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> iRiver iFP 799T 1 GB Flash MP3 Player Review
Welcome
to the iRiver iFP 799T 1 GB Flash MP3 Player Review page:
In all honesty
I was prepared to NOT like the iRiver 799T. We already have an iPod in the family,
so I expected to be biased by that experience. But this little player really grew
on me. If you are looking for a very small MP3 player that does not use a hard
drive, you should consider the iRiver 700 series. It comes packaged with a lanyard,
armband, Sennheiser earbuds, and even a case: a very nice range of accessories.
Please note that this review is based on firmware v1.25, which I downloaded
and installed; it arrived with v1.21. I expect some of the problems to improve
over time as firmware is updated, but I never advise people to buy a gadget based
on future improvements. Buy it for what it does now, not for what might be added
later!
First off: sound quality. It's good! It seems to be as rich and
pleasing as my iPod, though of course the quality of your files is a huge factor.
The bad news is the included Sennheiser earbuds do NOT do justice to the audio
quality. Please, if quality is important to you, plan for some quality budget
earbuds, such as the Sony EX-51 or EX-71. (Side note: From my reading, it seemed
that these players USED to have a "white noise" hiss problem, but it has apparently
been licked in current production.)
Next, features. It has a lot! FM radio;
recording from mic, radio or line in; a simple but effective graphic equalizer;
many shuffle play modes... even a clock and fun visualizations. I think the EQ
presets are pretty worthless, but you can do a custom EQ, so you can get where
you want to go. The only major feature this player is missing is on-the-go playlists.
Instead, you have to choose to play by directory, or build a playlist with the
music manager on your computer.
Third, interface: It's good too. There's
a joystick for volume/navigation, a few buttons for basics like play/pause, and
a hold button. For most commands, you click the button; for others you hold a
button in. It's a good interface which I was able to become comfortable with without
cracking the manual.
Fourth, the screen. It's tiny but razor sharp and
it displays a lot of useful information. The backlight is nice and bright. I was
very pleased.
Fifth, battery life: Up to 40 hours, they say, though 35
seems to be more typical. And that is off 1 AA battery! Note that you must set
the backlighting to turn off as fast as possible to maximize the battery life.
The backlight looks great, but it really chews up the battery.
All is
not perfect though-there are some flaws that buyers should be aware of, though
none of them are deal-breakers for me personally. For one, out of the box this
device does not work as a USB mass storage (UMS) device. iRiver has an experimental
firmware upgrade to enable UMS. Uploading music is slower in UMS mode, but you
don't need to use the iRiver music manager, so take your pick. Personally, I am
leaving my player in non-UMS mode as the iRiver upload software isn't too bad.
If I want a USB thumb drive, I'll just get one of those too.
Either way,
I don't think this player lets you copy music files from the player to the computer:
it's a one way trip, their attempt to appease the record companies, I guess.
Another
wart: some users complain about poor quality on line-in recordings, and with current
UMS firmware they are seemingly limited to 96kbps.
Ogg audio files must
meet certain minimum and maximum bitrate limitations to play properly. You are
probably OK with 128kbps Ogg files, but you may experience problems with very
low or very high bit rates. (And Ogg is a VBR codec, so it can be hard to guarantee
that the rate is always in the range you want.) I'd choose MP3 over Ogg with this
player.
I have noticed that if you don't use the player for a few weeks,
the battery runs down. It doesn't kill the memory, but it's still inconvenient.
Lastly, some people have problems with VBR MP3 files. I have played a
wide range of MP3s on mine and I haven't had a problem yet though, so I don't
think this is a common issue.
I did not test WMA files as I don't use
them.
In conclusion, this is a very nice little player that deserves a
look if you are concerned with size, the ability to make recordings, battery life,
or an included FM radio. Recommended for those who like to travel light!
Buy
the iRiver iFP 799T 1 GB Flash MP3 Player
