Rio never sounded this good
Written: May 20 '02
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Pros: long battery life, great sound, easy to update, tremendous playing time
Cons: Skips somewhat, no Mode button on remote
The Bottom Line: True portable Jukebox, with vast inexpensive and swappable storage and easy-to-use controls.
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| MajorWombat's Full Review: Rio Volt SP100 Personal CD Player |
The RioVolt PSX100 is a fine bit of workmanship. I've had it since Christmas and I think it's one of the better gifts I've ever gotten.
The RioVolt appears at first to be just like any other portable CD player. There are buttons on the front to select your song, and the entire top flips up to allow access to the CD. It comes with small headphones and a remote on the headphone wire; useful while sitting at a desk.
But here is where the simularities end. While the RioVolt is certainly capable of playing CDs, that's much like saying a Porsche is capable of going to the grocery. It can, but why would you want to? The RioVolt is more than a CD player; it is an MP3 player.
MP3 files are files you can create on your computer from your CD collection or find in various ways on the net. It is a form of compression that shrinks the file size down to 1/10 it's normal size while not losing too much important sound information. Yes, some detail is lost in the compression, but remember that MP3 is a part of MPEG2, the compression used on DVDs. If DVD sounds good to you, then MP3 files will also.
By using Direct CD, Nero, or any number of CD burning programs available in the store or on the net, you create a disc on your computer, holding your collection of MP3 songs. A regular 74 minute CD will hold up to 650 Megabytes of data while the more commonplace 80 minute Cd will hold 700 Meg. The standard rule of thumb is that an MP3 file compressed at the usual 128KBPS uses 1 megabyte per minute. You can therefore get 700 minutes on a CD playing on the RioVolt rather than 70.
The RioVolt has a small two-line LCD display to show what song you are playing or to select which directory you are in. Yes, you can organize your music into directorys by artist, style, or even mood; it's up to you how you organized it. But navigating multiple directories can become tricky.
That's where the latest software update comes in. The RioVolt allows for reprogramming without taking the unit to a service center or connecting it to the net (no such capability exists and would just raise the price.) You download a program into your computer and run it. A file is produced with the .HEX extension. You burn this (and ONLY this) to a blank CD, then put it into the RioVolt and turn the unit on. In under 20 seconds, you will have updated your machine's code.
Version 2.1 is the latest at the time of this writing. It allows for easier navigation of directories, though it still takes a little bit of practice with the joypad control to get the song you desire. The latest version of software also corrects one of the cons this unit has: skipping.
With the original software, just walking around bounced the unit enough to prevent it from buffering enough data from the disc to operate correctly. The latest version corrects for that. If you purchase a RioVolt and plan to use it while walking, please check the webpage at: http://www.sonicblue.com/support/ for firmware updates.
The only con not fixable in code updates is the lack of a Mode button on the remote. You can power the unit up by pressing the PLAY button on the remote. But if you wish to have random play, you must repeatedly press the MODE button on the unit itself until the S appears on the display. This isn't a problem until you are trying to turn it on and the unit is in it's tight, leather walking case attached to your belt.
The unit is the same size as any CD player on the market. But I can play 11 hours of music on mine, practically making it a portable jukebox. 11 hours of nonstop, nonrepeating music is enough to travel from Houston to Memphis and never listen to the same song twice. And yes, the batteries will last that long. The disc does not spin all the time as with a regular CD player - it spins up only when more data is needed for playback. It is motionless more often than it is not.
If you need a portable player and are not afraid to burn CDs and rip music, then this could become your newest "must carry" device. Mine has become a permenant resident of my briefcase along with 4 CDs holding 400+ of my favorite songs. Unlike expensive Flash-based players, the RioVolt holds a tremendous amount of data on inexpensive CDs. It can still play regular CDs as well, something no flash player can do. The sound is tremendous and the equalizer allows you to pick and choose the sound style that is best for your taste.
The long-held dream of a portable Jukebox has, at last, come to be.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 150
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Epinions.com ID:
MajorWombat
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Reviews written: 37
Trusted by: 14 members
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