128 MB of upgradeable flash memory; expandable via Multimedia cardsUSB connection for fast downloadsDigital FM tuner with 10 presets3-line backlit displayIncludes headphones USB cable music management CD-ROM 2 AAA batteries and carrying case with belt clip
1 Great player for its price!
Before I bought this player, I did my research, and read all of the customer reviews here. I can now tell you after using it 2 hours a day, 5 days a week for 5 months when I go walking, I am very impressed with the player. There are a few things to keep in mind, however, when using it:
1. I am not one to use Musicmatch, so I really don't recommend installing it. If you have Windows XP, simply download the Lyra program update from RCA's website for free. This will allow you to just plus your player into any USB port and you can use whatever program you want. Personally, I use the "Sync" option with Windows Media Player and have had absolutely no problems.
2. The battery life is 8-or-so hours. If you are planning on using this a lot, get rechargable batteries. You won't regret it. Also, on longer trips always have an extra set of batteries on you.
3. Lastly, I love the expansion slot. If you use WMA's and pick CD-quality, you can fit 2-3 hours of music without using the slot. With the slot, it only depends on the size of you multi-media card.
Overall, this is a great player for the price. I have seen it on sale quite often, so I recommend waiting for a good sale price and picking it up!
2 Good player, could be far better
I got this MP3 from my father when he came back from US and I was delighted to find it supports MP3Pro and WMA files and has a decent FM radio tuner. However after a couple of weeks the player sometimes blocked at some songs and only a reset (getting out the batteries and putting them back in) helped and the problem remained with the same song. First I thought that the song was badly encoded ad I deleted it but again the next song that came into it's place (number 33) blocked also! OK, it works now after I uploaded the lyra_sys folder again (fimware). And I haven't seen anyone mention the very slow speed of file transfer (I think it's eve slower than the regular USB 1.1 because it uses non-standard USB connection). It takes ages to upload 128MB of files, not to mention more (512MB etc.). The file browsing is extremely slow also. It's not all bad, the sound is very good if not excellent, the headphones are quite easy to wear and confortable. I think that there are far better players available now on the market which support OGG files too so pick one of them.
3 Excellent player and Excellent price
I bought this MP3 player and am completely content with it.I did have trouble adding music when i first bought it and i simply fixed what was wrong....the drag and drop file works great as well. I saw it Xmas week at the GOOD GUYS for $69 (regular price) and wanted to buy them all. I paid about $139 about 2 years ago. I love it still! You can add an SD card and play music for hours. I have a nice 512MB SD card and cant wait to slip in a 1GB card I use my player so much. THe battery life is a bit weak, but i went to Radio Shack and bought myself rechargeable batteries and dont spend a dime anymore on new batteries. If you dont care about looks, this MP3 player is great! I use it to go jogging, mountain biking, or simply waiting for my plane at the airport. Love it! !
*Disclaimer: Musicmatch is a great program to have for your MP3s. Remember it is not part of the RCA family. They just give you a free disk so you dont have to go out and look for it to download on the internet. I love musicmatch as well, but for adding files to my MP3, i use the drag and drop (music file to MP3 player, much easier)
4 Poor support for a simple player
I loaded the software (musicmatch) and it's difficult to navigate through. Took me 2 hours to initially load the music as you need to copy the cd tracks to a folder then to the mp3 player. I tried to use it on my laptop which has an upgrade and it can't find the player, so now I can't load anything to the player. I tried to contact RCA but there is no support for the basic software package. You need musicmatch to interface with the player and if it can't find it, then it's money down the drain. Get an Ipod, it's alot easier as my friend demonstrated and face it, spending 5 hours to get this thing to work plus the aggravation is worth the ease of an ipod, just plug and load.
I wish RCA wouldn't use me as a beta tester and then not provide support unless I pay 19.99 for it. The radio presets are also a pain to use. Mine's going in the trash.
5 Great item with newest firmware 4.26.
If you have bought RD1080 or RD 1090, and at FIRST upgrade it firmware to the 4.26. at Thomson Lyra site
After that step you will get best mp3 player on the market, with suport of *.mp3; *.mp3pro; *.wma *.DRM wma music file standard.
Put in additional SD or MMC flash card of 512 Mb or 1 Gb and your music listening will be endless.
It have digital FM also, what is nice feature for news e.c.
If you are ruuner, so I am, it is best mp3 player for the price and features.
with 128 onboard memory, you can put in ~~ 4 hours of your CD collection at 64 kbit rate. If you want better quality sound at less, try use lowest quality mp3pro VBR option with CoolEDIT 2.0.
RD1080 is hard to beat, because it only support mp3pro.
6 Bypass the software and it's not bad!
It seems like the lion's share of gripes about this product relate to the software. But the truth is that you don't even need it. Just move songs directly from your computer to an SD card! Then stick the SD card into the player and you are good to go! It doesn't matter what the bit rate is. Even variable bit rate files will play fine. And there is no problem with even WMA files. All you need is an SD card (and a card reader/writer if your computer doesn't already have one built-in).
As for the sound, I certainly have no complaints. Although I am new to MP3 players, this one sounds really good to me. At least as good as any portable CD player. It also works GREAT connected to a home stereo or any car stereo system with an AUX input.
My only real gripe is file access. Specifically, this player does not let you advance to the next file until it starts to play the one you are at. And this takes a few seconds. So if you have a 1GB SD card (as I do) and want to get from track 40 to track 195, it takes some time. But once again, I don't know if other MP3 players are any better in this regard. However, if you can get over this nagging little problem, the RD1080 is not a bad player. Just get yourself a big SD card and you will be quite happy. Especially for the money.
7 RCA Lyra RD1080 sounds better than the iPod!!
I cannot overstate the excellent sound quality of this mp3 player! I have listened to different iPods and, let me tell you, they can't hold a candle to the sound quality of this tiny mp3 player!!!
Now mind you, I am an extreme audiophile fanatic who is very very VERY picky about sound quality! So picky in fact that I refuse to download music from the internet because I've found for the most part that those who post the mp3s don't care about sound quality as much as I do! Too many times I've gotten mp3s with clicks and pops in them or they sounded unusually flat. For this reason I actually buy my own CDs and encode them into mp3s to control how I want my music to sound.
Let me emphasize something about mp3 encoders: THEY ARE NOT ALL THE SAME!! Some create mp3s that sound really horrible, others sound really good. It also depends on the source CD, whether it was clean or had scratches when it was first encoded. For these reasons I advise you NOT TO USE THE MUSIC PROGRAM PROVIDED ON THE CD TO MAKE MP3S! ****USE ITUNES TO ENCODE YOUR MUSIC INTO MP3S!!!***
ITUNES IS THE BEST MP3 ENCODER ON THE INTERNET!!
iTunes has a check box that allows you to enhance the sound quality of the mp3s when you encode them that makes them sound better than the original CD itself!!
Now back to the RCA Lyra RD1080. It has an FM radio that's a great plus! Now, you're not going to get the same reception as you would on your home stereo so don't expect that. For this player not to have a potruding antenna, it sounds damn good on FM!
And to get to what I think is the biggest selling factor of this unit - the SD (Secure Digital) card slot! It is completely awesome! [...] You can fit roughly about 400 songs on that card if you encode them at 96kbps (ON ITUNES!!) as it is perfect for keeping the sound quality in tact and reducing file size.
But let's be real folks, who in the hell is gonna need that many songs in one outing? No one!! It is for that reason alone I think the purchase of a
8 For $60, it's a good buy
I just purchased it on This black Friday at Fry's electronics. Brand new for $60 without any mail-in Rebate,plus a $10 SD memory card. Overall, for the price this low, that's a good buy for me.
If you have a SD momery card, the software is not needed. Just connect it with your computer, it will automatically recognize the momery and you can drag your mp3 to it. It's a snap. FM tuner is the the one i like particularly. If it does not have this function, i would not buy it though. after all, there are tens of mp3 player out in the market that can beat this price and is better-looking. sound quality is decent.
the things i don't like:
1: when i use the external memory card, i can not see the internal card. i guess you can not use them simultaneously.
2: the button is pretty awkward. you have to push hard to activate it.
3: transfer speed it slow.
9 Happy Indeed
I bought this MP3 player roughly a year ago. It has a nice price and the expandable memory slot. I use it mainly while running. It doesn't come with a belt clip like sometimes advirtised. Instead it has an armband. Reasons I really like this MP3 player:
* Takes Normal batteries not some wird watch one or some $20 one and the AA last for several weeks.
* FM radio feature
10 Great product, could be designed a little better
Overall this has been a great product, I have been running with it for about 1 month now--3 times a week. I formerly ran with headphones so was a little concerned about having the strap on my arm. The carrying case is adjustable to any size arm and weighs almost nothing--I adjusted to it immediately. You can adjust the volume easily without removing it from the case. It seems durable, I copied about 25 songs over from my PC and just put it in shuffle mode and forget about it. I have not even tried to install the musicmaster software (I already have a war on my computer between Windows Media and the Real Player)--all that I did was rip my CDs to mp3s, hook the Lyra up via usb (same cable that my Palm uses) and my XP PC recognizes it as another drive, so I just copy the files over--I've not been able to accomplish this with WMAs successfully yet but I prefer the mp3s anyhow.
