In keeping with its reputation for cutting-edge features and design, iRiver's iMP-550 handles nearly every conceivable file format. The player, which is little more than half an inch thick, is built with rugged electronic shock protection to guard your listening against interruptions, offering up to 32 minutes of protection when you're listening to WMA files on your home-made CDs. The player supports MP3, WMA, and ASF formats, and additional formats (like AAC and MP3 Pro) may be supported in the future through simple firmware upgrades, by which iRiver can add and modify player features.
slim, powerful, cool.
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The iMP-550 comes loaded with accessories, too, including a car kit, a carrying case, and two stick-type rechargeable batteries. When used in tandem with a pair of standard AA batteries, the device is capable of playing for up to 55 continuous hours--perfect for hassle-free travel.
An easy-to-read, four-line LCD on the included remote control shows every bit of information you need, and an FM tuner comes in handy when you're traveling by tracking the frequencies to maintain reception as you move. The player also recognizes discs in Packet Write format, which enables you to use CD-RW discs like PC hard disks, offering the ease of using discs and of saving and deleting songs.
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| Crank the tunes in your car with the supplied cassette adapter and cigarette lighter power adapter |
What's in the Box CD player, remote control, iRiver earphones, carrying case, car cassette and power adapters, 2 NiMH rechargeable batteries, AA battery adapter, headphone adapter, AC power adapter, user's manual, warranty information.
1 Really good & well made
Bought it before a trip to Europe for my daughter.
Had it and used it all the time. I was really impressed with it, and I believe it is one of the best players one could buy.
Very small and light, yet does not look flimsy. The cassette adapter came in very handy, as many older cars had no CD players. Also, being able to play mp3 and wma files was very handy. A friend copied from his computer more than 100 mp3 and wma files to only one CD, and for hours and hours of driving around we listened to it.
My daughter took it everywhere. While our friends children were asking and complaining about batteries, we had only in two occasions to use the external AA battery adapter, as we did not re-charge its own battery for a few days at one point. And the AA batteries lasted much longer than the ones used on the other players.
I did not hear it skipping at least one time since we had it (and played some pretty dirty and scratched CDs too). At times it seemed to take a few seconds after you insert the disc until it started to play, but it was part of loading the memory buffer, I guess.
Overall, I spent a long time researching for a good player, I choose this one, and have been very happy.
2 very good
this player is very good. Perfect sound compared to Sony, Panasonic, RCA (have my word of a audiophile). Easy to use. Small. Compact. Even if you plug in bigger speakers if sounds great. Battery life is as noted in the description. Also good for audio books. It is good that you can use it in your car as well and in this way you don't have to worry about leaving your car with an expensive car audio (this one you can easily carry with you). I highly recommend it - this is the Cadillac of all portable cd players.
3 Good sound quality, but no stability
I have the player for about half a year now.
From the start our relationship wasn't very jolly - while charging the batteries for the first time the player was getting really heated so that basically if I left it charging for an hour more, it probably would've internally burned itself.
But fortunately nothing happened and I kept using it.
Couple months later, the remote control just died on me without any warning. Since I have the warranty, the company replaced it, but what will I do when it expires? Seems I'm not the first one getting bad parts.
Overall -
Pros:
-Good sound quality and sound options
-Can be updated with the newest file types
-Looks pretty good
-Many options, although most are unnecessary (Beep volume, Fade in etc)
Cons:
-Skips all the time!!!
-Pricey for what it is
-Charging is a nightmare
-Takes a while to load
-Noisy
4 great player, bad battery life
I really like this player, it does everything I expected. However, the battery last 6 months. I would recharge the battery following the instructions, discharging and then recharging. My batteries lasted 6 months. I called customer service and felt that they were rather rude (I'd called them earlier on another issue and felt they were not very nice then also.) Every time I went to their web site to order new batteries, they were out, about 9 months without batteries.
It's a great player, but I would not buy another one nor would I recommend buying one.
5 A good investment
Unless you want to cough up the cash for a hard drive player (and even perhaps then), this is the best way to go. This cd player has absolutely amazing fidelity and a variety of highly customizable equalizers. Codec support is good so far, and they're working on OGG. And the design is absolutely gorgeous.
My only complaints:
-Occasionally the battery cover on the inside of the cd player will come out. This is really only a minor inconvenience and happens only if it's jostled around in the right way.
-Firmware upgrades were few and far between earlier this year; they have started to pick up again, though OGG support is still only partial.
-It's somewhat finicky about cd quality; scratched cds can cause serious problems.
Again, this cd player has the best audio quality I've observed in any portable so far.
6 No-Disc error: non-functional after 4 months
I should have read the reviews more carefully. My player no longer works: I'm getting a "No Disc" message, even when trying to play store bought music CDs. I now see in the reviews that bunches of other folks have gotten the same problem, so it is a basic design problem. At least I had 4 months of decent music playing.
I'm switching to a cheaper MP3 CD player (memorex,$40), which has the same basic functions I need, and the sound is just as good to me. At $40, at least I won't feel so bad when it stops working.
Update: Before tossing the player in the trash, I decided to fiddle with it first. I downloaded the firmware upgrade from the iriver.com website, ran the executable, and copied the ".hex" file to a CD/RW, per instructions. However, the player still gave the "No Disc" message, when I tried to play it.
I then used a small skrew-dirver to slide the little lense trolley all the way toward the center of the player, careful not to touch the lense itself. It then read the firmware upgrade file fine, and now it plays CDs again! I think the trolley gets stuck in the outboard position, and needs manual unsticking... still a design problem, but fixable.
7 Too Expensive
This product is good, but a little bit too expensive the price in Amazon is 161.49. and the MSRP from the fabricator iRiver is 149.99 This is a MSRP that item should be cheaper.
Please review the prices.. Thanks
8 mediocre
I really cant think of more than one or two benefits that make the 550 better than my old sony AA powered CD player.
First let me just say the wiring of the device is extremely awkward. The cords constantly get tangled up and you have to unplug everything usually in order sort it out. Another nuisance is the battery life. Typically you get about 7 or 8 hours out of them. It's convenient that they're rechargable but I usually listen to my discman when traveling and I had to be careful about running them down. I got more hours out of recharable panasonic AAs in my old sony discman, which didnt have all the bells and whistles the 550 has, but it did the job. The only thing I liked better about the 550 was the LCD screen. If you use certain programs to burn your CDs then the song title appears when playing.
Truth be told its more of a hassle than its worth.
9 don't do it!
This is a terrible terrible terrible product. I purchased mine less than 3 months ago and it has already shut down on me. By that I mean it will not read any cds and just shows the message "no disc". Tech support is less than helpful and well, I guess it's my fault for buying a Korean product instead of a Japanese one. Don't buy this. Seriously, I am not joking.
10 False MSRP
Hey, if you want it, you want it! In fact, I just bought one. But, you might like to know that the MSRP on the manufacturer's very own website is $149.99. NOT the $179.99 claimed here on this Amazon page. Check it out for yourself. http://www.iriveramerica.com/products/iMP-550.aspx
11 great performance, amazing sound, bad support
I actually owned the original Rio Volt that iRiver designed and manufactured, so I knew what I was getting into when I bought this CD/MP3 player.
The good: sound, overall user interface (once you get used to the clunky button layout), battery life, and of course, the sweet design
The bad: firmware support (Ogg support is very questionable, newest firmware has clicks at the beginning of MP3 tracks, I'm using beta Korean firmware instead), some slight mechanical noise, audio CD's take a little while to spin up
I recommend this player, but caveat emptor -- don't believe what iRiver says about what formats the player will support in the future (they've been claiming AAC support since the Rio Volt days, and it's never going to happen.)
12 imp-550 and 450 sonic showdown
I went and purchased an imp-550 and an imp-450 and got the chance to get to the bottom of the imp 450 and 550 sonic differences in relation to my trusty imp-350.
First off, no disrespect to the imp-350; it's no slouch; it's sound quality is great, basically bombproof and the user EQ has plenty of bass boost. At times, however, with older tracks that need that little extra boost the 350 didn't quite cut it--it's only shortfall, and a slight one at that.
