The metallic crimson RCA RP2485 portable CD player combines eye-catching slim styling and advanced features like support for MP3 and Windows Media Audio formats and SmartTrax navigation. It even includes MusicMatch MP3 recording software to get you started burning your own MP3 CDs with up to 10 hours of music. Up to 200 seconds of esp-Xtreme skip protection with MP3/WMA files (45 seconds for audio CDs) makes this CD player virtually skip-free in most conditions and a great choice for joggers and runners.
The CD player's SmartTrax navigation technology helps you quickly access specific songs or playlists among the hundreds of tracks on an MP3/WMA-encoded CD-R/CD-RW. Using a library of computer-generated identification tags to identify digital audio files by title, artist, album, year, genre, and track number, the SmartTrax file-management system can "read" song data from your recordable CDs, letting you view song data and create playlists at the touch of a button. SmartTrax can read the song data even before the song is played. A three-line dot-matrix display shows SmartTrax data and allows 30-track/folder programmability.
Other playback features include Digital Bass Boost Surround for extra low-end slam and added musical depth, three preset equalization settings, and a hold switch to prevent unintended interruptions in playback (and to save batteries by negating playback when the player is stopped). The unit operates for approximately 18 hours on two AA batteries, either alkalines or rechargeables (no batteries included), and a handy car kit with DC power adapter lets you travel in style with no batteries required.
What's in the Box
CD player, car cassette adapter, 4.5V car DC power adapter, headphones (e.clipz clip-on headphones), carry strap, and MusicMatch software.
1 Great - i love it
i have had this cd player for a year or more but in white and its the last cd player i will get because its the best i have ever used. i skate and use it everday and it has survived many drops and hits and it works fine. Also when using it in mp3/wma it never skips and last a long time on batteries. i have 440 (wma.) songs on it and they sound great.
2 Best Seller Ever
The first one sent didn't arrive because of an error by the postal service, and Value Wharehouse sent another, via priority mail at no extra charge in time for our trip across country.
3 Comes with the things people WANT.
Sure it doesn't have a lighted display, but it is a very BIG and easy to read LCD. It doesn't have 16 minute Steady Play to ensure 100% skip protection but so what. It comes with a car kit and Software CD, my Rio Volt SP150 didn't, and I payed $49.00 for it ($57 after S&H) I bet this RCA model probably has better volume than my SP150 as well. Betcha don't hafta crank it to 40 just to be able to hear your music, do ya?
This thing plays WMA's and MP3's just like the SP150.
Always look at your options before you buy, after buying my product from Amazon I looked on E-Bay and saw the same exact items as low as $15 if you use "Buy Now."
4 Great sound, but flawed
This portable cd has the best mp3 wma sound I have heard yet, with excellent detail and high frequency sound. The preset equalization settings offer modest adjustments that are usable. There is no custom equalization. Two other minor quibbles: You cannot access the file menu while it is playing, as far as I can tell. And the resume function only starts at the beginning of the file, and only on mp3 or wma. I have some long mp3 spoken files, and wish I could resume within them. The big problem is that when I use the cigarette lighter adapter, with the sound fed into the car stereo via a patch cord, I get heavy distortion, apparently from electrical noise from the CDs electonics and motor. This makes the adapter unusable. I tried the cassette adapter on a portable cassette player, and barely got any sound. It seems equivalent to the RP2478, but without the fm.
Update: This player skips like crazy on some copied music CDs. Ironically, the skipping occurs when the ESP is on. The skipping is much less when the ESP is off and the player is sitting horizontally on a table. And when it skips, it cuts out significant time slices of the recording. I have a music disk that skips every 2 to 4 seconds. But the disk plays fine on my other CD players. The WMA and MP3 seems to be unaffected.
5 Good sound, problem with car kit
This portable cd has the best mp3 wma sound I have heard yet, with excellent detail and high frequency sound. The preset equalization settings offer modest adjustments that are usable. There is no custom equalization.
Two other minor quibbles: You cannot access the file menu while it is playing, as far as I can tell. And the resume function only starts at the beginning of the file, and only on mp3 or wma. I have some long mp3 spoken files, and wish I could resume within them.
The big problem is that when I use the cigarette lighter adapter, with the sound fed into the car stereo via a patch cord, I get heavy distortion, apparently from electrical noise from the CDs electonics and motor. This makes the adapter unusable. I tried the cassette adapter on a portable cassette player, and barely got any sound.
There appears to be very little sign of skipping. On the other hand, I get the impression that when there is, the processor just edits out a fraction of a second of sound, so that the music is offbeat. But this has not happened often enough to be sure, and may be due more to errors within the recorded cd than to jostling.
But the basic cd player is very good. I suspect that some newer ones may offer more up to date features. But I'll tell you one thing for sure: This beats the Riovolt-IRiver cd-mp3-wma player I bought last year, which was a piece of poor engineering combined with absent quality control. At least this RCA works. And it seems equivalent to the RP2478, but without the fm.
