austonia
Headphoneus Supremus
- Joined
- Nov 10, 2002
- Posts
- 3,392
- Likes
- 16
Austin's new toy : iRiver iFP 390, "The Craft"
Overview
This is a very light and small (1 by 1 by 3 inch), flash-based MP3 player with 256mb memory, built in FM Radio, high-resolution screen, radio recording, voice recording, and best of all... 3.5mm Line In! The iFP-3xx series is just like the iFP-1xx series, with the addition of being able to record and encode MP3 from any external analog source. The device is made of some form of scratch-resistant plastic. Most of the weight is the battery itself. They are available online from iriveramerica.com or at Best Buy; cost me $180.
Recording/Encoding
The line-in recording feature was the main reason for this purchase. It can record and encode to MP3 at 32kbs to 320kbs/44 khz! At 192kbit (near-CD resolution), the player can record about 3 hours of material. I recorded an album from the line-out of a Sony D25S and the results are excellent.
I plan to bootleg 2 concerts this summer, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to risk a hard-disk based mp3 recorder. Besides being bigger and heavier and harder to conceal, a hard disk itself could get damaged from all the bouncing around I usually do. I am not interested in MD because I want the end results in MP3 which is easy to edit and distribute. "The Craft" has no moving parts, so it should be able to handle plenty of shock. Voice recording from the built-in mic is up to 128kbs.
Battery Life
Power management is most impressive, using only 1 AA battery it can stay alive for 20 hours. I have verified this, they aren't exagerating.
FM Radio
The radio reception is nothing less then awesome. I had a Sony T615 pocket radio from Japan ($90 at Audiocubes) which I thought was top of the line till I heard the iRiver. "The Craft" manged to pull in all local stations with solid stereo signals. Occasional artifacts, poping, static, fuzzines, all that are almost eliminated, whether I am still or moving around. I decided to sell the Sony shorty after. The iRiver player can scan all available stations and set them as presets which you can zip through quickly using the little joystick. This player gives me new reason to listen radio.
Accessories
The accessories that come with the player are top-notch. The lanyard and armband are both high quality. The iFP 390's nylon protective slipcover is a perfect fit. This is a welcome change from past experiences. Many players I have had in the past (like the e.Digital Odyssey) are high priced but the package is cheapend by very poor-quality bundled accessories.
Screen and Controls
Yes, the LCD is small, but very detailed. I have never seen more pixels packed in a screen this size. It has a bright blue backlight with adjustable settings. There is a small 4-way joystick to the right of the screen that controls volume, forward/reverse, and navigation when browsing the music or menus. you click it to select items. the controls feel solid, no cheap 'wiggle' feel. There is also 3 buttons on top, for Record, Play/Pause, and Mode. They have different functions depending on whether you clicking them quickly or hold them down for about 2 seconds. There is a hold switch.
Interface
USB1.1... slow.. but its only 256mb, so less than 5 minutes to fill. the connection port on the player itself is mini-usb type.
OS
The main menu system is 4 icons - MP3 player, Radio, Voice Record, Line Record. The configuration screen is always available by holding down the joystick for 2 seconds. The operating system takes a little getting used to considering the limited number of buttons, but I can whip through it now. You browse music by folders.
Features
It has so many aside from what has allready been mentioned. It can fade the tracks and radio stations in and out during changes. Has a user-selectable EQ and boost functions (useless to me, but some people like this). It can display both ID3 tags and filenames. All track details are presented on the now-playing screen. If the text is too long it will scroll (speed selectable). One nice touch is the real-time spectrum analyser of the the current track. It has adjustable sleep timer and auto-shutdown.
Sound Quality
... about as good as these things get. It sounds very clean, background noise is very low. Similiar quality to the iPods or Creative Nomad products I have tested in the past. Simply put, enjoyable.
Power Output
As a reference, It can drive Koss KSC-35's very easily at 2/3 max power. It can even power Etymotic ER4s to very loud levels at 90% max power. This is very similiar to my experiences with iPod which claims 30mw/ch output. As always, go with actual results over manufacturer specs.
Firmware
The default firmware loaded on the player is called the "Manager" version, and needs the Proprietary iRiver Manager software to load music and files on and off the player. It did not show up as a "Mass Storage Device". But, for required software, it's decent and straightforward.
However, you can download the "UMS" version software from iRiver which enables the player to be a removable drive, no software required. After you flash the firmware you have to use windows file explorer to format it to "FAT" type. I greatly prefer this setup.
Copy Protection
Using the Manager firmware, The Craft cannot UPLOAD mp3's back to a PC for "copyright concerns" ... However this is easily defeatable. The Player stores recordings as .REC files and they CAN be uploaded to a PC. Funny thing is, .REC files are just an .MP3 with a differently-named extension. When, on upload, the player says it is converting .REC's to .MP3 it is only renaming them. not a single change in file size. So considering this, when loading tracks to the player, what you ~could~ do is first rename the MP3's to .REC, and then they can be played on it as well as Uploaded to another PC later.
Of course, using the UMS firmware there are no restrictions in moving any files on and off the player. Just rename recorded files from .REC to .MP3 yourself.
Bad Stuff
A little, not much. When recording, it makes one long track. It will not stop when a CD is over, you must manually stop it. You will have to split it into individual tracks later on the PC. there are several freeware programs to do this like MP3DirectCut. You can't see or adjust recording levels during, so this may take some practice for recording live events.
Overall
I love it, and a nice price too. I challenge anyone to find a flash-based player with more features and quality.
