Oooooh...MP3 Player! Where you can read the titles of songs!
Written: Jul 11 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: User-adjustable equalizer. Won't skip when running. Sound is good. Rewrites music quickly and easily. Expandable.
Cons: 48 minutes of music? Add'l Flash Cards Too Expensive. The screen could be smaller. Have to use Real Jukebox.
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| thecaddy's Full Review: RCA Lyra RD2204 (64 MB) MP3 Player |
EVER SINCE I FINALLY got Napster working on my new laptop, I've spent far too much time downloading mp3s. Now, as cool as downloading music on one's computer is, there's the minor problem of: how do I listen to this while I am, for example, riding on the train into the city? Or while running? My laptop is a wee bit too bulky... And CD-Rs are kind of expensive for a one time deal, not to mention how long it takes to burn them...
Enter the Lyra, Portable Digital Player. I received it as a gift about two weeks ago now, and I've been messing around with it almost that entire time (sleep? who needs sleep?). I got the RD2202. This version comes with a car kit (audiocassette and cigarette lighter adapters) and a 48mb CompactFlash Card.
Note, now, that this is a Portable Digital player, not a portable MP3 player. The difference is that the Lyra comes capable of playing both mp3 files and Real's G2 format. While I am sure that most people will still use mp3s on the Lyra, the G2 format would be useful in downloading streams directly off the internet. The Lyra is also capable of being upgraded to accept new file formats in the future. So, if some format we'll call "The Happy Music Format (.hmf)" takes off in the future, Lyra owners won't be left behind. There is, as always, a catch. To support this feature, files are played using a software-based decoder, and every time you switch formats in the play list, it has to load the necessary software. This causes the "Loading Software" message that other people have complained about. Personally, this doesn't bother me, as I only use mp3 files, and the software still loads faster than a CD player's skip-protection feature. You make your own call.
Setting up your computer to write to the flash card isn't that difficult. Plug in the wires to the parallel port and a PS/2 (mouse or keyboard) port on your computer. Why? Well, as far as I understand, the parallel port is used to send data to the card drive, and the other port powers it. Or they're both used to send data more quickly. It is not, as others suggested, a way for Real or RCA to watch what you type. And if this whole concept makes you truly paranoid, you can plug it into your mouse port (which is what I had to do on my laptop, anyway).
How about the sound? The sound I got with the included earphones wasn't that bad, though I quickly switched to my regular plug earphones. The Lyra comes with several equalizer presets--Flat, Extra Bass, Jazz, Rock, etc.--and also includes a five band equalizer which you can edit yourself. This is, in my mind, a very nice touch. The Lyra's sound at 128kbps was seemingly cd-quality, even blaring it through my car speakers. I did not, however, test it at lower bitrates.
There are, of course, problems: 48 minutes of music is not a whole lot. And though the size is justified by the screen and two AA batteries, one wonders if a six line LCD display was really necessary--the player could be smaller. But because it doesn't skip, I've found it beats other players for certain uses. Driving, riding on the subway and, naturally, jogging, the Lyra more than proves its worth.
You can buy additional flash memory cards, but these are prohibitively expensive. A 32mb card costs $100, and the 64mb card even more.
Overall, the Lyra is fairly well-rounded for a portable mp3 player. I like it; it nicely complements my portable cd player. Still, if 48mb at a time isn't enough for you, you might want to take a look into a minidisc player, or the new CD player that also plays mp3s. If you want an MP3 player, I wholeheartedly recommend this one. If you want more expandable music, though, I have to suggest you look elsewhere, and this is why the RCA Lyra only gets a 4.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
thecaddy
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Member: Nick Gorski
Location: New Rochelle, NY (soon to be Charlottesville, VA. Go 'Hoos.).
Reviews written: 2
Trusted by: 1 member
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