Rio Volt SP250 Personal CD Player
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Similar in Portable CD Players
- CD-R/CD-RW Playback: CD-R/CD-RW
- Bass Boost: With Bass Boost
- Anti Skip Buffer: 160 sec.
- Supported Formats: WMA MP3
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Evolution of the Volt
Pros
Great compatibility, rechargable batteries, reliable.
Cons
Display screen still too small, playlist features awkward to use.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
The SP250 continues the successful lineage of the Rio Volt Line with great compatibility, good battery life and useful features.
Sonicblue's Rio Volt SP250 improves upon the already successful design of its predecessor, the Rio Volt SP100. However, the SP250 still shares some flaws of its inherent relative SP100. Here I will cover some of the changes between the SP100 and SP250. What's different - and what's still wrong.
Sound Quality
*************
Low sound-level output was a frequent complaint about the SP100. The SP250 improves on the SP100's shortcomings with a cleaner, louder signal.
Still perplexing is the second "Line Out" mini-stereo headphone jack which isn't really a Line Out at all.
The Line Out jack on the SP250 is still just a second headphone jack like it was on the SP100. A true line-out jack should provide no amplification of the signal based on volume levels but simply output the sound from the device at a steady level close to 0db as possible.
User Interface
**************
The LCD on the SP250 is an improvement over the SP100's display. Gone are the stupid tiny dancing men icons that wasted a line of the display. Instead you're treated to information about the currently playing file. The Bitrate, Format (MP3 or WMA), and a visualization (paragraphic EQ or level meter) is displayed on the lower part of the display.
Browsing through the folder structure is a slightly improved experience with the addition of the extra fourth line. The display is still too small to be very useful in this mode. The font is quite large for the screen and you still must wait for the line of text to scroll to the right past the 16 characters it can display.
The preferences menu is the most notable improvement between the SP100 and SP250. The Preferences menu was an actual afterthought in the SP100 (only introduced in firmware after its initial shipping.) The SP250 features a clean tabbed design with all features available via textboxes. Navigation is still a bit strange via the control pad, but once you get used to it you shouldn't have any problems toggling off modes and turning on options.
FM Tuner
********
New to the SP250 is an FM Tuner. It gets the job done, with easy to read frequency, and presets available. I personally don't listen to FM Radio a lot on the unit, but it's nice to know the feature is there.
Remote
******
Like its predecessor, the SP250 includes a wired remote control unit suitable for use when jogging or exercising. The Remote control for the SP250 is much improved over the SP100. The commonly used buttons on the remote such as play and fast forward and large and easy to use. An advanced LCD-Remote is available which apparently duplicates some of the information displayed on the main LCD Unit. I cannot comment on this unit as I do not own it.
Build Quality
*************
The SP250 seems to be a bit less flimsy then the SP100. The plastic seems firmer and the unit is less prone to "squeak" when pushed and prodded. The buttons give better tactile feedback and are organized in a more logical fashion then the SP100. Volume is located on the right side of the unit instead of in the middle below the screen like it was on the SP100. Above the volume buttons is the navigation button/menu. This button serves dual purposes - To get into the preferences menu you must hold down this button. Tapping the button results in the Folder Navigation appearing.
Batteries
*********
The SP250 improves on one of the SP100's major flaws - no battery charging capabilities.
The SP250 comes with standard two NiMH rechargeable batteries. These can be charged inside the unit while the player is connected to an AC Adapter. This eliminates the constant battery swapping that plagued me while using the SP100. The batteries overall seem to give a playtime of about 8 hours give or take.
Same Old Song
*************
The SP250 still repeats some mistakes of the SP100. The headphone jack is still illogically placed on the right hand side of the unit. When using a pair of headphones without an L-Connector, the headphone cord sticks out and gets in the way of comfortably holding the unit in your right hand and operating the volume buttons. I wanted the headphone jack on the left side of the SP100, and I still want it on the left side of the SP250.
Turning off the unit still requires holding down the stop button. If you read the manual you know this is the way to turn it off. However, I've had multiple people ask me how to turn the player off.
The latch holding the player shut is still the fragile part I worry about breaking the most on the unit. The latch on my SP100 hasn't had problems, but I still question Sonicblue's design decision to not come up with something a bit more durable.
