Rio Volt SP90 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: 120 sec.
- Supported Formats: WMA MP3
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User ReviewRead All Reviews »
SP90: Great MP3-CD Player
Pros
Good sound, many features; to me, a portable perfection.
Cons
Prone to skipping.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Good MP3-CD player; skips easily.
MY STORY
My old Sony D-E220 recently stopped working because of a laser problem. I took it to the repair store. They said that they were 95% sure that it was the laser that needed replacement. That would cost $80-$90, almost twice what I had paid for the thing! So, from then on, I was in serious need of a CD player. I saw a Rio Volt SP50 in the Best Buy sale paper for $40. That was after a rebate. This gave me the idea of getting an MP3-CD player. So I checked it out online and read about it and it sounded pretty good. There weren't many features or anything but it did the basics. While checking it out at Best Buy, A Rio Volt SP90 caught my eye. This one was twice the price, but heck, it had an adjustable EQ (very nice!), a huge LCD display, a digital volume control (something I've always liked) and good looks to top it off. I raced back home and checked it out on epinions and everywhere else. When I read that the SP90 was firmware upgradeable, I went out and grabbed it. And in this review, I intend to explain each and every one of the features and details thoroughly. So if you are interested in this product, read on and find out more!
Pros
Great 2 line dot-matrix display
Digital volume control
Pretty good earbuds
Firmware upgradeable
VERY easy to operate
Cons
Prone to skipping
TECHNOLOGY
First off, if you never have used or even considered buying an MP3-CD Player, you don't KNOW what you're missing out on. I mean, this thing is practically a computer on the go…………. Okay, not really. But it uses a fully functional operating system and has two PCB's inside. I mean, it probably IS a very, very, very low model of a computer's CD-ROM drive, equipped with a small motherboard, but I think we all agree that it's very similar to a PC, or at least more complicated than my old CD player. (Yes, I've taken my old new CD player apart before.) My oldie had one PCB with some cheapo laser mechanism. This one has two in the main chamber, as well as the CD-ROM/ laser mechanism. As well as another PCB in the main display/lid. Yes, 3 PC boards.
CONTROLS
There are 7 buttons, a directional pad, and a hold switch. The 4 rarely used buttons kind of follow the shape of the CD player down the left side. They're all the same shape, but they get bigger from top to bottom. At the bottom there is a window the same shape as the buttons I was just talking about, but bigger. Here you can see if your CD is spinning or not (more on that later). The order from top to bottom is as follows: PROG, 10, MODE, and EQ/ MENU. The two volume buttons sort of go around the oval shaped Navigation button. Last but not least are the play control buttons. They are on the navigational pad, with UP being PLAY, DOWN being STOP, and LEFT/RIGHT being side to side. This may be a bit confusing but I'll explain it all.
The PROG button serves 2 purposes: Program and A/B. While in the stop mode, if you press PROG, you get a track programming screen, and if you press it during play, you can play back a part of a song repeatedly.
The NAVI button lets you navigate throughout your files. You can even put them in separate folders to sort them out. You use the directional pad to move and select.
10 is for skipping ahead 10 songs in NAVI or while playing back.
MODE is for playback settings. Here is a list of all of them: Repeat 1, Repeat All, Repeat Directory, Directory, Repeat Shuffle, Shuffle 1 (?), Shuffle Directory, Shuffle All Directory, Shuffle All, and Intro. Whew. Why anyone would want to shuffle 1 is beyond me, but it's there. *Laughs out loud*. I'll get a pic later.
EQ/MENU: Quick presses change EQ (Normal, Rock, Jazz, Classical, Ultra Bass, and a User Defined (YES!) if you do the upgrade). Long press will bring up a menu (See MENU later on) you navigate with directional pad.
The rest are self-explanatory.
FEATURES
This baby is loaded with features, even right out of the box. But you need to install the warranty-voiding firmware upgrade to experience the full capabilities of this little machine (see MENUS, or WARRANTY-VOIDER later on). Even out of the box, this CD player comes with some configuration options, for example, Scroll Speed, or FF RW Speed. I'm not sure if you'd call simplicity a feature, but this is something that even Mr. Nobody can be rockin' while setting the EQ. Also I've heard some people (okay, EVERYONE) make things out to be worse than they are. Example: There are crummy disco dancers and a disco ball at the bottom, ruining a could-be 3-line display. Actually, I can't imagine what could be on a 3rd line.. BTW, on the first line is the track #, and the time elapsed. Second line displays ID3 Tagging (song name). I like the idea of having scrolling lyrics, but that would make the price rocket. Also, the earphones are not that shabby, they're actually okay. I think you get plenty of bang-for-your-bucks as it is.
WARRANTY-VOIDER
If you install the firmware upgrade (which I highly recommend you do), you agree to void your warranty. However, CNET actually tells you to do it with no mention of your warranty. So I believe them.