So, out of curiosity, I stepped into an imp-550 Initially, it was great because of the small size, but it FEELS delicate and reports of quirky behaviors and bugs (of which some I did experience) stopped me short. Plus there are sonic oddities which I will now address.
Sonically, with a flat EQ, the 350/400, 450, and 550 are all about equal in terms of warmth detail and clarity. The only bonus out the the bunch is the imp-550's optical line out. I did not test it, but have read twice that it was decent---but nothing special. Where there are huge differences, and to me make or break two of the players, is with the EQ settings. (For the record the imp-350 and imp-400 are identical sonically in every way, with the 400 being a cosmetic change and that's it.)
Before I proceed, yes, the imp line and possibly the iRiver line in general is not sonically as pure as some other media players (HDD's and vintage CDP's included), it is however, probably the most "fun" sounding line up of media players which can add amazing bass boosts and other sonic tweaks to stimulate the user...in small well designed packages.
Back to the imp-550. It features an Extreme 3D (a stereo imaging DSP processor that creates a virtual surround effect) and Extreme EQ. The 550 has the familiar iRiver EQ presets like Rock, Jazz, Metal, Blue-grass, uBass, etc, but instead of user1/2/3 EQ it utilizes the Extreme EQ feature. ExtremeEQ is a 5 band EQ adjustable both db+ and db-. The presets on the 550 are amazing. They color the sound greatly and very cleanly. The problem with the imp-550 sonically, is that when adjusting the sound with the Extreme EQ you can not achieve the levels of sonic adjustment that the presets offer. The presets are indeed good, but in my case I just want to boost the bass, like the rock preset, but without the added treble. I tried this with the Extreme EQ, but with the bass boosted to max it makes hardly a difference. iRiver has yet to address or rectify this problem with multiple firmware updates. I grew frustrated that with the imp-550 the bass was great but too treblely or the bass was not enough. Coupled with the nagging other bugs and quirks with firmware, and the 550 does not offer a worthwhile change from the imp-350/400.
From this point I contacted iRiver to find out the differences between the imp-550 and new imp-450, and was told that they share very similar components (including processor chips) and the the imp-550 is discontinued in the USA. Further, the imp-450 is its replacement, and as demand for a high-end mp3cd player is declining in the US, the upcoming imp-900 is not for the American market either.
So, my thoughts started to wonder about the imp-450. Upon further research which included downloading and thoroughly going through each players respective .pdf manual I discovered the the 450 and 550 are very similar players indeed with one notable sonic difference. there is no Extreme 3d/EQ in the imp-450. I began to theorize that perhaps the 450 could possibly remedy the 550's EQ bugs decided to try to dig in the forums to find out. To my surprise there wasn't much info out there. I did read in the imp-450 manual though that it had an EQ much like that of the imp-350/400, presets and 3 user EQ's. The major difference is that unlike the 12db bass boost on the 350 the 450 had a 18db boost. My suspicions were beginning to take shape.
Today my imp-450 arrived. It is a beauty. Considering I had a brand new imp-550 last week, I can say the 450, is esthetically more pleasing and much better built than the imp-550. For example, the lid does not feel loose or shift side to side slightly when closed. It is definitely smaller than the imp-350 and of course identical to the redesigned 350, the imp-400. Its weight feels about the same as the 350 and only slightly heavier than the imp-550. Overall the size differences between the 450 and 550 are slight at best. Hands down the imp-450 is the better more secure feeling and esthetically pleasing player. (note: the iRiver pics do not do this player justice at all....it REALLY looks nice and is QUITE small)
At this point, I would like to add that the presets on the imp-350/400, even without comparing them to the 450/550, offer very subtle change in sonic characteristic and one really must use the custom user EQ's to get sound to really maximize its potential.
Yes, and after much discussion, I can report that the preset EQs on the 450 and 550 are identical! They both offer amazing sound boost. Furthermore, the user EQ's DO offer 18db of adjustment, however the control on the remote offers the adjustment in steps of 2db (0,2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16,18). The treble is only a 6db adjustment as in 2db steps. I can also confirm that the user EQ's sonic adjustment equal that of the presets and it not deficient like the user EQ (Extreme EQ) on the imp-550.
Next I performed the following test.
imp-350 user EQ bass set to 12db, treble set to 0
imp-450 user EQ bass set to 12db, treble set to 0
The two units were identical in sound. Next, I boosted the imp-450 to a full 18db and, yes there was a substantial increase. Clear, clean, detailed, tight bass sprang from this little player. Its has all the bass boost of the recent firmwared imp-550, but with the user EQ control of the imp-350!!
I personally not only feel validated, but that I have reached my sonic nirvana. I was very pleasantly surprised, as I was expecting the imp-450 to fall short and have the similar problems of the imp-550.
So, in conclusion, the imp-450 is the definite winner here, and at a bargain price. I cannot see any reason one would choose an imp-550 over a 450. Physically and sonically superior, the imp-450 easily beats it. Im only slightly curious about the imp-900 now, as I cannot possibly see how it could be better, except for battery life. But since it shares the same micro 13.7mm size as the imp-550 I wonder how the build quality is.
My personal opinion, after owning all the major imp players, is that the imp-550 was a great concept that just didn't pan out. Not only that but I think that challenges of utilizing the Extreme3Q/EQ efficiently has been questionable as well. I think they countered the shortcomings and struggles of the imp-550 with a slam dunk of a release with the new improved and dare I say, perfect, imp-450.
*EDIT/UPDATE: Well, I must correct myself as I proceeded to do some further imp-350 and 450 tests. I ran a selected mp3 track in both players side by side with the EQ set flat on both, volume set to 30.
The headphones I tested were both a well broken in Sennheiser px200 as well as Sennheiser HD 25-1, also well burned-in.
The two players do indeed sound different, noticeably so. The 450 is defintely more punchy sounding and a bit more dynamic, open and involving, while the imp-350 sounds a bit thin, and slightly small sounding in comparison.
I am not a golden eared individual by any means, but I was easily able to tell a difference between the two.
Sorry to give the earlier impression that the various imp's are sonically similar. i can honestly say now that the later models do step it up a bit in the sound department. But hands down the imp-450 with its unflawed performance and quality wins, even without the added features of a optical line out, slightly larger size, and inability to charge whilst playing. Cool features of the imp-550, but not needed.
13 Not a good choice
This Cd player is not slim at all, when compared to slim offerings from Sony and Panasonic. The case design is also very ugly. It's not just generic, which would have been fine, but ugly. It's at best average as a CD player. It can play MP3 files, but I'd recommend a dedicated MP3 player like the iPod or the Rio products, because they give you more control over playback. The user interface on this thing is depressingly confusing, and some of my CDs and CD-Rs which play fine on Panasonic had trouble playing on this. Not recommended, unless you want to pay $150 for a low-quality FM radio.
14 Excellent Product ... BUT
The 550 is an excellent product, with one exception: It will NOT play protected WMA files: i.e., music downloaded from one of the popular services (Napster, BuyMusic, etc.). iRiver hasn't yet responded to my query about when they expect this support to be available (their flash memory products offer it). If you expect to rip hundreds of songs from your own CDs and play them on a single CD then this product's for you. If you expect to download hundreds of songs from a service to a single CD - get a flash memory device instead. Other than that, it does everything it claims it can do and does it very well. Quality and ease of use are very good. However, I do think the display is kinda small, particularly at 70 mph.
15 Pretty looks but not good quality
The player looks nice, I grant. But now after only 6 months of occasional use I can only get 30 minutes of play out of my batteries. Well just return them under the one year warranty right. No, the warranty on batteries is only 90 days. So the player that plays 50 hours on batteries now plays for 30 minutes. By the way new batteries cost $20 from I-River and mine never played anything for 50 hours. I expected better from a $150 cd player. My recommendation: Buy something cheaper so you're not broke when it breaks.
