Peddler
1000+ Head-Fier
I thought I would share some of my findings regarding the Iriver2 MP3/CD player. I have had the unit for a couple of weeks now and I have started putting together some MP3 discs to put the unit through its paces.
Firstly I have to say that the unit is not up to the build quality of the Sony units – their top of the range players are remarkable pieces of engineering in my opinion. Having said that the unit is not poorly made by any stretch of the imagination. The LCD display is excellent – showing all the relevant information you need to know about the disc and track you are playing.
The remote control also features an excellent LCD display and this is where the Iriver2 does beat Sony. The player also features a 12mw amplifier so it can drive my Sony 888 and Etymotic ER4 headphones to very high levels no problem.
Skip protection is also lacking somewhat. I have (very) recently upgraded the firmware to 1.2 beta so this problem may have been minimised somewhat – I will keep you all posted. Generally the player will work OK when walking – providing it’s not bounced too much.
The sound quality is excellent. Apart from a little noise from the electronics which you don’t find with the Sony’s, the player has a non-fatiguing yet dynamic sound. The increased amplification is certainly welcome and, even through the Etymotics, the sound is detailed with no artefacts present.
Obviously this type of player is very dependent on the quality of the encoded MP3’s but I have to say that even 192’s tend to sound excellent. You can hear differences between different encoding rates easily. When used in conjunction with the Airhead portable headphone amplifier and the Etymotics (with 4S conversion cable) the sound is extremely good – the slight background noise disappears once the music starts playing and most of the time I honestly can’t tell the difference between the MP3 copy and the original CD.
Plus Points
1.Upgradeable Firmware – Ensures a degree of future-proofing for things like different CODECs and increased functionality.
2.Reasonable Battery Life – although not up to the standard of the Sony players, is still easily able to play all day with no problems.
3.Excellent LCD display – offers more information than any other CD player on the market as far as I’m aware – capable of playing a mini version of TETRIS with the latest firmware upgrade.
4.Strong Amplification – FAR better than the current crop of portable CD players from all manufacturers. The EQ features are fairly subtle as well and don’t appear to distort the sound at all.
5.Remote Control – Virtually replicates all the functions on the main unit. Can be customised.
6.Flexilbility – Capable of playing regular audio CD’s and CDRW’s. Conventional audio CD containing CD-TEXT information will display on the LCD.
Minus Points
1.Bulky – Doesn’t fit in the pocket like the Sony D-915.
2.Anti-Skip – I personally feel that this is really important. There’s no point in carrying a CD player around with you if it continually skips. Although this player is by no means the worse, it’s still not up to the standard set by Sony and Panasonic.
3.Construction – again I’m nitpicking – but it would have been nice to have the functionality and sound quality of the Iriver2 in a similar package to the Sony D-915.
Firstly I have to say that the unit is not up to the build quality of the Sony units – their top of the range players are remarkable pieces of engineering in my opinion. Having said that the unit is not poorly made by any stretch of the imagination. The LCD display is excellent – showing all the relevant information you need to know about the disc and track you are playing.
The remote control also features an excellent LCD display and this is where the Iriver2 does beat Sony. The player also features a 12mw amplifier so it can drive my Sony 888 and Etymotic ER4 headphones to very high levels no problem.
Skip protection is also lacking somewhat. I have (very) recently upgraded the firmware to 1.2 beta so this problem may have been minimised somewhat – I will keep you all posted. Generally the player will work OK when walking – providing it’s not bounced too much.
The sound quality is excellent. Apart from a little noise from the electronics which you don’t find with the Sony’s, the player has a non-fatiguing yet dynamic sound. The increased amplification is certainly welcome and, even through the Etymotics, the sound is detailed with no artefacts present.
Obviously this type of player is very dependent on the quality of the encoded MP3’s but I have to say that even 192’s tend to sound excellent. You can hear differences between different encoding rates easily. When used in conjunction with the Airhead portable headphone amplifier and the Etymotics (with 4S conversion cable) the sound is extremely good – the slight background noise disappears once the music starts playing and most of the time I honestly can’t tell the difference between the MP3 copy and the original CD.
Plus Points
1.Upgradeable Firmware – Ensures a degree of future-proofing for things like different CODECs and increased functionality.
2.Reasonable Battery Life – although not up to the standard of the Sony players, is still easily able to play all day with no problems.
3.Excellent LCD display – offers more information than any other CD player on the market as far as I’m aware – capable of playing a mini version of TETRIS with the latest firmware upgrade.
4.Strong Amplification – FAR better than the current crop of portable CD players from all manufacturers. The EQ features are fairly subtle as well and don’t appear to distort the sound at all.
5.Remote Control – Virtually replicates all the functions on the main unit. Can be customised.
6.Flexilbility – Capable of playing regular audio CD’s and CDRW’s. Conventional audio CD containing CD-TEXT information will display on the LCD.
Minus Points
1.Bulky – Doesn’t fit in the pocket like the Sony D-915.
2.Anti-Skip – I personally feel that this is really important. There’s no point in carrying a CD player around with you if it continually skips. Although this player is by no means the worse, it’s still not up to the standard set by Sony and Panasonic.
3.Construction – again I’m nitpicking – but it would have been nice to have the functionality and sound quality of the Iriver2 in a similar package to the Sony D-915.