MENUS
I'm only going to describe in detail the menu in the upgraded detail. There are 6 sub menus: General, Display, Timer, Control, Mode, and User Def Eq. Here goes:
GENERAL
Beep Sound – Off, 1, 2, 3, 4 – Controls the volume of beeps when you press certain buttons.
Resume – On, Off – Changes the resume for after you power it off.
MP3 Buffer – 30 SEC, 60 SEC – Doesn't work.
Study – Off, 5 sec on, 10 sec on, beep on – Pressing stop rewinds given amt. of time.
Volume Step – 20, 40 – Changes the volume level (1-20, 1-40). Changing it to 40 doesn't make it louder.
Language – EU&US, Korea, Japan – Language Select.
Vol Fade In – On, Off – After powering on, fades in volume to level set before power off.
LoadDefault – No, Yes – Loads default settings.
DISPLAY
Adapter Light – On, Off – Doesn't work.
Scroll Speed – 1x – 12x – Scroll Speed of ID3 Tag
File Ext – On, Off – Display file extensions (MP3, WMA, CD)
Tag Info – On, Off – Doesn't work??
Time Info – Normal, Remain – Displays elapsed or count down time.
TIMER
Sleep Timer – Off, 10 min – 90 min – Sleep timer.
Stop Power Off – 30 sec – 60 min – Amount of idle time before turn off.
CONTROL
FF/RW Scan – Off, On – FF/RW-ing.
FF/RW Skip – Directory, 10, -10, Off – Pressing FF/RW Once quick then once long will skip desired setting mentioned above.
FF/RW Speed – 1x, 2x, 4x, 6x – FF and RW speed.
EQ Button – EQ, PROG, MODE, NAVI – Doesn't work.
Auto Pause – Off, On – When you skip to a new song with NAVI, It pauses at the beginning.
Adapter Vol – Off, 35 On – When you use a plug in adapter, this makes the noise louder.
LR Balance – Center, 1-15 right or left – Balance.
MODE
Enables or disables modes mentioned earlier.
USER DEF EQ
Bass Boost – 1-12 dB – Bass boost.
Bass Freq – Bass frequency
Treb Boost – 1-12 dB – Treble boost.
Treb Freq – Treble Frequency.
All Done!
SAYONARA
I hope you liked my review. All in all, I really like this CD player and I think it is well worth the price. I am just about to upgrade my firmware to the TODAY RELEASED 2.10 version. Sayonara, and have a good life!
-------UPDATE---------
I still have my player and it is still working wonderful. New firmware adds 3 more EQ presets (Pop, Dance, Metal) and a few other features. If you didn't get yours yet, hurry up! They're running out!
GAWD I LOVE THIS THING!
My old Sony D-E220 recently stopped working because of a laser problem. I took it to the repair store. They said that they were 95% sure that it was the laser that needed replacement. That would cost $80-$90, almost twice what I had paid for the thing! So, from then on, I was in serious need of a CD player. I saw a Rio Volt SP50 in the Best Buy sale paper for $40. That was after a rebate. This gave me the idea of getting an MP3-CD player. So I checked it out online and read about it and it sounded pretty good. There weren't many features or anything but it did the basics. While checking it out at Best Buy, A Rio Volt SP90 caught my eye. This one was twice the price, but heck, it had an adjustable EQ (very nice!), a huge LCD display, a digital volume control (something I've always liked) and good looks to top it off. I raced back home and checked it out on epinions and everywhere else. When I read that the SP90 was firmware upgradeable, I went out and grabbed it. And in this review, I intend to explain each and every one of the features and details thoroughly. So if you are interested in this product, read on and find out more!
Pros
Great 2 line dot-matrix display
Digital volume control
Pretty good earbuds
Firmware upgradeable
VERY easy to operate
Cons
Prone to skipping
TECHNOLOGY
First off, if you never have used or even considered buying an MP3-CD Player, you don't KNOW what you're missing out on. I mean, this thing is practically a computer on the go…………. Okay, not really. But it uses a fully functional operating system and has two PCB's inside. I mean, it probably IS a very, very, very low model of a computer's CD-ROM drive, equipped with a small motherboard, but I think we all agree that it's very similar to a PC, or at least more complicated than my old CD player. (Yes, I've taken my old new CD player apart before.) My oldie had one PCB with some cheapo laser mechanism. This one has two in the main chamber, as well as the CD-ROM/ laser mechanism. As well as another PCB in the main display/lid. Yes, 3 PC boards.
CONTROLS
There are 7 buttons, a directional pad, and a hold switch. The 4 rarely used buttons kind of follow the shape of the CD player down the left side. They're all the same shape, but they get bigger from top to bottom. At the bottom there is a window the same shape as the buttons I was just talking about, but bigger. Here you can see if your CD is spinning or not (more on that later). The order from top to bottom is as follows: PROG, 10, MODE, and EQ/ MENU. The two volume buttons sort of go around the oval shaped Navigation button. Last but not least are the play control buttons. They are on the navigational pad, with UP being PLAY, DOWN being STOP, and LEFT/RIGHT being side to side. This may be a bit confusing but I'll explain it all.