16 One of the Best CD Players
I am not going to write about the cd player's features as enough has been said about them already. I have owned it for almost a year and have had no problems with it. This is to those that own this player and to those that will. DO NOT go to the American website of iRiver to update the firmware. It has version 1.10. Go to the international site to download version 1.40. Make sure it is the US version. It adds many more feature than version 1.10. I do not know why they do not put the new version on the American site. You can also download version 1.50b. It supports ogg vorbis files. Besides, you get to see all of the products we don't get.
17 Great player BUT not reliable
I'm very picky and spent lots of time researching mp3 players. I have to tell, I'm very happy with this player. It has all the features you would ever want.
Updated:
The player stopped working after 2 weeks (I can not turn it on). According to the iriver web site there's nothing I can do, but to replace it. I'm returning it.
(I was using the offical firwmare 1.40 from iriver.com).
18 Best "portable" sound ever
I bought this device 6 months ago from Amazon and I'm still amazed of its performance. Actually each time I upgrade the firmware version I feall like getting a new player.
What amazed myself and everybody that tryied listening music to my Iriver IMP-550 is the quality and the power of the sound.
The second thing that "seduced" me is the advanced technology used to this device, allowing lots of menu options, firmware upgrade and multiple codec support. As a "minus" to the technology are the software bugs, but are allways corrected by the new firmware versions and are a very low price to pay in order to get the upgradeable feature.
An other important think is the beautifull design of the player. The headphones I got aren't the best looking though.
As considering the long lasting of the parts I may say that i have test it only for six months, but unfortunatly the headphones got broken recently, probably due to the high sound level listening.
Concluding: I still find this player the best to buy of the portable CD players with MP3 support.
19 Best MP3 Player Available
After using of this player for almost 2 months I highly recommend this player to everyone who wants to buy a MP3 player, whether a CD based player or flash or a Hard disk based player because this player have so many features with good sound
quality that other player doesn't offer.
I live in India and waited for more than 2 years, yes 2 years to get my hand on Slim X as they are not available here. I got it through my cousin who was going to Malaysia so I give him the details of Slim X 350 and 400 because they are cheap as compare to 550. But he brings 550 with him as other models are not available there, this is a good option as it is a new variant and superior than 350 and 400.
So come to the features and quality aspect of this player:-
Sound: The sound quality is loud and clear. I've noticed the detail of every song is much clear as compare to other CD based systems I have. And after listening on Xtreme 3D (Firmware Upgrade), which is a surround sound effect, you are not going
to listen your CDs on other mode available. Earphone is also of good quality and you can notice the difference once you try other earphones.
Features: I am not going to write about it's features because if I do then it will take more than 2 pages which is not possible. All I can say is that it is like a nuclear bomb.Small in size but contains that much of features which will blow your mind by
thinking that how in this small player has all these features.
Usability: I must tell you that it is very easy to use and understand and after the 2 or 3 times of use you can operate it like a simple calculator. Buttons and jog dials are easy to use and after some time you don't have to look at the remote to see that which jog dial is to be operated.
Remote: It is this cute and small remote I like the most. You can clip it on your belt or pocket and then easily operate it while the player may be placed in a bag or in it's case. And it's screen is no way small and you can comfortably read it without any problem. A nice backlit helps in this perfectly.
Here are other pros and some cons:
PROS
1. Plays any type of CDs whether expensive or cheap and written on any speed.
2. Easy Firmware upgradeability makes it new and exciting to operate.
3. Shock protection (upto 15 min. for MP3 and 30 min. for WMA).
4. Small size, light weight and a cool carrying case.
5. Resume function. Can resume upto 6 different CDs.
6. Built-in FM tuner was also one feature that I considered before choosing this player and it doesn't disappoint me at all.
7. Other added features like Name, Password, Game, Preset equalizers, ID3 tag information etc.
CONS
1. Cord of remote and earphone gets tangled and gives problem when walking or running.
2. If remote gets broke or lost then you can't operate the player as there are no control buttons on the player itself.
In the end I can surely say that you can easily choose this player over others and will not regret your decision because it is the BEST MP3 PLAYER available.
20 Superb!
This iriver player is superb! Coupled with Bose QuietComfort 2 Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones, it forms the ultimate travellers set for under $500. The iriver player (in its case) slips neatly into the Bose case outer sleeve too - nice!
Neat features of this player worthy of mention:
- Battery life is great - 16 hours standard (rechargable) with up to 55 hours when used with the external battery pack.
- Functional behaviour is extremely customisable. There are many menus available to get it to work just how you want it to.
- Player is firmware upgradable! As new formats come out, iriver can provide firmware upgrades to allow your player to be able to play them. Most others it supports what it supports and that's it.
- You get a free car kit including tape deck adaptor and car charger - very handy
- the unit is very light and compact - less than one and a half centimetres thick - one of the thinnest on the market
- It supports Winamp playlists. Simply include your playlist onto the CD you burn and the iriver player can load it up.
- The remote is excellent
- the overall product quality is superb
Why it is better than a Hard Drive MP3 player:
- Battery life is way better
- CDs are cheap as chips and you can fit around 10 hours of music on a CD anyway (if this is not enough for your trip or whatever, just take another CD along with you!)
- the iriver CD player costs WAY less than a HD player. For $188, this product is a bargain! :)
21 Not robust at all
I have purchased two IRiver CD players. The first one was defective from the start (no bass output). So I took a chance and ordered another player, which was this model (550). After using it for a few hours it broke -- the player cannot detect that a disk is loaded. It has not been treated roughly at all, but just sits on my desk. So, I am out several hundred dollars for nothing.
22 It's All You'll Want
Pros: Mp3 Playback, Thin design, Innovative remote, good battery life, fm tuner, car accessories included.
Cons: Needs remote to operate, small text on remote, no "true" jog dial, horrible pack-in headphones.
This player rocks. It plays as if it was an MP3 player instead of a cd player with the use of the remote. You can bring up menues upon menues of desired preferences. Blue back-light makes it look very cool. Did i mention that this thing very slim. About the size of 6 cd's stacked together. The sound is great with built in equalizer. You can adjust the high's and low's along with the bass. Distortion is nonexistant. This player plays all your music cd's, cd-r's, cd-rw's. Burn your Mp3's on a disk and get over 100 songs on a single disk. The player also recognizes WMA files along with your mp3's. You can save a winamp playlist and it will read them too! Accessories are abundent with car adapters as well as battery packs. The included headphones suck. You can hear something out of them, but if you have quality headphones, use those instead. A slight nag about the remote is that the jog dials doesn't rotate completely and act like levers, and also the play and stop button takes a lot of face space. Why didn't they include forward or back on the face as well? Other than that...awesome player.
23 A dubious start
I received this sleek little player today, complete with all the accessories and features I could hope for! But apparently, I expected too much. After six hours, the rechargeable batteries haven't taken a charge. And I've followed ALL the instructions in my manual and on Iriver's technical support page, several times.
24 Succeeds where other CD/MP3 players fall short
I had originally purchased the RioVolt 350 CD/MP3 player based on the manufacturer's glowing testimony of how great it was--I was very disappointed with the quality and soon replaced it with this player. Unlike the RioVolt, this player delivers on everything it promises.
Besides the fact that it can play CD, CD-R, CD-RW in addition to MP3 it has skip protection that actually works even while you are shaking the player all around. The car kit does the job it is supposed to and there are no problems with charging or powering the player.
iRiver seems to have hit the mark on this one. It is great for anyone who has tons of CDs and is just starting to get into the MP3 scene.
25 iRiver will not honour waranty
Be warned before buying an iRiver product that you are buying from a company that does not provide any warranty. If you are OK with paying a high price for a disposable product then proceed. If your product doesn't work or has a defect then you can simply drop it in the trash.
iRiver will not and does not give any customer support for their product.
Warranty simply means "Sorry about your luck Sucker!!!!".
My story I'm sad to say is about a unit I purchased from iRiver at Christmas for my 14 year old daughter. She was all excited about getting an IMP-550 mp3, portable cd player for Christmas. I ordered the unit through Amazon and everything appeared to be going well. When my daughter opened her present Christmas morning to her dismay she discovered the leather case had a problem with glue oozing out of the Velcro strap. We tried to wipe up the glue but to no avail. The cover cannot be used since the glue gets transferred to your hands and then eventually to the cd player.
