The "Thinking Person's" MP3 Player
Written: Apr 28 '00
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Product Rating:
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Pros: upgradable, nice backlit screen, CF memory
Cons: awkward FF/REW, power off on 1 minute pause,
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| scottredd's Full Review: RCA Lyra RD2204 (64 MB) MP3 Player |
I've been watching portable MP3 players for quite a while now. I've watched them start out as dinky little devices barely capable of holding more than just a few songs. I've seen them with nothing more than a digital numeric display to tell the user which track was playing. I've seen the cost per megabyte exceed any reasonable person's expectations, and that was even if you could find a slot to stick in extra memory.
Enter the Lyra!
I was excited about the Lyra when I first saw it. The main attraction to me was that it played a format other than MP3. In addition to MP3, the Lyra was being billed as a G2 player. I was hoping that if the Lyra played Real Network's G2, that it might also play the standard Real Audio format. Unfortunately, it does not. But, the Lyra is probably the only hardware that is user upgradable to some as of yet super new format. This makes the Lyra not just an MP3 player, but a true Digital Audio Player.
In addition to the multiple audio formats, the removable Compact Flash memory is a definite plus. As a user, I am not locked in to a predefined amount of memory. I can buy as many CF cards as I care to. I expect the future holds CF cards with more memory at a lower cost. As long as there are CF cards, I've got a viable player!
Other great features are the extended battery life (two AA's are better than one!), the oversized full matrix LCD with an Indiglo backlight, and nice full-fidelity headphones.
A little fun extra is the ability to create custom "splash screens." Some folks on the net made a utility to do this, and I made an online resource to house the new splash screens. Email me for more info.
The Lyra is not perfect, however. The cheap plastic case is bound to break at some time in the future. The plastic belt clip come off easily if you're active. There is no button lock, so expect to turn the thing off or change a track when you don't mean to. You have to use Real Jukebox or MusicMatch Jukebox to work with the MPX encryption RCA chose (no simple dragging and dropping of files onto the CF card).
There is one big gripe that I have with the Lyra: awkward fast-forward and rewind. This may not be an issue with people who mostly listen to three and four minute music files. However, I mostly listen to audio books and multi-hour radio shows recorded right off the radio or the net. When I want to advance or rewind one hour, it means I must hold down the button for FIVE whole minutes! You'd think RCA could write the software so that the longer you hold the button, the more advancement you get.
All in all, if you respect upgradability, and believe in the future of Compact Flash, the Lyra is the machine for you.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
scottredd
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Member: Scott Redd
Location: Omaha, NE
Reviews written: 28
Trusted by: 12 members
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