Here's what I told a guy who PMed me...
First of all, SQ is very good, easily the best I've heard. Creative lies in their specs- UP TO 98 dB sound-to-noise ratio! The parametric EQ is so customizable, that it's... just... ah, I can't explain it. Search Riovolution.com for EQ Tutorial. Karma is STILL the only player on the market with an EQ this customizable. Amazing. Simply amazing.
As far as the MindKnob cases go, the only difference in the colors is the grippy sharkskin (grey) color. It's great, since it doesn't get knocked over or fall down, but it DOES take longer to insert/remove from a pocket. The belt-clip is very useful.
The software is very easy to use. You can download it from rioaudio.com and play around with it even if you don't have a Karma. It's almost drag and drop. Drag and drop, with great organization that is. I bought RioRad Explorer by RedChair Software, since I thought that it would make the Karma MSC- wrong. I like it better than Rio Music Manger, but not enough to justify the price.
Accessories- one of the disadvantages to owning anything but a Karma. The only accessories you'll want are the MindKnob case, screen protectors, and, of course, good headphones! Screen protectors can be found at protectyourkarma.us. They are laser cut to perfectly fit the Karma's face. Everything you need is included with the player.
Rioworld.org is worth a quick read, but riovolution.com has just about everything you'll ever need- I joined November 6, and I already have about 900 posts there, not counting Everything Else... yey. There are some very helpful members there, some of which include-
JBP- Makes the mindknob case.
Jet_Fighter- Runs ProtectYourKarma.us.
Peter and Phrenzy- Peter works for Rio, and phrenzy used to be one of their software engineers.
UK Rio Engineer- Works for Rio, also. He knows a lot about Rio products, and can help with many troubleshooting issues.
RioCustomerCare- Handles defects, then reports them to the company.
Too many people to mention, really- it's a GREAT little community.
Some tricks (off the top of my head, there are many more)
-Hold down the riostick in Now Playing mode to view ALL track info (EVERYTHING, times played, date loaded, blah, blah, etc.)
-The riostick is referred to as "the nipple" because of it's shape.
-Press the nipple in onece while in Now Playing (Single Track) View to go to the playlist view. You can view the songs before/after the current song (INVALUABLE FEATURE)
-After choosing somewhere to play from in 'Play Music', select 'Play Music' again by holding down the nipple for a couple of seconds to return to the same spot.
-In the menues, the MENU button doubles as a back button.
-Play around A LOT with the EQ and the player settings, the time spent is well worth it!
-While in 'Playlist View' (described above), click IN the scroll wheel to see all your playlist options (ANOTHER INVALUABLE FEATURE!)
-Hold the nipple in 'play/pause' position for 3 seconds for 'Preview Mode'
-Become a member over at riovolution, this is the best thing you can do. Unlimited help, deals, etc. You want it, they've got it.
Some things that are good to know are-
-Get an extended warranty if possible. Mine is fine, but it's better safe than sorry.
-Change the dock settings- that's the coolest thing I've ever seen on an MP3 player!
-Organize your ID3 tags. Trust me, you'll need too.
-Start encoding with Ogg or FLAC... Mmmm... Ogg!
-Be careful with the scroll wheel- it's not the strongest thing...
Be sure to find a deal! I think compusa.com had them for about $180. Bestbuy.com has them in and out of stock, but they have a great price.
Hope that helped! Owww... my hands hurt.
YEY!!! KARMA! BUY NOW!
