Archos Recorder20 -- out of box evaluation

[Robster1958]

got my AJBR20 last night.....charging it up. weekend project for loading it.

anyhow here are my visual observations (and one audio comment):

1. overall construction is decent; solid as a brick, but somehow covered with thin metal and/or silver plastic. made in china, btw.
i tried to remove the battery covers and nearly bent a side covering: turns out the batteries were already installed! as most people comment, the buttons are cheap looking: a little too much silver paint over plastic. but the buttons are not flimsy like earlier archos.

high points: the lcd readout is excellent...high resolution, nice lighting; the overall size is actually smaller (yes!) than i feared. it is basically cassette walkman size and 3 times heavier. i happen to like the blue corner "feet".

2. includes lots of stuff: RCA L/R to mini-stereo cable; USB cable; TWO sets of 4 batteries; an ok neoprene case (with pouch that fits senn earbuds case perfectly); weak documentation (but in many languages!)...and yes headphones (see below).

3. also as most people say: toss the headphones...don't even be tempted to keep them as an emergency backup. if anyone reviews the sound quality of this unit with the supplied headset, don't read it. i tried out the supplied set on other equipment and compared to the koss50's and senn mx500.........like i said, throw them away...far away.

 

[citroeniste]

Meshes quite well with my thoughts.

One thing -- have you noticed that it gets REALLY hot when charging? I solved that problem by getting a "universal" switching power-supply wall wart, and found 7.5V the optimal for quick and thorough charging as well as minimal heat. I wonder if my adapter was mad out of spec or if this is a common problem.

 

[Robster1958]

...will post my initial sound observations later today.

but for now: overall very good...as good as any other portable system i've had or listened to. using senn mx500 and koss 50's.
(qualifier: i really don't know what state of the art is with portable -- e.g. best MD player w/ Ety 4P's ??)

one initial issue: background hiss at low volumes, during pause mode or during silent passages on music. reduces dynamic range.
problem can be remedied using senn mx500 with archos volume turned up to 2/3's and using senn volume control for final adjustment. i guess the problem is in the digital attenuation of the archos volume control. don't think it is a defect...(others claim it is)...just part of the overall design.

btw...the overall design is engineered by computer guys, not audio guys. how else can you explain the absolute horrific headphones they give you with the unit?

 

[jcorkery]

Quote:

Originally posted by Robster1958 3. also as most people say: toss the headphones...don't even be tempted to keep them as an emergency backup. if anyone reviews the sound quality of this unit with the supplied headset, don't read it.

I'm not sure, but I think that may be the main reason that the PJB is rumored to have better sound quality than the Archos or Nomad Jukebox: the PJB comes with much better headphones. (By the way, I've never noticed any background hiss at all on my NJB.)

Quote:

btw...the overall design is engineered by computer guys, not audio guys. how else can you explain the absolute horrific headphones they give you with the unit?

Including a decent set of headphones with the unit would most likely drive the cost up a bit. Besides, it's a time-honored tradition among most companies to include really bad headphones with their portable music devices!