A Great Sounding Player
Written: Mar 03 '01 (Updated Aug 21 '01)
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Pros: Sounds great, easy to use, upgradeable, small size, 64 mb
Cons: Not cheap, $200. after rebate, no built in memory
The Bottom Line: An excellent player for the price.
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| nc10's Full Review: Compaq iPAQ PA-1 (64 MB) MP3 Player |
WHAT IS THE IPAQ PA-1 Personnel Audio Player?
A personnel MP3 player. The key features are:
64 mb memory in the form of 2 X 32 mb multimedia cards (good for ~60 min music)
Supports MP3, WMA, AAC formats, upgradeable as formats evolve
USB Connection to your PC
"Earbud" style headphones
RioPort Audio Manager (limited version)
2 Triple A (AAA) batteries
Backlit LCD display
S:N ratio greater than 85 db
Small, convenient size: 2.7"x2.2"x0.8", 3 oz with batteries
Silver w/blue trim
Compaq's description of this device can be found at the following link:
http://athome.compaq.com/showroom/static/iPAQ/person-audio.asp
HOW IS IT SUPPOSED TO WORK?
Using the player and installation of the IPAQ software is not difficult, but you need to have a USB port on your system. Installation involves:
1. Installing the batteries in the IPAQ player.
2. Installing the two 32mb multimedia cards in the two slots in the player. (The "door" that one opens to install these cards is adequate, but a little limsy).
3. Attaching the belt clip (one screw) to the player. This clip blocks the battery door, and must be removed whenever you change batteries
4. Installing the sofware on your computer
5. Connecting the USB cable to your computer and your IPAQ MP3 player.
6. Formating the multimedia cards (the software prompts you to do this the first time you download to the multimedia cards)
7. Using the Rioport software to download songs to your IPAQ player. Downloads take about 1 minute per song. The Rioport software treats each multimedia card separately, so its hard not to leave 1-3 mb unused space on each card.
(If you don't have any MP3's, the Rioport software can convert songs from your cd's to MP3 format, but the version which comes with the IPAQ only allows you to do this a limited number of times, before you must purchase an upgrade for $10.00 which allows unlimited conversions. (I "think" the included limited version allows 50 songs to be encoded but this is not documented well)
8. Plug in the headphones, put them on, and start listening.
All of this went smoothly for me, on my 750 mhz athon system running Windows ME.
DOES THE IPAQ Personnel Audio Player WORK?
Yes, it works well. I installed the software on a computer system that included an ASUS motherboard, 750MHZ Athlon processor, 128 mg ram, Soundblaster Live, ATI Rage Fury Pro video card, and 45 gig Maxtor hard drive, running Windows ME.
The installation went without a hitch. The Rioport Audio Manager did not take too long to learn, but I was disappointed not to to get the "full" software version with this $200+ MP3 player. Rioport is not an intuitive program and I find myself wishing it was easier to select and download news songs to the IPAQ each time I do that.
Compaq has included MusicMatch Jukebox with their new PA-2 model.
Since I have had few problems, I have not needed to call on Compaq's tech support. There is a troubleshooting summary, FAQ, and a extensive tutorial on the Compaq website.
Using the memory cards efficiently is a little tricky, since you must pick your songs to best fit into each of the 32 mb cards with a minimum of unused space. I typically end up with 1-3 mb unused space on each card. The IPAQ has three built in equalizer presets (rock, classical, and jazz) and a fourth custom setting where you can adjust the bass and treble yourself. Volume can be adjusted in ten increments, 1 to 10, with anything above 4 or 5 being loud. Sound quality was terrific, the ear buds are comfortable, and sound great.
WOULD I BUY IT AGAIN?
Yes. As I write this update (Aug 21, 2001) this player is a not cheap, it sells for $199. (before a $50 rebate) at Amazon. I have seen refurbished models for as low as $100 (no rebate, though) at Ecost.com and other web sites. The sound quality is very good, the player is easy to use, and is software upgradeable. Battery life is OK, Compaq says you can get up to 10 hours from 2 batteries, but my experience is less. Downloading songs to the player is battery intensive, and Compaq (and I) recommend using new batteries. I use rechargeable NiMH batteries. Despite the small size of this player, the buttons are well laid out, and easy to use. The hold switch (if you are worried about buttons being accidentally pushed) and extra large play/pause button are nice touches.
Compaq could have (and should have) done better though, by supplying the full version of the Rioport Audio Manager, and one 64mb multimedia card or built in memory rather than 2 X 32 mb cards. This would have made expanding memory much easier, and allowed more efficient use of this expensive memory. The multimedia cards are very small, and once you decide to get additional cards, keeping track of cards not in the player will be a challenge.
Compaq has recently released a new mp3 player, the IPAQ PA-2, which is very similar to this model, but claims better batter life, different headphones, includes a single 64mb mmc rather than two 32 mb cards, and includes a powered usb connection. Compaq sells the PA-2 for $249, a $50 premium over the PA-1. Both also include a $50 rebate as of this writing.
Overall, most people will be very happy with this player, due to its ease of use, and sound quality. Using wma encoded files, I find I can get about 100 minutes of near cd quality music onto the multimedia cards. Although it is not cheap, it is very competive with similar models, and the price is easily explained by the sound quality, 64 mb memory, and small size of this player.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $200
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