Welcome to RioVolt, the next generation of portable CD players. With the ability to play over 20 hours of digital audio from one CD, RioVolt allows you to play both standard audio CDs as well as the MP3 and WMA files that you recorded to CD-Rs. Plus, there's a large, backlit LCD so you can easily find whatever song you like, and a shock resistant feature that lets you take your music anywhere.
There are certain milestones in the progression of any technology that demand attention and praise. With its versatility, sound quality, and ease of use, the Rio Volt Portable CD MP3 Player represents such a standard-setting achievement in the world of portable MP3 CD players and has positioned SONICblue as an industry leader worthy of emulation and acclaim.
While the Rio Volt's predecessors combined solid sound with the ability to play MP3-encoded discs along with standard CD-Rs and CD-RWs, none of them took the extra step of including both WMA (Windows Media Audio) compatibility and ID3 tag support. The addition of these features to the MP3 CD formula makes this unit the most adaptable portable on the market, as well as one of the most convenient.
WMA is a Microsoft audio format that purports to offer MP3-quality sound from files one-half the size, potentially letting you cram up to 300 or so songs on a single disc. The format supports data transmission of 48 Kbps (near-CD quality) and 64 Kbps (CD quality).
ID3 tags are markers embedded in MP3 files that feed song, artist, and album names to your player. Supporting these tags means that a device can display this information, letting you find the song you want without having to remember exactly where on the disc a song sits. This proved an invaluable feature as we scavenged through the hundreds of WMA and MP3 files on our discs for tunes to match our ever-changing moods.
Moving through a song list is easy with the Rio Volt's up/down buttons, and a +10 button lets you jump ahead 10 tracks at a time--especially useful with fully loaded MP3 discs. The inline remote (part of the headphone cord) lets you operate most functions without having to dig the unit out of its carrying case and even offers a battery-friendly hold switch that prevents unwanted initiation of playback.
For those new to MP3, WMA, and rewritable CD formats, the Rio Volt includes Adaptec's Easy CD Creator Standard 4 (for PC--a Deluxe version is available separately) and SoundJam (for Macintosh) software packages for creating your own CDs. Of course, the burning of CDs does require a CD-recording burner, an expense that is almost inevitable if you want to keep up with the latest in audio technology.
Despite the numerous strengths of the Rio Volt, we ultimately discerned a few chinks in its technological armor. Most notably, its programming feature--which offers shuffle and repeat modes along with memory programming--lets you choose songs only by track number rather than by song name. In our testing, this forced us to check track numbers against the CD playlist on our computer several times (and we couldn't print the playlist for easy reference, because the software doesn't provide this option).
Another shortcoming of this portable is its earbud headphones--consider upgrading as soon as possible to headphones that better convey the quality of the Rio Volt's sound.
Along with the handiness of the unit's feature set, we were impressed by the rich, powerful sound of the unit and the consistency of sound quality across the various compatible formats. High-bit-rate MP3 files sounded nearly as crisp and full as standard CDs, and digitally copied CD-RWs (rewritable CDs) sounded just as good as their sources.
Five equalizer presets really make a sonic difference, especially the Jazz and Extra Bass settings. Throw in a choice of 10 or 40 seconds of extremely effective antiskip protection (the 40-second option consumes more power), and you've got the recipe for an easily customized aural treat that performs under almost any conditions. --Ed Noble
Pros:
- Compatibility with MP3/WMA, standard audio CDs, and CD-R/RWs
- Supports ID3 tags for easy search of MP3 files
- Five EQ presets that complement various musical genres
- Great sound
Cons:
- ID3 tag info not displayed when programming
- Hollow-sounding earbud headphones
- Awkward carrying case
The Rio Volt portable MP3-CD player grants free listening across standard audio CDs as well as the MP3 and WMA (Windows Media Audio) files that you've recorded to CD-Rs and CD-RWs, letting you enjoy over 20 hours of digital audio from one CD (or around 250 songs). Plus, Rio Volt's large backlit LCD supports both ID3 tags and CD Text, simplifying song identification from any compatible disc, while 120-second antishock circuitry guards your listening almost anywhere.
While the Rio Volt is the first portable CD player in the family of Rio digital audio players, the manufacturer was thinking ahead: the device supports firmware upgrades to accommodate future digital audio formats.
Amazingly, the Rio Volt sports a playback time of up to 15 hours on two AA batteries (included), making it the first disc player we know of that can't play a single CD in its entirety. Don't fret, however--you'll find an AC/DC adapter in the box in case you want to listen to all 250 tracks of a single disc in one sitting.
The ID3 text display includes track number, song name, artist name, folder (album title), and overall playing time. The Rio Volt also lets you navigate through directories and search for tracks one by one or in blocks of 10.
A sleek eight-function remote control lets you operate the Rio Volt while it's tucked away in its carrying case or even in a backpack. The Rio Volt comes bundled with RealNetworks music management software and Adaptec CD-burning software for use on your PC or Macintosh.
Audio features include adjustable equalization curves with five presets (normal, jazz, rock, classical, ultrabass), repeat and shuffle play modes, and programmable playlists.
The Rio Volt comes with a 1-year warranty on parts and labor.
1 .
i must have had this since the first week of its release. my dad got 2 for free somehow, and this thing can take a beating. This thing runs as smooth at the day i got it, and i've dropped it like crazy. this was much better than any other mp3 on the market in the past, and its still one of them now.
2 Don't Buy
Ok where to start...
It's bulky
It eat batteries like no other. About 4 hours max on battery life.
I dropped it from about 2 feet and the lid broke; now I use the case to keep it closed.
It does scroll and that is probably the only good feature. However, you cannot organize your music in anyway. So you might be scrolling through a 170 song playlist.
I would suggest buying and Iriver SlimX 350 or higher.
3 Great So Far
After just a short time with this, I'm really happy. The warnings about this skipping have proved untrue. I made sure I had the latest software update. I will say that I haven't done a lot of jumping around to test this, but I've carried it in a fanny pack while working around the house and shop. I did find that it is a little slow to rev up with MP3s, and so gave it only 4 of 5 stars. My TDK Mojo gave up the ghost after a couple years, and I chose this RioVolt as a replacement. If I get a couple years out of it, I'll be happy.
4 Stands to the test of time
Bought in 2001, runs like it was brand new. Has stood up to running abuse & being dropped multiple times. Key point: Plays anything you throw @ it, cd, cd-r, vbr mp3, mp3 encoded to cd-rw...etc. Remote is worthless. Battery cover opens easily. Eats batteries (you should have some good rechargeables anyways). Excellent sound that can be tweaked w/ the equalizer. Button placement could be better as you can hit the stop or play button instead of FF/RW especially if inside your pocket.
5 its ok
It does everything it should although the volume is weak (hard to hear in NYC subway) and batteries run out fast.
6 a great gadget - the best available
I used this player for about two years. I would highly recommend it. Sound and support is great. The only problam: after using it well for a couple of years it mysteriously died. I am now using the 250 model but I bought the extended warranty.
7 So far, so good
I have had my player for over a year and so far there have been no problems. I always use it when I drive and it has played pretty smooth thus far.
I really love being able to make a CD with over a hundred songs. Works great for roadtrips. The little controller that comes with it is very convenient to use. Great player so far!
8 It's good, depending on how you use it
I bought this product a while ago because im the type of person who doesnt like to carry a lot of cds with me and I thought this was a great idea. At first it was great, the idea of having 150+ songs on was cd was great. Altough there are people who say the anti-skip works, it really doesnt. I used it when I walked or when i rode my bike, but it skipped a lot. I know about the buffer thing, your suppose to wait a while so that the songs starts playing again, but it doesnt solve the problem, it still skips. In my opinion, get this produclt ONLY if you are the type of person who is gonna have it somewhere where its still, if you walk or jog, look for a different product.
9 Completely satisfied
I have been reading some of the reviews about this product and was slightly hesitant to order but the price was so right and there did seem to be some satisfied customers. I received the player in the morning and immediately got a MP3 encoded CD out so I could go do a nice long training ride in the mountains. I found the remote to be quite good and the case is just that, a carrying case. I did find it to be protective and the player fit nicely in the back of my cycling jersey. The ear phones were not so good but when I got back home to look at the stuff in the box in more depth, I found the little black foam pieces that slip over the ear pieces and they work great now. They are similar to the ear buds on my team's two way radios and we do some hardcore riding with those in our ears, so I don't see why people find them not to work for them. Put those little black slip covers on them and your problems will be solved. The skipping aspect of the player...nonexistent. I was riding some of smooth and dirt road, occasionally I would stand and be riding, but no skipping. Sound was great. It made riding in the mountains with a nice atmosphere of music, quite nice. People talking about the remote being flimsy and probable for breaking...hmmmm...I guess if you throw your stuff around and don't take care of it, that could happen. I found the whole player package to be quite useful. I do know about music and good sounding things and I believe that all audio equipment has to have some bit of care taken towards it. I can see why people have problems when they throw it in there backpack or don't take the time to improvise of the stuff given to you. I thinks this mp3/CD Player is quite good and would recommend it to anyone that asks me.
thank you
10 A year old already!!!!
WOW!!! the first mp3 cd player is a thing of the past. although out of production i think this is still one of the easiest and best souindling mp3 cdplayer. I have a set of maxwell rechargable 1600mah batteries that on averedge give me about 16 hours of play time!!! I carry a total of maybe 20 cds in my car now instead of the 120 i used to take with me. This player reads the most scracted cd perfectly. It has great antishock altough it cant greatly decrase its battery life. The best part of this player is with the frimware upgrades you can read the newest compressions the way they should. One more upgrade would be good for mp3pro which would give you 40 hour of music on a cd. This cd player reades even the most horribly put together cds unlike its cheap counterparts like the memorex or audiovox they are junk spend the extra money and buy a rio you stupid music junkie!!!!
11 great awesome some poeple are crazy
this is one of the best cd players i have ever had many people say they break easy but i have had it for 4 months and it is like new those people must have been hitting it. so why dont you buy this and write a review like me.
12 Great Product - Greatest Price
I bougth a reburbished sp100 (61$), i think this was a great DEAL. this is very light and fast to read tracks , dont could be best. I recommend this one.
