The refurb is "such a deal"
Written: Nov 02 '05 (Updated Nov 03 '05)
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Pros: Feature rich and easy to use.
Cons: Durablity has been a reported problem.
The Bottom Line: The refurbed Cali is a bargain at under $50.
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| mikeak's Full Review: Rio Cali Sport (256 MB) MP3 Player |
Fifty bucks can get you a no-name, no frills 128 MB MP3 player or the 256 MB Refurbished Rio Cali (www.tigerdirect.com), but is it worth the extra storage to go the refurb route?
I live close the Tiger Direct outlet store so I headed over there to save shipping charges. The Rio Cali refurb is packed securely in a white, generic looking box. Enclosed are the player and pretty much all of the accessory in the retail package sans the AAA alkaline battery. My refurb looked brand new. The Cali was a PC Magazines editor choice in late 2003 with a street price of $200. My question was could it still stand up to the current flock of MP 3 players?
Fit and finish:
The Cali is larger than some of the new tiny flash players with overall dimensions of 2.5" x 2.6" x 0.8". However, it is extremely light at 1.8 oz and you can barely notice carrying it, even with a battery. I like the roundish style rubberized case. The color choice is rather odd, dark moss green and black. I guess that was supposed to make the player look durable since it was designed for folks with an "active lifestyle&" (code word for gym rat). Personally, I like the color and I think that the player is stylish. The Cali uses several buttons (including separate buttons for volume) and a little red joystick. All of the controls work well. Newer Rios have gone back to the click disc which, I think, is a easier option.
The headphones are different from most other MP3 players as they clip over the ear. They also seem a bit more robust in their construction. All of this would be desirable to someone who is moving around a lot when using the player. I found the clip ons a bit uncomfortable (I'm a big guy with big ears). Sonic quality was OK but a notch below the standard ear buds that you get with other players like the Archos Gmini 202. However, you can dramatically improve the sound by playing around with the player's equalizer.
Play for Sure:
The Cali is NOT Play for Sure compatible so it won't work with services like "Napster to Go" where you rent your music. It should work with services where you buy songs on-line. Of course you can use it with your CDs.
Extras:
Beyond the player and headphones you get a start up disk that includes the drivers, Rio Music Manger to rip and manage your files, Rio Taxi to transfer data files to the players, Real Player (another music manager) and several other pieces of software including files to use the Rio with your MAC (it will work with iTunes but not their online store). You also get a standard USB 1.1 cable and a nifty holder that can be used on the belt or with the included arm band. There are also a bunch of songs already loaded on the player, a nice thought. After a quick listen I deleted them. All in all, a lot for the money.
Software:
The Cali's supplied Rio Music Manger is pretty good and allows all of the basic functions like ripping a CD and managing your music. Real Player basically does the same thing and is included if you prefer that program. I also tested the player using Music Match and Windows Media Player 10 and these also worked with the player. In addition you drag files from Windows Explorer directly into the player. Pick the option that you are most comfortable with and you are ready to go. The Cali is a USB 1.1 device (not 2.0) so files will transfer slower to your player. However with only 256 MB the transfer is still quite rapid.
Features:
The Cali is very feature rich for a little flash player. Some of the features include:
1. Separate, easy to reach buttons for volume control.
2. A programmable lock function For instance, you can lock everything except the volume control.
3. A stopwatch with lap timers.
4. A equalizer with a custom (you set it) function
5. Repeat and shuffle options on playback.
6. A clock function which can appear on the display if you wish.
7. You can modify the display's last line to show different things like time, type of encoding, etc.
8. The Cali has a slot for a optional SD memory card. The manual says it will accept a card up to 512 MB but others have reported using a 1 GB card with success.
9. You can create a play list on your computer and transfer it to you Cali. Playlists are common on big jukebox players but uncommon on little flash players. This would allow you to set up several specific playlists to use (as an example) for several different exercise routines. A great feature.
10. A FM tuner which can be used manually or with presets. The tuner, however, is pretty mediocre. In my deep suburban location it did a very poor job of receiving Chicago stations. It did an OK job of receiving a handful of local FM outlets and it would probably be fine to listen to TV rebroadcasts at the gym. You can also select the tuner to mono which would improve the hisses from a weaker station.
Sound Quality:
Overall the sound quality with the Cali out of the box with the included headphones is acceptable. Adjusting the custom equalizer to a standard "V" pattern improves the sound significantly (but the increase bass may reduce battery life). Using better headphones brings it up a notch further. With the above changes sound quality goes from acceptable to very good. The Cali is not quite the caliber of a Gmini 202, but it does the job well. I did notice a little harshness in the upper ranges, but that may be my ears.
Battery life:
Rio clams a battery life of 18 hours, my experience suggests less, but the Cali isn't a power hog.
The 256 MB Question:
Is 256 MG enough? Players continue to grow in capacity with some jukebox players approaching 80 GB. Naturally, the Rio won't hold your entire music collection but it wasn't designed to do that anyways. 256 MB might seem small but that is more than enough to hold 8 hours of music of WMA files at 64 kbsec. Adding a cheap 512 MB card brings up the total to 24 hours of music and if the Cali will take a 1 GB card, as other have reported, the total play time becomes 40 hours of music. Plenty of tunes for a workout, jog or commute.
At $49.00 the refurb Rio Cali offers a great value as it includes more accessories, memory and features than a new brand X 128 MB player that would sell for about the same price.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 49.00
Recommended for: Athletes - Lightweight and Portable, Perfect for the Gym
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Epinions.com ID:
mikeak
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Member: Mike Kuna
Location: Wheaton, IL USA
Reviews written: 15
Trusted by: 0 members
About Me:
Living life as a peaceful adventure.
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