Rio Volt SP250 Personal CD Player
Out of stock |
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
- Overview
-
Reviews
-
Compare Prices
User ReviewRead All Reviews »
Feature Packed MP3 Player
Pros
MP3 and WMA support, skip protection, accessories and more.
Cons
Have to plug in to charge.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Great player, packed with features and compatible with MP3 and WMA for a great price!
Music, I rely on it to get me through hours at the gym, long drives or quiet days at work. But I hate getting tired of lack of selection on the radio or listening to that same CD again because I forgot to change it out. Thankfully, there is the SonicBlue RioVolt SP250!
My fiance has seemed to out grow his Diamond Rio 600, he complains that it does not hold enough music and is a pain to change songs on it with the included software. Since last year for Christmas, he got me a Philips MP3/CD player and I figured it was his turn. After doing a little research on Amazon and Epinions, I found the Riovolt SP250 was the best choice because of all its features and accessories. I was tempted to get one for me as well, but decided I'll deal with my Philips and take his when he's not using it.
Battery:
The SP250 has rechargeable batteries that charge in the unit when plugged into the wall. Nice feature, but you have to have the unit plugged in to charge and can?t take it any where. But the batteries max out at 15 hours of playtime, much better than my Philips at only 6 hours on non-rechargeable batteries.
Controls:
On top of the lid on the unit, there is a large wheel button for directional navigation, a rocker button for volume control, and buttons for modes and other functions. There is a bit of a learning curve to get used to the menu system and all the functions, but it?s well laid out easy to figure out.
The on-wire remote control has two buttons and to dials that control just about everything.
Comes With:
Remote control on wire, 2 sets of earphones (ear buds and over-the-head), carrying case and strap (the case has outlines of all the controls for easy use) and a wall charger.
Software:
The SP250 comes with two software CDs, one with RealJukebox 2 for PC and the other with iTunes for Mac.
You can also update the firmware on the SP250 by downloading the file and burning it onto a CD.
File Support:
The SP250 supports MP3 and WMA (Windows Media Player) files. It also supports ID3 tags on MP3 files and displays them while playing that file. Support M3U playlists is another big feature, allowing you to create a playlist in Winamp or other media programs and transfer it to a CD. The Riovolt will play the songs in the playlist order.
The SP250 also support subdirectories for organizing your files better.
It will play audio CDs, CD-Rs and CD-RWs.
Features:
The SP250 also has an AM/FM tuner finally! I wonder what took so long for portable CD players to get this when most cheap cassette players have them.
Backlit display (nice for night jogging), on-wire remote control and adjustable equalizer with presets (Normal, High Bass, Rock, Jazz, Classic).
Tab based menu system on display for easy navigation through songs and subdirectories.
8 minute shock protection, about the best in its class that makes this a great unit for your car.
Sound Quality:
Easy, excellent! The bass is very load and great clarity. This will depend on the bit rate and quality of the files. The ear phones are nice, I prefer the over-the-head kind because they are more comfortable, but the ear buds seem louder I guess because they sit closer in your ear.
Overall
This is a great model everyone, not just tech geeks (like me) because it's fairly easy to use, light weight and will fit in most cases. The battery life is great compared to my Philips and it's rechargeable. My only rant is you have to plug it in to recharge, there is no separate battery charger. But, considering the price, about $140 now, it's easily worth it and gets a 5 star rating.
My fiance has seemed to out grow his Diamond Rio 600, he complains that it does not hold enough music and is a pain to change songs on it with the included software. Since last year for Christmas, he got me a Philips MP3/CD player and I figured it was his turn. After doing a little research on Amazon and Epinions, I found the Riovolt SP250 was the best choice because of all its features and accessories. I was tempted to get one for me as well, but decided I'll deal with my Philips and take his when he's not using it.
Battery:
The SP250 has rechargeable batteries that charge in the unit when plugged into the wall. Nice feature, but you have to have the unit plugged in to charge and can?t take it any where. But the batteries max out at 15 hours of playtime, much better than my Philips at only 6 hours on non-rechargeable batteries.
Controls:
On top of the lid on the unit, there is a large wheel button for directional navigation, a rocker button for volume control, and buttons for modes and other functions. There is a bit of a learning curve to get used to the menu system and all the functions, but it?s well laid out easy to figure out.
The on-wire remote control has two buttons and to dials that control just about everything.
Comes With:
Remote control on wire, 2 sets of earphones (ear buds and over-the-head), carrying case and strap (the case has outlines of all the controls for easy use) and a wall charger.
Software:
The SP250 comes with two software CDs, one with RealJukebox 2 for PC and the other with iTunes for Mac.
You can also update the firmware on the SP250 by downloading the file and burning it onto a CD.
File Support:
The SP250 supports MP3 and WMA (Windows Media Player) files. It also supports ID3 tags on MP3 files and displays them while playing that file. Support M3U playlists is another big feature, allowing you to create a playlist in Winamp or other media programs and transfer it to a CD. The Riovolt will play the songs in the playlist order.
The SP250 also support subdirectories for organizing your files better.
It will play audio CDs, CD-Rs and CD-RWs.
Features:
The SP250 also has an AM/FM tuner finally! I wonder what took so long for portable CD players to get this when most cheap cassette players have them.
Backlit display (nice for night jogging), on-wire remote control and adjustable equalizer with presets (Normal, High Bass, Rock, Jazz, Classic).
Tab based menu system on display for easy navigation through songs and subdirectories.
8 minute shock protection, about the best in its class that makes this a great unit for your car.
Sound Quality:
Easy, excellent! The bass is very load and great clarity. This will depend on the bit rate and quality of the files. The ear phones are nice, I prefer the over-the-head kind because they are more comfortable, but the ear buds seem louder I guess because they sit closer in your ear.
Overall
This is a great model everyone, not just tech geeks (like me) because it's fairly easy to use, light weight and will fit in most cases. The battery life is great compared to my Philips and it's rechargeable. My only rant is you have to plug it in to recharge, there is no separate battery charger. But, considering the price, about $140 now, it's easily worth it and gets a 5 star rating.