Having the SD card slot is fantastic--this is the same card that my Palm Tungston E uses, so I can transfer songs between these devices very easily and can carry lots of music, if needed. My battery has never run down yet, its still on maximum power after about 10 hours of use.
The headphones are kind of weird, but I've gotten used to them, they allow you to listen to the music and hear the other sounds around you.
The bad:
The radio doesn't have a lot of range (tends to be staticy), but I got this thing to avoid the constant DJ chatter on every Houston station that used to drive me bananas before I got the Lyra.
The buttons on not intuitive (I hate reading directions), I still can't figure out how to put the songs in a particular order and the tiny buttons are hard to navigate.
Summary:
Great for working out and running, especially given the price.
11 The Software Issue is INFURIATING!
I purchased the Lyra 1080 about a year and a half ago. The sound quality is decent, the expandibility is good, battery life is so-so...So why only two stars? software software software...and horrible support. Since the 1080 technically plays mpy files instead of MP3 files...this requires a software conversion of some sorts. I'm currently deployed in the middle of nowhere, with a restrictive internet connection on a computer that is not the host for the MP3's...and it is impossible to find the software for the 1080. I found the ROM update...put it on the laptop and ran it...and low and behold, the rca lyra configuration utility wasn't installed, so it wouldn't update the device. All it ended up with was yet another software mp3 player on my laptop.
Basically, it comes down to this: If you lose the initial loading software CD, this becomes a paperweight.
12 Software Complaints
Although I do not know much about such items, I was pretty dissapointed with this item.
The expandable memory and ergonomic design of the item is great but the software is garbage. There is an update to make this device compatable with Windows Media Player so that the customer would be allowed to use mediaplayer to download songs. Either the directions are incorrect or the udate does not work. Not very user friendly.
The real thing that gets me though is that, when I go to the official music software site, MusicMatch, I cannot download songs that they sell on the website! After downloading songs purchased at MusicMatch, it won't send them to the player because of licensing problems.
I should have bought an ipod.
13 Volume Control Problem
I received the RCA Lyra rd1080 as a bday present from my wife and it worked fine for over a year. Last week, the volume control, which many other reviewers are complaining about, broke for no apparent reason. The volume now only works going up and as a result is stuck on 50. It seems like there is something broken as there is no "click" when pressing down. Up until now, I have been reasonably happy with the mp3 player and have even recommended it to others. I use it moderately, usually only hooked up to my car stereo through a cassette deck adapter. However, 1 year is not the lifespan I expect from a very expensive gift - my Sony Walkman (10 years old) is still kicking. I haven't tried calling the service desk, but since the unit is over a year old, I'm not expecting much. Landfills are full of electronic items that have become useless due to one poorly made part. It's disgusting. I'll update this if I get satisfactory results when contacting RCA.
14 Don't by a Lyra if you own a Mac!
It simply doesn't work with a Macintosh computer. Neither system X or system 9. The RCA support has been hard to reach and no help at all. I've bought an expensive product that I can't use at all. Karl Bradley in North Florida
15 Good and Bad
The RCA Lyra is a Great piece of machinary. But there are some flaws. When listining to the radio sometime it can cross in with another sation. This is really anoying when your listing to a great song. But the Best part of the machine is The MP3. When you buy this you should also purchases a memeory card which can help you hold about 70 more song. You can also store songs on these card and save them like as if they were ds. You take one out then put another one in. The card also speed up the downloading process. The Downloading process is also very easy. It a simple 1...2..3. It took me 5 minutes to download a whole album. And you can name you songs. and the player will svae them inorder for you. It very simpile. It also has a programmming mode which allows you to save your radio stations. Once agian its a good piece of hardware excptfor the radio inteference and it lack of the ability to record son from the radio and vioces which are avialble in many of the newer models.
16 Love this Little Gizmo!
OK, so I'm not the most sophisticated electronics user and am easily impressed, but I have to say that this mp3 player has everything I was wanting and more! At 128 mb it holds more than enough music to keep you entertained for hours, and with the option of random play it should be quite awhile before you grow tired of your songs. Once you do grow tired of them, however, or if you are just looking for much more variety, the expansion slot allows you to easily expand your library without limit. Sure, this little guy may not be as sophisticated as some of the mini jukeboxes, but for the price it offers an incredible capacity with super sound. I would recommend this little guy to anyone, especially someone new to the technology!
17 You can do much better
This was my 2nd MP3 player and I was disappointed in it from several perspectives:
1. As noted, the volume button is very fragile.
2. The most recent viewers did not mention software download problems, but I had nothing but issues (running Win/XP Professional) AND I didn't like being locked into "MusicMatch".
3. Sound is fair. I know that MP3 has lost some quality, but this unit seemed worse than most.
4. RCA's web (and phone) support is poor. This made the software problems even more frustrating.
5. I found presetting radio stations and then bringing them back up to be difficult, error prone and counter-intuitive. An extra button or better button debouncing would have been greatly appreciated. This was at its worst when exercising or jogging.
I gave up on it when the volume button broke and I was tired of having to re-install MusicMatch and bought an iRiver IFP-395 which was one of the best decisions of my life.
18 Volume Button HORRID!!!
This is a decent product, BUT the volume button feels VERY POORLY designed and 'weak'. True to this feeling, it broke the third time I used it and wouldn't raise the volume. I've since sent it back to RCA for a replacement. [have yet to receive that one] This is not a good weakness to have, as the volume button is likely the most-often used button on such a unit. The other main weakness is the lack of a cover for the memory slot; not a big deal, but not a difficult thing to fix! Another minor gripe is that the battery cover feels a bit flimsy and weak; I'm worried it'll bust someday too.
That being said, overall this MP3 player is well put-together, and EASY to begin using out of the box; even ships with a 'demo MP3' file on it! [nothing good, but it _is_ there] I was able to open the 'box', plug it into my computer & begin transferring files with no software installation nor opening of manuals.
This product would be SUPERB if they just spent a little extra effort on it's construction and solved the problems noted above.
19 Works fine for me...
I purchased a Rio cali that froze up after 3 days...so I returned it and decided to go with with RCA since someone I know has had the 64mb model since Christmas and experienced no malfunctions. I've had this player for over a month now with no problems at all. Works fine and easy to use with Windows XP and Music Match Jukebox. I would recommend purchasing an extended warranty since many things computer related seem to malfunction easily or are hard to operate if you are new to computers or certain programs. You'll want to be able to exchange it or get a refund.
20 good allround very solid
I first bought the MPIO FL100- what a piece of junk, so flimsy I was scared to open the usb cover- I cannot believe the good reviews it got.
As per the RD1080 this thing is great- solid nice little joystick to pick radio or mp3, decent reception on the FM radio- remember it is a portable so you won't get perfect reception always, but it works great for me.
-nice software button lock- I thought I needed this because of the joystick but it never depresses in my pocket or bag
-no real software playlist management not a big deal for me- there is a way to order the lists
-EXPANDABLE- I put my 256 camera/PDA SD card in and I now have 384 mb of memory, more than enough.
-Backlit
-Cheap headphones, but whatever all headphone that come with this are junk.
-nice armband for mp3 player
-again very solid and well built.
I am super happy with this that I went out and got the RCA 64mb lyra for my dad
21 Good Buy
Great buy. Works excellent, sound is great, quality of the product is more than what I feel like I payed for. Little confusing on the set up and getting to where you can transfer music. Only other draw back is the inability to use the buttons while working out. Other than that, this is a great mp3 player for the money and a great starter one, as in my case.
22 Great MP3 Player With An Average FM Tuner
This MP3 player has worker great for me and I haven't had any problems with it yet. The clip earphones that it comes with are a pain so I just tossed them and use my own headphones. The MP3 player works perfectly and has a little thumbstick you use to navigate through songs and switch from tuner to your music. The software it comes with helps very much, but I prefer to not use it and transfer songs manually. You can fit about 35 songs on here but it all depends on the size of your songs. The memory is expandable with a compact flash card, and you don't have to buy a cable for the flash cards because you just put it in the slot at the top of the player, and transfer. The player also comes with a USB cable which you use to transfer songs to your MP3 player that works great. There are also different audio equalizer settings you can choose from, including your own custom one.
The FM tuner isn't the greatest quality, but you can still use it. You often hear this loud annoying beeping noise and you can't hear the station. But, a very good value for an MP3 player and a decent FM Tuner.
The color is darker than the picture shown above, and is very, very, small. It can fit in the middle of your palm.
But all in all, this is one of the better quality MP3 players out there, excellent value for it's quality.
23 Pretty good entry level player
My first review, and first MP3 player. I bought this more than a month ago @ Sam's Club mainly because it was cheap ($128 Cdn), and the box said it would support .wma and mp3pro files.
