Amazing compact MP3 player with extras!
Written: May 13 '03 (Updated May 13 '03)
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Pros: Compact size,
Expandability to 576MB,
Lightweight,
Stopwatch,
Firmware upgrades,
Looks great!
Cons: FM Tuner not that great (even with new firmware)
Included headphones have marginal sound
The Bottom Line: Factoring in expandability, performance, firmware upgrades, the stopwatch, and great style, this is definitely the MP3 player that matches my needs the best.
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| cmalana's Full Review: Rio Sport S30S (64 MB) MP3 Player |
I finally started getting into the MP3 scene a month or so ago after I started getting into burning my own mixes on CD. The idea of getting an MP3 player came after I got tired of the random music than the gym that I went to played. I just can't concentrate on working out when they've got some slow music playing.
Products considered:
1. Small sport radio: Seems to be popular around the gym and their are compact models available. However, I wanted uninterrupted music of my choosing, without commercials or a DJ talking so this won't work for me.
2. CD Player: Fairly cheap but would be limited to about 18-19 songs if I burned an 80-min audio CD. Problem is bulkiness of CD player plus the potential for music skipping during athletic activity.
3. MP3 CD Player: Really thought about this one but the prices are pretty close to flash-based MP3 player. I can fit a LOT of songs (over 100) in a data CD, but still susceptible to skipping and also still bulky.
4. Flash-based MP3 player: My final choice. Meets my requirements of compact size, at least 2 hours of quality music, no skipping.
I looked at several flash based MP3 players and this was my evaluation of each:
1. Cowon iAudio CW200 - fairly expensive, no expansion capability killed this option for me. While 128MB fits a lot of songs (about 30 average length songs), I also have some 192 bit rate MP3s and didn't want to bother with converting, etc. With the decreasing prices on Secure Digital cards...this would be cheaper in the long run.
2. iRiver iFP-180T - much better value since it costs about $40 or so less than Cowon. However, still not expandable and looks a bit flimsy in my opinion. It has a great future of being able to function as a voice recorder but I don't see me wanting to record anything at the gym...
3. Rio S35s - This seem to meet all my requirements. However, the $50 difference between this and the S30s was enough to buy me a 256MB SD card, so I went with
4. Rio S30s - My final choice. Given that the only difference between the S35s and the S30s was 64MB of internal memory and about $50. I thought I'd get the S30s and spend the difference on a 256MB SD card, giving me a total of 320MB of space! I also liked the dark grey face over the white face of the S35s.
My impressions of the Rio S30s:
1. Initial Setup:
Included software was easy to get going. I was able to download several songs within 30 minutes of opening the box. FYI, the Mood Logic software included is a trial version only and only works for first 100 files. One of the biggest bonuses for the Rio is that they release firmware upgrades. For those not familiar with this terms, it's the software that acts as the 'operating system' for the player itself...so the player is able to gain new capabilities and improvements just by upgrading this firmware. Rio has released several firmware upgrades since the S30s originally came out so I also upgraded the firmware to the latest version (1.84). This wasn't hard at all and probably added another 15 minutes to my setup. After I made sure everything was still working, I plugged in the 256MB SD (secure digital) card and started filling it up with songs also.
2. Ease of operation:
Fairly intuitive and easy to use. Once you get used to the buttons, it's pretty easy to use them without looking. The S30s has an irregular kidney shape so you can easily feel where the controls are. One thing I didn't like is that that software shows the internal memory and the SD card as 2 separate areas when loading. The player does not distinguish once it's loaded but you'll have to load the internal memory with songs up to 64MB, then load the SD card with 244MB of songs (usable space on a '256MB' card).
In the gym, I end up using the stopwatch quite a bit to time the break between sets. I just run the stopwatch and make sure I don't rest more than the time I give myself (amazing how 1 minute feels shorter the more tired you get). I hit the reset and restart button right after my set and I know when a minute has passed.
3. Sound Quality
The initial quality was good with the included earphones but there wasn't much bass, and I just need to have a little bit more bass in my workout music. I ended up buying a pair of Sony w.ear headphones that I now use regularly, which gives me much better sound. The S30s itself produces great sound (especially playing MP3s at 128k or higher bit rates). I've started talking the S30s to work also when I need to concentrate on a project, and find that even in the mostly quiet environment of the office, it still sounds pretty good.
Now, if you switch to the Tuner, you'll find the only negative I found on this player. It picks up SOME radio stations, but I honestly think that it seemed to have gotten worse after my last firmware upgrade. At this point, I haven't really used the radio much.
4. Battery Life
The S30s is powered by a single AAA battery. It accepts both regular alkaline and NiMH rechargeables. Some people have indicated that they've been able to get the battery to last close to 15 hours. I think this only happens if you only use the internal memory, play 128kbit mp3s, use the included headphones, play it at half-volume (level 15 of 30)and turn off the backlight. In my case, I probably get closer to 5-6 hours since most of my songs are on the SD card (which uses more power), use both 128kbit and 192kbit MP3s, have upgraded headphones, play at mostly level 25 (it's noisy at the gym), and leave the backlight settings at default. I invested in a set of NiMH rechargeable batteries (which last as long as the alkalines per charge, and they can be recharged close to 1000 times!) so battery life is not a big concern for me now. I always have a couple of fully-charged spares handy in my gym bag.
5. Fit and Finish
The S30s looks and feels very sturdy. I like the rubberized sides and the holder fits well. It comes with an included armband that does the job for me. The holder is actually a belt clip, but can easily attach to the armband.
I found the Rio S30s for sale as a refurbished unit at the Rio website at $99. At $105 with shipping, it was an amazing bargain. Throw in the 256MB SD card ($55) and it'll take on any portable MP3 player out there!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 105
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Epinions.com ID:
cmalana
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Location: Plano, TX, USA
Reviews written: 4
Trusted by: 0 members
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