I have tried over and over and over to get a replacement cover from iRiver.
If you have the unbelievable luck to get through on the phone then you will get a representative who will patronize you and say a replacement will be mailed immediately. After about 3 months when you still haven't received the unit they will then say they have a problem with the Postal service losing their shipments.
Again you get an email indicating they will be sending you a replacement immediately and again after 3 weeks you get nothing. You then send them yet another email asking "where's the cover" and after 4 days you don't even receive a reply.
The sad part the cover contains the belt clip so without it you have a portable cd player you must carry unprotected in your hand.
Do yourself a favor and stay as far away from iRiver products as possible.
As for my daughter she has learned a lesson at a rather young age regarding the scruples of certain companies. She doesn't fully understand why iRiver won't provide her with a replacement case. After all it most be worth a whole $10.00. Given the unit cost us $161.00. My next plan is on having a friend order a case (paying for it of course) and see if that one gets delivered. It will be very intereting if the postal service works much better when you pay iRiver for a replacement product!!
Sad.........
26 Just got one 3-12
I really like this player it is awesome and iRiver fit a whole lot of info into the tiny remote which once u get used to is really simple to use! totally loving it! i was also gonna get the D-NE1 before i saw this one and man it is awesome! I am a SONY fanboy at heart but this product is far superior top teh sony i read like a bunch of reviews to! i love it definitely reccomend! There are a few strange things i have noticed such as that the cd text soemtimes only works when the unit is plugged into the wall outlet adapter, and that if u take out the AC plug while the unit is beign charged it will forget the resume info of where ur cd was stopped at and will the nstart form the beginning, i can deal with that since the player if FRIGGIN' AWESOME! if u havent bought a cd/mp3 player yet try this one out u will like it very much!
27 The best cd/mp3 player -- but noisy
Like a few others who've written reviews here, I upgraded to an iMP-550 after my I broke my Rio Volt SP250 (which, it turns out, was actually a branded iRiver too.) Here's what I found from two weeks of use.
CONS
1. My only real complaint about the iMP-550 is that it's really loud -- louder than any other CD player I've ever had -- which can annoy others in a quiet setting. When it's reading the disk, it grinds away and it seems as if it would never end. There is a software band-aid for this (a `polite' mode to lessen CD reads), but it doesn't help. Why didn't iRiver fix the problem at the source instead? I could live without the gee-whiz thinness if iRiver needs room for a quieter motor. And did I mention it's loud?
2. The earbuds are [...] (but that's a given with any portable, so don't blame iRiver). Check out [website's] "Cheap Headphones" buying guide for replacements. I like the Sennheiser PX-100 (open) or PX-200 (sealed).
PROS
1. ogg support! ogg files sound better to my ears than mp3 or wma files of the same size. This was the main reason I chose the iMP-550 over other models.
2. Excellent sound quality. Better than other cd portables I've tried.
3. Extremely configurable.
4. It handled all the CDRs I've fed it, even ones burned at fast speeds.
5. One reviewer reported that the iMP-550 doesn't handle VBR. Maybe he's got an older version, but mine (firmware 1.50b) handles VBR fine.
6. The controls on the remote, though small, are well thought-out and give a lot of physical feedback. It only takes a few sessions before you can navigate without looking.
7. Comes with all the extras you could needs -- car plugs, a cassette adapter, an external battery source for AA batteries, a nice carrying case, and so on.
8. The manual is easy to skim & read.
COMPARISON TO THE VENERABLE RIO VOLT SP250:
1. The interface is an upgrade of the old SP250's software, so the learning curve is easy.
2. The iMP-550 picks up weak radio signals better than the SP250.
3. iRiver has more frequent firmware upgrades than Rio.
4. The NiMH batteries seem hold a longer charge.
5. I don't miss having the controls on the player (instead of on the remote) as much as I thought I would. When I want both the player and controls close at hand, I stuff the remote's cord into the player's carrying case, then flip the case over and clamp the remote's holding clamp onto the carrying case's rubber belt strap.
CONCLUSION I'm glad my SP250 broke, because this is a much better player. The sound quality, the better FM tuner, and especially the ogg support, make this player the one to beat. If only the motor wasn't so loud, it would be perfect. I give it 4.5 stars and round up to 5 for Amazon.
28 This is the sickest player I have ever bought!!
After review of all these flash players and mp3 players. I have come to the conclusion that all of them are still in their infancy stage right now and it's not worth it. Every MP3 player I would look at in the stores was broken after two weeks of being on display (the kid working there told me when they put them out). Also, what's with this no uploading crap! I buy a 20-gig player for however much and I can't load my tunes into my buddy's laptop. F%*! all that noise jack! I'll wait till they get a better handle on things before I drop some real coin on a solid instrument like the one I got right here. 700 MB's of mp3 tunes designed on my own existing burning software Nero (which also rules by the way). No new crap-tacular software that will fry my computer. I burned 13 different albums into folders which are recognized by the player so they are two clicks away on my remote. Awesome!
29 Love the product, hate the support
This mp3cd player was given to me as a present. I thoroughly enjoy this product. It has every function one could ask for in a mp3cd player. But after 4 or 5 weeks later, I noticed that it was having problem recognizing the CDs and kept on displying "No Disc." So I called their support line and the representative told me to write them an email describing the situation and info and promised that they would reply that same day with exchange information and some sort of authorization number. It has been three days since then and by reading other reviews I would imagine its going to take longer than few days. So I did some research and tried few things and came to the conclusion that v1.10 firmware has problems(I think).
After updating the firmware to newer version I don't have the problem anymore(only been a day). I would recommend slimx 550 to everyone but their support system worthless.
If you are having "No Disc" error and have the v1.10 firmware give me an email I will tell you where to get the firmware and how I got it to read the CD.(puffy1feet@wowway.com)
30 Bought 2, both defective!! Never again IRiver!!
In late Feb and early March 2004, I was shipped two consecutive units which were both defective. I saw another message where one person bought 3 and all were defective. I'm not going to be a sucker for a third round.
31 buy this now
i bought my product from amazon and it works great you need a burner if you want to upgrade the rechargable batterys are cheap 20 for 2 the lcd screen is real cool no controls at all on the cd player except to open it its a little tricky at first (i dont read manuals) but i got the hang of it you can also upgrade the firmware and this is the best cd player ive ever had ive had 2 sony dcjo1 and another old sony ive reserched this product alot and it is arguably the best on the market if it isnt already and after both my sonys broke i wanted something else the first one only played music in the left ear after 1and 1/2 years and the other (dcjo1) screen cracked) sony is terrable you by the name and a 15$ cd player you pay over 100 for so buy this
32 AMAZING!!!!
This is absolutely the best cd player ever. I am shocked by it's advanced features and simplicity to use. I've never heard such good sounding mp3's ever.
33 It has problems with WMA files
It is very rich in features and has very good audio quality. However, it made creaky noise from time to time when playing WMA musics. I tried the same CD with WMA files in different player(non imp-550_ and pc. They did not have problems at all. So I returned it and iRivers sent me a new one in 3 days, very good services. But the new one has the same problems. I am reasonably sure that its WMA decoder is not fully compatible at this time, even with 1.10 firmware. Other than this, I am pretty satisfied. I just sent a email to iRiver to see what they are going to with it.
34 Very bad radio!!!!!!!!!
The radio is worthless!!! It is only possible to listen to the
strongest radiostations, when you are standing still and holding up the earphone cable. Tried it at the absolute center of Stockholm (the capital of Sweden), and could bearly hear anything.
Furthermore, putting the mp3 on takes about 45 seconds and a usual audio-cd takes about 20-30 seconds.
...so I returned the player to the store and, with some hesitation, bought the iRiver SlimX 400 in stead. I became very positively surprised! The radio in iRiver 400 is very good, I can use it almost anywhere, maybe not in the subway but rather far down the stairs to the subway.
However, the batteries only last for 5-10 hours, but I can anyway
strongly recommend SlimX 400.