I use it for exercising (skipping) so the flash (no moving parts) memory was important. I don't download music and only rip my own cds for listening.
The armband is good, a comfortable fit and easy to take on and off. My only point of comparison is the Sony armband radio for jogging, and the RCA Lyra armband is slightly more comfortable.
The design of the sleeve that holds the player is poor. There is access to the volume, and that's it. You can't get at any of the controls on the face of the player without taking it out. Not so handy when you're working out.
Headphones are OK. Sound is good, but design is not the greatest staying on comfortably, so I use a pair of Sony headphones (no foam covers, inside the ears, over the head - stay on perfectly).
The FM radio reception is inconsistent. It doesn't seem to be related at all to the headphone wires (which is the antenna on most portable FM radios). Someimes when there is a lot of static on a channel, hitting the "stop" button will improve reception substantially and immediately.
This one came with Musicmatch Jukebox version 7.5. It supports mp3pro and I took the free upgrade to support .wma files (version 8.0). I did not buy the upgrade to Jukebox plus. I have absolutely no experience with this or any other music management software, but this seemed particularly difficult to use. Some of the functions are not intuitively obvious, and there were a few bugs that make it even harder to use (e.g. to rip a cd that you have just put in the cd drive, you can't record them directly from the recorder window since it won't recognize anything being in the drive [in spite of it playing and showing up in the play window up top]. You must click the copy button twice in the play window: once closes the recorder window, twice opens it again with the full list of the cd in the recorder window, and then you can hit the record button in the recorder window).
A bit more documentation for the software specifically and the different music formats in general (for a beginner like me) would have been useful. It took a bit of experimentation to figure out the best way to rip music (having had no prior experience with copying music onto digital media).
The best sound came from copying into mp3pro at the maximum 96 kbps (they say "CD transparent"). Ripping music into .wma with a maximum speed of 64 kbps results in files that are about 1/3 smaller, but there is an audible high pitched hiss that is most notiiceable in between songs but can be heard throughout playback. This is faint enough that any noise of exercising drowns it out. However, mp3pro at the same 64 kbps gives you a file size about 9/10 that of .wma with comparable sound quality, so that is what I use. Part of the reason I think the player was a good deal is the (included) software's ability to compress in the much more efficient mp3pro format, which a lot of the low end players don't.
Another reason not to save music as .wma files: the Musicmatch Jukebox software won't recognize .wma files saved onto the Lyra player. It will transfer them from my computer. It will recognize that there is less memory in the player than before. The songs will play on the player. But you can't manage (e.g. delete) your .wma files using the software. To remove songs, I used Windows to look on the Lyra (like a separate drive) and delete the files.
The upgraded firmware/software seems to have fixed the problems that others have complained about relating to the wmy files.
Small gripe about the memory: after uploading all the drivers to support all the different formats, there's only 120 MB left (out of the 128 total) before putting any music on it.
The random playback function isn't really random. It does play the songs out of order, but it is always the same order (until I change the songs on the player). Probably the algorithm for random playback is too simple.
I haven't kept track of battery life, but it seems to do a little better than the commonly stated 7-8 hrs. However, compared to other players that take only 1 AAA (instead of 2 for this Lyra) it does go through batteries a lot faster. The NiMHs I'm using seem to be doing pretty well.
I've never used the memory slot so I can't comment. It's only been a month, so I won't know how reliable it will be (which seems to be a common complaint) for a while. The USB connection does seem a little slow, but nothing to compare it to.
Looking over my review, it seems like there are a quite a few problems, but the price more than makes up for them. Good player for someone starting out, if you can figure out the software.
24 I'd give it zero stars if I could!
If you're unlucky enough to buy this, then I feel sorry for you.
I bought one of these in Oct. 2002. Quirky, but acceptable. The unit's problems are well-documented elsewhere.
The screen went completely blank in Jan. 2003. Sent it in for repair. Waited for 6 weeks; it came back with a note saying I needed a return-authorization before I could send it in.
Then I called customer service. These people are worthless, and woe unto you if you ever must deal with them. "We'll send you a new one". "We'll send you a refund". "We'll offer you a partial refund". "We'll send you a different model".
None of these events ever happened, even though my phone calls to "customer service" stretched into the summer 2003.
Henceforth, I will never again purchase any product with the RCA logo on it. Thomson is their parent company, and I believe they also own the GE consumer-electronics trademark (not sure) - if so, I'll avoid that brand too.
25 How?
The mp3 player itself is great so far but for the life of me i cannot figure out the software. It loads on my computer and it does nothing else. i cant put music on the player. the software asks me about "drivers" and things of that sort. what do i know about that.
26 Makes working out fun again!
I've had this MP3 player for a little over a month now, which I think is adequate time to evaluate it. I purchased it at my local Target. I previously owned a Virgin Pulse 64 MB MP3 Player--it was too clunky, used (flimsy) smartmedia for expansion, and had weird issues with the buttons, so I exchanged it for the Lyra. What a difference fifty bucks makes.
For the price, I think this little player is pretty tough to beat. It included all the features important to me--FM tuner, expandability (non-smartmedia, please), good sound, small size, and an armband. I principally work out in a gym either running on the treadmill or using an elliptical trainer, and the belt clip on the Virgin pulse just wasn't working for me. The armband packaged with this mp3 player stays where I put it and doesn't pinch unless I accidentally cinch it too tightly. It doesn't allow access to the buttons through the armband, but it is easy to get in and out of one-handed if I want to fast-forward or switch to radio mode. The headphones sound pretty good for OEM headphones. Their design is a little unusual--they clip directly to my ears, but I've come to like them as well, as they stay put and also do not pinch. The FM tuner is a *little* on the weak side, but I prinicpally use it to tune to the audio tracks of the TVs at my gym, and it works perfectly for that. It is pretty efficient with the batteries--I picked up some rechargeables to use with it, so I'm not buying lots of batteries.
The software is passable--a word to the wise, just install the MusicMatch software and skip the rest unless you're interested in signing up for a bunch of pay services. Unlike the older revisions, I do not have to convert my MP3 files for use with this player--just drag and drop in Windows if I see fit!
27 Problems at First...Great Now.
I've owned the RCA RD1080 for a year now and did have some problems at the beginning. But after getting a new one (thank goodness for Future Shop Warranty) I've had no troubles.
After getting it, I installed the software and like everyone mentioned realized then that you had to use MusicMatch software to convert MP3's to MPY's. (Not sure what the Y stands for). But it did have a proprietary format. That sucked, it took a while to copy songs. Using the player it crashed constantly. Certain songs would cause the player to just halt, and only pulling the battery out would solve it. The final trouble came when I dropped it while at the gym and the right channel stopped working. It looks durable, but I only dropped it once. Well, I brought it back to Future shop and explained everything to them and they gave me a brand new one out of a box immediately. I didn't even have to get mean.
Well, the new one was much better. It had the upgraded firmware and now suppported MP3/WMA and a few other types. But most importantly you could drag and drop files right in windows. It was so easy now. Also, it now never crashes!
Quality is great, the earphones are ok. Buttons are usuable. There is a lock fuction to lock the keys if you have it in your pocket. FM tuners works good. Lasts about 7 hours on re-chargable batteries, usually change them once a week (with daily playing). I've never used the SD slot, so I can't comment on that.
If you bought it a while back and still have problems, you can get the firmware upgraded.
28 Good until it breaks
I was pretty pleased with this when I first got it. The sound quality for the mp3 is good, and surprisingly the radio was pretty good as well.
MusicMatch Jukebox was all right. I was hesitant of installing it on my computer due to the horrible ratings of it, but once i did, I didn't think it was as bad as they claimed. The only problem was that it was slow and took up memory on my computer. Then I found out that once you plug in the USB, a new drive will appear on you computer and you can just drag and drop. So technically, you don't need to install MusicMatch Jukebox.
The arm bad was good; it stayed secure around my arm while I was exercising and it's pretty comfortable. The headphones are a little more complicated to use than other ones, so that could be improved.
I don't think there are many faults with this mp3 player, but of course, there are some. I accidently dropped mine and the volume button got stuck. Now whenever I turn it on, the volume automatically lowers. Another fault is that is that it uses up the batteries fairly quickly, but what do you expect when it runs on only 2 "AAA" batteries?
Overall, I thought it was pretty good besides the point of having the volume stuck. Warranty for a free exchange is only 3 months.
29 MUSICMATCH made in Hell
MusicMatch is the worst software ever. DO NOT SUPPORT RCA MP3 players until they support drag and drop. If you can't drag and drop your music files to your MP3 player, you're getting ripped off.
iRiver products all support drag and drop. And you don't need MusicMatch's permission to put MP3 files on YOUR mp3 player.
30 Good sound quality, plays MP3 and WMA raw, downloaded direct
I bought this machine a month ago at Radio Shack
Positive:
No need to use bundled software that many reviewers have complained about. Just plug in the USB cord and it pops up on your computer as another drive. Drag and drop the MP3 or WMA files you want, it will play both types without any intervention for the user.
This is my third MP3 (and WMA) player and the one with the best sound so far.
