TDK MOJO 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: 45 sec.
- Supported Formats: MP3
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I Want My TDK Mojo
Pros
Easy MP3 searching, long EPS times for both audio CDs and MP3
Cons
No WMA support, no inline remote, firmware is not upgradeable, battery hog
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
The Mojo is an excellent buy for anyone looking for a way to play their MP3 files on the go.
TDK's CDMP3-12 (Mojo Digital Jukebox) is the latest entry into the world of CD-MP3 players. How is it separating itself from the competition? The Mojo emphasizes a new, easy-to-use interface for finding your songs. And TDK delivers with a great sounding CD-MP3 player that provides a powerful yet simple way of finding that one song in the proverbial haystack.
Packaged with your CD-MP3 Player...
- TDK CDMP3-12 Digital Jukebox
- AC Adaptor
- Headphones, backphone variety
- Instruction Manual
- 2 AA batteries (Duracell Ultras!!)
- CD with TDK NaviTrack and MusicMatch Jukebox Software
Design
The Mojo Digital Jukebox is shaped similarly to other portable CD players. The unit's bulk is on par with most bargain CD-players. The unit is made of black plastic, but the material feels very durable, especially when compared to the Rio Volt.
The front of the unit has a small LCD screen and the unit control panel. The LCD screen displays four lines and is very easy to read. When you press a button on the unit, a blue backlight turns on, making the screen very visible. Otherwise, the backlight is turned off to conserve battery power. The backlight is full adjustable by accessing the unit's system menu.
The control panel buttons are nicely arranged in the middle of the unit, under the LCD screen. In the center are four directional buttons labelled Volume Up, Volume Down, Prev/Rev, and Fwd/Nxt. Above them are five more buttons arranged like a "U" around the Volume Up button, reading Stop, Select, Remove, Mode, and Play/Pause in clockwise order. The buttons are small, but they are easy to find because of their placement and the different shapes.
On the sides of the unit are a hold slide, an open slide (to insert your CDs), and headphone, line out, and AC adapter ports.
Features
The Mojo is capable of playing regular audio CDs and CD-R/CD-RWs with MP3 files (sorry, no WMA files). Audio CDs play as well as on any other portable CD player. The Mojo is advertised to give you about 10 hours of playing time. I got somewhere between 7-8 hours from the unit on the original pair of Duracell Ultras, about 6-7 with Rayovacs. With rechargeable batteries, the play time is fairly dismal (about 4 hours).
The main attraction of the Mojo is its "state-of-the-art" music selection system for MP3-CDs. Basically, the unit tries to make finding one song out of potentially hundreds easier by sorting them according to Title, Artist, Genre, or Directory.
The Mojo has two operating modes: ID3 and FIF. You can select which mode to use on the Mojo. In ID3 mode, the Mojo reads and displays ID3 tag information (Title, Artist, Genre) in the MP3 file. This information is automatically added if you download your music from the internet using a program like MusicMatch Jukebox and is contained at the end of the file.
FIF (Field in Filename) mode has the tag information contained in the filename area of a MP3 file. The FIF format facilitates the Mojo in sorting and organizing your music and, thus, is the preferred format for your MP3 files. The included Navitrack software facilitates converting from ID3 to FIF formats.
When you turn on the Mojo with a MP3-CD, the unit takes a moment to scan through the disk and notes the directories and songs. If you have not used this CD before, the first song will be played. Otherwise, the unit remembers the last song played and starts there. Even better, the unit will remember where your playlists on the last 3 MP3-CDs you played! No more searching for your favorite songs in a CD filled with well over a hundred files. How's that for convenience! This does not apply to audio CDs.
With a few button taps, you can select your music. The Mojo organizes your music so that you can search by the MP3 information (Title, Artist, or Genre) or by file Directory, making your songs easier than ever to find. The search menus are very easy to navigate, allowing you to scroll through four lines of information at a time. The Directory search is very nicely done. Searching through the file directories is very simple, especially if you organize your CD-R directories well (such as creating a nest of Genre/Artist/Album). When going through the directories, you can create a playlist by selecting songs to add or remove.
Unfortunately, there is no way to sort the songs by alphabetical order. That would have made finding songs in huge directories easier (a current problem with my current, disorganized MP3-CDs).
The Mojo offers various Repeat modes. You can opt to just play through a CD straight. You can also set the unit to repeat one or all songs from the playlist or to randomly select a song from the playlist.
The Mojo has electronic shock protection (EPS) -- 8 minutes for MP3, 45 seconds for audio CDs. EPS for audio CDs can be turned on or off, but this feature is always on when playing MP3 music. There is minimal skipping during very long, horribly bumpy affairs while playing audio CDs, but the Mojo more than holds it own. On a long, bumpy car ride through some of the worst roadways New Jersey has to offer and in a Ford Explorer, the Mojo performed marvelously with no skips on MP3 songs over six minutes in length (the car adapter is sold separately).
You can select from four equalizer settings: Normal, Classical, Rock, and Jazz. Unfortunately, there is no way for you to manually adjust these settings. Bass can be turned on or off.