6 Skippy
I'm ready to throw mine through the window! Sometimes it worked ok and sometimes not.. now it skips all the time. I can't find my receipt or the software so now I'm out $.
7 its no good
i bought it and returned it the same day.
as soon as i removed it from the package.
i powered it up i put a cd in it played perfect.
the problem began when i used a blue layered disc
recorded with mp3 files.
the disc didnt play at all.
so i returned it the same day.
rca players stink.only sonys cd players are rugged.for everyday
use also sonys discman players donnot care about blue layered discs.it plays all discs.
8 No resume after all
I bought this cd player specifically because it was listed as having the "resume" feature. This feature only works if you are using MP3s NOT if you're using CDs.
The player itself seems really nice and I'm sure that it's great for what it is - it's just not what I wanted and not quite what it says that it is in the specs!
9 TERRIBLE!!! DO NOT BUY!!!
I bought this CD player over the summer, and in a matter of a few weeks, it skipped horribly. I took it back and exchanged it for another player of the same model. Sure enough, it skipped too. Now, it won't even play, and I'm stuck with a bum CD player and short $50. DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT!!!
10 Smartrax trouble and... How do I recharge the batteries??
Hi, I bought this discman.. I think it's great, it plays all my mp3's and wma's, it's easy to use and has a veeeery good antiskip protection... but... I have two questions:
1.- Is there any way to use the Smartrax function without burning the cd's with MusicMatch?? I think it's kinda annoying... Can I use that function if I burn them with Nero?? Or.. do you know any other program that burns cd's and writes the MultiAudio Tracklist (MAU... That's what you need to use the Smartrax...)
2.- How do I recharge the batteries?? What kind of AC Adaptor do I have to buy??? I don't know.. And... what does PDP2060U mean??
Please help me!!!! I would aprecciate it!!
11 Disappointing and returned!
The inner workings of this machine work well. The case is very cheaply made. The battery door is very flimsy, as is the hinge mechanism for the main lid. Unless one takes extra care with this, something will be broken soon. This manufacturer let Amazon down.
12 message to Dave - Alternator whine
The symptoms you describe sounds alot like alternator whine.
Sometimes alternator whine can be cured just by topping off the fluid in your battery or properly grounding your in-dash receiver. Improper grounding of power source pretty common. If those don't work you can get a filter for about $10 that attaches to your alternator.
13 Works Great
i am using this player from 2 months and i dont have any problems with it.it just works and the coolest part is it comes with car kit,its of great use if you dont have a dash board CD player.The only down side is the Max volume is not that much high.i hope this review is helpful to you.
14 RP2485, A great palyer with a defective DC car Pwr adapter
I purchased a RP2485 at a store in Chandler Arizona. With batteries, the
unit function and played very well using "computer generated WMA, MP3" as
well as with commercial audio CDs. The included headphones had a good sound
that was above average. The LCD display was very readable with my 50+ year
old eyes, due mainly to good contrast and thick characters.
However, the unit is targeted for car use through your cassette system. I
was disappointed that no back-lighting was available in a unit targeted for
car use. Manipulating the unit during night driving is extremely hazardous
and accident prone, as I do wonder off and on the highway trying to control
the RP2485 while night driving between Arizona and California.
Another minor issue to me; the 3 foot headphone cord was too short for any
distant use other than from your waist to your ear. I feel the cord should
be at least 6 feet and/or preferably 9 feet.
The included car kit has a 4.5 volt DC power adapter and a cassette
interface. When I hooked up the unit to the car, it had a terrible hum. The
hum was always present, motor running or motor off (in accessories
position). A week later, I went back to another store and bought a second
RP2485. I tried the second unit and it had the same hum problem. I then
intermixed, the two... RP2485s, power adapters, and cassette adapters.
between the units. In all cases, with both RP2485s, I had the same problem
of excessive hum and noise. I returned the second unit. A week later, I went
to California and purchase three more units. They all had the same hum/noise
problem and therefore, I returned them. I still had my original purchased
unit and began to do some testing using my engineering mind.
What I observed with the 'car cassette adapter' ejected, and the "4.5 volt
DC adapter" still plugged in while my car radio was in the AM mode is that;
What I heard was RF noise. The kind of "noise and static" that you hear when
you try to play a AM radio under kitchen fluorescent light bulbs or
equivalent. I tried all stations; weak, strong, local and distant. The noise
was present on all stations. On FM, the noise was not present on any
station. This meant the noise was amplitude in nature.
