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| Date Reviewed: 01/09/2004 |
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Strengths: Very slim, sleek and stylish product, that works very well (has read every CD I have given it). Firmware upgradeable, great skip protection, FM tuner. Still plays your old CDs.
Weaknesses: Headphones are bad (I use my own anyway)
Summary: I thought from all the reviews on amzon that the product skips, is bad, too many wires, etc. This is not the case. Great product. Looks good, feels good, works very well. Great sound quality, great weight, great navigation system (once you get used to it after 2 or so hours of use).
I definitely recommend this player. It's worth it.
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| Date Reviewed: 01/28/2004 |
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Strengths: It's thin, it has everything I wanted (MP3, CD, FM radio) It hasn't skipped on me yet, and I do a lot of walking and running. Has a lot features and options.
Weaknesses: Seems fragile, ear phones are ok, too many wires
Summary: Alright, I've been wanting a CD/MP3 player for awhile now and I wanted a really good one. I settled on this one, and got a pretty decent price online. And I love it! Its really cool, its VERY thin which I like. It has a lot of features, and options which is pretty cool. I suggest reading the manual first, then messing with the remote, and then refer back to the manual when you get stuck. I learned everything within an hour, so be patient :) The earphones are decent, they serve as a good back up. Just use your own. External battery pack is great, and self-recharging batteries are awesome. My only complaint is with the wired remote, and then your headphone wires, and then you attach the external battery pack, it tends to get all tangled up and bulky. I still haven't figured out a way to keep them tangled-free :) But overall, best CD player I've ever got!
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| Date Reviewed: 12/15/2003 |
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Strengths: Slim, good sound, full functions remote
Weaknesses: None
Summary: Excellent sound, very very cool remote with lots of features. The player is so slim and light I didn't realize it was in my jacket. I'm gonna keep this one for sure.
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| Date Reviewed: 02/12/2004 |
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Strengths: great sound.
compatible with almost all file formats.
Weaknesses: too many wires
Summary: This is the best cd mp3 player I have bought. I thought of going for the ipod but I dont want to lose all my songs if the hard disk on that fails. Also the battery issues with ipod didnot make it a good choice for me.
This is one of the most complete players I have bought. It has all the accessories like ac charger, car charger, a car tape adapter (i need it because I have an old deck in my car), external battery pack.
It has internal batteries which get charged when the unit is plugges in and they offer like 20 to 30 hours of music. With the external battery pack one can boost it to almost 50 hours wihtout replacing your batteries. The head phones are not that good but yeah pair this up with sennehiser px200 and it is sweet music to your ears. I would highly recommend it. I call this a music solution.
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| Date Reviewed: 04/05/2004 |
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Strengths: Light and small CD player, excellent skip protection, plays all my mp3's, battery drain-then-charge feature, good battery life, lots of features, fast-forward and rewind 2x-6x, good sound quality
Weaknesses: Must use remote control to operate unit, headphone cord is long with remote attached, no belt clip on case, just belt loop
Summary: This is a fantastic CD player! I considered buying a "hard drive" mp3 player like the iPod, but after comparing iRiver's CD player to the competition the choice was easy.
Unlike most mp3 players, the iRiver's batteries are user replaceable (though non-standard "gumstick" kind, but replacements can be ordered from iRiver's site for a fraction of the price of an iPod battery). I use my player 3-4 times a week and the battery lasts 2 weeks before needing a recharge. The unit can also be set to fully drain the battery before recharging it to ensure maximum life.
It also seems impossible to make this unit skip. I play a lot of 2 hour DJ mix mp3 files and this is where the iMP-550 really shines - the fast-forward and rewind can be set to 6x to navigate through a single 2 hour track with ease!
I didn't think I'd like using the remote for everything (no controls on the CD player itself), but it's actually very good, does tons of things, lights up in blue while automatically scrolling the mp3 title, and looks very cool. It's also not necessary to take the CD player out of your pocket to operate the controls.