Many reviews complain about a belt-clip, my model did not come with a belt clip, it came with a very clever elastic arm band that holds it perfectly on your upper arm. I have used it 2-3 times a week at the gym and it is so much nicer than all the other Walkmans (yes I am old, the tape type) and CD players I have hauled to the gym.
Very good value for money.
Negative
The headphones are comfortable, but you can improve sound quality with better headset.
The radio is a nice feature with impressive auto search and memory for many stations, but all that does not matter because the receiver is so poor that most channels give you terrible static noice that ruins the experience.
All in all I am very pleased. The additional memory slot came in very handy as I had an old MMC 128 meg card laying around from an old digital camera. Just fill it with music, pop it in, and voila - you have 256 meg or in my case 61 songs to enjoy.
Good value, buttons and interface easy to use, I have not (yet) had any problems with the volume getting stuck on maximum as some people have reported.
Have fun.
31 Software Doesn't Work...Beware!
My daughter purchased this player. It works with the included software and the base memory only. They have a bug in their SD support and Windows 2000/XP does not allow you to actually use the card. I didn't know this when I purchased a $80 SD card to provide additional storage. Also, this uses Musicmatch which insists on upgrading itself from the from the version included with the player. If you perform the upgrade the software doesn't work properly with the player (yes--I installed the new plug-in). All in all this is clearly a device built by a company that doesn't know how to interface to windows and it has caused plenty of grief in our house.
32 Broke after 4 months
The player initially worked very good and loading music was not too difficult. I used the player only for airline travel and it was used infrequently. After only four months the volume control stopped working and the player was useless. The warranty for free exchange was only three months.
I would not recommend buying this unit, and I would be concerned this might be typical of RCA quality throughout its product line. Suggest you buy other players.
33 This MP3 player rocks!
I bought this mp3 player to use during the witching hours at the 24 Hours of Moab Solo Mountain Bike Race. It worked flawlessly. Downloading music was easy, the earphones stayed on my head solidly, and the music sounded great. While I don't have much experience with other mp3 players, I'm extremely glad that I invested in the RCA Lyra.
34 DO NOT BUY THIS
Do not buy this product, especially if you plan on using it a lot. While it may seem fine the first few times you use it, you'll start having trouble soon enough. When I did, I called customer service. My product was still covered by their so-called "Warranty". What they don't tell you about the warranty is that it covers parts not labor-- sounds fair enough right? Well, labor, even if they are sending you a new one is something they charge you $60 for, no mattter what is wrong with it. And the new one you get if you agree to the terms of this warranty, will have no warranty attached to it at all. After reluctantly agreeing to pay the $60 and being assured I'd have a new one back within 4 to 6 business days, I sent it in to the refund center and paid the money. 3 weeks later and I still don't have a new Lyra. After spending 1/2 hour on the phone waiting for customer service (by the way, customer service is not even a toll free number), I was told they can't assure me when I'll have it back and furthermore I can't cancel my order. So I have to pay and wait however long it takes to get my warranty fulfilled. Don't buy this if you want an MP3 player that won't break or if you expect a real warranty or actual service from the customer service department -- you won't get any of that with this thing.
35 Great Player, uses raw mp3 files, you don't need music match
I have read reviews about this product that claim that you need
to convert the files to use them. I have had no such problem.
For one thing I use Windows 2000, so I didn't even need the USB drivers. Then when my computer recognized the LYRa as a hard drive I just copied all my mp3 files to it. When it was done, I started playing. Try it you'll see. Buy it from Circuit city, you
can try it and return it if you don't like it. (That's what they advertise) The radio is great when I work out too long and don't want to listen to my MP3's for a second time. Also great for tuning into the muted tv's that have sound on the 88.x channels.
Maybe there was a problem with the first versions, but they are fixed now. I have the RD1080B and purchaced it on Oct 1 at Circuit City. The only problem I have with it? The damn buttons are too hard to press and/or they don't work like I think they should. But its like any new product, you have to get used to the way it works. I buy just about every new gadget that comes out after reviewing or try buying and this one is a keeper. Oh,
one other problem, I forgot because I replaced them. I HATE THE HEADPHONES, but I had a ton of better ones.
36 Miserable Product
Software that you have to use is absolutely horrible, loaded with advertisements / unsolicited upgrade offers, etc. Painfully slow, multi-step process to get an mp3 file into a converted propietary format and onto the player. The simple drag & drop interface that everyone else uses would be nice! Also, I don't know why the tuner is even there, you have to be in the same building as a radio station to pick anything up! I'd recommend buslink mp3-bd256, it's what I got for replacement, love it.
37 Watch out!
I bought this MP3 player about 2 months ago and I thought it was alright until my volume went out. The volume button on the side will not allow me to decrease in volume. It still works, but only if you want to listen to it at a volume level of 50! I emailed RCA about the problem because I am currently out of the U.S., but they replied that they only deal with warranty issues over the phone. Their customer service online isn't very helpful. So now I just wasted $130 on something that I was only able to use for 2 months!! Be careful if you are planning on buying this product!!
38 Nothing But Problems
This player has caused me nothing but problems. I am sending it back for a replacement (I wish I could get a refund) because nothing in the manual, the online customer support, or the toll help line has made the player work. The most recent problem I encountered was a screen that did not display anything - I could not even tell when the player was on or off. I have also had problems with the memory and with the MusicMatch software. After updating the MusicMatch software, I was unable to change the playlist, and the driver that I tried to download from the MusicMatch website did not install properly. The memory problem I encountered forced me to reformat the player, losing all of the songs stored on it. The customer service provided on RCA's website is limited at best, and it generally recommended that I call their toll line. Waiting on hold for 20 minutes on a long distance call only to be told that they cannot fix the problem is not my idea of good customer service.
There is a reason why this player is so inexpensive - it doesn't work.
***********************
Update: After sending back my first player, I received a brand new one, no charge within two weeks. The other reviewer who was charged $60 for labor should file a complaint (if the waranty was still in effect) because they didn't charge me a penny.
There have been a few improvements in the product, too. The newer version has an armband that is a HUGE improvement over the old belt clip, and it can now take SD cards even if you're using Microsoft XP - there used to be a compatibility problem that the website promised would be addressed "soon" but never was. Also, the new headphones will actually stay on my ears unlike the old ones, but I generally use a better quality pair for better sound. Another reviewer complained about the tuner - I get wonderful reception from my radio.
Summary: I feel lucky that the problems I had were fixed, but if it breaks again I expect nothing but headaches. If you already own this product and yours is broken but still under waranty, there's hope. If you are considering buying one, don't.
39 Don't buy it
Received it as a gift this last Christmas. Thought it was great until I went to use it a month later and the audio went out on one side. The replacement unit took about 2 months to get and it went out the first time I went jogging. In June, they said they weren't receiving any more of the units (Thompson), so they would do a buy back. I just received a check for "fair market value" for $76.24. Since I don't have an orginal sales receipt, I get the price they sell it to vendors. I asked to get a unit instead of this buyback deal, they are expected to get any more units. The cost is still $120-130. My advice, don't buy it. Looks and when it works it's great, but if it breaks you'll have a headache.
40 Great Little MP3 Player!
I had purchased this a while ago from Target for 1 3 0 for my husband for him for our anniversary....well he loved it but hated the price, so he made me return it......well low and behold he now wanted it again! He had did research on the Lyra RD-1080 and out of all of the other MP3's in the same price range, this looks like the best out there for our bucks! I found it now at Circuit City for 99 and its great! Ours came with the armband so there's no problem working out with it at the gym, listening to the channels at the gym with the stations they play the tv stations on for me, and for Hubby, to download his sermons or gospel music on. This is a great little product for all of my family! Thanks
41 Good, maybe excellent, BUT....
I have had this MP3 player for two days. Works very well. I have used mine for recorded books.
The drivers downloaded fine, but the MusicMatch software would not install. (Don't even BOTHER trying to get help!!!) I am an experienced computer user who installs software regularly at my job. The problem is the software, not me.
Consequently, I had to use Explorer to cut and paste or move files to the Lyra RD1080. This is not efficient. I want to use the software I paid for.
I bought this specifically because it was advertised as upgradeable. I bought the additional memory flash card at the time of purchase. However there is one sentence in the entire manual that references the memory card. Sure it is upgradable, but you are on your own ...! You try to figure it out. No recommendation on which flash card to purchase, nothing, zilch. Consequently, I can't "find" the additional memory on the device, even though the card is installed properly. The additional memory does not show up on the drive directory, only the 128 MB shows up. Where is the other memory I installed?
That is a big letdown. Otherwise, the product has great potential. I would have easily rated this device a perfect 5 had the software installed properly and had there been more specific and detailed documentation on upgrading the memory.
RCA, you have a great product, but someone dropped the ball on this one!!!!
