TDK Mojo CD-MP3 Player: A good player when it was first introduced.
Written: Mar 26 '02
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Pros: Excellent menu design, large anti-skip buffer, solid overall design
Cons: Only MP3 and CDA files, no flash ROM for firmware upgrade, cheaper options
The Bottom Line: Still a solid overall product although there are now better offerings out there. The dropping prices on this model make it more attractive (can find as low as $120).
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| yusakugo's Full Review: TDK MOJO Personal CD Player |
I first reviewed this under the TDK MOJO MP3-CD Player at epinions but almost a half year has passed and epinions added this section. Time to update this review seeing that several new options have appeared in the MP3 hardware world.
Overview/Impressions
Well, I'm changing up my review format starting with this one... let's see how people like it.
The TDK Mojo is still a solid excellent player made only more attractive by its dropping price. To be sure that there are better CD-MP3 players out there like the SonicBlue RioVolt SP250. There are also cheaper players like the SonicBlue RioVolt SP90 and the original RioVolt now dubbed the SP100.
Definite Pros for this player include:
1) Large memory buffer for excellent anti-skip protection
2) Easy to read and clear LCD
3) Sturdy built
4) Cool Black color
5) Excellent navigation for your MP3 file playback
6) Good battery life
Problems with this unit include:
1) Not upgradable firmware because there is no Flash ROM
2) No support for other music formats other than MP3
3) Large range of higher end and lower end offerings that may fit people's needs better.
Overall, the TDK Mojo is still a model to consider even though it is a bit dated. The most dangerous competitors to the MOJO are SONICBlue RioVolt lineup from the low end SP90 to the high end (and awesome for a CD-MP3 player) SP250. Other manufacturers like Sony, Panasonic, Aiwa, etc. have also released CD-MP3 models but have not gotten the recognition that SONICBlue has gotten for its lineup.
Features
First and foremost, TDK's claim to fame on this player is their exclusive NaviTrack system. The Navitrack system allows the Mojo to read all song on the CD and then automatically organizes them by title, artist, and genre regardless of the CD-R/CD-RW directory structure. This Navitrack system is still one of the best song searching and picking systems on any MP3 player to date... I find that I like only the interface on the SONICBlue RioRiot better than the TDK Mojo. Navitrack I feel is still a little better than the file navigation systems of the Nomad Jukebox, Archos Jukebox, iPod, and SONICBlue RioVolt SP250. This is a system intended for people to enjoy their music with the least hassle! You can find your song quickly and easily with Navitrack. However, the competition has come very close with their renditions of the NaviTrack software, and as I said, there is at least one MP3 player that beats the NaviTrack system (SONICBlue RioRiot). If you don't like NaviTrack, you can switch back to searching individual filenames instead... just like the first and second generation MP3 players.
The TDK Mojo is a jet black unit with a small LCD and four depressable direction buttons and five more multiple function buttons (play, stop, fast forward, rewind, menu, select...). A latch at the front of the unit to opens it up for CD changes. The Mojo is slightly thinner than the RioVolt models although the Mojo is a bit deeper. The plastic casing has a more solid feel than the RioVolt and the unit feels heavier but not uncomfortably so.
The package contains some decent TDK backphones which enhance bass output, 2 AA Duracell Ultras, an AC adapter, and a CD with some software on it (MusicMatch and Mojo Jukebox). Not much else comes with the unit.
As far as anti-skip buffers go, the Mojo has a nice 45 sec ESP mode (turned on or off through the LCD menu) and up to 8 minutes of MP3 buffer skip protection. A new standard for MP3 antiskip protection that has been continued by other manufacters like SONICBlue on their RioVolt SP250. Problem is that I don't know the sampling rate that 8 minutes was counted for. The RioVolt SP100/original RioVolt has 40 sec of ESP for music CDs but up to 3 minutes of MP3 buffer protection. The ESP on the Mojo seems rather well. Much better than the original RioVolt (i.e. SP100 model). The SP250 RioVolt model anti-skip works just as well as the TDK Mojo however. I shook the unit vigorously while playing music CDs and CD-Rs with MP3 files with no skipping. On jogging with the MOJO on a belt holster, there was no skipping either. Drove in my Ford Explorer through bumpy and rocky trail roads, the unit still didn't skip.
The Mojo remembers the last song you played on a particular CD as well as the playlist. It remembers up to the last 3 CDs placed in the unit. Playlist creation is easy to do even on the unit itself. I still haven't tried the software on the Mojo but the options allowed through the LCD menu allow for pretty good flexibility.
