Had Almost Everything I Was Looking For
Written: Mar 26 '00 (Updated Mar 27 '00)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Small, light, good sound, nice LCD, thoughtful design, extra functionality (voice and data features)
Cons: Not CompactFlash, can't find the USB adapter, not upgradable with different CODECS
|
|
|
| DavidGriffiths's Full Review: Samsung Yepp YP-E64 (64 MB) MP3 Player |
I just wrote an Epinion (titled, "Make Sure You Get the Right Player") that covers all that I learned while researching MP3 players. This Epinion explains why I bought the one I did, and allows me a forum for my sober second thoughts.
The perfect player for me has the following features: 64 megabytes of built-in memory, takes CompactFlash cards (rather than smart media), offers both parallel-port and USB support, has software that runs on NT and 9x, is upgradable and extendable, and has a few nifty features that make my life better.
The Samsung comes pretty close.
The player itself looks great. It's small, light and silver, and has one of the larger LCD's you can get with an MP3 player.
All the basic features are there - it has several equalizer presets to change how your music sounds (normal, rock, jazz, classical, plus 3-dimensional versions of each), a volume control, a play and stop button, and navigation buttons to move to the next MP3 or back to the previous (plus the ability to scan through an MP3).
One of the things I liked was the "Hold" button. When pressed, all other buttons are turned off. This is for people who use their MP3 players when exercising - you wont accidentally press the stop button, etc. The MP3 player just keeps playing the music.
The stop, play, forward and backward functionality is implemented through a circular disc on the front of the player - up means play, down means stop, right means forward one MP3 (or scan forward through the current MP3) and left means back one MP3 (or scan backwards through the current MP3). You can use this player without having to look at it.
The sound quality seems good, though I would recommend replacing the headphones.
Data is transferred via parallel port (the cable is supplied) and a USB connector is optional (though I was unable to find it anywhere). The parallel port connection is a slower than a USB connection. I was getting about 130 kilobytes/second - it took about 25 seconds to download a song to the player. USB can transfer megabytes per second. Because the USB adapter does not seem to be available, I was unable to test the USB speed.
The Yepp also has the ability to do voice-recording. You can change the mode on the Yepp, hit the record button, and record the conversations around you. More interesting is the ability to store names and phone numbers. While it is not a PDA, this is a pretty useful feature.
The software that you install on your computer runs on 95, 98 and NT. The version that came on the disk worked flawlessly, but there is an update on the Samsung product page. I haven't installed the update - I will update this Epinion when I do.
Unfortunately, the Yepp uses SmartMedia cards, not CompactFlash - CompactFlash cards can be used in cameras, etc (see my Epinion on MP3 players for a more thorough discussion).
I also can't find the USB adapter for sale anywhere (the Samsung page says its coming soon).
Finally, I am disapointed that I won't be able to update the CODECs that the player supports. As new formats for compressing music comes out, it would be nice to upgrade my MP3 player (the RCA Lyra and Creative Nomad II both offer this features).
It's hard to rate MP3 players, but I liked the Yepp because of it's flexibility and unique features. If you want USB support, look for the Creative Nomad II (or the Diamond Rio 600, which is due out soon). But for NT support with the option of going USB, plus some handy features, this player is a winner.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
DavidGriffiths
|
|
Member: David Griffiths
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Reviews written: 90
Trusted by: 79 members
About Me:
Nothing much.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.