Happy Tunes--IRiver 390T
Written: Jan 16 '04 (Updated Jan 16 '04)
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Pros: Extremely well designed. Great sound quality.
Cons: No Flash Memory Card Slot. Accessories are a challenge.
The Bottom Line: Best Bang for your buck! On sale, it was $40 more than a 128MB player and half the price of the 512MB machine.
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| happy2000usa's Full Review: iRiver iFP-390T (256 MB) MP3 Player |
My son has finally recognized he's carrying his father's genes. We both tend to be hard on electric and mechanical devices. Maybe it's our propensity to fix anything and everything with a hammer. We both ascribe to the adage "if it doesn't fit, force it." Anyway, after a long line of CD player failures--the last being caused by a load of beach sand--he decided he wanted a music player with no moving parts.
Since I knew nothing about MP3 players, that forced me onto the web. I spent time on technical review sites, manufacturer web pages and--of course--reading epinions. (I put more credence in real users, not geeks in labs.) By the time Christmas approached, I thought I knew enough to make an informed decision. Since the kid hadn't changed his Christmas wish list, I went off in search of the best price for my choice: the IRiver 390T.
More Than You Probably Wanted to Know About MP3 Players
MP3 players can be divided into two categories. Those with and without moving parts. The first group includes combination MP3/CD players. (A CD player with flash memory capability.) This group is, as you can imagine, the size of a portable CD player.
You also have MP3 players whose moving parts are built in hard drives. They have storage capabilities up to 40GB--more than some computers. The group comes in varying dimensions, usually the size of a small day planner or notebook. They fit in a pocket, but are a bit more cumbersome for athletic activities.
The flash players have no moving parts. They also come in two types. One group is 'what you see is what you get'. The built in flash memory--typically 64-512MB--is not expandable. The second group has a slot for flash memory cards, thereby allowing you to expand the memory.
Flash players are typically the size of a half-eaten Snickers bar. They can be worn around the neck or on a wristband.
Power To the Player
When selecting an MP3 player, you need to check your stock portfolio and see if you have invested in a battery manufacturer. The players with moving parts will draw more juice from the battery than the flash players. How much more? If it's a CD player and you listen to or record from CD's--a lot. (They use 2-4 batteries, not one.)
Rechargeable batteries are an option, but only if your charger is close at hand. Nickel-Cadmium batteries have memories. To last, you have to run them all the way down before recharging. If you wind up swapping partially expended batteries for freshly charged ones just prior to leaving the house, they won't last long.
Note on built-in rechargeable batteries: Some MP3 players are "plug ins," meaning they have a built in power source that you can recharge. I recommend you avoid these unless you are certain you can easily change the rechargeable battery. Otherwise, when the player's battery dies, you will have a fine paperweight.
The flash MP3 players don't have moving parts, so battery life is longer. Sort of. The flash players typically work on one AAA or AA battery. I've read manufacturer claims of as much as 30 hours. In my experience, divide by two and that gives you a reasonable estimate of battery life. In the flash players, battery life is reduced if it comes equipped with bass boost or a built in equalizer.
How Much Music Can it Hold?
On a 40GB hard drive machine? Probably all of the Wagnerian Operas plus the top 100 on the Billboard chart. It's not a factor. The music more than outlasts the batteries.
Flash players? You do have to consider the limits. Again, manufacturers tend to fudge the numbers. The amount of music one can fit into the flash memory depends on sampling rate. Music recorded at a sampling rate of 128KBPS is bound to be clearer than that recorded 64--and 128 seems to be the minimum for best tone quality. It also makes for a larger file. Consequently, while the manufacturer may claim a 256MB flash player will hold eight hours of music, that's at a sampling rate lower than you might find pleasing to the ear. Divide by two. Better yet, look at the music file sizes on your computer. That will give you a sense of how many songs will fit into the memory.
I thought the solution to the memory limit problem was flash memory cards. My thinking was to buy my son a more inexpensive player with a card slot, then throw in extra cards. That would let him load cards with varying music so he could select the tune of the moment--to match his mood--and pop in the card. That was before I saw the price of flash memory. The price of the cards was equal to or greater than the cost of the player.