The LCD is rather small but very clear. All text utilized a thick easy to read font. The backlight is a bright blue that works very well with the selected fonts. On the LCD, information like sampling rate info, MP3 stereo or mono indicator, MP3 constant or variable bit rate, mode option, and more is shown clearly. The LCD still has to scroll titles across the screen when they're too long but it's no big deal.
Battery life rating is 10 hours on 2 AA Duracell Ultras by TDK. I got pretty close to that. You can extend battery life if you turn off the backlight, ESP, and a few other options.
You can select from only 4 different equalizer settings but no user defined settings are allowed. You cna turn the bass booster system on and off. You have a choice of various repeat and random play modes as well.
The Mojo can play back only MP3 and CDA (Compact Disc Audio) formats out of the box. Those people who like the WMA (Windows Media Format) are plain out of luck. The Mojo reads both CD-R and CD-RWs very well as it should. The software included is TDK Navitrack software and the MusicMatch Jukebox. The Navitrack software can help make playlists to write to the CD, which can be helpful. I do hope that you have a CD-R or CD-RW drive in your computer (I hope you have a computer too!) to get the most out of this device.
Unit Problems
One shortcoming is the that the Mojo only supports MP3 and CDA formats. There is no WMA support. On top of this, the firmware cannot be upgraded in the Mojo like the RioVolt/Soul Player. This can limit the player to some degree. The firmware upgrades have proven to be the greatest strength of the RioVolt units. When the Mojo was released, SonicBlue released a new firmware for the RioVolt allowing completely new features to be implemented on the unit, which included a sleep function, greater user control, better battery power management, and even better overall unit performance. The Mojo is basically an end product... you can't improve the unit any further (although it really doesn't need all that much more tweaking).
Another problem... except for basic functions, the majority of Mojo's options and functions can be accessed only through the LCD menu. The RioVolt had additional buttons for other functions, like the equalizers, programming mode, volume, and other features. There is no other way of accessing these features otherwise.
A minor gripe is the lack of any remote. At least provide an inline remote like the RioVolt SP100 and SP250 models.
Growing competition
The major problem is that even in the CD-MP3 market, there is intense competition. Sony will have at least 4 models of MP3-CD players by the end of this year.
Aiwa has a decent model as well as Panasonic. Toshiba released a iPaq mini-CD (3 inch instead of 5 inch CD-R/RW media used) that is much more portable for $99. Although a 3 inch CD-R holds 185 MB of info at best versus the 650-700MB a 5 inch CD-R holds.
SONICBlue has three models of CD-MP3 players that include the no frills SP90 that can be found as low as $65! The medium end SP100 model (which is the original RioVolt) for about the same price. The high end SP250 that costs $160 but includes just about all the features of the MOJO plus FM tuner and a few other goodies.
Flash media players have also dropped severely in price. For under $200 you can get a flash player with 64MB built in, accept an additional memory card for 128MB, never skips, and is much more portable than the MOJO (can fit in a shirt pocket!). I'm using the Creative Nomad IIc with 64MB built in as the example of a flash player. A total of 192 MB of music... a far cry from the 650-700MB the MOJO can hold on a 5 inch CD but the size of the flash player makes up for that.
If you have the money... the Apple iPod and the newly released SONICBlue RioRiot may be more up your alley. The iPod is $399 for a 5GB Hard Drive unit that can fit into your pocket, has a good antiskip buffer, looks extremely cool, and can connect to your Mac and act as an external Hard Drive too! Apple is releasing a 10GB iPod for $499 very soon. Apple's models are using Toshiba's newest mini-Hard Drive technology. The RioRiot is also $399 but gives you a 20GB hard drive with a ridiculously huge memory buffer as well as FM tuning. The unit also can fit in your shirt pocket although not as easily as the iPod. The RioRiot I feel has the best MP3 navigation system I've seen to date!
Even if you don't have that kind of money, Hard drive MP3 players have also bottomed out to an extent. The 6 GB Creative Nomad Jukebox players run in the $200-250 range. Archos MP3 Jukeboxs run as low as $169 for 5-6 GB!
There are so many options out there now... so choose wisely!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 155
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Epinions.com ID:
yusakugo
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Member: Rich Go
Location: Somewhere in the NorthEast
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Losing Sleep and Lacking Time... sigh...
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