The PROG button serves 2 purposes: Program and A/B. While in the stop mode, if you press PROG, you get a track programming screen, and if you press it during play, you can play back a part of a song repeatedly.
The NAVI button lets you navigate throughout your files. You can even put them in separate folders to sort them out. You use the directional pad to move and select.
10 is for skipping ahead 10 songs in NAVI or while playing back.
MODE is for playback settings. Here is a list of all of them: Repeat 1, Repeat All, Repeat Directory, Directory, Repeat Shuffle, Shuffle 1 (?), Shuffle Directory, Shuffle All Directory, Shuffle All, and Intro. Whew. Why anyone would want to shuffle 1 is beyond me, but it's there. *Laughs out loud*. I'll get a pic later.
EQ/MENU: Quick presses change EQ (Normal, Rock, Jazz, Classical, Ultra Bass, and a User Defined (YES!) if you do the upgrade). Long press will bring up a menu (See MENU later on) you navigate with directional pad.
The rest are self-explanatory.
FEATURES
This baby is loaded with features, even right out of the box. But you need to install the warranty-voiding firmware upgrade to experience the full capabilities of this little machine (see MENUS, or WARRANTY-VOIDER later on). Even out of the box, this CD player comes with some configuration options, for example, Scroll Speed, or FF RW Speed. I'm not sure if you'd call simplicity a feature, but this is something that even Mr. Nobody can be rockin' while setting the EQ. Also I've heard some people (okay, EVERYONE) make things out to be worse than they are. Example: There are crummy disco dancers and a disco ball at the bottom, ruining a could-be 3-line display. Actually, I can't imagine what could be on a 3rd line.. BTW, on the first line is the track #, and the time elapsed. Second line displays ID3 Tagging (song name). I like the idea of having scrolling lyrics, but that would make the price rocket. Also, the earphones are not that shabby, they're actually okay. I think you get plenty of bang-for-your-bucks as it is.
WARRANTY-VOIDER
If you install the firmware upgrade (which I highly recommend you do), you agree to void your warranty. However, CNET actually tells you to do it with no mention of your warranty. So I believe them.
MENUS
I'm only going to describe in detail the menu in the upgraded detail. There are 6 sub menus: General, Display, Timer, Control, Mode, and User Def Eq. Here goes:
GENERAL
Beep Sound – Off, 1, 2, 3, 4 – Controls the volume of beeps when you press certain buttons.
Resume – On, Off – Changes the resume for after you power it off.
MP3 Buffer – 30 SEC, 60 SEC – Doesn't work.
Study – Off, 5 sec on, 10 sec on, beep on – Pressing stop rewinds given amt. of time.
Volume Step – 20, 40 – Changes the volume level (1-20, 1-40). Changing it to 40 doesn't make it louder.
Language – EU&US, Korea, Japan – Language Select.
Vol Fade In – On, Off – After powering on, fades in volume to level set before power off.
LoadDefault – No, Yes – Loads default settings.
DISPLAY
Adapter Light – On, Off – Doesn't work.
Scroll Speed – 1x – 12x – Scroll Speed of ID3 Tag
File Ext – On, Off – Display file extensions (MP3, WMA, CD)
Tag Info – On, Off – Doesn't work??
Time Info – Normal, Remain – Displays elapsed or count down time.
TIMER
Sleep Timer – Off, 10 min – 90 min – Sleep timer.
Stop Power Off – 30 sec – 60 min – Amount of idle time before turn off.
CONTROL
FF/RW Scan – Off, On – FF/RW-ing.
FF/RW Skip – Directory, 10, -10, Off – Pressing FF/RW Once quick then once long will skip desired setting mentioned above.
FF/RW Speed – 1x, 2x, 4x, 6x – FF and RW speed.
EQ Button – EQ, PROG, MODE, NAVI – Doesn't work.
Auto Pause – Off, On – When you skip to a new song with NAVI, It pauses at the beginning.
Adapter Vol – Off, 35 On – When you use a plug in adapter, this makes the noise louder.
LR Balance – Center, 1-15 right or left – Balance.
MODE
Enables or disables modes mentioned earlier.
USER DEF EQ
Bass Boost – 1-12 dB – Bass boost.
Bass Freq – Bass frequency
Treb Boost – 1-12 dB – Treble boost.
Treb Freq – Treble Frequency.
All Done!
SAYONARA
I hope you liked my review. All in all, I really like this CD player and I think it is well worth the price. I am just about to upgrade my firmware to the TODAY RELEASED 2.10 version. Sayonara, and have a good life!
-------UPDATE---------
I still have my player and it is still working wonderful. New firmware adds 3 more EQ presets (Pop, Dance, Metal) and a few other features. If you didn't get yours yet, hurry up! They're running out!
GAWD I LOVE THIS THING!