35 Very bad radio
The radio is worthless!!! It is only possible to listen to the strongest radiostations, when you are standing still and holding up the earphone cable. Tried it at the absolute center of Stockholm (the capital of Sweden), and could bearly hear anything.
Furthermore, putting the mp3 on takes about 45 seconds and a usual audio-cd takes about 20-30 seconds.
...so I returned the player to the store and, with some hesitation, bought the iRiver SlimX 400 in stead. I became very positively surprised! The radio is very good on SlimX 400, I can use it almost anywhere, maybe not in the subway but rather far down the stairs to the subway. However, the batteries only last for 5-10 hours, but I can anyway strongly recommend SlimX 400.
36 Worked 4 days...and they want me to pay shipping&insurance?
I asked my wife to purchase the SlimX550 for me for Christmas. It worked beautifully for four days and then wouldn't recognize that a disc was present. I emailed i-River and sent 2nd, 3rd, and 4th followups. They finally got back to me and 3 weeks from my first message finally told me to return the defective unit to them and they would replace it. They indicated that I should pay shipping and insurance charges and didn't say anything about sending me a mailing label like one of the other reviewers with two defective units. I've asked them if they didn't feel like they should be responsible for paying for the return of a unit that only worked four days and am now waiting on that answer. (Maybe in three more weeks if ever...??) Overall, during the four days that the unit worked, it was fantastic! But...was this just one of a tiny fraction of a percentage of units that are defective or is this a pattern that will repeat when I receive the replacement? Stay tuned for further developments....
37 Two have gone bad (NOW 3!!!)
I purchase two of these for Christmas (2003). Within one week, the first unit quit working. It just turned off while I was sitting there doing nothing. It would not turn back on. Even with the thing sitting on the charger, it still would not turn on. So, thanks to the beauty of the internet, I returned it with a free shipping label provided. I asked for an exchange instead of a return because the thing is just so darn cool.
So, I started using the second one I had actually bought for my girlfriend. It worked great, for a couple of weeks. Then, the same thing. It turned off on it's own, and will not turn back on. I am going to exchange it also. Why exchange it instead of returning it? Well, I like the idea having my CDs on CD hard-copy instead of sitting on an IPod waiting for it to crash. At least in a few years, I will have a library of MP3 CDs, instead of a broken IPod with nothing to show for my trouble.
Another problem is that the first unit did not read the MP3 CDs all that well. It paused a lot during playback. I was kind of glad it broke for that reason. The second one did not have that problem.
So, I have gone through two, and I am waiting on two more to arrive. Let's hope that the law of averages works in my favor this time.
Still, you would think that having two units (SlimX iMP-550) break within the fist couple of weeks of use is a HUGE flag to those out there thinking about making this purchase.
----- Follow Up: third went bad
Well, the one they replaced also went bad. I live in Portland, Oregon, and I use it for riding our light-rail train system called The Max. I am suspecting that the problems are being cause by the electrical power cables that run the train. The problem is probably in the way they build the iRiver iMP-550. It is so much thinner than the rest, that I suspect the parts they are using are less robust in handling electro magnetic interference (EMI). Kind of like being shocked by static electricity. All three units went bad while riding The Max, and all were used less than two weeks. Two of those three died in the same area. When I wrote the people at The Max, they did not answer my email.
So, what does this mean to you? Be careful if you are planning on using this product in areas where there is large EMI. By the way, iRiver says they do not cover "Unusual electrical stress".
38 So worth the money
It's expensive. That's because it's the best. Here's why:
Functionality: It has every function you could want and some you never thought of, up to and including a mode that makes the mechanism quieter, so it doesn't bother the people around you. Plays audio CDs, MP3 and WMA, with upgradeable firmware for future formats. Excellent navigation lets you scroll through the list of songs without interrupting the song you're listening to. Supports ID tags and CD text (so you see track names for regular CDs too). Very good memory buffer for shock protection (caches the entire MP3 file, or up to 320 seconds of audio CD, and reads ahead to the next MP3 file so there's no wait between tracks). Equalizer presets and customizable settings.
Sound quality: Rivals my Yamaha 565 home deck. It's the best sounding portable I've tested. In addition to headphones out, it has line out and digital out to plug into your receiver.
It's small: Looking at it from the top, it's barely larger than a CD. From the side it's 0.54 inches thick. If you have a spindle of CDRs handy, stack 9 of them on your desk - that's how large it is.
It looks damn cool: Simple black and silver design will look good in your backpack of with your business suit. Comes with a padded sleeve you can keep it in that doesn't interfere with operation. All controls are on a small remote with a clip on the back. Also includes a car kit - remember when you had to pay extra for that?
The included "headphones" are, of course, crap. Pair it with the Sennheiser PX100 for portability and value or the Sony V700DJ for style and sound quality, and you have the best portable rig, period.
39 Best MP3 brand... Best MP3/CD Player Ever...
I am a Korean... I am very proud of the best MP3 brand "iRiver", Korean brand. I didn't know about iRiver before I bought this MP3/CD player. I thought iRiver is US brand and I tried to find the best MP3/CD player in Panasonic or Sony. But many people said iRiver is the best, so I decided to buy imp-550 even though it is very expensive for me. I bought this product on December. I have no doubt that this player is the best. I never thought that I wasted money to buy this player.
p.s One good thing is that iRiver is making new version firmware and it will come out soon. It will provide OGG format, so we can listen OGG files.
40 Im Impressed
I never spent more than 75 dollars on a portable cd player before. however, i was interested in using MP3 though and decided to buy a new one with an MP3 feature. I was very hesitant about ordering the iMP-550 because of its $160 dollar price tag. I even regretted it and planned on returning it when i recieved it. when it came and i opened it up i was sold. the iMP-550 is easily worth every dollar. it has every function you cou could ever need and incedible sound quality. i would recommend this to anyone.
41 Premium player for a premium price
I can't comment on the out-of-box quality because once I recieved the played I immediately upgraded the firmware version to 1.10, which iRiver made very easy on their web site. The player itself is wonderful to look at and listen to, the remote was easy to use and understand and the options available allowed the fine tuning of sound quality to fit anyone's idea of perfect.
42 imp-550 Class and Quality
I've had my IMP-550 personal CD player for a couple of weeks now. It is by far the best CD player I've owned having had experience of good quality Sony and Philips players in the past. Its compact and light but a quality item. It comes with 2 x NiMH 1450mAH gumstick rechargeables and an auxiliary tube which holds 2 x AA batteries. The unit has a discharge and charge function and completed that operation for me in about 4 hours. There is also a smart, slim case which can be looped on your belt and gives the player good protection. The only control on the unit itself opens the lid and is not accessable when in the case.
I downloaded the latest firmware upgrade (1.40) from Iriver's site, burned it to a CDRW and the player read it and upgraded within a minute. I believe the Ogg Vorbis codec is an imminent firmware download which will allow even higher music quality in less space.
I found the wired remote easy to use and with which everything on this player is customisable but its well worth studying the manual to get the best out of it. The manual is well set out and easy to read with plenty pictures. I have burned a few CDRs, CDRWs full of MP3s and audio CDs on cheap media and the player has read and played them all without a hitch. I got myself some new headphones (Koss Porta Pro) as I prefer the open type and these have made the player sound even better than it did with the original supplied Sennheiser in-ear.
The stereo FM reception is good around where I live and the unit auto tuned all the available stations in seconds, 20 presets are available. Sometimes lost the signal when walking around town but just for seconds.
All in all I am extremely happy with the performance of this player although I have not tried all the codecs or the optical out yet. Yes I would buy it again tomorrow, even at the higher price I paid.
43 Best all around portable CD / MP3 Player Available
There is not a single feature lacking in this product. Rest assured it will not go out of date, as firmware updates are downloadable from the manufacturer's website.
The sound from this unit (including the included Sennheiser earbuds) is absolutely flawless. Crisp, clear sound even on the lowest bitrate MP3s. No hiss, no crackle, no ambient noise.
Supports every major CD-R protocol, from standard ISO to packet written to Romeo discs with filenames over 128 characters.