The 390T--Best Bang For the Buck
After absorbing the reviews, both technical and consumer, I concluded IRiver was probably the best player for the price, particularly since the price was fairly uniform among the players. A 64MB player was under $100. The 128MB players were $120-$150. The 256MB were around $200. The 512MB about $300. The players with memory measured in gigabytes--the ones with built in hard drives--were in the $300 to $500 range. The main difference was in consumer satisfaction, and IRiver seemed to have the most positive reviews. The 390T is their latest offering and has improvements over the 128MB 190T and their 512MB model.
The 390T has a 256MB memory. This holds roughly four hours of my son's sounds--that noise he calls music. It has a built in equalizer, though I don't know why he needs it. Were he listening to Tchaikovsky instead of Eminem… ah, but I daydream. It has the capability of putting the music into folders, giving you some mood selection. Note: You cannot manipulate folders once loaded on the player. That has to be done using the IRiver Manager software on the PC.
The software makes it easy to transfer files back and forth between the player and the computer via the USB port. (Software and USB cord included.) The player supports MP3, ASF and WMA files. One aspect of the 390T I really liked was the capability of direct MP-3 coding from a source. So, if you're listening to internet radio or some other source on you computer, you can record it directly onto the player. (You can also go directly from a cassette or CD source.) It saves recording it on the computer, recoding, and then transferring.
The 390T also comes with a built-in FM radio that allows 20 preset stations. I suppose this would be really useful on a long trip when you tire of your preloaded music. Again, you can record from the stations if you so desire, then transfer the files to the computer. The FM recording quality is not as good as CD music.
You also have memo capability with the 390T. My son was not thrilled with this, but I've noted he has figured out it's a good way to record homework assignments. The memo's are in a *.rec file, but this is translated to MP.3 when download to the computer.
The controls are straightforward and the LCD display is good, even for one whose eyes are past their prime. (If you're too far past, a magnifying glass is in order.) The display is four lines on a relaxing blue background. In addition to the standard playing controls, there is a joystick arrangement whose function varies depending on the mode. If I can run it, believe me, it's not rocket science.
It runs on one AA battery that lasts 8 hours--not the 17 hours CNET claimed or the 24 hours mentioned in the brochure. Again, that varies with volume and equalizer use.
Problems?
There were a few minor inconveniences. The player comes with both a wristband and neck strap. It does not come with instructions how to mount the player on either. Their web site was also no help. Only after some extensive trial and error did we discover the secrets to opening the clasps.
This pleased the boy. With his track record for losing things, his mother wasn't letting him out the door until the player was firmly suspended from his neck.
My son initially had a problem getting his computer to read the player. It was not a problem with the software. He was being a typical teenager, not reading the instructions. The player has to be powered before plugging in the USB umbilical or the computer won't see the device.
As with any of the bundled players, IRiver wasn't overly selective in the bundled ear buds included with the 390T. I figured if we were spending that much money on a player, it made sense to dig a little deeper to get higher quality listening devices.
Is There a 390T In Your Future?
That depends on your needs.
If you plan long trips without computer access, perhaps a player with flash cards or a hard drive would be better suited to your needs.
All these devices can transfer more than music files. If you take work home with you, what is the file size? Maybe 256MB would work, maybe it won't. With the 40GB variety, you can transfer entire hard drives of data.
To me, the 390T was the best of all worlds. Four hours covers just about any commute. With my limited attention span, even if I use it for more than four hours, the repeated songs won't be a problem.
And yes, I was so impressed with my son's Christmas gift, I got one for myself. Do I use it for music? Sometimes, but I found another use. Audiobooks. No more changing cassettes or CD's. The 256MB holds 64 hours of narration at an 8KBPS sampling rate--eight batteries worth.
Do I recommend the IRiver 390T? You Bet!
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 169
Recommended for: Music Lovers - High Capacity Storage for an Entire Album Collection
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Epinions.com ID:
happy2000usa
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 - Top 1000 |
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Member: Wayne Arnold
Location: Tracy, California, USA
Reviews written: 97
Trusted by: 171 members
About Me:
Writer, editor, beta tester, pilot, traveler. I'm an easy mark, always evaluating new software.
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