42 Great Player until it breaks
I bought one of these players about 4 months ago and I loved it. On occasion it would "hang up", but I considered that a minor annoyance, as was the cheesy plastic belt clip. Unfortunately, the volume control on my player is now stuck, it can only be turned down. If I take the batteries out it will reset but it will only reset the volume to 13. This would be a great player if it were not for the obvious quality control issues. THIS PLAYER WILL QUIT WORKING VERY QUICKLY!!!
43 Nothing is Easier
Other reviews may say this is difficult to use, but it really is not. You can add music from your Windows Media Player just like any other device. Don't be fooled by its compact size! It really delivers a powerful sound.
44 GREAT PLAYER!!
This is by far the best MP3 player I've ever had(Out of three). There really is no use for the radio function in a traveling vehicle, but that's what internal and external memory is for. I have been able to fit 55 songs (avg. time of 4 minutes) in the internal memory and a 128MB SD Card. I had no use for the included headphones(they're cheap, plus i had my own) or the carrying case and strap(Everyone has pockets, right?). I've had it for four months and have had no problem with it. And a high recomendation for those of you getting it and or have it already...... GET THE FIRMWARE UPGRADE AND GET AWAY FROM MUSICMATCH. what a horrible program.(At least for this usage)
All in All it is small, fun, and extremly usable.
45 It's not bad, FOR THE PRICE
On the whole, this is a fine product for the price. It's an inexpensive option for the first time mpg/portable music user. Just be willing to take the time to explore the software (terrible help files) and not have your hopes set on it coming with a great interface. If you're willing to take the time to get familiar with the software and what it can (and can't) do, it's pretty good. Updates are easy and can make it compatible with WMA files as well as mpg. The sound is pretty decent and is even better if you replace the headphones that it comes with. You can drag and drop exisiting files on to the device with Windows Explorer or use the included software.
Picky problems - poor carry case, slot for memory card is open (no cover or protection), usb port on device could be better placed, software interface is poor.
46 It works for me
I just bought this a few weeks ago and basically chose it for it's size, price, and the fact that I can buy cards to expand the memory.
As a first time MP3 owner it is working well for me and doing everything I need it to.
Mine came with the neck lanyard, and an arm band holder. (I use the lanyard, but have no use for the arm band holder, can't stand things strapped to my arm, however I might see if I could modify it for some other type of use, but so far the neck lanyard is perfect for my needs).
I was actually pleased with the FM quality, I have had regular desk radios get worse reception and so wasn't expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised. But to be honest, I haven't had a chance to test it out on the road or out of town yet.
I do hear a hissing between songs, and that is a drawback, but I can deal with it.
It would be nice if you could skip or search for songs quicker/more easily. But otherwise, I don't have much issue with the buttons, they are fine by me.
The software took me a bit to get familiar with, but after I got the hang of it, I found it pretty easy to use.
I bought this unit to get familiar with the whole MP3 thing and fully expect to discover things that I would make sure are in my "next" player. But I think as a basic starter unit it's great.
47 Gets me through my runs
I purchased this a few weeks ago and find it does an excellent job of keeping up my motivation while struggling through the heat and humidity of a morning run (something I was certainly not born to do). I am writing this review primarily because of what appears to be some mis-information in other reviews. In my experience, you DO NOT need to use the Musicmatch software to download mp3 files to the player. I have plugged it in to the USB port on my winXP machine and it acts like another drive. Simply copy the mp3s over and they work fine. I rip my CDs using CDEX software, drag and drop, and that's all there is to it. I did upgrade the firmware, though, using the provided software, and perhaps that allows me to do what others claim you cannot.
Sound quality is very good. I could not understand for the life of me how to use the silly headphones that come with the unit. I bought a pair of Sony aftermarket for $10 that clip on my ear and don't fall off when running.
The arm band could be more comfy. It works, though, and it's better than carrying the unit or wearing something else to hold it when you're running. I also like that the volume control is very easily accesible when it's in the pouch attached to the arm band -- a necessity when running on busy then quiet streets. I wish I could find a more comfortable strap and would love any suggestions that folks may have.
I can't comment on the FM module since Boston radio really bites (the whole reason I sank $130 for a player was to be able to control what I hear). However, I was not impressed by the method for storing and tuning in stations.
Finally, I do wish that the expansion slot had a cover. However, I did run one day in a torrential downpour while the player was in its pouch on my arm. It stayed dry, even though the armband was soaked.
From what I've seen of the other players out there, this is an excellent value -- storage, expansion, size, control, etc. all for a competitive price.
48 Ok player
I have been using this player for about 3 months now. It is dependable enough; however, I found the following problems:
- MusicMatch is terrible software. All other music management software I have ever used is considerably more usable. Also, it changes file associations without asking. It bugs you to upgrade everytime you quit.
- Controls are non-intuitive, insensitive, clunky, and cheap. For example, there's no on/off switch. You must remember the correct combination of other button presses to get it to turn off. You'd think they'd compensate by providing great documentation. Alas, they do not.
- MMC memory is separate from main memory so you cannot span. MusicMatch goes to the MMC by default. You must remember a non-obvious key sequence to switch to internal memory.
- No playlists.
- Carrying case is very, very cheapo and [low quality]
49 Fun toy with great sound but some annoying details
The RCA Lyra is my introduction to digital music, and overall it is a positive experience. The price is far more reasonable than many of the other 128 MB MP3 players out there, especially as it was one of my Amazon.comGold Box offers. However, before you buy, you should keep the following in mind:
Pros
1. Nice sound. Other reviews have complained about an annoying "hiss" between tracks, but I have not had that problem.
2. Surprisingly nice radio reception, with several (10 I think) preset stations.
3. Easy to handle. I have no difficulty in working the buttons/knob even when I am running.
4. VERY lightweight - you don't notice it when you exercise
5. Once you figure out the software (more later) it's pretty darn easy to generate and load music into the player.
Cons.
1. The belt clip is a joke. When I first saw it, I thought, oh, cool idea. Then I tried to use it. It does NOT want to stay clipped. It seems to work OK when I am running, but it will fall off if jostled. Don't try to listen to it while working with your hands (like I did while painting my basement) as anytime that you knock the headphone wires with your arms the player will "leap" off your waistband.
2. The software instruction manual. HAHAHAHA. When you read the hardware manual you will be instructed to go to the software manual for specific into on Music Match and how to download the music to the device. THERE IS NO PRINTED MANUAL FOR THE SOFTWARE. It is part of the tutorial on the installation CD. Don't bother to try to print it out either - it won't.
3. You have to use Music Match software. While the software is not difficult to use, it will annoy you to no end. It CONSTANTLY bugs you to upgrade. OK, already! And when you go thru the tutorial, the onscreen pics are for the UPGRADE, not what comes with the player.
4. Slow download times.
In summary, the player has great sound, small size, is more flexible than some other MP3 players on the market, reasonably priced and is easy to use once you figure it out. The downside is that it might take you a bit to figure out how to use it IF you are new to digital music, and the belt clip could be improved. Overall, a fun toy.
50 ugh. big thumbs down.
from the day i got this as a gift, i hated it. the software that comes with it is sooo intrusive. and it's the limited version of a full one they bug you to buy everytime you put an audio cd into your comptuer and it auto starts.
also, i personally didn't like how the buttons worked - they were not very responsive.
i wanted this to take to the gym. however, the little plastic pouch it comes with is *terrible*. the hip clip is not on the actual unit - it's on the pouch, so i kept it in there. i fought with the buttons through the little plastic holes all the time. not what i want to be doing while i am trying to remain steady on the treadmill. frustrated, i took it out of the pouch and used the neck string instead of the clip.
after the gym, i tossed it in my purse, and when i took it out at home to change the playlist, the buttons were stuck. 3 months of owning this thing i fought with, and they said they couldn't do anything for me warantee-wise because i should have kept it in the stupid plastic pouch.
don't buy this thing. i hated my expereince with it.
51 Full of promise but poor audio quality
First, let me say that this unit is beautifully designed, and the controls are user-friendly. Also, it works great with Windows, and songs are easily transferred to unit via dragging them to the unit's Drive letter in Windows Explorer.
So, what's the Problem?? The unit elicits a high-pitched hiss into the headphones, which is VERY noticeable between tracks and also during soft passages of a song. (I tried 2 different units, and 2 different sets of headphones. No better luck...) I have very good hearing, so this high-pitched hiss bothered me a lot. I let a friend of mine try it out (his hearing is only average), and he could hear it also, but it did not bother him as much. Regardless, you do not expect that a RAM based music player would elicit ANY foreign noise at all, let alone something like this. It's not as though the unit has motors and gears (such as a CD player).
Other flaws were very poor FM radio reception (honestly, could not receive ~ANY~ FM station without constant interference, even outside while walking down the street), and I thought that the headphones were terrible (they are the kind that you clip onto your ears). Both of these flaws I could have easily overlooked if unit had good sound quality.
So, if the audio quality would have been good, this is a 4-Star unit (deducting minor points for poor FM reception and bad headphones). As it stands, however, this is a total ~reject~ if you have good hearing.
