RCA RP2410 Personal CD Player
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- Anti Skip Buffer: 45 sec.
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Not quite...
Pros
Great Sound, large 5-line LCD Display, built-in NiCad charger
Cons
extremely prone to skip, poor skip protection, short battery life
Recommended it?
No
The Bottom Line:
A good purchase only for those who plan to keep it plugged into the wall and stationary. On-the-go users should keep looking elsewhere.
The RCA RP2410 was my second attempt at a combined CD/MP3 player, and while it fared considerably better in my tests, it was not quite strong enough to satisfy me.
The RP2410 features a HUGE 5-line LCD display, which is very useful for displaying the MP3 directory structure as well as the ID3 tags and CD track listings. Navigation through the various menus is provided by a pair of buttons on the side of the unit, which double as volume up and volume down buttons while a disc is being played. A Built-in NiCad charger is helpful, particularly in view of the rate at which this unit goes through batteries (see below).
The sound quality out of the RP2410 is nothing short of excellent. With three sound modes (enhanced bass, surround, and both) as well as the default sound, there is almost certain to be something to please any listener.
Unfortunately, the negatives on this player are glaring. Battery life is EXTREMELY short, averaging 3-4 hours with ESP (Shock Protection) turned on. And you WILL need to turn ESP on, since this unit is by far the most sensitive to impact (and hence, skipping) of any portable CD player I have ever used! I literally had occassional skipping problems with the player sitting flat on top of my desk playing abrand new CD!
If you're on the go, the slightest movement can trigger a skip, and a collection of slight movements can quickly overwhelm the player's rather poor anti-skip handling. This feature deteriorates particularly rapidly as the battery grows weak.
Speaking of battery life, the unit has a bad habit of declaring the battery dead when in fact it has about half of its active charge left! I have taken "dead" batteries out of this unit, tested them in a charger, and proceeded to use them for hours in another player.
MP3 play in this player seems to work about as well as CD play - which is to say that you can make it through entire tracks with no problem, but suddenly hit a track which skips and pauses all the way through. Backtrack to the beginning of the track and hit play again, and you might hear the track played perfectly...
In summary, if you're looking for a unit which will remain plugged into the wall and largely stationary, the RP2410 may well meet your needs very nicely. However, for most portable use (and this is, after all, a portable player), this unit fails to deliver.
The RP2410 features a HUGE 5-line LCD display, which is very useful for displaying the MP3 directory structure as well as the ID3 tags and CD track listings. Navigation through the various menus is provided by a pair of buttons on the side of the unit, which double as volume up and volume down buttons while a disc is being played. A Built-in NiCad charger is helpful, particularly in view of the rate at which this unit goes through batteries (see below).
The sound quality out of the RP2410 is nothing short of excellent. With three sound modes (enhanced bass, surround, and both) as well as the default sound, there is almost certain to be something to please any listener.
Unfortunately, the negatives on this player are glaring. Battery life is EXTREMELY short, averaging 3-4 hours with ESP (Shock Protection) turned on. And you WILL need to turn ESP on, since this unit is by far the most sensitive to impact (and hence, skipping) of any portable CD player I have ever used! I literally had occassional skipping problems with the player sitting flat on top of my desk playing abrand new CD!
If you're on the go, the slightest movement can trigger a skip, and a collection of slight movements can quickly overwhelm the player's rather poor anti-skip handling. This feature deteriorates particularly rapidly as the battery grows weak.
Speaking of battery life, the unit has a bad habit of declaring the battery dead when in fact it has about half of its active charge left! I have taken "dead" batteries out of this unit, tested them in a charger, and proceeded to use them for hours in another player.
MP3 play in this player seems to work about as well as CD play - which is to say that you can make it through entire tracks with no problem, but suddenly hit a track which skips and pauses all the way through. Backtrack to the beginning of the track and hit play again, and you might hear the track played perfectly...
In summary, if you're looking for a unit which will remain plugged into the wall and largely stationary, the RP2410 may well meet your needs very nicely. However, for most portable use (and this is, after all, a portable player), this unit fails to deliver.
