Any happy Rio Riot users?
Oct 16, 2002 at 7:40 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 5

Gergor

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I have been thinking about buying buying the Nomad Jukebox 3, however, I just found out that Rio Riot is about $100 cheaper (after rebate). I'd like to find out if it's worthwhile to pay the extra money for NJB20, or Riot is a good value that I shouldn't miss.

Does anyone have both or compared the 2 players in terms of sound quality?

Thank you!
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Oct 16, 2002 at 8:36 AM Post #2 of 5
I have the Nomad 3 but I did try the Riot and was very impressed with the sound quality. The reason why I finally went with the Nomad was the additional features which allowed me to replace my mini disc system completely. I think that from a sound quality perspective the two are very similar though.

I did find the Riot to have a nice full sound - reminicent of old valve kit. If you see one going for the right kind of price I think it's perhaps well worth getting.

I think perhaps the only fly in the ointment is that fact that the battery cannot be replaced by the user (easily) but I suspect there's a way of doing it.
 
Oct 16, 2002 at 12:08 PM Post #3 of 5
I don't have the Riot itself but did audition it at a store, great sound, and fun features, but the usb transfer turned me off,plus I'm not a fan of Sonic Blue or their support. YMMV.
There's a group at Yahoo dedicated to the Rio Riot which is a good source for checking out what some users have been experiencing, both good and bad.

Peddler, just want to thank you for the comparison between the Nomad and the Recorder. A friend of mine decided to trade my Recorder and cash for his NJB3, and I checked it out based on the info you gave me, and I agree, it does sound better, especially amped. Many thanks for your insights.

If only the Recorder 20 had a line out.
 
Oct 16, 2002 at 3:33 PM Post #4 of 5
I have a riot and I think it is awesome. It is really slow to load, but you only have to do the bulk of that once. To add an album or two takes 5-10 minutes. The software is great.

The main selling point for me was the sound. I tested it against an ipod and a nomad and it was no contest the best sounding. Dead quiet and very musical for an mp3 player. I rip everything as 160 wma files and they sound great through a cosmic and hd600's.

You will need to upgrade the firmware.

All in all, it is a great office/travel solution for me.
 
Oct 16, 2002 at 7:44 PM Post #5 of 5
No problem William - glad I could be of assistance.

I really liked the Archos for the price and the features but I really felt that this was to be my last purchase of portable hi-fi (for a long time anyway) and so sound quality had to take top place above absolutely everything else.

I think of the Nomad Jukebox 3 as my little Linn Knekt Kivor - it's so cool having access to all this music in a package which can strap to your belt.

I'm still really happy with the Nomad 3 - whilst it would have been nice to have those features on a machine that resembles the Sony R900 MD recorder I think that's a few years down the road yet - although I have absolutely no doubts that it will come.

I'm really looking forward to getting the wired remote control for the unit. I hope it offers more than basic track navigation though - I want to be able to access virtually all the features of the Nomad 3 without having to continually keep taking it off my belt
 

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