13 A Maybe Choice. It depends if you like batteries or not.
This, I thought, was an okay purchase. The fact that it had text display so that you can see the names of your songs was a great idea, but it did not work for every cd. And the part that I do not like at all which has driven me nuts ever since I have gotten it is the battery life. I have used all sorts of brands of batteries and I can never get more than 40-50 minutes of battery life. It literally gobbles up your battery . I mean it is preety bad when your jammin' to one of your cd's and then, bang, it cuts out on you. I think it might be because of the pointless people that they have dancing around on the bottom of the LCD display screen. Other than the battery life problem it is a great item.
14 Great fun! Until its stupid...
I bought the RioVolt SP100 Portable CD/MP3 Player with all hopes of finally having tons of songs on a cd that would never skip. And with MP3s it didn't.
Audio CDS did skip at the smallest touch as there was no buffer for them and such a buffer would have made it cost more. The sound quality was great, but it took quite a learning curve to understand the product. The equalizers pretty much did nothing, and you were very limited in how you made your own.
But heres the funny part:
I put it on my desk after i was done listening to it overnight, and in the morning it just didn't work anymore. It would only play tracks one and two of any gived cd, and then it'd only play 22 seconds of each song.
SonicBlue has a TERRIBLE customer service. SO BAD that they havn't even contected me yet, and it broke LAST SUMMER.
If you guys really want something that will play MP3s, buy an Archos or an iPod. Archos lets you record songs, so if your friend has a song on their cd that you want, you can just record it from them.
Get something else.
15 A great player, BUT....
...don't expect it to last forever. Granted nothing does, but considering that I dont usually have much excess money to spend, I wanted a little more than a year of usage out of it.
I bought this player pretty early on in its life, sometime in July of 2001. It worked wonderfully for months, and accompanied me everyday to school. The earbuds provided put out great, loud sound, although the volume meant nothing, since outside noise always seeped in around the tiny phones. That aside, it read the cds fine, never skipped, and used very little battery power. As an extra note for the cds-they were cheap CompUSA ones, and worked in virtually no other player without a hitch.
As with most portable audio devices, the first thing to go were the headphones. That was no big deal, until I learned one major and unstated error. The player is much quieter when it isn't plugged in, and so you need headphones with low OHMS. It was several months before I had another problem with it, this time it wouldnt read the aforementioned CompUSA cds. That was no big deal, since I got better ones and was using those on a regular basis. Unfortunately, it only got worse faster from there. It soon began skipping constantly when I loaded an mp3 cd. It would load some songs fine, and play them fine everytime I wanted to hear them, but for others that werent listened to as often, it wouldnt load at all. I finally (after a year) upgraded the firmware to version 2.10 to see if that would help. It added a bunch of cool options (such as doubling the lacking volume), but did nothing to correct the read problems. Finally, just a couple days ago, it died. It won't even load the firmware...it just spins and says "no disc."
So, story aside:
-You can't get a better player for the money, except maybe the SP-90 Riovolt.
-Sound quality is pretty exceptional, even with the included earbuds.
-Equalizer settings are useless, except for Rock, which has a well-balanced tone
-Anti-Skip works well, until it runs out. Good luck listening to anything without restarting.
-It takes abuse pretty good...it was jammed in the bottom of my backpack quite a few times, and also took a 3 foot high fall onto concrete, and once I unstuck the laser from where it was caught, it came out working like a charm. Ironically, it stopped working when it stopped getting abused. Go figure.
-I dont know about people's navigation problems...its pretty easy to get where you want to go between the '+10' and navigation buttons.
-display is easy to read, the backlight is bright enough to keep the monsters under the bed at night, but I dont really know what the dancers are for.
-I've learned that if it doesn't work, bang it against the carpet a few times. The carpet's got the right consistency to knock the sense back into the player and get it working again.
Bottom Line (literally):If you have a burner, a few hundred mp3's, and a limited budget, go ahead and get this. If you have some more patience, I suggest cruising over to Ebay and picking up a Nomad for the same price (thats what Im gonna do). Or if you have more money, go buy it from this wonderful place.
16 good. very. single problem
The Riovolt Sp100, for its price, is a very good buy. While the Iriverslim, and Sp250 are better, they also have the price to match.
Being able to unpgrade the firmware makes this product outstanding. Technology will advance, and sooner than we know, a new format is going to be out, with a upgradable firmware, the rio is a great buy for that sole reason.
While most people can store 200+ songs, i uually stay around 120. I use mostly 192 kbit songs, and a few 128 kbits, never anything lower. While this does eat up more memory, the sound quality is signifigently better. HOWEVER, it has been found, once you go over 250 songs, the Rio has problems recognizing them.
While most users complain that it is hard to scroll through 200 songs, change the scroll speed, FF speed, etc, they all don't understand how to use the rio to its full potential. Burn music in folders on to CD-R/Ws and they will appear as directories. Beware though, DirectCD often creatures strange folders that were not burned, such as "popnation" or "Rockathon" that contain no music. With ungrade 2.1, many new options are avaible. you can change almost anything. FF speed, scroll speed, even a custom EQ settings. Experiment, that's the only way to reach the full potential (don't tell the durability though). If you turn a rio off, then turn it back on without removing the CD, will resume where you stopped. if you turn the player off in the middle of "Garbage - When I Grow Up," the rio will contiune from the middle, well at least for my player. For playlist, the instructions are not complicated, and can done without much trouble.
The rio rarely skips, that remember that depends on what setting the rio has been set, and the charge to the batteries. a rio with low charge batteries will skip FAR easier. I've sprinted with the rio in my hand with full charge battieries, and the rio did not skip for a full minute.
the sound quality is good, but that depends on the quality of the songs you burn. burning 96 kbits songs will give you bad quality sound. The earbuds the rio comes with are good. they don't get staticy as the sound level rises. alot of headphones do.
The large, backlit display is far better than many CD players, the decent battery life, and durablity are all good qualities. I've dropped my rio in its leathercase two feet on to concrete by accident and my rio was fine. the leather case really helps stop scrathes.
The customer service, contrary to belief is good. My rio stopped work for some reason, and with a few e-mails, i sent my rio to sonicblue's HQ, paid for shipping ... amd had a new one sent to me within two weeks. The new one works better than me old one. However, if you have problems and must use customer service through e-mails, don't delete ANYTHING from the previous e-mail when u reply. that's probably the reason why other users think rio's customer service stinks.
The single problem i have with the rio is the remote. three of my friends bought riovolts sp100s and within two months the remotes all stopped working, except for a single button. While this isn't a big deal, the remote that came with my Sp100 is weak, flismy, and not dependable. If sonicblue hasn't started including the new remotes, I seriously suggest you buy a new remote if you get a Sp100. The remote looks like the Sp250s, but not black.
Sonicblue has continously evaulated the sp100 since the first day they started shipping. originally, the opening of the leather case was on the right side (holding opening away from you), and making it akward to pull the cd player out. then whenever a new upgrade went up on the support site, all new shipping rios were upgraded. this is a good buy for it's price. However, i'd suggest you look into the Sp250 or the Iriver slim.
17 Excellent! A Six-Star music player.
TO BEGIN
I had been looking for an affordable and reliable CD player for months before I came across this beauty (the RioVolt sp100). I was simply looking to replace my 2-year-old CD player with something with skip protection. After much research, I decided mp3-cd players were the way to go.
- CD/mp3 players play regular music CDs as well as CDs with mp3 (or WMA) files stored on them.
- Depending on the size of the file, you can store anywhere from 1-999 tracks (usually no more than 200 medium-sized songs will fit)
- Regular mp3 players ONLY play files from cards or memory chips; these play from standard CDs, and are capable of playing normal music CDs while providing skip protection as well
- One disc of ...will give you 700MB of space; ...P>TO CONTINUE
Now why I chose THIS particular product above all the rest
- Its aesthetic appeal- more so than the sp90 or sp250
- Very user-friendly interface
- It has a large LCD display with a backlight, which is a must if you use the player in little/no light
- This LCD displays the song track, title (if mp3), type, mode, time elapsed or remaining, and makes navigation easy when browsing for a particular song or directory
- The controls are easy to use (playing, programming, navigating, preferences, etc)
- It comes with an ON-WIRE REMOTE--one of my favorite features. Not only does it match, but it's also wonderfully designed and conveniently plugs into the headphone jack, where a few feet later you can plug in your headphones to the end of the remote, adding flexibility. The remote is especially useful when the player is in a case. The buttons on the remote can do anything the buttons on the player can!
- If you put an entire folder from your PC onto a disc, it will appear as a "directory" on the player; very convenient for sorting the songs by artist/album, etc.
- The features are outstanding! There are of course the standard mode settings such as repeat, shuffle, continuous, etc, but these can be combined with each other or with all the files on the CD, only the files in that directory, etc.
- The preferences are innumerable! Customize the preferences you want when operating this player. Easy to use, and fantastic!
- For normal music CDs, you can choose the strength of the ESP
- Equalizer to fit the genre of your music; even create your own
- Very sturdy, durable, and well-built, and LONG battery life
- It does not skip, not even with normal music CDs
- If you buy a car adapter you will be able to listen to your mp3s wherever you can play standard audiocassettes.
- Comes with CD writing/organizing software, includes upgradeable firmware to change with the times (latest is 2.10)
- MANY more
TO CLARIFTY
- There are no "popping" "clicking" or any other unpleasant noises produced by this player except for the music itself. These problems were on the older firmware, which has long since been fixed.
- Earbuds: no complaints. They match, work, are tiny and NOT uncomfortable, and I certainly have no complaints about the sound quality. If you feel otherwise, simply pick up a different pair ... do not let the headphones be the reason for not buying this player
- The case: The player, though sturdily built, is a bit safer in the case. Sure, you can't see the LCD or the buttons while the player is in the case, but it fits nicely and has a convenient hole in the side to plug in your headphones, remote, AC/DC power source, etc. If you really feel the need for a better case, you can buy a better one on Rio's website ... If you still have problems with the case, JUST DON'T USE IT. Or simply cut a hole for the LCD display yourself; it'll be fun.