52 Lyra's Sound is great but MusicMatch is a problem.
I purchased my Lyra about a year ago and I was very happy with it until I upgraded my MusicMatch software. According to MusicMatch technical support, there is problem with the latest version MusicMatch 8.0 that doesn't allow you to view the songs on the player's internal memory. I experienced the same problem, to a lesser degree (I was not able to view the songs on the expansion card), with the previous version. As a result, I have been forced to listen to the same 51 songs for the past several months, while I exchange emails with MusicMatch's tech support (MusicMatch does not provide telephone technical support). However, absent this problem, I find the MP3 sound quality to be excellent and its just the right size to use at the gym, provided to you have a pocket in your gym shorts. The FM tuner works great outdoors, but inside the gym, reception is just okay. If MusicMatch were to address the software problem, I would probably give the Lyra 5 stars.
UPDATE
************************
I thought I should let everyone know that MusicMatch corrected the problem. I can now view the songs on both the player's internal memory and the expansion card. While the player is connected via USB you press and hold the stop button (or the play button I can't remember) and player will switch between the internal memory and external memory. WARNING! I downloaded two songs from the MusicMatch website. They won't play on the RD 1080. But other than that, I think this is a great player for the price. I haven't had any other problems with MusicMatch. I am upgrading my rating to four stars from three.
53 Quality and Value make this a MUST have
Most Importantly, Sound Quality (9/10)
The RCA Lyra RD1080 has excellent sound quality. In a line in test (we hooked the Lyra to our sound system), the Lyra scored a 9/10. The reason it scored a 9/10, and not a perfect 10, is because of the slight buzz heard in our line-in tests. It is not noticeable with headphones (or when music is playing), but when hooked up to a stereo system it's noticeable.
MP3/Mp3 Pro Features of Lyra (9/10)
The Lyra had a range of features that are not present on many other Mp3 players of its class.
Ease of Use (10/10!)
The reason we gave the Lyra a 10, was because of the easy drag and drop features of the Lyra. Any Lyra purchased (from RCA directly) after March 26th, 2003 is installed with the latest Firmware, making it usable right out of the box (contrary to other reviews, which were done in the past)
Audio Codec Support (10/10!)
The Lyra uses the most advanced codecs available (the only current MP3 player to support MP3 Pro). P>Calendar, Organizer, or Other Bonuses (N/A)
There are no extra software applications available on the Lyra at this time.
Radio Quality (6/10) -> Below Average
The radio was a nice feature, but that's not what's been tested here. 30 miles+ away from the radio station's broadcast center, you CANNOT pick up anything, in the inner city, the Lyra performed well, but outside the city the Lyra performed very poorly.
Expandability (9/10)
Design (9/10) - (Sleek, but our team didn't particularly like the silver like buttons)P>Overall (9/10) --> highly recommended for [the price]
Lyra vs. IPOD
MAC users: IPOD wins by a long shot
WINDOWS/LINUX users: IPOD loses, as the IPOD has many compatibility problems
54 Combat Proven!
Great little system: Affordable, durable, easy to use. I took this system overseas with me and it was a life saver. Held up to the sand, dust, heat, and occasional rain storm. My only complaint is the software is not too user friendly and takes a while to master the process (downloading from CDs is the hardest). Again though, for the price, it's hard to beat. And with a 256MB sandisk...I had more than enough music to listen to.
55 It's a very good Player, but not without it's Quirks
The player itself is very small which is a plus, I loved it the first time I saw it. It has a blue hue in the display, and it the visibility is a plus at night. Sound Quality is the best, you'll never find a MD player, or even CD player as good at this sound quality product. It even has BASS, and Treble, a complete sound processing unit. Volume goes WAY, WAY UP!
Now for the BAD, which is why I did not give it a perfect 5, when recording Mp3Pro songs, the sound quality is good but it lags when you scan for music files. If your computer is not 100% lag free, then there will be some skipping during playback on your RCA Lyra. When Downloading music to the Lyra, make sure your computer has 100% CPU usage to MusicMatch Juxebox. If you have even the slightest program active, the songs will come skipping inside the lyra. I have around 3 songs out of 37 that skip. It's a good device but not perfect, I highly recommend it as a decent player with high quality playback! in the long run though, 2 Thumbs up!
56 ...
WASTE OF MONEY!!! The software is just terrible, the user interface is awful, and the carrying case is a joke. I owned the late Intel mp3 player and loved it, until it broke. I tried to replace it with this one liking 128MB and FM radio... What a mistake! Song skipping takes forever, the belt clip was worthless, and Customer Service was Romper Room. I had to sell it for less than half price because everyone knows it [is bad]!...
57 Great little player! Too bad it broke...
I had this inexpensive little mp3 player from November until January, and in that time, boy was it great! The size of it is the most striking feature. You could literally make a fist around it and it would be completely covered. The transfer of music to the player was very simple and musicmatch wasn't a problem at all to use. The headphones that came with the model did their job without much fuss. My only two gripes that I had with the player was that there was a barely audible whine when it was playing songs, especially on WMA formatted songs, and the joystick control button kept getting knocked into when I was excercizing, thereby fast-forwarding and skipping tracks unexpectedly. All in all, I was very impressed and satisfied with the player, until it broke. Three months after I bought it (just past the 90 day store warranty at circuit city) the volume button got stuck on the up position, constantly maxing out the volume. This annoyed me to no end, so I sent the player back to Thomson (RCA's parent-company) in February... Four months later in the middle of June, I got a refund for the damn thing. Finally! I can't say I'm completely peeved though, things could have turned out much worse. So anyway, if you're still reading this be warned: You get what you pay for, so spend a little extra on another sturdier model and save yourself several months of disappointment.
58 good when it works
sound quality is good, and if you don't mind using musicmatch as the ONLY option to load files, you're fine.
However, I have had to delete and reload songs up to 3 times because my player skips through some parts of the songs in fast forward. Tech support is of no help whatsoever - claimed they never heard of the problem.
59 Almost a great player
This is my second RCA Lyra MP3 player. Unfortunately, I liked my previous player better than this one (I forgot the model # of my previous player). I had no problems with the sound, setup or downloading of music. My biggest complaint is the layout of the MP3 player. It is almost impossible to use the navigation buttons while excercising or moving. It gets much worse when you fit the MP3 player in the plastic holder for your belt loop. I returned the unit b/c it was too painful to use!!
60 It's A ... Pet Rock
I really wanted to love this product (and Consumer Reports and PC Magazine said I would). I returned the first one the day after I bought it. I had clipped it to my waistband as I shot some baskets and went for a jog. I was very pleased with it, until I got home and unclipped it from my waistband. It was still playing but the display had burned out.
So I returned it and got another one. I had it out twice, under similar conditions, but this time I wore it around my neck with the supplied lanyard. Then the thing just quit completely. No power, no nothing. (Yes, I tried replacing the batteries.)
Given their apparently serious quality control problems, plus the chintzy plastic cover/beltclip and the [weak] headphones (I used another pair), not to mention all the aforementioned software issues, I'd say curb your desire (or at least know the return policy) before you plunk down your hard-earned [money]. Man was I disappointed!
61 Just bought it for my wife
With a firmware upgrade, you can drag and drop MP3 files directly into the flash - and get rid of the Musicmatch software. Plugging the unit into the PC gets it recognized as a removable hard drive.
62 poor docs
great product but like all software and upgradeable hardware get the latest upgrades from web site. you dont need to use music match. drag files right into your drive that shows in (my computer) when you plug it to your pc. they will run in their native format.you can use any conversion software to convert between the supported media. you can use as a small hard drive by dragging and dropping.
if you drag and drop your songs they will transfer faster.
fm radio quality is fine.Yep great product poor docs.
63 Better off buying your own trumpet and drum set
This does not play MP3 natively!!! You have to install and use MusicMatch .... Audio is "re-encoded" into an MPY format which is substantially different than MP3 (although apparently the same exact size), skipping songs takes FOREVER (I have lost relatives faster than I can skip songs with this thing), and if an MP3 wasn't encoded direct from CD there seems to be a substantial (nearly 100%) chance this thing will freak out with it. If it freaks you have to remove the batteries, wait for a new president to be elected, wipe all songs from it and install new songs - which, by the way takes forever (70MB is over 25 minutes on a brand new 2.8GHz machine). Additionally, the "random" is just a scrambled order that plays over and over and over (until you add another song with MusicMatch)....
64 It's getting there . . . but it needs work.
I bought this because it supports MP3pro files. (Some reviews say that it doesn't, but it now does. RCA just released a firmware update a couple of weeks ago.) Here are some problems I've noticed. I can't get MusicMatch to transfer MP3pro files to the player. It says that these files are not supported by the player. However, I worked around this by treating the player as a drive on the computer and just moved one MP3pro file at a time to the player. (This takes a lot longer, but it works.) I have noticed that the player also makes kind of a "scratchy" noise when it plays some tracks (it almost sounds like playing an old scratched up record). But, I found that I can get files to play without that noise by fastforwarding to the next track on the player and then going back to the troublesome track. Finally, the volume on the player is not that high. The volume level goes up to 50, but on some songs this does not seem loud enough. (I do not listen to songs at extreme volume levels, I just like them to be loud enough to hear.) It's not a bad player, but RCA needs to work some of the kinks out. It looks like another firmware update and an update to MusicMatch could resolve these issues.
