MP3 PLAYER OR NOT?
Written: Oct 12 '04 (Updated Dec 31 '04)
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Pros: Fancy casing. Resume play.
Cons: No title display. Horrible sound EQ and DBBS. Some CD-r (mp3s) won't playback.
The Bottom Line: I am very disapointed with this product. Especially for the price. Lacks important fonctionalities and does not do what it is supposed to do.
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| chiminou's Full Review: RCA RP2527 Personal CD Player |
I bought this product yesterday.... oh boy!
I mostly didn't sleep because of it. I know it's my choice, but I get pretty intense when it comes to CD players and MP3s.
I been using an old RCA RP-2360 CD-player (see below for link to that review), which I adore. It looks very similar but does not play mp3s. It does what it is supposed to do and well. I SO loved the sound quality. It has "bass boost I" and "bass boost II"! The ESP is removable by clicking on the esp button. SO... I thought it would be a good idea to go for the same brand and similar product!
I better mention that I use my favorite headphones "Koss portapro", they sound superb. (scroll down for link to that review)
But this RCA MP3 "RP2527" is not like my old CD player... oh no! The sound is horrible!
All the EQ presets sound squeeky and cheap, the "normal" setting is so boring and flat.
The "rock" setting sounds like you threw your player at the end of the room and pumped up the volume very loud. The "live" setting is as if you dropped the player in the toilet bowl, not to mention the "pop" setting that distorts the sound in a not so-Pop-way! So, I finally tried the DBB (dynamic bass boost) .. oh my my, it sounds like you turned off the trebble (removing it) completely and boosted the bass to the max! It has to be the worst setting of them all... a very bad aspect of this machine. Cause I bought it for this particular reason.
The only setting I could endure is "jazz", but it gets very squeeky in the high-frequencies. I could NOT turn the volume to my liking without feeling pain...
PLUS... that is not all... (my batteries were brand new) going over track 60 and up, the player takes so much time before actually starting to play the mp3s... it's as if it gets lost and can't find its way! The further I got, toward tracks 100 and up, the longer it took... phew! It would take as long as 3 or 4 minutes before the track would actually play! Seeing this, I changed the batteries for brand new ones, but it did not fix the problem. I also noticed that I could feel the vibrations of the motor as it wrestled to find the tracks... it seemed to slow down almost to a stop and then restart and try again, back and forth... oh well...
A real downer is that it does not display the title of the songs. Just the number of the tracks. I've seen cheap mp3-players for 30$ that display the titles! GO figure?
I wonder if it's my lack of knowledge about mp3 players, but, I could only play my mp3s from my rewritable CDs (taped at 4x speed - CD-RW). All my regular mp3s CD-r (taped from 8x to 48x) won't play at all. ( my CD software won't allow me to burn CD-R under 8x... my burner can tape as fast as 52x, and it works with my old regular CD player for regular tracks WMA).
Package includes
. e.clipz Headphones, Car Kit and Wired Remote Control
. 45 To 120 Sec Expx Skip Protection
. Programmable 30-Track Cd Memory
. Digital Bass Boost
. Wired Remote
. requires 2 AA batteries.
I did not try the car kit or the other accessories, apart from the cheap headphones which can barely hold on to your ears! And of course they sound horrible but that was expected, no surprise there!
The Color is navy Blue. It's a good looking apparel. Pleasant to hold.
It's suppose to play CDR/RW CD audios and MP3s.
It's tricky to change the ESP-Xtreme (anti-skipping system) setting from 45 seconds down to 10 seconds. You have to hold the "mode" button down while pressing the "play-pause" button as you turn the device ON! That is not the way they explained it in the booklet. Took me a few tries to get it right. And you have to redo it each time you use the unit.
The great feature that this player has is resume play (as my old RCA cd player also had), it remembers which track you were playing and the EQ setting you chose, the next time you use your device. Unless you removed the batteries completely or if they run out.
I really am disapointed with this product.. maybe I was unlucky and fell on a defective unit.. I don't know.
But, I do know it should play my CD-R and it should sound better for the price I paid ; 89$ plus taxes.
I am gonna return this MP3 player tonite, that is for sure.
Stay tuned for a review of the next MP3 CD-player I will buy... could be a Sony!
After this misadventure, I know what I expect from a player.
1. Title display, artist's name.
2. Good sound quality. EQ and bass boost.
3. CD-R and RW compatible for WMA and MP3s (for real)
4. ESP removable.
related review
"PortaPro is the PRO" on Koss' Portapro headphones:
Portapro headphones
KOSS SPORTAPRO
CD/MP3 players
RCA RP-2360
SONY DNE-711
iRiver slimX iMP-550
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 89$/can
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Epinions.com ID:
chiminou
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Location: Canada
Reviews written: 22
Trusted by: 12 members
About Me:
Wise women are instructed by reason; Women of less understanding, by experience; The most ignorant...
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