- No matter what they will tell you, it DOES NOT SKIP unless under extreme conditions-- but any other player would, too. It HAS NOT SKIPPED ONCE for me.
TO CLOSE
- My major motivation for buying this player was the price...This is an unbeatable price for what you get! You could buy the sp90 for ... less, if you can live with less features and accessories. Or for ... extra you can get the higher model, the sp250, which offers an FM tuner. But for the price and everything that comes wit it, don't settle for anything less than the sp100!
- I recommend only buying this player if you have CDs with mp3s on them, or plan to in the future (mp3s are the future--or rather present-- of music storage)-- you never know when you'll need to play mp3s on the go. But hey, even if you don't why not buy the player anyway?
- Please do not take all of the negative reviews into consideration. I mean, it's always good to know others' experiences with a product (you know mine), but I notice that most of them are angry because of customer service, slow shipping, incompatible computers, damage due to mistreatment, etc. My experience with this player has brought me nothing but joy and amazement. You're reading this because you are considering. You will not regret it! If you are one of the .1% who receive one that for some reason does not work, it's under warranty; send it back.
- I know that you will be pleasantly surprised at the overall excellence of this player. When I got it, I would never have dreamed of being able to write so many great things about it. Believe me; I've done my homework and KNOW-- this is the best mp3/CD player for your money. God Bless!
18 this rocks and rolls
This thing is awesome. I just bought one and started using it. The headphones are [not good] so i suggesst that u buy other ones. It does skip when u play regular audio cd's. But when u play data discs it doesnt skip. Also with data discs u can get over 100 songs on one cd. The batteries do drain fast and if u dont know what ure doin the "getting started" directions won't help. They also include a nice leather case and some softwre. The software is "easy cd creator 4" "real jukebox" and a few more. They also include one of those hand things taht have a clip.(look at the pictures and u'll see what i mean.) I also think that the people who said that this thing stinks must always listen to audio cds or they must be friggen computer geeks. I f ure lookin' for a good but simple cd player here is ure choice.
19 Disappointing
The RioVolt plays wmas -- but the manual included is lacking and weak in terms of providing reaonable direction on how to create, save, and put wmas and playlists on a cd. Attempts to follow-up with customer support with SonicBlue have also been lackluster.
If you are looking a simple cd player, then the RioVolt would fit the bill. If you are looking for something that would play wmas and playlists on the cd, then look elsewehere. It is simply a disappointment.
20 Condensing has never been easier.
This player is top of the line. The ability to Navigate through tracks is excellent. I have put my CD collection into a volume set on 15 CDs. My orginal CDs are over 400. By putting the albums into a folder by an artist you can then navigate and go directly to an album or song. The anti-shock is the best I have ever seen. The software included is a bonus, however you do not really need it. If you have MusicMatch Jukebox and a CD burner your set to go. I suggest MusicMatch with any MP3/CD player. Why? Well, the MP3 can be altered. You can change MusicMatch's setting from "above CD quality sound" to lower qualitys of sound. Now, the best thing I found is you can get over 350 songs on one disc by choosing FM quality sound. Do you really want to lose sound quality? Well, the truth is it is almost impossible to hear the difference between "above CD quality sound", "CD quality sound", and "FM quality aound". The whole difference in making those changes is no noticable difference in sound and the ability to double your space. With the "FM quality" you can get around 27-30 full length CDs on a 700MB CD-R. The Riovolt is an excellent product.
21 Just a few minor annoyances
This has everything a CD player should have, minus 1 or 2, plus it plays MP3s and WMA. Get 200+ songs onto a CD and enjoy for several hours. I only have 2 complaints about it. It doesn't come with resume and playlists can't be saved. Every time you make a playlist, if you stop playing it, it's gone. Also, you always start at the first track on a CD instead of being able to resume where you left off like most others. Other than that it's great.
22 "no disc" = very disappointing
Like other reviewers, I saw the raves on the internet and bought the Riovolt. I kept it in my room on a desk playing only audio CD's and it worked great for awhile- maybe 20 hours of disc time. Then I tried my first MP3 and got a "no disc" error. I thought I had recorded the files wrong or something, until I finally tried another audio CD and still got the "no disc" error. Their website says to clean the laser but that didn't do anything for it. They also said to upload the new software on it but it wouldn't read that disc either.
I don't like having to write a poor review but if I can save someone else the time and trouble of buying this item I will. Unfortunately, I am out of the country and can't return or replace this item. If you want to enjoy your music buy another player!
23 good but......
it cost me [money],and extra money to shipp it from USA to my country jordan,it was my first MP3 player ,I have upgrdae to 2.10 frimware ,the quality of sound is great ,its easy to use ,and have good documention,and all software come with it is nice and handy,every thing is perfect on it,but its made from [inexpensive] plastic I dont know whey I feel its will break donw into 100 pices if I drop it 10CM above the ground,when I have bought it I look for big Anti-Shock and 120 Second was the biggest, but it use less or doest do it jop will, if you use it when you are walking "not running" it will skip alot,I have suprised when that happen becouse when I read the past reviews they said that it will not skipp "except one",so it not that player for walking or in the GYM, the situation on AUDIO CDs is wrost that mp3 if you walk , I have find the mp3 buffer is 60 secound "maximum" I thought that its 120 secounds, is it and Anti-Shock the same ??? , I think there is some bad desgine of buffer, when you start the song the buffer full with 60 or 120 secound of the song and it start playing from buffer and the cd stop moving then when the buffer is going empty the cd start to move to reload the buffer ,that as I think but why they reload the buffer when it 1/2 load "they use the space that you have leasson to it " that will give the player extra time to try to reload the buffer when you are moving "its hard to the player to read clear when you are moving" I hope that I have sucsess to make you understand what I mean ,I hope that sonic blue will do that thing on the next frimware, I thank you should go to biger Anti-Shock or buffer player than this one if you are planning to use it when runnig or at GYM.
24 Worked great for a while
Worked great when I first received, but after about 6 weeks it just stoped working. Phone support was either nonexistent or expensive. Online support, which they recommended, resulted in NO RESPONSE.
I Have given up on this expensive mistake.
Bought another brand.
Won't buy a RIO/Sonic Blue product again.
25 Eh....
... I thought that it was God's gift to music lovers at first. Now, don't get me wrong, it really is an awesome MP3-CD player. I love how it looks, the display (backlighting is magnificent!) and the menu options. Not to mention the fact that that it is upgradeable with their firmware. However, I too had problems with the anti-shock feature.
First of all there is no way to turn it off to save the batteries. You can only alternate between two settings. Also, it just didn't work. With ANY kind of CD. If I was walking with it in my bag, I would have to just stop every so often so it would start playing. It wouldn't just skip, it would stop all together until the player was held still for a few seconds. I guess I was just accustomed to my old Panasonic that you could take on a trampoline and it wouldn't skip!
The second big problem I had with the MP3-CD feature, was that if a CD was not completely filled with MP3's then it would not reliably play all of the ones on the disc. It seemed to be comletely arbitrary as to which ones it would play. However, after I filled the disc, it would play all of them just fine.
All in all, it is a good CD player...
26 Awesome CD player!
This CD player is the best I have ever bought! The sound is great, the operation is easy, and I love that it can play MP3 CD's! One of my favorite things about it is that it shows you the names of songs on any CD burned in a computer, not just MP3 CD's. I also like the remote you can attach to the head phone cord. My only problem was that my first one was faulty so a called SonicBlue and they sent me a replacement in 4 days. My only other complaint is about the case. It seems to be the worst case design in the world.
Pros:
-Great sound
-Great design
-Easy to use
-Has a remote
-No software to install on your computer
Cons:
-Terrible case
-Uncomfortable earbuds
As you can see, the pros heavily outweigh the cons. Enjoy!
27 Skip City
This player skips anyway you carry it, and anywhere you carry it. Do noy buy it!
28 Great Product for The Money, Does everything i'd like it to.
This is an excellent MP3/CD Combo Player. It does what I need it to. Never skips, and the portable remote is great. It includes updateable firmware and an AC adapter (the SP90 doesn't) so it makes it well worth it. Note: I'm really only using this for the most basic features, I don't move around with it, nor do I use any of the advanced programmable features or equalizer....
29 Rio Volt Rocks
This is the greatest cd player that I have every owned. All problems that I read about were either fixed by firmware or were not there in the first place. It has not skiped once, and I keep it set on the lowest anti-skip setting. I keep it in my backpack and walk around and bike with it and it just will not skip. The remote rocks. I don't know how I lived without one for so long. My favorite functions have to be the ten dics resume, choices to shuffle and repeat within directories, and the ability to program the foward, back, and eq buttons. The only problems are the carrying case and earbuds. The carrying case is useless because there is no window to see the display. The earbuds give horrible sound, but anyone who takes their music listening seriously should already have a pair of earphones that they like. I would recomend this product to anyone, it is the best.
30 great player!!
This thing is awesome. What an affordable solution to other MP3 players out there. I wanted to get this mainly cause I was tired of carting piles of CDs back and forth to work, yet I didn't want to pay the high price of a portable MP3 player. This did the trick. I burned about 7 discs full of MP3s. Now I have hours and hours of music in 7 small sleeves. This is also a great way to protect the original disc from damage.
The controls on this are very intuitive as well. Navigation is pretty easy with the +10 button, but I agree, you will need to have some sort of list. I just list the main albums I have on the disc, but it's easy enough to print out a complete song list if you're so inclined. The backlit display is essential and very easy to read. There are also many modes you can play in, but I mainly use standard and shuffle.
If there is one thing I would like for this, it would be better battery life. It runs on 2 AA batteries, but you better keep extras with you if you plan on using the batteries a lot. They seem to last around 10 - 15 hours.
Other than that, HIGHLY recommended.
31 With one exception the best
With the exception of the new iriver 350 SlimX, this is the best CD/MP3 player on the market. I own several MP3 players and the Riovolt consistently tops all (with the exception noted above and I believe iriver produced the Riovolts for SonicBlue) Having firmware upgradeability is great, and the latest version will now remember/resume where you left off on up to 10 different discs (great for audiobooks). Note that the technical specs listed are incorrect when they say the unit does not have resume, it does with the firmware upgrade. Great value.