Newly designed carrying case keeps unit snug and secure, prevents scratching (all features are controlled via remote) and a belt clip is provided, unlike previous models (i.e. the 350)
The manual is detailed and printed on glossy paper, the packaging is superb, the website well designed, and most importantly, the unit is extremely easy to use... a quick glance through the manual and you can be up and running within no time at all... the only major delay is to let the batteries fully charge/discharge for the first time. (You can use the AC adapter to try it out while you wait however!)
Rush out and buy this item... do not even consider any other brands, none come close to the quality of this item.
44 The best of all mp3 cd players out there
This is one of the best slim players out there... great value for money,stylish,slim,best sound,good accessory package,good battery life...what more can u wish for in a player???
45 This Cd palyer is great
This CD player is so easy to use and works very well. It's a little hard to scroll through the Mp3's but I'm not sure I'm doing it completely right. The sound is great and the rechargible batteries are extremely helpful. I just plug it in at night and it's fresh in the morning. When plugged into a car jack it charges at least three times as fast as in a wall socket. I think the player does everything a mp3 player does and more. I can fit over 10 hours of music on a single CD.
46 Now, with Ogg Support!
According to iRiver's website, the iMP-550 should have full Ogg support by the end of 2003. For those not familiar with Ogg, it's the best audio format around, free of DRM annoyances and patents. Unlike most similar players, the 550 can play both Ogg and MP3 formats, instead of having to choose which firmware to install.
47 it's great
to all
the loding time is now lower because of the new firmware (1.4).
the only thing I do not like abote the player is the playback time it's only 25 hours only iwht the gumsticks. sony has players that have 50
48 Excellent Customer Service
I decided on the 550 over the $99 model because I heard that it has less "gap" in between mp3 tracks. I listen to a lot of mixes that are spilt into tracks and having a 2 second gap is annoying. When I got the player, the AC adatpter did not work, which meant I couldnt recharge the batteries. I called the Customer Support line and with no hassle or delay at all they sent out a replacement adapter that arrived in about 5 days. Awesome! This is a great player but be warned, the remote is smaller than you think and feels fragile. Unless you absolutely need the car kit, go for the $99 model. It's strange, in a package filled with high quality accessories, the earbuds are simply awful. But who ever uses the included ones anyways? Don't even consider any brand other than iRiver..
49 The Best CD player money can buy
If your looking for the best Mp3 cd player that money can buy, you have found it. Iriver has done a great job with the 550. The unit is extremely small and light. Some say that the remote is hard to use, but it really isnt. After playing around with it for 5 mins you will figure how to use it.
The sound is also great, I never thought music could sound so great. At first i was going to buy the iriver ihp-120, but then i thought again should i spent 400 or should i go with the 550 that is more than half the price. I decided to go with the 550 and im extremely happy with my decision
50 good enough for the audio anal
This unit is almost perfect. The sound is incredible and I really love the customizable equalizer feature. On most of these portable units, the base is too mushy and the treble is too piercing and there's no midrange. My guess is that's because the sound technicians at these companies have been to too many concerts and their high-frequency hearing range is damaged. Thanks to the built in user-settable equalizer though, you can adjust it so you can actually hear the mid-range. Listening to this unit, I could hear aspects of the music I'd never noticed before. This was using a pair of inexpensive Philips HS500s.
The FM tuner is it's weak point. The reception is very poor and the sound quality is tinny and flat. You can't apply your equalizer settings to the radio sound quality so it basically sounds so bad as to be useless. It's hard to find one of these units with a built in radio receiver, and equalizer, so I was disappointed that they put no energy into ensuring the quality of the radio.
The UI is very awkward to use and confusing. You will have to carry the manual with you for several days till you get it all straightened out. Curiosly it's the same exact UI as that of the RioVolt SP-250. Apparently these companies are outsourcing this logic to somewhere in China.
Also, the thing about these slim designs which I don't like is you have to carry all this extra stuff around. If you want to get the 55 hours of battery life, you have to plug in the extra battery pack. If you want to use this for jogging, as I do, that means that somehow you have to carry that awkward thing around with the unit. Unfortunately the nice little velvety case they give you has no place to attach the battery pack. A significant oversight I think. So, you have to carry the unit, and the battery pack somehow, and the dangly remote control around. I'd prefer just to get it all packaged into a slightly fatter unit and just carry one thing. But the fatter units don't have all the good features. I'm not sure why.
The unit comes with a pair of the impossible to use ear bud style headphones. The fact that they are Sennheisers is a nice touch, but who can get these to stay in their ears? I must have non-regulation ears. Maybe with a nice pair of real over the ear Sennheisers this would be the almost perfect portable unit.
Aside from all those rants, I love this unit. I almost returned it but changed my mind because of the sound quality and most of all because it really doesn't skip. I took it jogging and it played every song all the way through with no skips for a solid hour. In fact, I haven't heard it skip yet.
51 Nearly all you can expect from a serious MP3/CD player
It's definitely a winner in its class. If you care about sexy looking, quality sound, fancy controls, light weight, car cassette and power compatiblitly, and long hours of playing, you will not even think about other brand and models. The price is reasonalbe compare to similar SONY and Panasonic players.
The multi-language ability of showing file names and tags is really marvelous and important for people who prefer other languages. The remote control is not a problem to me. It's not that hard to understand and remember how to use all the functions as some other guys said. The design and use of buttons are in same style, once you learnt one of them, you can easily apply it on another. I don't mind if there's buttons on the player itself.
The sound quality is awesome, at least as good as a SONY can provide if not superior. It plays a CD nearly as good as a regular deck CD player. Had tried it wiht high bit rate MP3s in my car (6 nice speaker) and felt satisfied. The weak point is the ear bud, it's not that impressive as described in some reviewer. After checking the ear bud's tech detail on the internet, I ordered a SONY MDR-828 along with the player. The SONY ear bud delivers deep, solid, and powerful bass, sweet treble, and accurate middle range. If you are serious about music and you slimx 550, you need to consider about the earphone.
As a summary, in my case I love its design and quality most. I recommend it to everyone and I believe you will not feel regret for your bucks, you will love it when you see it in you hand, it's so slim and smooth. Think what else can bring you more fun at about $160?
52 Slim case and Remote control - WOW!
This cd player has all the features I was looking for and more that are a total bonus. It plays MP3's, WMF's and regular cd's. I don't use the headphones that came with it because I have a very nice set of Sony studio type phones. The combination of the player and my phones is incredible sounding. I love the remote control. It makes it so much easier to control when you are in bed or in the car or have it on your belt, etc. You don't have to take the player out of its protective holder to get at any of the controls, only to change the disks. The equalizer is worth the price by itself. It has some presets, but you can totally control about 5 different levels, plus right and left. The remote even displays the name of the disk and song if your cd has that kind of information tag on it. I also love the fact that the firmware in the player is upgradable online. It's a very easy operation that almost takes care of itself. I upgraded right away from firmware ver. 1.03 to 1.10. The player itself is beautiful. The case is black and silver metal and comes with a velvety protective case that will slip onto your belt. I don't mind paying a bit more for this kind of quality. This is a great way for an adult to treat themselves to a new toy.
53 Buy it. Now.
Okay. I am not usually one to write reviews but this product deserves one. The iRiver 550 CD player is simply an amazing device. This is everything that you would ever need in a combo CD/MP3 player.
I have had CD/MP3 combo players in the past (Panasonic (sub par), and Sony (broke after a few months)) and this is far and away the best of the bunch.
The way that it handles play lists and the endless tweaking options make this the only player that you will ever need.
If you are thinking of buying a dedicated MP3 player (no CD capability) consider these factors;
1. A CD can be filled with over 600 MP3 files (10 hours of music)
2. CD-R's are pennies apiece compared to pricey flash memory cards
3. If you have a regular CD you can play it without the hassle of conversion.
4. CD recorders are very prevalent and you could usually find one at a friends house or if you were away (try doing that with the proprietary syncing cables on the other devices)
5. This is simply the most versatile device on the market
So there you have it. This is the way to go for all of your MP3 playing needs. The built in radio is also a bonus for when you are finished listening to 600 hours of music and you need a change of pace.