Many pictures :
http://www.iriver.co.kr/club/mania_view.asp?idx=186
Overview
This is a very light and small (1 by 1 by 3 inch), flash-based MP3 player with 256mb memory, built in FM Radio, high-resolution screen, radio recording, voice recording, and best of all... 3.5mm Line In! The iFP-3xx series is just like the iFP-1xx series, with the addition of being able to record and encode MP3 from any external analog source. The device is made of some form of scratch-resistant plastic. Most of the weight is the battery itself. They are available online from iriveramerica.com or at Best Buy; cost me $180.
Recording/Encoding
The line-in recording feature was the main reason for this purchase. It can record and encode to MP3 at 32kbs to 320kbs/44 khz! At 192kbit (near-CD resolution), the player can record about 3 hours of material. I recorded an album from the line-out of a Sony D25S and the results are excellent.
I plan to bootleg 2 concerts this summer, and I wasn't sure if I wanted to risk a hard-disk based mp3 recorder. Besides being bigger and heavier and harder to conceal, a hard disk itself could get damaged from all the bouncing around I usually do. I am not interested in MD because I want the end results in MP3 which is easy to edit and distribute. "The Craft" has no moving parts, so it should be able to handle plenty of shock. Voice recording from the built-in mic is up to 128kbs.
Battery Life
Power management is most impressive, using only 1 AA battery it can stay alive for 20 hours. I have verified this, they aren't exagerating.
FM Radio
The radio reception is nothing less then awesome. I had a Sony T615 pocket radio from Japan ($90 at Audiocubes) which I thought was top of the line till I heard the iRiver. "The Craft" manged to pull in all local stations with solid stereo signals. Occasional artifacts, poping, static, fuzzines, all that are almost eliminated, whether I am still or moving around. I decided to sell the Sony shorty after. The iRiver player can scan all available stations and set them as presets which you can zip through quickly using the little joystick. This player gives me new reason to listen radio.
Accessories
The accessories that come with the player are top-notch. The lanyard and armband are both high quality. The iFP 390's nylon protective slipcover is a perfect fit. This is a welcome change from past experiences. Many players I have had in the past (like the e.Digital Odyssey) are high priced but the package is cheapend by very poor-quality bundled accessories.
Screen and Controls
Yes, the LCD is small, but very detailed. I have never seen more pixels packed in a screen this size. It has a bright blue backlight with adjustable settings. There is a small 4-way joystick to the right of the screen that controls volume, forward/reverse, and navigation when browsing the music or menus. you click it to select items. the controls feel solid, no cheap 'wiggle' feel. There is also 3 buttons on top, for Record, Play/Pause, and Mode. They have different functions depending on whether you clicking them quickly or hold them down for about 2 seconds. There is a hold switch.
Interface
USB1.1... slow.. but its only 256mb, so less than 5 minutes to fill. the connection port on the player itself is mini-usb type.
OS
The main menu system is 4 icons - MP3 player, Radio, Voice Record, Line Record. The configuration screen is always available by holding down the joystick for 2 seconds. The operating system takes a little getting used to considering the limited number of buttons, but I can whip through it now. You browse music by folders.
Features
It has so many aside from what has allready been mentioned. It can fade the tracks and radio stations in and out during changes. Has a user-selectable EQ and boost functions (useless to me, but some people like this). It can display both ID3 tags and filenames. All track details are presented on the now-playing screen. If the text is too long it will scroll (speed selectable). One nice touch is the real-time spectrum analyser of the the current track. It has adjustable sleep timer and auto-shutdown.
Sound Quality
... about as good as these things get. It sounds very clean, background noise is very low. Similiar quality to the iPods or Creative Nomad products I have tested in the past. Simply put, enjoyable.
Power Output
As a reference, It can drive Koss KSC-35's very easily at 2/3 max power. It can even power Etymotic ER4s to very loud levels at 90% max power. This is very similiar to my experiences with iPod which claims 30mw/ch output. As always, go with actual results over manufacturer specs.
Firmware
The default firmware loaded on the player is called the "Manager" version, and needs the Proprietary iRiver Manager software to load music and files on and off the player. It did not show up as a "Mass Storage Device". But, for required software, it's decent and straightforward.
However, you can download the "UMS" version software from iRiver which enables the player to be a removable drive, no software required. After you flash the firmware you have to use windows file explorer to format it to "FAT" type. I greatly prefer this setup.
Copy Protection
Using the Manager firmware, The Craft cannot UPLOAD mp3's back to a PC for "copyright concerns" ... However this is easily defeatable. The Player stores recordings as .REC files and they CAN be uploaded to a PC. Funny thing is, .REC files are just an .MP3 with a differently-named extension. When, on upload, the player says it is converting .REC's to .MP3 it is only renaming them. not a single change in file size. So considering this, when loading tracks to the player, what you ~could~ do is first rename the MP3's to .REC, and then they can be played on it as well as Uploaded to another PC later.
Of course, using the UMS firmware there are no restrictions in moving any files on and off the player. Just rename recorded files from .REC to .MP3 yourself.
Bad Stuff
A little, not much. When recording, it makes one long track. It will not stop when a CD is over, you must manually stop it. You will have to split it into individual tracks later on the PC. there are several freeware programs to do this like MP3DirectCut. You can't see or adjust recording levels during, so this may take some practice for recording live events.
Overall
I love it, and a nice price too. I challenge anyone to find a flash-based player with more features and quality.
Many pictures :
http://www.iriver.co.kr/club/mania_view.asp?idx=186