32 Didn't last a month!!
I can't see what's the big deal about this project. OK, fine, I probably could handle the skipping and fast battery drainage, but then several events happened (below, in chronological order), forcing me to warn people not to buy this product.
1. The hold button suddenly didn't work.
2. The remote that came with it suddenly stopped working as well.
3.The whole unit stopped playing CDs and couldn't function.
Forget about customer support!! Rio would just send you a useless FAQ email.
Please, please, please don't buy this!!
33 Deeply Flawed
It skips when you walk; let alone run. It pauses inbetween mixed songs so listening to dance compilations is a torture. With regular portable disk players playing recorded CDs, I don't see the value of this product.
34 Impressions of a person new to MP3s and MP3 Players
I recently bought my first MP3 Player -- The RioVolt and overall I like it...I think it was a great bargain. The sound quality is very good. I really like the fact that it reads CD RW disks. I fill a disk with songs I like, and carry it with me. As I get tired of certain songs.. I just change them out. Its great...I only need one disk.
There are,however, a few things that I don't like about it.
1) Its not as nice as my Panasonic cd player for CDs. The anti skip isn't as good, it isn't as compact and generally doesn't feel as well built (the buttons, latch, etc.). I'm not sure but I feel like this unit will not tolerate a great deal of abuse.
2) It loses my place on the CD every time I turn it off (This is very annoying. If I could change one thing...it would be this). I don't even bother setting up playlists for this reason.
3) It takes a very long time to start playing when I first turn it on and I find it difficult to navigate through the songs (I don't understand why they wasted 1/3 of the screen space for that silly dancing person).
4) The instruction manual is poorly written and I probably still don't understand all of the features.
Don't get me wrong...the advantages of this (vs. my regular CD Player) greatly out weigh the disadvantages. I would recommend the RioVolt to anyone who likes music and is on the go a lot...(having over 100 songs on one cd is awesome). Its a great product...but there is room for improvement.
35 An MP3 player you can love.
The RioVolt SP100 has probably the same features as the SP90 but has upgraded software and more features . The SP100 is great and gives you great features. One of my favorite features is the equalizer, so you can manage to have the best sound possible for your type of genre. (Sound options include normal, rock, jazz, classical, and ultra bass). Another feature is the mode button and it gives you plenty of repeat options, shuffle, speed scan, etc. Other features include prog., +10 (skips ten songs at a time) and a remote.
The only problem with this is that it plays MP3 songs in alphabetical order and to skip through songs, you use the navigator button. Overall, this is a great mp3 player with good features.
Pros: Excellent Sound Quality
Good skip protection (40 sec for cds, 120 for mp3s)
Good features
Plays MP3s, and blah blah blah
Cons: Navigator is a pain
Stupid cd case
15 hours of battery life (just not enough)
36 Don't Trust the Bad Reviews
I just bought the SP100 at the mall today and like many of you I had serious doubts about it. I had read that it skipped a lot, it was made out of cheap plastic, there was a big gap between songs, the headphones were terrible, and it didn't sound good. Well all the people who said these things either grossly overexagerated the truth or bought a different thing than what I got. Except for the headphones they're not even worth your time. I am basing all this on how the product came in the box, the firmware version is 1.13.
Starting with the skipping:
It was said that it skipped a lot on the audio CD's especcially. Well even though it takes a few seconds to start playing it hasn't filled up the buffer until a few seconds later. So, consiquently if you start jogging, tapping, or seomething else it will skip quite soon, but after the buffer is filled it works GREAT! To test the skipping I did the tap test, as well as dropping it a few times from about 4 feet onto the carpet.
Next the Plastic it's made of:
All I can say is I don't know where they got the idea the plastic was cheap. The only thing that could be improved is the battery door which doesn't stay closed well, but I consider that a minor issue.
About the Gap Between Songs:
When playing regularly there is at most a 2 second gap. (keep in mind I havn't had a chance to upgrade the firmware yet) If you play in shuffle/random mode the the gap can get as long as 4-5 seconds, which will probably be fixed in the version I still have to upgrade to.
The headphones:
They are terrible. That's all there is to it. If you want some really good headphones go buy some KOSS UR-30 headphones.
Lastly the Sound Quality:
I believe that the reviewers with the bad reviews listened to it with the included headphones, as I said earlier they are terrible, and of course it will sound bad. With my KOSS headphones it sounds *****EXCELLENT*****. The equilizer is very good despite what they say.
So, I gave it a 4-star rating because of the few flaws in it: the loose battery door, and the bad included headphones. It was fairly expensive for them to not include good headphones. other than that I say go out and get it as soon as you can and ignore the bad reviews.
Please chose if you found this helpfull or not, Thanks
37 makes a nice mp3/cd player, and even better door stop....
Ok RioVolt SP100 is a good first generation mp3/cd player, I'll give it that, hell it's probably much better than a lot of the second generation mp3/cd players on the market as far as features go(navigation, id3 tags, etc.).
Alright let me cut to the chase; I use a portable audio device frequently for my daily commute and I need a player that is durable with good skip protection. Unfortunately the RioVolt SP100 is not what I wanted. Yes it is a great player if you're going to have it sitting still on a desk, but I need something that I could move around with and not skip so often, its not even like I use it for exorcize, I just walk with it and its skips. Another bone that I have to pick with it is that it's just so darn big and bulky, but that's a minor problem compared to the skipping.
I brought this player when it was fairly new on the market and there weren't many other mp3/cd players to choose from, so I would advise anyone considering buying this player to look elsewhere, especially now that there are better mp3/cd players on the market.
38 Worked great -- until it died
Loved it, used it everyday, had only nice things to say about it. Until about the four-month mark, when it just up and died for no apparent reason. Loved it enough that I'll get another one -- and recommend you do the same -- but this time I'll keep the receipt and register it so I can invoke the warranty.
39 absolute [junk]
initially, i was very excited about purchasing this unit. I did extensive research and the rio volt came up time and time again. I decided to plunk down the [money] at [a local retailer].
Initially, it worked great with no problems. That was about 3 months. Afterwards, it was nothing but annoying to say the least. The unit seems picky when it comes to the brand of blank cd's you use. i used memorex cd's and it worked fine, but with any other brand, it wouldn't even spin up the cd and the words "NO DISC" continued to come up. Later, the unit wouldn't even load up the Memorex CD's. Sometimes i'd have to restart the unit 10 times before the unit would load the MP3's off of the cd. Then, it would skip like crazy. I actually let it skip and try to play through one song... a 4 minute song took about 27 minutes to play because it skipped so badly. I did make several attempts to clean the lens with a good cd lens cleaner, but it made absolutely no difference whatsoever.
The battery life dwindled considerably over the course of a few months. It started to give me 14 hours of life from 2 AA batteries (as promised at the website), but soon, i was lucky to get 4 hours with rechargable nickel hydride batteries.
I live in a cold climate and they player just seemed to never want to warm up sometimes. I would never leave something so expensive in my car... but when i would use it in my car after warming it up, it continued to give me problems. I'm not sure if the problems with the unit are caused by the cold or by terrible construction. Either way, it's a piece of junk.
I did like the remote control on the headphones, but the earbuds that are included sound terrible which meaned that i had to purchase additional headphones. The carry case that comes with the unit is absolutely useless and hardly seems worthy of using. How much does someone have to spend to get a protective carry case that isn't as thin as a piece of paper? i think [the cost] is more than sufficent to justify a real "protective" case.
If you're looking for a portable MP3 player worthy of your time and your hard earned income, i would highly recomend the Creative Labs Jukebox any day over this. I replaced my Rio Volt with one and i have been in absolute MP3 heaven ever since.
Do yourself a favor... walk right past this unit at the store and pick up a Creative Labs Jukebox. Rio needs to serriously rethink the way they do things and treat their customers because they've completely lost me as a customer and more are sure to follow if they buy one of these overpriced paperweights.
40 Outstanding!
The SP100 represents for me a quantum leap in personal music management. With the help of the new iMac and iTunes, I've been able to rip and burn twelve hours worth of wildly diverse music from an endless source: my own CD collection, MP3s downloaded from the internet, and the large collection of CDs from the public library. Everyone from Phillip Glass, R.L. Burnside, and Marshall Crenshaw, all on one CD-RW. So far, the unit has worked flawlessly.You must, however, prepare your media carefully before burning. That means properly tagging each title with the .mp3 suffix and arranging music by album, artist, and proper song numbering sequence. If you simply throw a jumble of songs onto a CD-R disk the result will be less than satisfactory. Battery usage was okay with regular alkalines but spend a few extra bucks on long life lithiums or better yet a good nickel-metal hydride rechargeable battery kit. Yes, the ear buds are [POOR]. The Koss KSC50 Sportclips are an good substitute. The sound quality is excellent and user defined playback options are plentiful. Having the freedom to burn some 100 or more songs and listening to them at random in shuffle play is a new experience of pure delight! This is truly a consumer empowering tool - the musical possibilities are endless. I congratulate SonicBlue on an outstanding product.
41 Great value, way cool
First off let me say that ... this is a great deal. I use mine at work, then I plug it in my car (with the Koss car kit) then I plug it in at home to my Denon receiver. The sound is great, unless you have a (expensive) stereo system at home. But then again, if you have that, why are you listening to mp3s?
The good:
-remote is cool. I keep the player in my glove box and I glued my remote to the dash. Out of site and easy to get to.
-good sound
-I love mp3s
-you can put mucho grande mp3s on a CD - no changing discs!
-it reads directories
-it displays song title, band and track number
If I had some complaints, this is what they would be:
-it reads directories, which is cool. But it doesn't read 2 directories down. For example if I have \Pearl_Jam\10\ on a CD, it will show nothing in the "Pearl_Jam" directory and all the songs will be in a directory called "10". So if I don't remember what band "10" belongs to, I have to guess. Now I just name all the directories with the band name in it (Pearl_Jam-10)
-the battery door doesn't stay shut worth a damn. The batteries never fall out, but I'm always worried they are going to.
-the display is so small, you can only see the words "[MP3] 01 TE" and you have to wait for the display to start scrolling before you can see what the band and song is (by the way the full line would say "[MP3] 01 TEN Pearl Jam-Jeremy" that would take about 5 seconds to scroll across.