Next, I unplug the '4.5 volt DC adapter". The noise went away. I plugged it
back in and the noise came back. I went to the store and bought two
different brands of 4,5 volt DC adapters. They produced no noise. I hooked
both of them up to the RCA RP2485 player. The unit operated and played
perfectly without any hum or noise. I also tried a third 4.5 volt DC adapter
from another source. It work fine. I returned the two adapters I purchased
for refund. I kept and now use the third adapter.
After performing lots of test on the RCA adapter, I found that it has a RF
noise problem. The noise gets picked up by the cassette adapter and
amplified. When playing the RP2485 in a car, the radio mode is off and the
cassette mode is on. The result is that you hear this hum along with your
RP2485 CD music. If you remove the cassette adapter and use the headphones
you will not hear the hum because the amplification loop was through the
cassette adapter.
I spoke to an RCA support person on the phone. They stated that RCA would
either replace the adapter on a per complaint basis or refund the purchase.
They would not quote on whether or not the unit met FCC hazardous RF
emissions standards and/or if they are going to do a product recall or just
a quiet revision. Another mechanical problem with the 4.5 volt adapter is
the "spring loaded positive tip button" on the 4.5 volt DC adapter that goes
into the cigarette lighter. The button has a spring that is extremely weak
and results in the button being pushed into its plastic housing and not
coming back out. For many users, this means that they may find that the AC
adapter will not function in their car. The reason is the tip is not making
mechanical contact. Brute force might cause contact to be made.
In cases where you get the DC adapter to work, you may have to hit 4.5 DC
adapter's plastic housing or loosen the fuse cap and stretch the spring to
get the "positive spring loaded tip" back out. This may end up being a
source of Electro-mechanical noise causing the hum/noise problems.
I resolved my problem by using the RP2485 with a third party 4.5 DC adapter.
The RP2485 is a well designed unit. But RCA must fix the 4.5 volt adapter.
The RCA adapter has a "green led light indicator feature" that is ahead of
some competitive adapters. It is illuminated when plugged in and powered.
This helps the user to remember to unplug the adapter when exiting the car.
This is important for cars that have a "live cigarette adapter" when the
ignition and accessories are off. Without a lamp, people tend to hear the
car audio system go off but forget that the RP2485 is still powered when the
car is off.
You can get around the Hum/noise problem by powering the RP2485 from two AA
batteries instead of the 4.5 volt car DC adapter. With "AA "batteries and
the cassette adapter, the RP2485 works well in your car with no hum or
noise. But that does not resolved problem with the included DC adapter that
was designed to eliminate the cost and need for AA batteries.
The battery compartment door is "front" located too close to the "open CD
compartment slide latch. Many times when I open the CD compartment, I touch
the battery compartment door and it falls open and hangs. this is a minor
annoyance to me. This was true in the other four RP2485 units I returned.
The door itself has too plastic hinge protrusions that keep the door
attached and hanging to the unit. So losing the door is not a problem. a
solution may be to use a piece of plastic tape across the door if the RP2485
unit is to be used in the car only/mostly.
15 Good player for the price but ...
Overall good player espacially if you intend to listen to it in the car - very nice sound quality. But if you intend to listen to it with the supplied e.clipz phones - that's a REAL PROBLEM if you are picky about the sound. There is noticable crackling sound which can be heard clearly especially between the songs (I changed the player with a new one hoping the problem was only with the one I have but the new one has the same annoying defect). So make your cd's with as small as possible gap between the songs and enjoy the player.
16 Great player with problems with the car kit.
I bought one of these and everything works great, except for the cigarette lighter power adapter in the car kit. This would not function in either of my two Toyotas. I took the unit back to the store and exchanged it, but the new power adapter wouldn't work either and the cassette adapter works well in my Avalon, but not my RAV-4.
17 Excellent mp3 player for a great price
This is my *THIRD* CD/MP3 combo player, and I finally found one which actually works!
First, the Cons (minor complaints). It feels a little "cheap", the cd cover does not snap securely. And the LCD display is not backlight.
Now, the Pros (many!). Most importantly, this unit had no difficulty whatsoever reading any of my CDRs, CDRWs, or audio CDs. Also, it reads my mp3 CDRs much faster than other units I've used. It has a sweet 4-way rocker for E-Z file naviagation. hold the rocker down and it scrolls through the file listing one "page" at a time. Good sound with bass boost. The supplied e.clipz phones might take some adjustment but they supply a full sound.
The LCD on the unit displays full mp3 tag info (title, artist, album, genre, year), and song time! You can select different shuffle modes: folder, entire disk, and you can select whether to repeat or not. You can select whether you want it to autoplay an mp3, if not, it displays the folders/file names for selection.
This little player even has a programmable play list. I only played around a little with this feature, because I "program" my play lists when I burn a CDR. However, I found it was easy to create a play list.
I am very happy with this inexpensive little player. I burn my mp3's onto CDR and/or CDRW and carry thousands of songs around with me, for a fraction of the price of an iPod.
