iriver SlimX iMP-550 CD / MP3 Player with Ultraslim Design
From iRiver
Within the sleek metal case of the iRiver SlimX 550 you'll find the highest level of quality and industry leading features like 32-minute skip-free playback, a built-in FM tuner and extended battery life up to 55 hours.
Amazon Sales Rank: #42080 in Consumer Electronics Color: Black Brand: iRiver Model: SlimX 550 Original language: English
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. 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.
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 GoodThe 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 BadNo 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).ConclusionIn 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. 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. 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.