The FM receiver wasn't worth it to me and the shock protection has been plenty so I think this model is the best value.
42 Great value, way cool
First off let me say that for [price] this is a great deal. I use mine at work, then I plug it in my car (with the Koss car kit) then I plug it in at home to my Denon receiver. The sound is great, unless you have a $1500 stereo system at home. But then again, if you have that, why are you listening to mp3s?
The good:
-remote is cool. I keep the player in my glove box and I glued my remote to the dash. Out of site and easy to get to.
-good sound
-I love mp3s
-you can put mucho grande mp3s on a CD - no changing discs!
-it reads directories
-it displays song title, band and track number
If I had some complaints, this is what they would be:
-it reads directories, which is cool. But it doesn't read 2 directories down. For example if I have \Pearl_Jam\10\ on a CD, it will show nothing in the "Pearl_Jam" directory and all the songs will be in a directory called "10". So if I don't remember what band "10" belongs to, I have to guess. Now I just name all the directories with the band name in it (Pearl_Jam-10)
-the battery door doesn't stay shut worth a damn. The batteries never fall out, but I'm always worried they are going to.
-the display is so small, you can only see the words "[MP3] 01 TE" and you have to wait for the display to start scrolling before you can see what the band and song is (by the way the full line would say "[MP3] 01 TEN Pearl Jam-Jeremy" that would take about 5 seconds to scroll across.
The FM receiver wasn't worth it to me and the shock protection has been plenty so I think this model is the best value.
43 Great Player...sounds great, GREAT overall
I love the RioVolt SP100 . I do not know much about the difference between the 90 and the 100 models except that the 100 model is upgradeable and has a backlight. The backlight is a great advantage. If you can afford the SP100 model, go for the upgrade...
The player has a pretty cool feature where after reading the song, after about 10-15 seconds, the CD stops spinnig to save battery power. The player reads both MP3 formats and also WMA (Windows Media Format).
Controls are easy to use and you will learn what does what very quickly. It has a built in +10 song skipper (skips 10 tracks) and an pre set EQ modes for better sound quality (Rock, jazz). Key hold on side (Prevents buttons from being pressed involintarily. Takes 2 AA bateries ( Im still on my first 2 which came with the player)
Overall, its a great player for your money (if you get it from Jandr.com) Buy this one over any other one.
44 Nice features, but its not durable
The SP100 has good features, and works pretty well but it not built very sturdy. While inside my padded case logic cd-carrier it fell down and broke. I have read other reviews where the same experience has happened to many other people. I just bought the Sony CD-MP3 player and it is a lot better, much more durable, and much better skip protection.
45 Overall I am well pleased
Overall I think this is a very good product. I cannot give it 5 becuase there are a few things that bug me.
1- Battery life is short.
2- It does not hold the mode you are in (so if you are in random and turn it off it does not start in that mode agian, a feature that is hard to find anyway so).
3- The case it comes with is useless.
4- Anti-shock is so-so. I use it at the Gym and it works great for everything but jogging. I got a gym belt for it and on 40sec anti skip normal audio CD's don't do very well. MP3's do ok. I have to take the belt off and hang it off the tredmill then it is fine.
Over all though I am pleased I bought it.
46 I'm quite happy with it.
It's so hard to buy an Mp3 Player, because there are so many flavors, so it took me a while to choose one and even longer to buy it online.
One thing that surprised me the most was that you can update it's software from their website. This gave my RioMp3 so many new functions that it didn't have before.
I haven't tried it with WMA but it's been working fine mainly with mp3's. I've used it almost for 1 month without any real problem.
I tried to play UDF Mp3CD's and it worked well, i tried it mixed (Data & Mp3s) and no problem neither.
A Mp3 Cd player is better then a memory card or a huge hard disk player so I can say i recommend it.
It has really nice features and it's not that expensive for what you get.
It's very nice although it could be better. I dont like the non stop moving song title nor the dancing guys in the LCD screen.
The memory button allows you to isolate a section of a song to play over and over again but it's not a big use.
And I've been having some lecture problems with some Cd's but it might as well be them and not the Player.
Good luck!
47 Everything included!
Tihs product is one of the best i have seen out there. I spent many hours researching these cd/mp3 players and couldn't decide. They all have one thing or another. I decided to go with my gut instinct, and i was right with getting this one. It is a great product. It has so many featues, that it can even get a little confsing with what is what. It has a remote that enable you to control it in your bacpack or on your desk with out looking down at the controls. The player is uupgradable to any possibilities. All you do is download a file from sonicblue's website, burn it to a cd, and play it. It takes 5 seconds to play, and upgrades to wahtever new features there are. THe carrying case that comes with it is a tight fit for it, but is not made for keeping all of its supplies in. It is made for holding the player only. You attach headphones through a slit in the side of the case. One of the biggest advantages it that it comes with baterries. Your saving 4 bucks there. One other great feature is that it is back lit, with a great indigo light to see. THis is an awsome product, that looks great, and is a reasonable price. I bought one before this that made all sorts of noises. THis player was sold out everywhere and was reserved by at least 30 people at each store. I was tld i would have to wait for 2 months to get it. WIth amazon it came in 4 days plus free shipping! Awsome product, get it. There is no better.
48 I would rate it even lower if possible
This is one of the most expensive and useless CD player that I ever seen. With the anti-skip thing, both regular and MP3 CDs all SKIP every second when I put it in my bag and walk. Don't buy it. First, I thought the first one I bought was broken but the second is still the same. Again, just don't buy it.
49 Hope it lasts you more than a month
I bought my Rio Volt in October at Circuit City. Within a couple of weeks, and for no reason, the laser stopped working and it read "NO DISC" whenever I tried to play anything. I took it back and they replaced it. Within another couple of weeks the same thing happened. I took it back again. This third player lasted about two months, and then the remote broke and the laser stopped working again, just like the last two times, and for no reason. This time it was too long to take it back to Circuit City, so I decided to contact the manufacturer. I sent many, many emails to customer service, and was never even responded to. I called customer service on the telephone (which was NOT a toll-free number and took 30 minutes for me to get anyone on the phone.) So far, I've called 3 times. Each time I finally talk to someone, they tell me that they'll email me in 3 to 5 days giving me return instructions, and without fail, I never hear from them again. Clearly these people build an unstable product, and they make their living on getting your money and then making sure you can't get it back. An MP3 CD player is a great tool, but I would buy it from anyone but these people.
50 Defective unit
Out of the box, could never get it to work. I would power-up and after about 1-minute of powering-up, the display would read "No Disc". The CD never even would spin! So it was definately defective. I called sonicblue tech support (NOT TOLL-FREE) and they transferred me to customer service. Oh, I ordered a refurbished unit from the sonicblue website. And get this, they will not pay for my return shipping or the initial shipping I paid! And the thing is defective! I wasted nearly twenty bucks on returning a defective product! To top it off, it took them over a month to issue credit back to my credit card, unbelievable! All I can say is, if you got one that works and stays working, congratulations. Otherwise, if yours ever breaks down, good luck with "customer service".
51 Great player, could be sturdier
It's nice to be able to squeeze about 160 MP3s at 128 rate onto a data CD, and then play them on this player. LCD functions are fine, the variety of EQ presets are okay to good. Battery time is better than I expected, but not miraculous. Buttons are laid out so that I could quickly memorize how to hit most simple functions without looking.
On the less than great side, the CD door and battery doors aren't too sturdy. I frequently accidentally flip open the player while it's in my jacket pocket while reaching for the skip button. And the battery door slides off all too easily, plus the compartment contains the usual annoying ribbon that supposedly holds the batteries in, but really just serves to make the door harder to close. I already cut mine off...
Overall, great idea, very smartly served, with only those 2 minor complaints. This level Rio player (to me) is a good buy, for now...who knows how soon they'll revamp the product line, however.
52 Love It
This is a great player. I popped in a disc with 150 songs, put it in random play mode and flew from Philly to L.A. and back without repeat and without changing the batteries. Pretty sweet. Once you get used to navigating the menus it's easy to use. And it can play multi-session CDRWs (the kind that get formatted for drag and drop usage). I've seen others that don't work well with this format, but this unit comes with the software to set up your disks that way. And it perfectly reads multi directories with ease. As you scroll through the layout, you can read the directory (or album) title, and then all the song titles. It's really quite impressive.
Of course, it does have flaws. Everything you've heard about the case is true. It's horrible. And I hate that you have to hit play to get it started and then select the mode you want. So even random mode always starts with track 1 (not so bad, though). And I do find the symbols to define which mode you have the player in (random 1 directory, random all directories, repeat 1, repeat all 1 dir, repeat all all dir, etc) completely cryptic. I also wish I could buy another without all the extras. I don't like to wear ear buds, and the remote can be awkward (the clip doesn't really hold it onto anything very well).
But if you think about it, those are somewhat nit picky complaints. Overall, I love it and am planning to buy another for my wife.
53 Great sound and features (Headphones NOT included)
This player has some great features not mentioned in other reviews. My unit came with the remote, which is not attached to headphones. Instead it can have headphones plugged into it which is great, you can choose the phones of your choice and still have the remote. The hold switch for locking the buttons is repeated on both the side of the unit and on the remote and they work independently. I compared it to my wife's RCA portable CD/MP3 player and the overall sound is much better, the RCA sounds real good, the Riovolt sounds really great. The Riovolt does not have the background hiss of the amp like the RCA. The startup and track changes are much faster on both standard CD's and MP3's. I could rate this unit 5 stars if it came with headphones. The peice of junk which is supposed to stay in your ears with nothing more than skin friction does not deserve being called headphones, they are garbage and that is where they are now. If you buy this unit do not forget to buy a pair of headphones.
54 The best mp3/cd player ever made
this is the best , it have a hight quality sound , it's easy to use and its simple .
55 Good but big
I got the RioVOLT as a gift and I use it almost every day. It has great sound and can hold a ton of MP3s, I average about 150 a CD. It does everything I want but it does have a few faults:
1) It does skip. If the MP3 is not preloaded into the memory the MP3 player will skip, even when walking.