Buy this device. IRiver has done their homework and they have created the best of the breed. It costs a little more, but the payback in the long run will be more than worth the extra cash.
54 Technically marvelous; a little unwieldy
I wanted something to play MP3 CDs of old-time radio, both on long walks and in my car. The iRiver model was recommended by one of the Web sites from which I buy this type of CD. (A single five- or ten-dollar prerecorded CD, incidentally, may hold as many as 30 or 40 hours of radio shows in the MP3 format -- a technological wonder I still haven't quite gotten over.) Since I've been using the iRiver SlimX for barely more than a month, I can't speak to its endurance or longevity; but so far, at least, it's performed excellently. As other reviews have pointed out, all the controls, as well as the screen, are located in the rather tiny plastic remote control unit which attaches by wire to the player; once the CD itself is inside the player, you may as well stick the player in a bag (as I do, for walking around with it), as you needn't deal with the player until you want to switch CDs. It's astonishing how many functions and controls are packed into the little remote control unit -- and it's true, as others have observed, that you may have to sit down with the instruction book and experiment for half an hour or so before you get comfortable with using it (depending on how many things you want the player to do). My problems are exclusively with this little unit. It weighs about as much as a postage stamp, feels rather flimsy, and has three strange little plastic buttons sticking up, two along the top and one at the bottom, that you use to perform most of the operations. If you press one button down, you'll get, say, a new screen on the unit that allows all sorts of customizing. If you press that same button forward quickly, you'll move on to the next song (or in my case radio program) on the CD. If you press it forward and hold it for a few seconds, it fast-forwards on the song you're playing. It also works in reverse. Another button moves forward or backward for ten songs at a time, and also switches on the FM radio. The unit is so small, light, and delicate that it's hard not to accidentally push one of these buttons inadvertently when one picks it up; and the fact that there are buttons both on the top and the bottom makes it all the harder not to accidentally do something you didn't mean to. Holding and programming the remote control in one hand is difficult. You often end up holding your thumb over the little glass screen, which means it quickly gets smeared. And -- no doubt with the best of intentions -- the manufacturers have added a sort of plastic alligator clip on the back of the remote so that, presumably, you can clip it to a shirt pocket or some such (I clip it to the edge of the bag in which I'm toting the CD player), but the clip itself is facing precisely the wrong way, so that it's hard to use. If you attach a small two-battery unit (included) to the CD player for additional power, it hangs from the unit on a short wire like a heavy black pendant... unless, again, you carry the unit in a bag. (I've tried attaching it to my belt, but it's a rather large disk to have pressed against one's body... and one has to stick that extra battery pack in one's back pocket.) In short, the iRiver is awkward to walk around with. But it's still two or three times cheaper than an iPod, the sound is very good, and so far it's done all that it promised. It certainly makes my 50-minute walks home from work a lot more pleasant.
55 Great Player
This was my first MP3/CD player. I found it very satisfying. I had a little trouble in the beginning trying to figure out all the features it had, but that was a good thing. The only trouble I had with this player was the "no disc" problem. I called customer support and they told me to burn cds straight from Windows XP (recommend: CDR at 4x). Nero has problems with their product. Customer Service was great and the product works like a charm. I highly recommend it. The look of the player is pretty nice too. Great LCD remote and design all around. Another good thing about this is if by some chance your remote breaks, you can easily replace it with a easy order off their website. Once again, Great prodcut, Highly recommended.
56 The best cd player you can get
I got this CD player to replace a Sony one (returned for refund), and I am really satisified with this player.
Pros:
1. Super slim body design;
2. FM tunner;
3. Crystal clear sound output (even has an optical output);
4. Can play both mp3 and wma files;
5. CD player also act as a battery charger;
6. Can be functional when charging battery;
7. Big LCD (4 lines) can display a lot of information;
8. Multiple language support (38 languages);
9. Metal cover;
10.A bunch of custom settings;
11.Firmware upgradable.
Cons:
1. Loading CD will cost a little longer time than average CD players;
2. No AM Tunner (I love to listen to AM as well as FM);
3. Can not display artist and album info when playing CD (mp3 is ok);
4. Sometimes can not detect CD change and still display old CD's song title;
5. Sometimes can heard laster head seeking sound;
6. ET mode can not work properly (stop playing CD);
7. Got a AC adapter pluged will cause battery charging everytime you start the CD player (should has a high-low threshold).
Most of these cons (or called bugs) seems can be fixed by future firmware upgrade. The firmware version is 1.03 when I got the player and I got it updated to 1.10 the next day.
The player has a lot of custom features and you can almost control everything (e.g. LCD contrast, back light turn off time, seek speed ....). And seems more featues will be added in future firmware release.
I really like this player, so I give it a 5.
57 Busted
I received my IMP 550 today. Put an MP3 cd into and press play on the remote, nothing happen. Thinking it might be a bad cd, replace it with a different cd. Still nothing! Tried a music cd no better. The only message appearing on the LCD "No Disk".
As you can imagine I am very anooyed that this should happen.
I will be sending it back to Amazon in US. The only problem now is that I live in Ireland and Amazon in US don't sell outside of US and Canada. I used a friends address in the US who then bought it with him when he came to Ireland.
58 It is just great
This thing is awsome, the amount of options you can set on it is amazing. I mean you could just sit ther for hours tweaking everything. The sound quality is great. I mean for the money i think this is the best out there. Just go ahead and get it you know you want to.
59 Non less than a masterpiece!
What I like about IRiver is that they actually base improvements to their products on what consumers suggest. In case of imp-550, they not only making it comfortable and pleasant to use, but also recommending many undocumented ways to customize its work. They tell what to choose for best quality or for longest battery life. Such details as Multisection function, allowing to load non-multisection cds faster is already an example of caring about consumers. In my opinion it's ideal. It has everything one would wish mp3/cd player to have. Their updates are just great. You get literally a better player every months for no cost. For example the last 1.20 update added the Extreme3D equalizer, which made the sound much deeper and sharper. However you need to have adequate headphones to hear the difference, which are better to buy separately. Before I had an imp-350, and what I like about the 550 one, except the design, is that if you connect headphones to both outs, both of them will sound at the same good volume, just with less but bearable quality. In my opinion this model is the best you can get on the market so far.
60 Should be better
I bought this as a quick solution for a lot of travelling to Europe after my Rio Riot developed a bad (insurmountable) power management fault. I was hoping that this would become the long-term solution. However...
This seems to be a nice package - sleek unit, light, small remote (good screen), car adaptor (both power and cassette) etc. However, I have had awful problems getting it to recognise MP3 CDs. I have used Real Player (and then didn't on advice from iRiver), HP DLA and Windows XP CD recording software at 48x, 16x, 4x and 1x speed. I have also used only decent blank CDs - Memorex and Phillips.
I hope I now have the problem licked by using 1x speed, but this doesn;t seem to be particularly acceptable - my laptop can recognise discs, so the iRiver should as well.
Having said that, conventional CDs work fine, as does the radio (although if they had been the only features I wanted, I would have gone elsewhere).
It is a nice idea to have slim, proprietary batteries, although they don't last that long. I haven't yet needed to use the additional AA battery pack, as I have always recharged.
There seems to be a bit of a strange socket for the headphones - iRiver even supplies an adaptor for headphones that don't fit it. I think it is just a case of the housing being obstructive, not the socket being different.
The sound quality really is excellent, although I would have expected the volume to go higher - maybe a power management feature?
I think the navigation system is acceptable - remember it is hindered by a four line display on the remote, so it couldn't be much better.
Considering this is pretty much the most you can spend on a personal Cd player these days, it is only 60% there (therefore 3/5!).
Unfortunately, I have had so many hassles with getting it to recognise MP3 CDs that I will probably end up buying another hard drive player - the iPod 40Gb looks good, although steep.
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Update
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I have worked out the problem. The iMP-550 cannot handle variable bit rate (VBR) MP3 files (@v1.10 firmware).