65 Wonderful MP3 Player
I reviewed the other comments about this player, and decided I should add my own. The only downside I can find to this player is that if you are looking for a particular song, it may take a little time to get to it. Someone commented on the battery life (saying that it was the mp3 downfall). My husband has a different player, and the batteries barely last an hour. The batteries have lasted me at least 4 hours, and the battery indicator, just moved to half full. I really like the musicmatch software that was included (it's pretty much the same as winamp). It is really easy to download (just read the instructions) songs to the player. Many people choose to ignore the instructions (which is why they just drag and drop).
66 fair product, extremely POOR service
I purchased the RD1080 mp3 player as a Christmas present for my wife. After about a month of service, she began having problems with the player. I followed the instructions in the info booklet, and sent it back to the manufacturer for a replacement. That was about 3 months ago and still no player. What I did get was a $25 phone bill, accumulated while holding to talk to a representative. This is without a doubt, the worst service that I have ever received. Take my advice and skip it.
67 Does not support SD memory cards if running Windows XP
The packaging says you can upgrade with either SD or MultiMedia memory cards. 128MB and 256MB SD cards do not work with Windows XP. See the RCA site for details, i.e. "We're working on it."
Otherwise a good player.
68 Nice try / Good idea combo BUT...
A great idea with a mp3/fm radio combo. Good quality with the radio (could be much better though) -- mp3 quailty is fine with me but the buttons are placed wrong which sometimes forces the mp3 tracks to change while you run. Also, there is no LOCK feature so if you move wrong you might mess up whatever you are listening to. It is a bit large as it does not fit well into many runners shorts 'key' pockets as does the older RCA players and without a lock button, there is no way to put it in the pocket anyway! It is a good deal for the money but very poorly designed. Stick with the Nike mp3 players, they are smaller and better made, plus the sound quality can not be beat! SORRY RCA, TRY AGAIN!
69 Great Value, as long as you keep a few things in mind...
Have been looking for an MP3 player for working out and traveling for some time now. Have looked at the Rio for a while but it just seemed so ...expensive. Came across the RD 1080 and decided to give it a try. I LOVE IT! FM Tuner works well, and has good reception and quality. Sound quality for the unit is very good. It's small and lightweight and seems to be pretty reasonable on battery life. However, I'd make sure you keep a few things in mind before you buy.
1) You have to use MusicMatch. Period. No other options. (As far the other user's comment about paying for upgrades to the software, I'd splurge and buy the lifetime membership to the software. I bought it a year ago and love it).
2) This is NOT a replacement for your $2000.00 home sound system. While it comes with some preset equalizer settings, you can't get too creative with the sound quality. But for [the price] you're getting a pretty ... good value.
3) Download times are slow (approx 15 min for 20 128k songs)
4) Belt clip does not really secure the player if you're pretty active with it (ie off-road running). No arm band either. However, you can readily rig one up with a little bit of creativity.
5) You have to use MusicMatch. Enough said.
All in all, I'm VERY happy with the player as an all around compact way to carry lots of great music with me in the outdoors or working out.
70 Disappointing
I've owned the Lyra RD1080 for a few months now. I've got more complaints about this MP3 player than any other MP3 player I've owned.
1) The mp3-to-mpy conversion causes some of my mp3 files (around 5%) to be garbled when played on the Lyra. These mp3 files play fine on every other player I've tried
2) The software has no reformat option available. I had to go to Windows explorer, find the portable device mounted as a hard drive, and manually reformat the device myself
3) I could not get the FM tuner to work at all. I live in Chicago, and I couldn't pick up a single FM station.
Even though the price per MB looks attractive for the Lyra, save your money and buy a Rio. I wish I had.
71 Two In One
Great product. Lightweight and easy to use while you're working out. Price was it; full of value. FM is a nice addition. I'm going to buy one for my daughter after having this one for 2 weeks. Cheers
72 Two In One
Great product. Lightweight and easy to use while you're working out. Price was worth the cost. FM is a nice addition. I'm going to buy one for my daughter after having this one for 2 weeks. Cheers
73 You get what you pay for
This player is pretty good for the money, but there there are definately some downfalls. Let me start with the positives. The music quality is very good - at least while in music mode ( not radio). It is small and lightweight, with a helpful screen. It does play wmas, has a good amount of built in memory and is expandable.
Having said this there are some downfalls. It advertises that it plays mp3s -false, lie, misleading. Third party software (musicmatch) will convert mp3s to mpy's and play them but don't expect to drag and drop mp3s onto the player. This is probably my biggest concern. Musicmatch is also a pretty lame piece of software, which is always prompting you to pay for an upgrade, which gets really annoying.
Another great deficiency is that there is no audio balancing on the radio. While playing mpy's, you can adjust bass and treble, or pick from some presets (jazz, rock, pop etc), but these are not available in radio mode. This is a huge mess up in RCAs development of this unit, especially because the radio sounds pretty tinny (like a 1930's grammaphone) even with good reception. Other pitfalls are that the navigation is a little hard, the volume adjusters are small and awkward and the options of how to carry the device are sub-par.
Anyway, overall its not a bad value - but you do get what you pay for.
74 Five Stars
I have just bought this product form my self. I haven't had and problums that were posted below i put the cd in pluged the usb in and it worked. The mp3 software converts mp3s to mpy files and transfers them to the mp3 player. You can take music off of the internet and from you CDs and put them on the mp3 player
75 Five Stars
I have just bought this product form my self. I haven't had and problums that were posted below i put the cd in pluged the usb in and it worked. The mp3 software converts mp3s to mpy files and transfers them to the mp3 player. You can take music off of the internet and from you CDs and put them on the mp3 player
76 RCA Lyra
Great combination for the gym with an MP3 and Radio in one. Easy uploads to the device via MusicMatch Jukebox (a limited version comes with purchase).
Buttons are a little hard to manage and not runner friendly. Carry case is not the best set up.
77 this is the mp3 player to buy
I bought the lyra player 2 months ago. I bought it for the gym and skiing and now I have put it through the test i figured i would come back and write a review on it. well it passed the test at the gym and on the slopes.Its small enough to put in your pocket you forget its there. The batteries lasted all day on the slopes even in the cold (-10). Works great using musicmatch software. The only downfall is the headphones the don't stay in place. I found it holds 30-32 songs and you can up grade it so you won't run out of music.
78 Pain
This little guy isn't a bad sounding machine and was not bad for a while. I even recommended it to my roommate. I looked past the long download times, the poor navigation, and the socialist need to use MusicMatch, but the thing broke on me. All the sudden, I started getting ERR IN MEMORY. Nothing I tried seemed to help. Very light and good sound, but not worth it since it only lasted me a few months. Not bad if it we're $$, but for this price, get somthing else.
79 Great product and dependable
I received this product as a gift and have found it to be very, very reliable. I run with it every day and it fits into my hand while I run and works great. The radio also is digital so you can set stations and jump from station to station - very nice job with the radio and MP3 player.
It does come with MusicMatch software to load the player. I already owned MusicMatch and think it's one of the best MP3 recorders and players in the market.
I would really consider buying this MP3 player if you're looking at the 128mg options.
80 good player, if yours works
Found this player to be the best value. Great price for a 128mb expandable player with FM tuner. However, the first one I got malfunctioned after just 3 weeks with an "error in memory" message that was unfixable. Exchanged it for a new one, which had a faulty headphone connection. Exchanged it again and got one which would shut off on its own in the middle of a song. Demonstrating much patience and resolve, I decided to give it one more try, and the 4th player I picked up finally worked properly. Now I'm happy with it, but the first six weeks were spent running back and forth to the store I purchased it from. Thankfully they were accomadating with their return/exchange policy.
81 Getting the most bang for your MP3 buck.
After using the Nike Rio MP3 player for a year, then picking up the RCA, it is evident RCA is doing a few things right. First, an awesome feature is the digital radio, which comes in handy when you're tired of listening to your MP3s. Secondly, the sound is amazing providing large-speaker like sound. Finally, the price is excellent. For [a very reasonable price] you get 128MB with an expandable slot.
82 Great value, perfect size!
I just got this yesterday and within minutes had my mp3pros loaded and was out on my usual jog with it. Despite earlier reviews about mp3pros, it worked flawlessly. I already had MusicMatch Jukebox version 7.5 loaded on my computer and all my music is in mp3pro format (for reduced file size)...all I had to do was download the plug-in and I was up and running!
Great product for the price, especially with the tuner and the ability to use mp3pros.
83 No Support No mp3pro
Don't do it if your motivation is to play mp3pro. RCA has been promising an upgrade for almost a year and all we have is vaporware. Customer support will not answer emails and apparently don't value customers at all.
84 Sounds Great
Deep good sound quality impressed the heck out of me from this little guy. It's compact and light with a large LCD disply. I am very pleased and happy with it.