Software
The Mojo comes with a CD with TDK's NaviTrack software and MusicMatch Jukebox. The NaviTrack facilitates the preparation of data disks for the Mojo. It helps you convert your MP3 files from the ID3 format to the Mojo's preferred FIF format. The NaviTrack will also allow you to make copies of songs, arranging the directories and music the way you want them to appear on your CD. This is done at the expense of hard drive space as the program doesn't move the songs, it just copies them. The software features a very eary to use, and with its help, you should be able to convert your MP3 to the FIF format and arrange your files for burning in no time. The software does not allow you to burn your own data CDs; you need a separate program to that, namely...
MusicMatch Jukebox allows you to create custom audio or MP3 data CDs. The interface is a bit perplexing to use at first. But with the help files, the program becomes almost second nature to use, and after a few mouse clicks, you should be ripping your own MP3 music and creating MP3-CDs in on time.
Round 1: Mojo vs. Rio Volt. The Winner Is...
TDK's Mojo!
When it comes down to pure music quality, I do not appreciate a difference between the two CD-MP3 players. The Mojo, however, has a great song selection system, allowing you to find your songs and adjust your playlists easily. It also remembers your playlists after you turn off the system -- that's something the Rio doesn't do. The Mojo hits a homerun when it comes to ease of use.
The Mojo also has longer EPS times (the Rio has 40/120 sec EPS for audio/MP3), meaning you will have significantly less skips in your music. Chalk up another point for the Mojo.
The Rio Volt, unlike the Mojo, comes with a case, an inline remote, and upgradeable system software. However, the case included with the Rio Volt is of average quality. While I do not lament the lack of a case, I wish TDK included an inline remote. It would have made using the Mojo so very convenient by not having to fiddle with the unit's main controls, especially when it is in a case.
With the Rio Volt, you can upgrade the firmware and noticeably improve the product's performance. The Mojo's firmware is not upgradeable. What you buy is pretty much what you get, so updates such as WMA file support is pretty much out the window.
And Versus Flash MP3 Players?
The Mojo has long EPS times and performs well with a lot of external movement. Ideally, it should not be able to compare to skip free flash MP3 players (i.e. Creative Nomad). I have tried 10+ minute MP3 files and have not experienced any skipping at all.
In addition, the low cost of burning data CDs with hundreds of hours of MP3 files cannot compare to that of the more costly memory cards used by flash MP3 players. CD-Rs hold significantly more music than the current flash MP3 technology. If you prefer 100% guaranteed skip free music, shop for a flash MP3 player. Me? I'll take my Mojo over any flash MP3 player.
Why Don't You Have a Mojo Yet?
The music quality is top notch. The state-of-the-art menu selection system lives up to the hype; it has never been easier to sort through so many songs. Long EPS times and a sturdy design make it a great source for nonstop music to go along with most any type of activity. For under $200 (mine was purchased for about $155), the Mojo is an excellent buy for anyone looking for a way to play their MP3 files on the go.
Packaged with your CD-MP3 Player...
- TDK CDMP3-12 Digital Jukebox
- AC Adaptor
- Headphones, backphone variety
- Instruction Manual
- 2 AA batteries (Duracell Ultras!!)
- CD with TDK NaviTrack and MusicMatch Jukebox Software
Design
The Mojo Digital Jukebox is shaped similarly to other portable CD players. The unit's bulk is on par with most bargain CD-players. The unit is made of black plastic, but the material feels very durable, especially when compared to the Rio Volt.
The front of the unit has a small LCD screen and the unit control panel. The LCD screen displays four lines and is very easy to read. When you press a button on the unit, a blue backlight turns on, making the screen very visible. Otherwise, the backlight is turned off to conserve battery power. The backlight is full adjustable by accessing the unit's system menu.
The control panel buttons are nicely arranged in the middle of the unit, under the LCD screen. In the center are four directional buttons labelled Volume Up, Volume Down, Prev/Rev, and Fwd/Nxt. Above them are five more buttons arranged like a "U" around the Volume Up button, reading Stop, Select, Remove, Mode, and Play/Pause in clockwise order. The buttons are small, but they are easy to find because of their placement and the different shapes.
On the sides of the unit are a hold slide, an open slide (to insert your CDs), and headphone, line out, and AC adapter ports.
Features
The Mojo is capable of playing regular audio CDs and CD-R/CD-RWs with MP3 files (sorry, no WMA files). Audio CDs play as well as on any other portable CD player. The Mojo is advertised to give you about 10 hours of playing time. I got somewhere between 7-8 hours from the unit on the original pair of Duracell Ultras, about 6-7 with Rayovacs. With rechargeable batteries, the play time is fairly dismal (about 4 hours).
The main attraction of the Mojo is its "state-of-the-art" music selection system for MP3-CDs. Basically, the unit tries to make finding one song out of potentially hundreds easier by sorting them according to Title, Artist, Genre, or Directory.
The Mojo has two operating modes: ID3 and FIF. You can select which mode to use on the Mojo. In ID3 mode, the Mojo reads and displays ID3 tag information (Title, Artist, Genre) in the MP3 file. This information is automatically added if you download your music from the internet using a program like MusicMatch Jukebox and is contained at the end of the file.