2) It is BULKY. I can't fit it in any of my pockets and I sometimes end up carrying a book bag just for my RioVOLT.
Despite the drawbacks, I would buy this myself if I had to, although I may look into getting the 250 for the extra few dollars.
56 RIO VOLT SP100
I LOVE THIS CD PLAYER, THE SOUND IS PERFECT! I USE IT WHILE ON THE TREADMILL AND EVEN WHEN I RUN IT DOESN'T SKIP AND I AM 220 POUNDS! SO, IF YOU WANT A CD PLAYER THAT WILL PLAY ANYTHING AND NOT SKIP YOU WILL LOVE THIS PRODUCT!
57 Excellent piece of hardware
I bought the riovolt kinda buy accident in the sense that the lesser MP3 cd player that i wanted to buy was out of stock and so I was so desperate for one I forked out the extra amount of money to get one. What a stroke of luck the riovolt is probably one of the best MP3 cd players in the world if not the best. the ability to upgarde has been a godsent as soome of the originally quibles that I have had with the product have thus been eliminated, such as the freakishly long load times and the fact that is was only able to play the first 255 tracks on th CD (i know I am greedy). That said the riovolt is not perfect. It is qiute big bulky and cumbersome and I'm not sure if it is my particular riovolt but the baterries sure as heck do not last for the advertised 15 hours that is for sure 3 hours is a lot more like it.
Its abilty to play WMA is what I think sents apart for the gaggle of other MP3 cd players out there as WMA are of better quality on a qualty to memory ratio, with MP3 also is its ablity to upgade. The remote is not particularly the best designed piece of kit in the world and there is a bit of crackle sometimes which also puts me off it.
The reason why I gave it 4/5 instead of 5/5 is because the Napa MP3- cd players have video cd capabilties and this does not also the amount of time between upgrades is quite long.
I hope that the next firmware upgrade allows real audio files to be played then the riovolt would truley the undisputed king of mp3 CD players
58 An awesome MP3 Player
The RioVolt SP100 Portable CD/MP3 Player is a very nice unit that plays MP3, WMA recorded on CD-Rs, CD-RWs as well as standard audio CD's. One of the coolest features of this player is its support of ID3 tags that are embedded in MP3 files. This is very helpful when you are browsing a CD-R disc with 200 songs.
Browsing the songs on disc is pretty easy using the included remote. The up/down buttons let you move between songs and the +10 buttons allows you to skip 10 songs ahead. The remote, which is built into the headphone cord is really cool and allows you to completely control the player without direct access to the player. Great when you have it stowed away in a fanny pack or clipped on your hip.
The CD player has a 10/40 second skip protection which is a nice feature to have for those active folks who use it while exercising. I use my on my couch and still find the skip protection helpful when I drop the player on the floor reaching for my remote :)
59 One of the best cd players
The Riovolt 100 is a one if the best mp3 cd players you can buy. It has a back lit display and 120 esp. Also the id tags are very cool.One of my favorite things on the riovolt is the Equalizers rock,jazz,classic,ultra bass and one you make. The best thing is the ability to upgrade the firmware. This will give the riovolt the abilty to use new auido formats and fix errors and just make it run smoother.The only thing it is lacking is a good case and headphones(which can be bought).The bottom line is this is a very good mp3 cd player.
60 Pros and Cons of the Riovolt
The Riovolt CD/MP3 player is what any music lover would want. I'll list the pros and cons so you won't have to read into this review and read between the lines.
Pros:
1) Plays CDA, MP3, WMA music files (which means about 10 hours of MP3 per CD and over 24 hours with WMA's and also means all your old CD's are not obsolete)
2) 15+ hours of playback with MP3's (I got 17 hours with regular Duracell batteries)
3) Backlit LCD display with scrolling text (navigation is easier and text is easy to read)
4) Upgradable firmware (for you philistine purchasers, new menus are added so you can customize your Rio)
5) 8 function remote (also adds more slack to the cord)
6) Lineout port (allows you to hook the Rio up to a stereo and listen to it through speakers)
7) A/C adapter provided
Cons:
1) Earbuds provide good sound quality, but for a music lover, better headphone are recommended (for the average listener, they are acceptable)
2) In-line remote (would be better to have a wireless remote since the in-line remote restricts the distance you can go from the Rio)
3) Battery life is decreased if CDA (regular CD's) are played (batt life while listening to CDA's is = 7 hours
4) Car kit (tape adapter and cigarette lighter adapter) not provided
5) ID3 tags not displayed
6) EQ can only be customized to a certain degree (bass and treble can be adjusted when you get the upgrade from riohome.com but the mid range cannot be customized. This is not a major drawback though, as sound quality is not compromised)
Overall: There seem to be a lot of cons. Despite this, the Riovolt is worth the price. It is user friendly and is a must have for anyone who wants a quality CD player. The pros outweigh the cons and I feel the Riovolt SP100 is better than the rest, since I have play tested some of the others. Of the 5 I have tried, the Riovolt is the best.
61 No CUSTOMER SERVICE
Overall I liked this player. It doesn't skip and it plays just about everything. HOWEVER, if it breaks your (...). I have made over a dozen phone calls from the east coast to Oregon on my dime and waited on hold for too many hours without getting any response. I was told I would have a replacement for the Rio Volt I owned that "just stopped" within two weeks. No there's no reset in case your wondering. (I asked) They ship the product overnight. It's been over a month and I still don't have a new one. After sending 10 emails to all customer service departments they shipped my player through UPS ground. With anyluck it will be here in 12 days like the tracking number says.
My Advice, by an MP3 player from someone other than Sonic Blue (RIO)
62 i really liked it.. until
It was really neat at first. I liked the large display and such. But, there are a few problems. For one, it doesn't load when i hold it sideways anymore. So 3 or so minutes into the song it ALWAYS skips unless its held level. This is a problem walking around. Also, it can be very quiet. The split LineOut/Headphone jack kills a lot of the signal. I can't even hear the thing at full volume when i walk over the interstate. Not to mention the thing is really big, but i guess that can't be avoided.
Basically, its bulky and isn't good for travel. Thats exactly what i wanted it for.
63 Good Concept-poor execution
I returned the first one two days after purchase when it wouldn't boot up. I used the second one for about 2 1/2 weeks before returning it. The main reason- noisy amp section. It "thumped" thru the speakers when the display went off and whined the rest of the time.
Pro's: Nice look; display; upgradeable software
Con's: long boot up time (mp3); awful headphones which plug into dopey remote; noisy amp section; no car kit; consumes batteries like they're corn flakes. Bought the Philips 501 and like it so far. But, I'm not going to be happy until I get a Remote Solutions PJB-100 (20 gig hard drive).
64 nice technology, but poor versatility
I recently bought the Rio Volt player and returned it after a week. The sound quality was definitely good, when the player wasn't skipping. According to the package, the player has 120-second anti-skip for mp3 CDs, but whenever I walked with it, the sound would occassionally crackle or pause for several seconds altogether. For regular audio CDs, the player was even worse. I think my CD player from back in 1993 had more consistent skip protection. On top of that, this unit is rather bulky and thus considerably more difficult to carry around in a coat pocket than a regular sony discman.
The little remote control is slightly overrated, since its really not that difficult to reach the extra 10 inches or so and change tracks on the player itself. Moreover, there is the problem of the inevitable tangle of wires (there is alot of wire when the headphones are connected to the remote, which is in turn connected to the player). It's definitely not worth the extra 40 dollars or so from the next lower model.
All of the technology this player offers, such as the graphic equalizer and the lcd screen with little men that dance to the music, is definitely cool--but concepts of practicality and efficiency are definitely lacking. The load time of CDs, both mp3 and audio, is ridiculously slow, since all the sound is processed through the little computer that one can upgrade from the internet. Because of this, be prepared to spend alot of money on batteries. It sucked down two of my rechargable batteries in 30 minutes, and it ran for maybe 6 hours tops on fresh duracells.
Though the MP3 technology is alluring, this product won't make a huge difference in your life if you only have a few MP3 CDs. It definitely didn't compel me to make any new ones. This player could be good a few years down the line, when the manufacturers update it with the convenience of the user in mind.
65 RioVolt is the way to go
Despite what some of the customer reviews at Amazon say about this product, I feel as though I would really miss having it - I don't know how I ever coped without it!! It's absolutely fantastic - everything I wanted and more. The sound quality is great, the bass options really make a difference, and even the headphones included in the box are very good quality (which is unusual for bundled headphones, I'm sure you'll agree.) It's easy to use, and the navigation system allows you to search for other tracks while you listen. The remote control is very handy, and trust me - you can bounce off the walls and the music will never skip. I have tested listening while running and other alike activities, because in my experience a lot of personal CD players are hopeless and often skip at the slightest tap, but not this baby. I have found no faults so far and I highly doubt I will. Another great advantage is that the firmware is upgradable through Rio's website. I upgraded mine as soon as I got it, and that was easy too. All in all, the RioVolt is an excellent machine and well worth the money. (...)
66 Dependable after nearly 1 year
Well I will start by saying I bought this almost 1 year ago for use on my job. I work for the post office as a rural mail deliverer. All this time and I have had no trouble with it whatsoever. No problems with skipping or anything. I have used audio CDs and MP3 CDs on both CD-R and CD-RWs. And after the firmware update a did a month back it has even better performance than ever. And now supports winamp playlist files and resume exactly where you left off. If you want a dependable easy to use player this is a good choice. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
67 Excellent Product, Poor Customer Service
I have owned a Rio Volt for well over six months and I absolutely love this product. Firmware upgrades are regularly made available that improve performance of the unit and often add new features. The battery life is excellent. I use rechargeable NiMH's with it and typically get 12 to 14 hours of battery life which is excellent. It's performance is excellent, load times for disks the unit has played before is relatively short and I have never experienced skipping or not The player's support for the WMA file format in addition to MP3 is means I can squeeze over 300 songs on a single CD. Combine the random shuffle all directories setting with this units resume feature and I'm walking around with my own personal radio station.
One of the best features of this unit is its remote. This allows me to bury the player itself deep in my backpack and run the unit entirely with the remote. I find this extremely useful however it leads me to my one complaint about this player...
