Not Too Bad
Written: May 05 '04
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Pros: Quality construction, FM tuner, Good battery life, Large display
Cons: Odd design, Difficult to operate buttons, Adding songs not that easy
The Bottom Line: Good value, FM tuner, Quality construction, Good battery life
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| sonic_blue's Full Review: RCA Lyra RD1080 (128 MB) MP3 Player |
The Lyra sports a very unique design which I still am having trouble getting used to. Although its construction feels much more solid than my other MP3 players (the Rio S10 and Memorex Biomorph), the Lyra's ergonomics can be troubling. The joystick is way too small and 'slippery'--half the time I can't get a grip on it and move it. The rubber function buttons may look cool but they too are difficult to operate. You have to push them really hard to make them do what you want. Also, you cannot control the volume when the player is in 'Hold' mode, which makes sense but proves to be quite a convenience as demonstrated by the Rio.
The screen is large, easy to read and well-lit. The battery display however isn't the best since it only shows you the battery life in two parts, which sometimes leaves you guessing as to how much juice is left in your two AAA batteries. Unlike the Rio and Memorex, you cannot change display settings such as contrast or backlight time, but that's no biggie.
As far as the radio goes, it's not that bad but can be a pain to switch stations. I like to keep my player in my pocket when changing stations but that's not possible with the Lyra since you have to pull it out and play with the controls before arriving at your desired station.
So how's the sound? After all, that's why you want a player and you want it to sound well. As far as my experience goes, most MP3 players put out the same quality of sound. Some people may disagree but I think the quality of your music depends almost entirely on how you encode the songs, and what kind of headphones you use. It's always best to encode your songs at at least 112 kbps and to use the headphones provided with the player. Saying that, the Lyra has great sound quality, as any decent MP3 should.
For the price, the RCA Lyra is a good bet. It provided me a good deal of features, including an integrated FM tuner, 128 MB of flash with expansion capability and brand name confidence. However, if you're in no hurry, I would recommend that you have some patience. Just like personal computers, MP3 players have begun flooding the market with greater capabilities and rock-dropping prices. Also consider the Rio lineup. Good luck and happy hunting :)
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 99.99
Recommended for: Athletes - Lightweight and Portable, Perfect for the Gym
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Epinions.com ID:
sonic_blue
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Reviews written: 3
Trusted by: 0 members
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