list of songs will be very slow and cumbersome, so it's not as well suited for music playback, if you like to be able to select and change the songs you're hearing. You can allow it to shuffle play, or, prearrange all the songs beforehand with the DX Manager program, on the PC. I much prefer using my Rio SP-250 for music playing, though that trades off the much larger size- If you don't mind the limitations on song selection, this works fine otherwise, with excellent sound quality.
Summary
In summary, though this recorder has less features than the Trio, I find it better suited for all around quick operation, maybe because it's not packing as many features into it. It has less of a delicate feel to it than the Trio, and seems very nicely made. Hopefully the 128kbps problem will be resolved, because it would be nice to have the highest quality mode as an option, even though the 64 is adequate.
If it just had date/time stamping, external mic, it would be nearly perfect for my purposes.
The WMA encoding is the big plus for this unit, as is the standard batteries it uses.
A great recorder, with impressive capabilities-
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 129
Recommended for: Beginners - Easy Enough for Tech Newbies
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Epinions.com ID:
wingerr
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Reviews written: 33
Trusted by: 2 members
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