FIF (Field in Filename) mode has the tag information contained in the filename area of a MP3 file. The FIF format facilitates the Mojo in sorting and organizing your music and, thus, is the preferred format for your MP3 files. The included Navitrack software facilitates converting from ID3 to FIF formats.
When you turn on the Mojo with a MP3-CD, the unit takes a moment to scan through the disk and notes the directories and songs. If you have not used this CD before, the first song will be played. Otherwise, the unit remembers the last song played and starts there. Even better, the unit will remember where your playlists on the last 3 MP3-CDs you played! No more searching for your favorite songs in a CD filled with well over a hundred files. How's that for convenience! This does not apply to audio CDs.
With a few button taps, you can select your music. The Mojo organizes your music so that you can search by the MP3 information (Title, Artist, or Genre) or by file Directory, making your songs easier than ever to find. The search menus are very easy to navigate, allowing you to scroll through four lines of information at a time. The Directory search is very nicely done. Searching through the file directories is very simple, especially if you organize your CD-R directories well (such as creating a nest of Genre/Artist/Album). When going through the directories, you can create a playlist by selecting songs to add or remove.
Unfortunately, there is no way to sort the songs by alphabetical order. That would have made finding songs in huge directories easier (a current problem with my current, disorganized MP3-CDs).
The Mojo offers various Repeat modes. You can opt to just play through a CD straight. You can also set the unit to repeat one or all songs from the playlist or to randomly select a song from the playlist.
The Mojo has electronic shock protection (EPS) -- 8 minutes for MP3, 45 seconds for audio CDs. EPS for audio CDs can be turned on or off, but this feature is always on when playing MP3 music. There is minimal skipping during very long, horribly bumpy affairs while playing audio CDs, but the Mojo more than holds it own. On a long, bumpy car ride through some of the worst roadways New Jersey has to offer and in a Ford Explorer, the Mojo performed marvelously with no skips on MP3 songs over six minutes in length (the car adapter is sold separately).
You can select from four equalizer settings: Normal, Classical, Rock, and Jazz. Unfortunately, there is no way for you to manually adjust these settings. Bass can be turned on or off.
Software
The Mojo comes with a CD with TDK's NaviTrack software and MusicMatch Jukebox. The NaviTrack facilitates the preparation of data disks for the Mojo. It helps you convert your MP3 files from the ID3 format to the Mojo's preferred FIF format. The NaviTrack will also allow you to make copies of songs, arranging the directories and music the way you want them to appear on your CD. This is done at the expense of hard drive space as the program doesn't move the songs, it just copies them. The software features a very eary to use, and with its help, you should be able to convert your MP3 to the FIF format and arrange your files for burning in no time. The software does not allow you to burn your own data CDs; you need a separate program to that, namely...
MusicMatch Jukebox allows you to create custom audio or MP3 data CDs. The interface is a bit perplexing to use at first. But with the help files, the program becomes almost second nature to use, and after a few mouse clicks, you should be ripping your own MP3 music and creating MP3-CDs in on time.
Round 1: Mojo vs. Rio Volt. The Winner Is...
TDK's Mojo!
When it comes down to pure music quality, I do not appreciate a difference between the two CD-MP3 players. The Mojo, however, has a great song selection system, allowing you to find your songs and adjust your playlists easily. It also remembers your playlists after you turn off the system -- that's something the Rio doesn't do. The Mojo hits a homerun when it comes to ease of use.
The Mojo also has longer EPS times (the Rio has 40/120 sec EPS for audio/MP3), meaning you will have significantly less skips in your music. Chalk up another point for the Mojo.
The Rio Volt, unlike the Mojo, comes with a case, an inline remote, and upgradeable system software. However, the case included with the Rio Volt is of average quality. While I do not lament the lack of a case, I wish TDK included an inline remote. It would have made using the Mojo so very convenient by not having to fiddle with the unit's main controls, especially when it is in a case.
With the Rio Volt, you can upgrade the firmware and noticeably improve the product's performance. The Mojo's firmware is not upgradeable. What you buy is pretty much what you get, so updates such as WMA file support is pretty much out the window.
And Versus Flash MP3 Players?
The Mojo has long EPS times and performs well with a lot of external movement. Ideally, it should not be able to compare to skip free flash MP3 players (i.e. Creative Nomad). I have tried 10+ minute MP3 files and have not experienced any skipping at all.
In addition, the low cost of burning data CDs with hundreds of hours of MP3 files cannot compare to that of the more costly memory cards used by flash MP3 players. CD-Rs hold significantly more music than the current flash MP3 technology. If you prefer 100% guaranteed skip free music, shop for a flash MP3 player. Me? I'll take my Mojo over any flash MP3 player.
Why Don't You Have a Mojo Yet?
The music quality is top notch. The state-of-the-art menu selection system lives up to the hype; it has never been easier to sort through so many songs. Long EPS times and a sturdy design make it a great source for nonstop music to go along with most any type of activity. For under $200 (mine was purchased for about $155), the Mojo is an excellent buy for anyone looking for a way to play their MP3 files on the go.