After six months of intensive, but careful, use the play button portion of the remote has stopped working for me. I email'ed SonicBlue customer service asking for a replacement. After SEVENTEEN (17) days they responded to my email telling me that it appeared my remote was defective (which I had told them in the first place) and would I please email them again with my info in order to obtain an RMA. They won't say how long this RMA process might take however for a mere twenty-eight dollar charge on my credit card they will be happy to FedEx my replacement part immediately. I simply dread how long I will have to wait for them to provide me with a RMA # and actually get my replacement part to me. Obviously, after the 17 day delay in providing me with their initial brain-dead answer, I am not expecting immediate satisfaction.
68 This product is awesome
The Rio Volt is the greatest cd/mp3 player ever.
69 A True Review
Let me say before I get started I do not work for SonicBlue or Amazon (since many believe insiders write these reviews).
I just bought the Rio today and its great let me address all problems skipping is nonexistent I played a CD-RW with over 120 MP3's at different bitrates from 96 to 302! And they all sounded great the reason there is no skipping is because it stops spinning when it loads the CD I even shook it while it was reading the CD no skipping it plays all formats of CD audio WMA MP3 and even game music from CD I put in the quake CD and it played normal (just don't listen to track 1)
Some other problems like poor sound quality are wrong you can get this thing pretty loud and two people can listen at once (2 Jacks) also it may say that you can accidentally turn this on by bumping it but that's not true there's a hold button on the player and remote which is great the reason there are bad reviews is because they are probably using version 1.13 all you have to do is burn a CD with the new firmware (version 2.10) and everything works better.
Also there is no way to get rid of the dancers at the bottom but its not that big of a deal the backlight is great and considering the great quality of this product I'm guessing the SP-90 works great too.
70 Fire hazard with NiMH batteries and AC adapter
This unit is great as far as musical functionality. The sound,
interface, upgradability and build quality (given the price) are all
outstanding. With high-quality VBR MP3s this unit sounds great. The
included headphones are horrible, but I had no expectation or intent
of using them anyway. Generally I use a pair of Sennheiser HD25
headphones, which are great for air travel.
I use the unit almost exclusively with NiMH rechargable batteries.
After a month or so of use, I finally broke-out the AC adapter for a
home listening session. I listened for a while and then went on to
other things, leaving the unit plugged in.
A couple hours later I noticed an odd smell as I walked through my livingroom and
quickly tracked it down to the SP100 and AC adapter. They were both
hotter than I ever imagined plastic devices could be without melting
and/or bursting into flame. The rechargable batteries were melted and
destroyed.
An alarmed call to Rio's customer service number resulted in them
telling me that use of non-Alkaline batteries in the SP100 was not
recommended. They refused to treat this as a manufacturing flaw or
warranty issue.
Some basic electronic testing quickly revealed that 4.5V DC is present
on the battery contacts when the unit is attached to the AC adapter.
Apparently they are relying on the high internal resistance of
alkaline batteries rather than having proper electrical isolation
between the batteries and the external DC input.
In this day and age of huge liability settlements I can't believe a
company wouldn't design their devices in a more robust manner.
I continue to enjoy using this unit, but have thrown away the AC
adapter to prevent any mishaps given my desire to continue using NiMH
batteries. Be careful out there...
71 Really Great Product... When It Works
I must say that when I bought this model I should have done more research. I always check reviews, but went on impulse. Anyhow, I really like the features and sound quality, but after about a month of light listening at home only it fell off my couch onto the carpet. Now we're talking maybe 15 inches and a soft landing on carpet. I never would have thought it was so sensitive, but now it spins the disc and says NO DISC. Not very durable to say the least.
I actually already bought the new SP250, which is why I wish I would've researched the SP100 prior. I had a feeling a new unit with an FM tuner would be in stores soon. I would suggest getting the SP250. The FM tuner and better features are worth the extra 25 bucks.
72 Very good mp3-cd player
This cd player is great for playing mp3s. It stores well over one hundred mp3s on a single cd to play anywhere. At the beginning and middle of each song it copies 2 minutes of the song to it's internal memory; the cd actually doesn't spin while it plays that part. This makes skipping virtually impossible. The sound is very good and there are several different equalizers to choose from. The only downsides to the product is the software doesn't have instructions with it (Adaptec CD Creator 4.0). Plus, when the cd is started, it takes about a minute for the first song to play, while the software loads. After that though, the music is continuous because it only has to load one time. Overall, in excellent solution to having a great variety of music to take anywhere and play anytime.
73 Quality Problems
After a lot of research I bought this unit rather than others from well known electronics brands, with a lot of trust and excitement. Mi RioVolt worked fine for a short while then started showing problems reading burnt CDs it used to play fine. I upgraded the Firmware to latest verion 2.10 and the probles worsened. After many hours of testing all conceivable settings and brand media wasted, (both CD-R and CD-RW) I contacted Tech support to get an answer that my unit was fine (how can they tell ?) and the problem was with the burner. Many hours and tests with burners later, my Rio does not work at all and am waiting for a reply from Rio.
74 It a decent player
Mmm. Until recently my opinion of my new Rio Volt has fluctuated daily.
I bought this CD/MP3/WMA player because I have all of my own CD's stored on my PC in WMA format so I don't always have to change CD's all the time etc. I was extremely annoyed when I found out that you can't play Copyrighted WMA's on the player, and as all WMA's are recorded from copyrighted CD's, that means basically that it can't play WMA's.
This is stupid. Rio seemed to push the WMA capability so much, and yet it can't play 99% of WMA files. It's outrageous, stupefying, maddening, crazy and shockingly disgraceful. Needless to say, I wasn't happy.
However, I soon discovered that the Real Jukebox software that comes with the player is excellent at ripping CD Audio into MP3's (although it won't rip WAV to MP3), so, after having a cool shower, I calmed down and converted all my CD's to MP3 format.
I recorded at 96kbps and managed to squish 18 albums (250 MP3's) onto one CD-RW, which I was very impressed with. I can carry all my music around on two CD-RW's, great.
I was also hesitant to buy the player because of some of the reviews on this site, complaining about poor sound output levels etc. This really is a load of rubbish because the sound can be turned up to louder than you'd ever need without going deaf and subsequently begging for scraps of mouldy bread on the streets of London the rest of your life.
Anyway. On to the real bad points. The wired remote is a pile of garbage. Pick it up and you feel as though you're going to break the thing, as if it's a delicate little piece of doggy turd, precariously positioned underneath an elephant herd suspended over it using a piece of fishing wire and a roll of sticky tape.
The central button is very hard to operate due to the one button having 4 operations, and it's hard not to press it in the wrong direction, especially if you aren't looking at the thing. If it's not in view, who knows which way is which?. It's a bit suspect if you ask me.
The carry case is also a pile of garbage. Throw it away as soon as you get the damn thing out the box because it is so poorly designed that the only holes in the case are for the player to fit in, and one for headphones and Lineout jacks. No space for the LCD and control buttons to poke through or anything like that. It's just ridiculous. Sony, Rio aint.
But in general, the sound is very good quality, bass is excellent, the headphones are surprisingly good for 'Supplied with goods' standards, the OSD is extremely simple to operate, firmware upgrades are easy to perform. Magic.
Buy it from Amazon because you're likely to surrender a significant amount more money on the high street.
75 Nice gadget
I'm very happy with my MP3 player, I need all the computer resources for the programs I work with, so I rather hear my MP3's on an external device. The RioVolt was just the solution I was looking for.
76 okay...wow
This is the best cd player I have ever seen/owned. The sound is amazing, the earphones fit and sound perfect, the price wasn't too bad, great skip protection, it saves battery life, it takes only a few seconds to burn a cd that can be played on RioVolt, contains many different modes, allows for fine tuning of the sound (equalizer with choices of jazz, rock, heavy bass, classical, etc.), and can be used in a car.
77 Amazing Product!!!!
this cd player is truly great. i have purchased atleast 4 mp3-cd players in the last month to test them out and find out which one is the best, along with reading multiple reviews. this one is top of the line. although you can't search for songs my letters like others, the lcd screen which lights up is great. the sound quality is great and also you can search through the complete directory and chose which song you want to listen to. it has many cool options like lights off, beeping of buttons off etc. this is great!
78 notes on some alleged problems
First of all, i have had this player for about a month. i have to say that i really like this player alot.
pros: obviously amount of music per disc
anti-skip of 120 seconds
reads id tags
supports folders!!!!!!!
upgradeable firmware
cons: it's bulky (what do you expect?)
the head phones suck
belt holder is not very good
now, i've heard problems like the volume does not get loud enough and it skips. The volume: I use this player at night when i sleep (in a crappy two person dorm). i can hear the music quite well with the headphones out of my ears laying on my bed. so, i have to wonder if some people's hearing is a little... um....bad? i do know that some mp3s (the way they are recorded i guess) are quieter than others. so maybe that is the case. Skips: something you should know is that this player does have a bitrate cap of 256 (somewhere around that number) so anything higher than that and it is going to skip.i hope this helps alleviate some fears
79 It's very good.
I like this mp3 - cd player a lot. First I gotta tell you that the coolest thing about it is the feature of displaying the digitized dancers on the display pannel. It's just so exciting to see them follow the beats of my music. Another good thing is that it wastes battery really fast so you can experience the joy and excitment of opening and putting new ones every 2-3 days. The earbuds are AWESOME. The name says it all. They're bigger than your earhole so that when you try to put them in, they don't fit. And when they finally go in, you're gonna like it because they have no bass at all so you can save yourself from going deaf. And if you turn it up loud, people around you are gonna hear the music and they're gonna realize how cool you are. All in all a great product with great features. Oh... and sometimes it skips too but it's good because it just knows when to skip. It usually skips during the uncool part of the song.
80 Nice
the good:
+Good Sound Quality
+Tons of functions
+Easy Navigation
+Upgradable Firmware
the bad:
-Cheep looking plastic desing (however it is sturdy)
-Only 2-line LCD display, the third line is used for silly looking little "dancers"
Overall I like this player very much, however, I'll probably sell it and buy its successor, the SP250 because it has a much nicer LCD which fits more information at once
81 Currently the best MP3 portable player in the market!
I remember a few years ago when portable devices to play MP3 music files were made available to the public. The first were the RIO's which had the potential to play 10-15 MP3's by downloading them from your computer to the supplied memory card for the device.
