RIO ROCKS, but I'd wait for improvement
Written: Sep 13 '99 (Updated Sep 13 '99)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Portable music--the RIO never skips
Cons: Requires patience and software skills
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| TommyD's Full Review: Rio PMP-500 (64 MB) MP3 Player |
Strolling into my local Circuit City, I saw the much hyped Diamond Rio PMP300 onsale for $175 w/ a $25 rebate. After little debate, I threw down the credit card and walked out with the newest technology in digital music. When I got home, I tore open the package and read through the instructions, which I found easy to understand.
The RIO came equipped w/ the unit, headphones, a connecting cord that works side by side w/ your printer port on your PC, installation software and a battery. I started by connecting the cord and installing the software (10-20 min.). The RIO comes w/ the MusicMatch Jukebox, a shareware MP3 player utility that lets the user rip cd's and play MP3 files from their computer. It's essential to understand that the RIO does not rip CD's and you will need this type of software if you want to record your CD's. The software is free with the RIO, but does not support CD quality sound. Later, I ended up going to the MusicMatch site (www.musicmatch.com) to upgrade to the CD quality player. ($29.99 for a lifetime of upgrades).
Next, I used the MusicMatch Jukebox to rip one of my favorite CD's. This took (30min-1 hr/per song) much longer than I expected and will vary depending on your computer's CD player speed. After the song had been successfully ripped I exported the file to the RIO, which only took 1 minute. After that, the RIO was ready to go. The unit interface is easy to use and in no time the sound was pumping through the quality headphones. It took a couple of tries to get the CD quality sound. I had to turn on error correction in the MusicMatch Jukebox to eliminate speed deficiencies, pops and cracks from my ripped CDs. After that, the sound was crystal clear.
I love my RIO, but I wish I had waited.
Bottom line:
THE GOOD
*Very portable (Dimensions: 3 1/2" X 2 1/2" X 1/2")
* 1 AA battery lasts approx. 12 hrs.
*Ability to create own portable mixes
*Easy to use interface w/ VCR style buttons. Shake it all you want, the RIO won't skip
THE BAD
*There's a learning curve to working w/ MP3. If you want to rip CDs, you have to learn how to use a CD Ripper like MusicMatch. If you just want to download MP3's from the Web it's much easier
*The RIO PMP300 doesn't have enough memory. As is in the box, without the additional flash memory, the RIO holds about 8 songs at 128Kbs (CD quality sound)
*Takes too long to rip CDs. Time involved in learning how to use MusicMatch software
* Minimal control over equalizer (comes w/ 4 preset equalizer settings: normal, classic, jazz and rock)
*Battery has tendency to pop out of compartment
THE VERDICT
For the price I paid, ($175 + 29.99 for MusicMatch upgrade) I wish I had waited for a newer unit w/ more memory or for the price to come down.
Beyond.com (http://www.beyond.com/hardware/mp3.htm) is offering the PMP300 Par Port 32mb (about 2 hrs of memory) w/ headphones for $149.95, 49.95 after rebate. This is a good offer--more memory, good price. I wish I had it when I bought mine.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
TommyD
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Location: New York, NY
Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 8 members
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