The cord is long with headphones and remote, but I just coiled it up into the "belt loop" on the case. I would have preferred a "belt clip" since I usually don't wear a belt when using the player, but the player is so small & light that it doesn't really matter (easily fits into most pockets).
You can also upgrade the firmware to the newest version from iRiver's website to take advantage of new features. I use CD-RW discs with the unit, so it's very easy to replace a CD holding 12 hours of music with another one, then re-write it again.
iRiver also stands behind this player with a one year warranty - this has become rare in the portable audio business (Sony offers 90 days labor & one year parts, for example). I will probably upgrade eventually to a flash player, but the iMP-550 will do fine until the prices come down and the units have larger capacity without moving parts (ie: no microdrives). Once that happens, I'm willing to bet that iRiver will again be ahead of the competition with flash players and I'll buy another one of their products!
The iRiver iMP-550 is easily the best CD player that I've ever owned for any price. The price is actually competitive too since the iMP-550 comes with a cassette adaptor, car charger, carry case, and batteries...everything you'll ever need right from the box. If you're looking for a CD/mp3 player, just get one of these and I think you'll be more than happy!
90% of People (9/10) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 04/08/2004 |
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Strengths: Size, Design, Compability, Car Kit included
Weaknesses: The manual didn't have instruction to upgrade the firmware
Summary: I've bought the iRiver SlimX 550 on February 2004. I've been using it for about 2 months. For me, iRiver SlimX 550 is the best CD/Mp3 player that is in the market right now. I have no problem of using the player. The sleek and slim design makes the player almost unnoticeable if you carry it in your pocket. And sometimes i forgot i was carrying it! Also, the player came with a complete car kit! I think this is the best deal that i ever had. The only thing that i am not satisfied is the lack of information in the manual and also on the iriver website on how to upgrade the firmware. Till now I still don't know how to upgrade the firmware. Overall, i think this player really worth your money.
67% of People (2/3) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 06/25/2004 |
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 My first one was DOA. My second one does not like ... Strengths: Small format
Weaknesses: Inconsistent performance. Too many cables. Too many multi-function keys (i.e. too many features built into a single key making it easy to select the wrong function)
Summary: My first one was DOA. My second one does not like any kind of movement. So long as I keep it on the table then there isn't any problem. Taking it in the car is useless. Bumps in the road will cause this thing to skip and then have troubles reading the CD. The only way to fix it is to turn the unit off and then turn it back on and keep from hitting bumps in the road. Forget about walking with this thing. Maybe my two units were part of a bad batch, but I'm not impressed.
44% of People (4/9) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 11/26/2003 |
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Strengths: Compact size, nice sound quality, alot of features
Weaknesses: Remote control takes time to master
Summary: Totally impressed by the product. It is very slim and compact. Wish the US version had the silver color one, I thought the black does not look as nice as the silver one.
Contary to some who said the headphone is not that good, I totally disagree. Sound quality is really good and I can't hardly hear outside noises with the volume cranked up to halfway. Nice bass if you custom the equaliser or use the built in ones.
The cd player makes some sound when loading, but acceptable compared to other players. A lot of added features, but all is only accessible thru the remote, which is hard to learn.
Compared to other slim cd players like Sony D-NE1 or Panasonic SL-J900, I would recommend the IRiver 550.
20% of People (1/5) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
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| Date Reviewed: 01/14/2004 |
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Strengths: small & light, greaat sound
Weaknesses: small & fragile, ear buds
Summary: 1st impression - a class unit. hard to believe all this is so thin. Display clear & readable but small. should have presets for equilizer. FM reception OK unless you want to rcv every station within 100 miles. excellent sound. I never liked earbuds though. Manual is clear and a must read, too many functions to waste time figuring out. operation takes some learning and concentration. haven't tested battery life, but ext bat is a nice touch.
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