Of course, back then if you wanted an hour's worth of music you had to buy several memory cards and that was just too expensive.
Then a year later, there were portable MP3 players but unfortunately, there were no track listings so if you have dozens to hundreds of MP3's on one CD, you were forced to keep pressing forward until you have the right song.
Now three years later we have the RioVolt from SONIC|blue which looks like a very high-end portable CD player but it functions much more than that. It happens to be a portable device that also plays MP3's and WMA's with the potential to play more music formats.
Features of this device include the ability to play audio CDs, CD-R and CD-RW's. Supports popular music formats which include MP3 and WMA and since the firmware of the device can be upgraded by downloading the firmware from the company's Website, we may be able to see other music formats like VQF, ASF, QuickTime or Real Audio in the near future.
The device also has electronic shock protection up to 120 seconds, runs around 15 hours with 2 AA batteries, includes an AC adaptor, headphones and a leather case. The blue LCD panel features the file folders and songs which helps navigating through songs with ease, an 8-function remote control, equalizer and software for those who don't have CD burning software and audio management. Also, this device supports ID3 tags and audio CD text on the title display.
The first thing I did was put in a CD-R which stored many MP3's and plugged the headphones into the side of the device. The first thing I noticed on the LCD screen was the version of firmware the device was currently using. At the time it was 1.13. I went to the following FTP site to download the latest 2.10 firmware. To upgrade the firmware, you just download and burn the file to a CD-R (in its root directory). Insert the CD-R with the new firmware and play the CD. The player then automatically upgrades itself to the new firmware in 30 seconds. (NOTE: This CD-R is used once, so it's best to use a blank CD and record nothing else on it but the firmware. Also, if you are upgrading your firmware, we highly recommend you run on AC power and not battery power. You can damage your RioVolt if the power cuts off during the upgrade).
At first, I was dissapointed by how low the sound was maxed out at level-20 until I realized that the headphones is supposed to be plugged into the top section of the remote control and then I was able to get full volume past level-20. The EQ menu gives you several of music settings such as normal, classic, rock, jazz and ultra bass. Depending on how the MP3 was encoded, all I can say is that the MP3's I played on this device sounds great!
So, all in all this MP3 and CD portable player is something I have been wanting and waiting for many years to have in my hands. Now that I have one, having to carry a bag or pouch full CD's and switching CD's is now a thing of the past. I can literally backup around 10-12 music CD's on one CD-R using the MP3 format and listen to them with ease on my RioVolt. Highly recommended!
82 Great product!
I love this product. Not only can you play normal CDs, but you can burn around 10-15 CDs in MP3 format to a CD-R and play those. I find that putting the MP3s in an artist/album/song directory format works best.
The best feature is the inclusion of ID3 reading - it can give you plenty of information on the MP3 that is playing.
The best use of this is for travel, I think - you can burn 100 CDs or more to a few disks and have your entire CD collection with you wherever you go and only carry 7-10 disks.
The one downside is that the battery life is much less when you play normal CDs instead of MP3s, but if you use it for the MP3s of course this is not an issue.
Highly recommended!
83 Portable music will never be the same again
Forget those quaint things we called cassettes, and forget about those expensive memory-based MP3 players that can only accomodate one or two CDs-worth of music. This is all you need to lug around a huge music collection in just a handful of CD-Rs. This toy rocks. I cannot imagine life without it now.
The firmware updates make it particularly compelling as some features (such as equalizer settings and navigational commands) can be upgraded.
Some tips on good use:
1. For serious listeners, upgrading the headphones is a must. The supplied ones really don't do this unit justice.
2. My remote control was fragile, faulty and ended up being useless, which means that I have to take the unit out of the case everytime I want to change a song. This [is bad].
3. Not made for running, despite what they will tell you. DEspite the anti-skip functionality, the unit will fail to properly read MP3 files if you are jumping too much.
4. Great for road trips. Get a cassette adapter for the car, bring spare CD-Rs and you're good to go.
84 That burners running non-stop!!!
This thing rocks. 10-15 hours on 2 AA batteries, good bass, takes directories - even complex directory structures from your external hard disk horde, handles at least 150MP3s (some players have 80-120 MP3 per disk limitation) on a disk, and really really good skip protection. The CD only spins a few seconds at a time when running MP3s. Takes lots of abuse and keeps ticking. And very intuitive to use. Never needed the directions. And includes every accessory you would need - adaptor, dust cover/protector, headphones (good for public when the big kennwoods make you look really nerdy but they are very loud and very bassy), remote control (not wireless but great for backpacks)....
85 For mp3 good but for standard audio cd it's bad.
I got this couple of weeks back. It plays the mp3 well but when i play standard audio cd the sound is not clear. The amplitude in the right and left side changes too frequently and I don't see these changes in other cd players and in mp3 that i created from these cd's.
86 Great Player
I bought this player about 2 weeks ago because I needed a player that would be able to play old time radio mp3's and this is a great player that not only plays them but sounds great.
I would reccomend this player to everybody.
87 It works, though it's cheap
It's not the most sturdy of items, and it definitely feels a little on the cheap side, but it WORKS. The power is a little low to the headphones but the quality is great. This totally saved my butt on an 11-hour flight to Tokyo recently...
88 Too Expensive...but good.
I work at EB, and they sell this CD player for 99.99. I actually bought it like 2 weeks ago. Very sweet player. The ability to play MP3's on a CD player is long overdue, and is now just coming into the mainstream.
89 Good, but....
I bought a Rio Volt about 9 months ago and until now, it has been awesome. But just yesterday, it stopped being able to read the discs and therefore became inusable. Let me tell how annoying that is. I don't know what the deal is, but i would like to know if anyone else experienced this problem.
90 Great
Pros: Very good price, features & sound quality.
Cons: Headphones are kind of weak..but you can easily upgrade those.
Anti Skip is not thaat great.Sort of inconsistant.
Riding a bike on NYC paved roads it skips. Sometimes you hit a huuuge pothole and it doesnt skip at all.
Sometimes you ride over slight road imperfection and it skips.
Central Park OK.
On a scale from 1 to 10 (1 being the lowest 10 highest)
I give the Anti Skip a: 5.5 - 6.
But overall I give the player a 9.
If you're on a budget......I highly recommend it.
91 An awesome product for a great value!!!!
Looking for a great CD Player with value added features? This is the one for you: the RioVolt MP3/WMA/CD Player. It plays regular CD's and CD's filled with MP3 and WMA files. It can play hours and hours of music. It's very easy to use and with a simple upgrade to it's software (very quick and simple!) you can have a player that is error-free and feature packed. I received mine today, and I really love it!!!!! At first I was bit afraid of some "bad" reviews I saw here. But I take the risk, and I have no regrets!!!! The product REALLY delivers what it promises and will deliver more, since it is upgradeable. I really recommend buying the RioVolt and a good pair of earphones!! You will need em'!
92 Where's the volume?
The player does have some great features and impressive sound quality....but frankly it just doesnt get loud enough. Even with a set of aftermarket headphones when I use the player on a plane I can still hear much of the background noise. I'm a firm believer in rich sound without high volumes but give me enough juice to cut through the guy in seat 17A's snoring!
93 Great, just did 150 songs
I think it is great...I do Tech. Support for a CPU manufacturer and when I am cranking those technical emails it is great to keep me going song after song. The only draw back is it takes a few seconds for the thing to start and to get to the next song. No biggy, it is great and the price is getting better. My only comparison would be my Sony player that uses memory sticks. Memory sticks are way too expensive and I can only put about 15 to 20 songs on a 64 MB stick, give or take some. Any ways I just got this one and I am enjoying it. Check out Sonic Blue's web site for firmware updates.
94 A great product but ...
Everything about the RioVolt is well thought out. The unit is about as small as it could possibly be, the rubber pads on the bottom keep it from sliding either at home or at the gym, the controls are easy to navigate, and the +10 button (which lets you skip forward 10 tracks) is a great idea. The remote control is just the right length--I can keep the unit in my backpack when walking yet still control all of the functions.
If you buy this unit, the first thing you'll want to do is upgrade the firmware. This gives the ability to add custom EQ and, more importantly, skip forward or back 10 tracks using the remote.
So, why only four stars? The unit doesn't support .mp3's recorded at a 48,000 hz sample rate. I had to re-record pretty much my entire collection before I could use the unit.
95 Great concept, great features, lousy implementation
I picked up the RioVolt almost as soon as it came out. I figured with Sonicblue's reputation in the digital audio world, the ability to play regular CDs or hundreds of MP3 and WMA songs from a single CD -- all in a portable package -- what could go wrong? Several things...
(1) The anti-skip function hardly works at all. If the player is moved too much then you can be sure that it WILL skip. It almost seems as if the player plays out its anti-skip buffer but doesn't refill it during any motion or activity. I thought that the benefit of this type of feature was that it would play from memory while continuing to fill memory from the CD during motion. Apparently not in this case.
(2) The carrying case supplied is useless. It's little more than a slip case with no external access to the buttons on the main unit or a view of the LCD. Good for storage but not for carrying it along.
(3) By far the most serious problem I've had with this player is that I am unable to reliably switch to and play MP3 or WMA files that are near the end of the file list on any CD. For example, if I have a CD with 100 MP3 files and I want to play file #73 in the list, I navigate to the file and select play. The RioVolt will spin for SEVERAL MINUTES before beginning to play the track. Then, when it does finally begin playing, it will play for only a few seconds, pause for several seconds, play some more, and so on. It never catches up with itself and starts playing the track smoothly. I can easily reproduce this problem and have experimented with several different discs, both MP3 and WMA formats and multiple firmware versions. I thought that maybe there was a problem with my RioVolt until I read about this exact same problem in a recent magazine review.
(4) Forget about technical support. I've been trying to use the online technical support email form, only to be told (after filling in a form with a detailed description of my problem) that their web server is out of space.
Maybe the new high-end SP250 or even the low-end SP90 will fix this problem. Or maybe it will be fixed in a future firmware release. However, for the time being, my RioVolt is essentially useless.