The one additional bit of functionality that it needs is a way to catalogue and separate the different styles of music. So the user (me) doesn't have to skip a bunch of tracks to get to the disered one.
I took away a star for poor navigatin through the stored tracks other than that it's perfect for me.
85 The perfect gift...for an enemy
I bought this for my wife for Christmas and decided to set it up and load some Xmas songs so she could use it right away. At first, I was very happy as I plugged it in to the USB port, XP recognized it, I drug the songs over to player (shows up as a drive) and they copied (slowly). But no luck playing them. Pored through the manual. Not much help. Loaded Musicmatch software. It trys to take over all defaults for the music on your computer. It trys to sell you more software. etc. Directions don't match the menus. Finally, found out how to transfer files. Didn't work right. Way too much technical overhead required to operate this poorly designed and executed product. I'm taking it back.
86 Love this player
I've had this player for about three months now and couldn't be happier. No problems of any kind. I already was using Musicmatch JB for my mp3's, so that fit right in. Also, documentation is sparse, but there are a really great Yahoo users group, with files FAQ, etc., that really helps. Some folks have had problems, tho' so I'd recommend checking that site before buying.
87 One star rating is too good for this ...
This product says that it will play mp3's and wma's, but you have to use their software and file format (mpy) to download anything. The manual gave NO help for downloading; it provided on small paragraph for downloand info in "Advanced Features" that simply said read the software manual. Furthermore, we could never get wma's to load.
Also, we found that it skipped while we were standing still, holding the device.
Don't waste your money! We've already returned ours!
88 Good Player
This is a very good mp3 player with some minor setbacks, the most glaring of these being battery life. Other then that it is a rugged and sturdy player, a good buy considering everything else out there.
89 JUST WHAT I NEEDED........
pLAYS MY SONGS....THE ONES I WANT TO HEAR.....AND 128MB IS ENOUGH SPACE FOR ABOUT 21- 6 MIN. SONGS...PLUS, YOU CAN EXPAND!!!....GREAT FOR THE MONEY!!!...ALSO, (WHAT I WANTED), IT HAS A FM RADIO!!!!...GREAT PRODUCT...YOU SHOULD BUY-IT...CAN'T GO WRONG...
90 Great sound and nice size.
I just got this for my birthday and I love it. It is small and the sound is great! The belt clip did not work for my running shorts, as soon as I started running it bounced off, but with a little playing around I got it to attach to a different running radio's armband and that was great. It holds a lot of music and I am very pleased.
91 Great value
I'm a gadget freak and this has to be one of the best purchases I have made in a while. I did quite a bit of research and specifically wanted a compact player with at least 128mb of memory and an FM tuner. Not a lot of choices out there, I found out.
The Lyra turned out to be an economical and wise choice. It has it all: convenience, memory, FM tuner, ease-of-use and affordable.
I take it to the gym regularly and have not had a single problem.
Despite my being saddled with the ever buggy Windows ME, the software was easy to install and downloading music is relatively painless.
To be honest, my biggest shock was that this came from RCA. I didn't expect it from them. Not known for their early adoption of technology but they did a great job with the Lyra.
92 Awesome player
This player was very easy to set up. Since I use Win2k the drivers were preinstalled. MusicMatch works extremely well. I use the AutoDJ function to create a playlist of about 2.5 hrs in length (My files are generally 128 kbps) and then use the portable manager to trim the playlist down to 128MB so it fits. I like the idea that it is expandable, although I haven't added any storage yet because 128MB is generally adequate for trips to the supermarket and gym and putting new music on it is such a snap. The FM tuner worked well in the stands at a football game. The big display screen is a huge plus. I would add an arm strap to the carrying case, but the player is so small and light that this a minor inconvenience. For the money this is the best player on the market.
93 Excellent for Price
I bought this player despite some of the comments that I read. Personally I have no problems with it and I think it is an excellent player for its price. Size is small and the radio work great. Sound is good and buttons aren't that hard to use. I can't wait for the MP3Pro format that it will be able to play. I do have some problems with having to use MusicMatch. It isn't that bad of a program but I don't like being forced to use it. I would gladly recommend this to anyone interested.
94 MP3Pro Support IS possible, it's just a pain for now.
It is possible to get MP3Pro files onto the RD1080, but it is something of a pain. As of right now 7.2 is the only version of MusicMatch that can encode music to MP3Pro. But there is a bug, as detailed here: it prevents it from uploading it to the RD1080. MusicMatch 7.1 can upload MP3Pro files to the RD1080, however, it can't encode them. The easiest thing would be to have two computers, one running 7.2 to encode the files, and one running 7.1 to upload them. At least, until MusicMatch releases a fix for the bug in 7.2. The only other choices are use something else to encode to MP3Pro, or encode with 7.2, uninstall, install 7.1 and upload.
95 I am enjoying my first mp3 player.
When I bought this mp3 player, it was not an impulse buy. I looked at all other competing models...and for the low price this one is hard to beat. I wanted an mp3 player with an fm tuner, this one has it. I wanted an mp3 player with at least 128mb of memory and again this one has it. ALL for a low price. This thing is so tiny it fits in the palm of my hand. I use it at work constantly for upto 10+ hours with name brand batteries. The other reviews give low scores for the software, of which I have had no trouble at all using...I am running the most stable operating system though...win2000. It does also play mp3pro files, which other reviewers have said it doesn't. It's just a bit tricky to get the files on the player, and a support page said it won't fully be implemented until december. I am a hardcore computer enthusiast, and I realyy enjoy this mp3 player. I guess the only gripe I have are the headphones are a bit too big and the carrying case/belt clip is a little loose on my belt so I have to put it in my pocket...also the button is hard to use to switch between tracks when it's in the case ;p BUt I love it.
96 Decent Value
I have owned this player since July 2002. Unlike some of the reviews, this player has been very good to me. Sound quality is very good and I like the fact it is small and comes with a neck strap (I constantly use it at the gym). One annoyance is that it does not use RAW MP3 encoding: it converts files to a proprietary code via MusicMatch Jukebox, a piece of software that is more bloatware and can be cumbersome to use. However, I have not had any problems with installation, downloading, uploading, etc. Another annoyance is the headphones: they are too loose and I had to use an already owned existing pair. So far, support is non-existent on their website, even after numerous inquiries(I was told I was one of the first to buy and that it was not yet widely available).
Overall, the value is very good for the price: it is upgradeable via memory flash cards. Battery life is about 7 hours of play time (I usually change the 2 AAA batteries about once per week). I do recommend this player if you are a gym nut or a runner as it is lightweight and quite rugged (RCA has built a solid player)and is small enough to not get in the way. Again, sound quality is decent and comes with equalizer presets as well as Bass/Tone controls. Radio quality is average. I just wished it used RAW MP3 files.
97 A great player if it worked as advertized
The RD1080 is a great player: 128Mb, expandability, USB transfer, MP3Pro compatibility, and a miniature size.
I would love to say how my RD1080 has been one of my best MP3 players, but it forced its way into my worst.
Perhaps the biggest lie ever told about the RD1080 is the lie that it supports MP3Pro. The MP3Pro is a great form of compression that allows for MP3's to be shrunk in half and still retail quality; some retail outlets advertise that the RD1080 supports this new technology. It does not. I tried a million ways.
The FM radio is great: 10 programmable stations and better reception than a car. Too bad the MP3's on my unit sound like they're coming from an FM station next to an electrical plant. That's right: the sound quality is hampered by a buzz and hiss at any volume and on any headphones.
The software sucks. The thing downloads with MusicMatch Jukebox, a vile chunk of code that always wants to sign its user up for the latest spam ring while installing spy wear, and is about as unstable as software comes. It takes three control-alt-deletes just to get my MusicMatch to read my Mp3's on any computer.
The Lyra would be an excellent purchase were it not a product that had to rush through its testing to get on the market. Maybe you won't have the same troubles with your player, but mine's going back.
98 Bad software?
SO far I haven't been able to get the software to work. I try to load the driver, and it goes into terminal pause. I'm running WindowsME. Anyone else have this problem? Anyone know how to fix it, before I return it to the store on September 30, 2002? If you do, leave the recommendation on your review of the product.
99 Nice!!!
Very easy to use! Sounds great!...No problem loading software on XP.The drivers are already there, All I had to do was load the plug-in for Music Match (I already used Music Match)and I could transfer over 35 songs in about 8 minutes!
100 poor batery life.
works great with imesh.my friend complaned about it being to big but he only has a 32mb memory mp3 player and if it didn't have a radio or four times as much memory it would be realy small ,not that it isn't.expandable memory is cool so you can get a lot of usic without a computer every where you go.i bougt a 256mb card which also adds another 8 hours to the original memory.iI considered buying one of those big ones with 20gb but who needs that much memory.plus there to big the radio is good because if you get tired of listening to your mp3's .The batery life isn't that good{about 12 hours}but I'm used to geting around 62 hours on my mini disc player.the easyist way to solve this is by geting rechargeable bateries.