This is a bit disappointing, as it is marketed as the bees knees multi-codec etc. Also, my MP3 collection is almost all VBR.
This is also disappointing because the manual does not tell you this. In fact, neither did the customer support number. I found the answer after a few hours digging around on the support web site.
So, if you are listening, iRiver, I will boost my rating of this product from 3 to 5 if you update the firmware to use VBR. Rio seem to have managed it, so why not iRiver?
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61 Another top of the line cd player
Having already owned an IMP-350 I knew what to expect from Iriver when the 550 came out. I passed on buying the IMP-400 because other than appearance, the Imp-400 and 350 were pretty much the same. The thing about Iriver's IMP line is that they are not your average cd players. These cd players are in class all their own offering features that no other brand on the market can come close too. The IMP-550 is the latest " advanced cd player " to enter the market and this time they have made this player different enouph to give consumers who already have the 350 or 400 a reason to upgrade. First is the players size. Even though the 350 was slim, the width and iregular shape more than made up for this and it was akward to carry around. The 400 was not really all that smaller. The 550 finally delivers in making a compact player and while it is not as small as the Sony D-EJ2000 it should prove portable enough to carry around and even exercise with. The next thing is the sound quality which quite simply, is superb. There have been instances when while listening to certain cd's that I can pick out sound characteristics that I did not notice before. The 550 also has two new sound features Extreme EQ and Extreme 3D. Extreme EQ is simply the user defined setting only you set it by adjusting a 5 band sound control panel. Ths gives the user more control over the EQ than in the earlier models. Extreme 3D is a DSP setting ( digital signal processing ) that is supposed to mimic surround sound. While the Extreme EQ is a very nice touch, the jury is still out on the extreme 3D I have found that sometimes it works well for some music and not so well for others. the forum board has a lot more by the way of user comments. Neither sound feature is available for the 350 because it does not have the proccesor chip set that can support this. I have also heard that the same is true for the 400 as well. and finally this player has a few things that the 350 and 400 don't have such as the ability to charge and discharge the batteries while listening to it. a etiquette function that reduces the mechanical noise the player generates and a car kit that comes with the player to name a few. This player has excellent anti-skip protect as well. My friend went jogging with this player while the ESP was set to 80 seconds and it did not skip once. there are some minor gripes I have though such as, the fact that like it's predecessors the 550 eats through the batteries. the player also has no buttons at all on the unit. the player is completely dependent on the remote to control it. and there is a headphone adapter that you need to use because the headphone input on the remote cannot fit most headphone jacks ( too sunken in ) All in all a great cd player with few problems.
62 The Best
It is simply the best possible portable CD player currently on the market in terms of sound quality. The first reviewer is a fool. Of course it comes non-functional on arrival. It comes with rechargeable batteries. Rechargeable batteries NEVER come pre-charged, because they would lose their charge by the time the product was finaly sold.
63 The ONLY player you will ever need
This is the ideal mp3-cd player. It has been able to play ever codec I have sent its way, I have not once herd it skip with mp3 or cd audio, the fm tuner get surprisingly great reception, and the remote makes navigation through music pretty easy. Making a system the allows you to look through 12 hours of music on one cd with out confusion is difficult to do, but they have done it although I must say it take time to familiarize yourself with the remote. The battery life is great and the recharger works perfectly. The only complaint I have is that for some reason it takes longer to begin playing some songs and there are a few seconds of dead time, but that may be an problem on the behave on the cd rather than the player. The unit its self isn't as quite as some others but I don't find that a problem. It is incredibly small, fits in large pant pockets and the remote can be clipped almost anywhere plus it comes with a form fitting carry case that allows u to strap it to a belt and go any where with it comfortably even jogging. If you have been asking yourself if a mp3-cd is really what u want then I should make it clear that on one cd you can hold 3 or 4 time what a regular mp3 player can plus you can play regular cds, if you have been looking at jukeboxes ask yourself do u need 10 gigs of storage when u can put a couple gigs on a few cds for a better price and with less to carry then the bulky jukeboxes. And so if mp3-cd player is what you want mise well get the best of the best, the SlimX imp-550.
64 Average mp3 player.
The biggest problem with all iRiver products is their clumsy user interface. The remote and on player controls are all non-intuitive. You have to read the manual to figure mutiple uses of each button and then you can hardly remember the functions.
Also the NiMH batteries included are not standard AA, but a new stick type. Mine didn't hold charge for very long, maybe isolated case. I would have preferred the normal AA battery size even at expense for a few mm extra thickness.
Finding and browsing songs is a pain and again the poor UI issue comes up. Nothing even close to something like an iPod. Ofcourse the iPod costs twice this one. The extra wires all, remote, charger, etc make this a clumsy peice of electronics to own. Hardly any innovation since the original Slim-X 2 yrs ago, iRiver is falling behind.
Ofcourse the main issue with a mp3 player is and should be the sound quality. And iRiver is good unlike pathetic mp3 decoder on Sony's. That said I would rather by original Slim-X or any other iRiver as they use same technology and UI.
65 D.O.A.
I have purchased 2 of these units so far (07/31/03 & 08/04/03). Both were non-functional upon arrival. I am returning the second one and have given up on this unit. Buyer beware.
66 Excellent MP3 CD Player; Almost Perfect
My first MP3 CD player was a Sonicblue Rio SP-250. It was an excellent MP3 CD player until it broke. I bought a cheaper MP3 CD player, and it was quite sub-par. This is my return to the high-end MP3 CD Players. First off, this player is the best I've used. And while it exceeds my expectations, there are still a few tiny, minute flaws.
The Good
The sound quality is superb.
The navigation is clear and easy to use.
The remote is easy to use, and has a vibrant display and backlight.
The accessories that the unit comes with are great.
The unit itself is THIN!
Battery life of the rechargable stick batteries is good.
The Bad
No controls or display on the unit itself.
Radio reception is not quite perfect (I find my self shifting the remote around to try and get better reception. To my surprise, it works).
Conclusion
In the end, I'm very pleased with this player. It is, in my opinion, the best MP3 CD Player on the market. Everything is done great, with minor flaws. The benefits far outweigh the problems with this CD player. However, if you MUST have perfect radio reception wherever you are, or you don't like having to work the player through a remote, this player might not be good for you. For the rest of us, who are just looking for a good MP3 CD player that has the versatility and quality not found in most other players, this is the Holy Grail of CD players.
67 Best CD player in the market
In this age of high technology, it isn't hard to find intuitive and sleek machines that do exactly what you think of plus more. Iriver is an up and coming company that desings the best mp3 players in the tough mp3 player market. Iriver's business target isn't to make a product that profits them, but to make a product that satisfies the consumers best, thus making business by first convincing the consumers. Take Sony for example, they make great products, I must admit that they are pioneers in audio and consumer technologies, but in the end they are just there to make big bucks. Why? I say this because once you buy a Sony product you are obligated more of their things becuase that is how their products are made. I see mp3 players as nonconventional alternative audio players that should be able to expand and not restrict you with their own products. Sony players play ATRC3 a format of encoding used by Sony products and only expandible for more memory with Sony's own MemoryStick. That means that instead of using mp3's you have to convert them to ATRAC, costing the consumer lots of time in converting them. The Iriver IMP-550 is an expandible product that not only looks great but performs like a wonder. It even uses a Sony CD lens, just to show that it is made with the highest quality components. But instead of getting Sony's restrictions, you get freedom of an Iriver, the way mp3 players should be made. This is a great buy. I am very happy with it. I wish I could write more but my 1000 words will be up. I know [item price] is a hefty price, but I see it comparable to a HD mp3 player like the Ipod, for its expandability of using CD's. Navigating around each CD is easy and you can even search it by folders...
68 PREMIUM MP3-CD PLAYER- Worth Every Penny
I was looking for a truly premium MP3 CD Player and checked out iRiver. Their products were rated very highly in PC World. This is a player for people who simply want the best and are willing to shell out a little bit extra cash for it. The sound quality is exceptional, the remote is sleek and simple and it has some outstanding features. It looks absolutely killer and is a sure attention grabber. GO FOR IT!!!