Conclusion
**********
Overall the SP250 is still an awesome player despite my list of shortcomings above. It improves on the SP100's already impressive features and reliability. I have played hundreds of MP3s on both units and they've played every single MP3 I've ever tossed at them. Variable Bit Rate, 16kbs 22kHz to 320KBs Joint Stereo, Track-At-Once CDs, Disc-At-Once CDs, Multisession CDs. The firmware is excellent on this unit.
The Volt is still king of the CD-R based MP3 player market. I am yet to see any players that even come close to matching the compatibility and features of the line.
Highly recommended.
Sound Quality
*************
Low sound-level output was a frequent complaint about the SP100. The SP250 improves on the SP100's shortcomings with a cleaner, louder signal.
Still perplexing is the second "Line Out" mini-stereo headphone jack which isn't really a Line Out at all.
The Line Out jack on the SP250 is still just a second headphone jack like it was on the SP100. A true line-out jack should provide no amplification of the signal based on volume levels but simply output the sound from the device at a steady level close to 0db as possible.
User Interface
**************
The LCD on the SP250 is an improvement over the SP100's display. Gone are the stupid tiny dancing men icons that wasted a line of the display. Instead you're treated to information about the currently playing file. The Bitrate, Format (MP3 or WMA), and a visualization (paragraphic EQ or level meter) is displayed on the lower part of the display.
Browsing through the folder structure is a slightly improved experience with the addition of the extra fourth line. The display is still too small to be very useful in this mode. The font is quite large for the screen and you still must wait for the line of text to scroll to the right past the 16 characters it can display.
The preferences menu is the most notable improvement between the SP100 and SP250. The Preferences menu was an actual afterthought in the SP100 (only introduced in firmware after its initial shipping.) The SP250 features a clean tabbed design with all features available via textboxes. Navigation is still a bit strange via the control pad, but once you get used to it you shouldn't have any problems toggling off modes and turning on options.
FM Tuner
********
New to the SP250 is an FM Tuner. It gets the job done, with easy to read frequency, and presets available. I personally don't listen to FM Radio a lot on the unit, but it's nice to know the feature is there.
Remote
******
Like its predecessor, the SP250 includes a wired remote control unit suitable for use when jogging or exercising. The Remote control for the SP250 is much improved over the SP100. The commonly used buttons on the remote such as play and fast forward and large and easy to use. An advanced LCD-Remote is available which apparently duplicates some of the information displayed on the main LCD Unit. I cannot comment on this unit as I do not own it.
Build Quality
*************
The SP250 seems to be a bit less flimsy then the SP100. The plastic seems firmer and the unit is less prone to "squeak" when pushed and prodded. The buttons give better tactile feedback and are organized in a more logical fashion then the SP100. Volume is located on the right side of the unit instead of in the middle below the screen like it was on the SP100. Above the volume buttons is the navigation button/menu. This button serves dual purposes - To get into the preferences menu you must hold down this button. Tapping the button results in the Folder Navigation appearing.
Batteries
*********
The SP250 improves on one of the SP100's major flaws - no battery charging capabilities.
The SP250 comes with standard two NiMH rechargeable batteries. These can be charged inside the unit while the player is connected to an AC Adapter. This eliminates the constant battery swapping that plagued me while using the SP100. The batteries overall seem to give a playtime of about 8 hours give or take.
Same Old Song
*************
The SP250 still repeats some mistakes of the SP100. The headphone jack is still illogically placed on the right hand side of the unit. When using a pair of headphones without an L-Connector, the headphone cord sticks out and gets in the way of comfortably holding the unit in your right hand and operating the volume buttons. I wanted the headphone jack on the left side of the SP100, and I still want it on the left side of the SP250.
Turning off the unit still requires holding down the stop button. If you read the manual you know this is the way to turn it off. However, I've had multiple people ask me how to turn the player off.
The latch holding the player shut is still the fragile part I worry about breaking the most on the unit. The latch on my SP100 hasn't had problems, but I still question Sonicblue's design decision to not come up with something a bit more durable.
Conclusion
**********
Overall the SP250 is still an awesome player despite my list of shortcomings above. It improves on the SP100's already impressive features and reliability. I have played hundreds of MP3s on both units and they've played every single MP3 I've ever tossed at them. Variable Bit Rate, 16kbs 22kHz to 320KBs Joint Stereo, Track-At-Once CDs, Disc-At-Once CDs, Multisession CDs. The firmware is excellent on this unit.
The Volt is still king of the CD-R based MP3 player market. I am yet to see any players that even come close to matching the compatibility and features of the line.
Highly recommended.
