new rio karma.... deal or no deal?

[benriddell]

Still deliberating over what to get myself, it's been weeks of endless research now.
I've settled on an xtra x1 as an amp as power for money is essential.
There is a seller offering new rio karma's (bob knows where he got them from) for £130, which must be about $250. I've heard so much praise for this unit but is it worth that price considering how old it is? I've been assured that the units themselves are brand new but it's a case of old technology more than anything.

Whats the word....?

[Killercrush]

I wouldn't suggest these brand new stock ...

The battery has loose some of it's capacity sitting on a shelf for a year and the Karma is known for hard-drive related problems.

If you really want a Karma, I would suggest to look at this seller Ebay auction :

http://cgi.ebay.com/Rio-Karma-20GB-P...QQcmdZViewItem

He replaced the old HD with a newer Hitachi model and a brand new lcd screen.

[benriddell]

http://cgi.ebay.com/MINT-SEALED-RIO-...QQcmdZViewItem

this one?

[lumanogin]

Originally Posted by benriddell

http://cgi.ebay.com/MINT-SEALED-RIO-...QQcmdZViewItem

this one?

no that's a refurbed one from the factory. there's an ebay seller who sells karmas with new hd's.

I would not pay $250 for a brand new sealed karma. I don't know how important a scratchless pristine looking unit is to you, but the karmas are very ugly anyway. It's all about their sound quality and UI that makes them desireable.

[callanish]

This Karma seller seems to have positive feedback around the web using new hard drives and upgraded batteries.

http://www.karmalimbo.com/index.htm

[craiglester]

actually the karma HDD problem was an early firmware problem mostly. it was fixed a LONG time ago. Batteries need conditioning after a long layoff like this , but shouldn't have lost any of the potential charge if theyre cghareged right the first few times. I still get 12 hours out of mine playing mp3's after 2 1/2 years

[wafflesomd]

I don't see what all the fuss is about this player, what makes it so good?

[Robert Linthicum]

Originally Posted by craiglester

Batteries need conditioning after a long layoff like this , but shouldn't have lost any of the potential charge if theyre cghareged right the first few times.

What's the trick to this, please?

[drippydonut]

Originally Posted by wafflesomd

I don't see what all the fuss is about this player, what makes it so good?

You're a Rockbox user right? The Karma has a lot of features out-the-box that are 'missing' from a lot of new players (which we rectify by using Rockbox ). FLAC support, parametric EQ, stuff which should be made standard !

[craiglester]

Originally Posted by Bob ♫

What's the trick to this, please?

http://www.ebatts.com/?Section=4#7a


follow those rules and your batteries will last much longer.

also the charge to full - complete discharge usually helps reset any batter monitor the DAP has, which can also help prolong the play time.

[callanish]

Originally Posted by wafflesomd

I don't see what all the fuss is about this player, what makes it so good?

It was a player that was ahead of its time and died a horrible death due to digital networks going south. It's sound quality, strong amp, superior EQ, excellent codec support and intelligent music playing options put it on the elite scale of players to buy when it first came out........unfortunately for the build quality of the unit, it had issues with the hitachi hard drive and buttons were of iffy quality. Still, in saying that, mine is still working fine after a few years, battery is still around the 90% mark, still would put it up against any current player for sound quality and if my player took a dive, I'd seriously consider tracking down another one because if there is one word I'd use to describe the Karma is that it has character and should have had a chance to succeed because digital networks could have evolved it into something really special, but we'll never know will we.

[wafflesomd]

Originally Posted by callanish

It was a player that was ahead of its time and died a horrible death due to digital networks going south. It's sound quality, strong amp, superior EQ, excellent codec support and intelligent music playing options put it on the elite scale of players to buy when it first came out........unfortunately for the build quality of the unit, it had issues with the hitachi hard drive and buttons were of iffy quality. Still, in saying that, mine is still working fine after a few years, battery is still around the 90% mark, still would put it up against any current player for sound quality and if my player took a dive, I'd seriously consider tracking down another one because if there is one word I'd use to describe the Karma is that it has character and should have had a chance to succeed because digital networks could have evolved it into something really special, but we'll never know will we.

Well, it's a trend that's far to common.

[benriddell]

is it possible to get a cable from the karma dock connection to minijack or other line out source ie. the same function as the dock only in cable form?

[evilking]

Originally Posted by callanish

This Karma seller seems to have positive feedback around the web using new hard drives and upgraded batteries.

http://www.karmalimbo.com/index.htm

This guy (karmalimbo not callanish) hasn't replied to any of my emails. Not too promising...

[callanish]

Originally Posted by evilking

This guy (karmalimbo not callanish) hasn't replied to any of my emails. Not too promising...

OH, OH. I guess I spoked too soon. There could be a good reason for why he hasn't e-mailed you yet ( I'm trying to put a positive spin on it), but if you never receive a reply at some point, then I guess its a reason to put a red flag up and be weary. I really hope he is legitimate, because I was going to use him as a source if my karma ever required service or parts.

So much for the positive feedback I read!