IRIVER SlimX iMP-400 Personal CD Player

The iMP-400 Slim-X is the new top of the line model CD/MP3 player from iRiver. If you've never heard of iRiver, they were the company that originally designed the first RioVolt models (the RioVolt 90, 100, and 250 were all iRiver designs and sold by iRiver outside of the US!). This model more or less takes the place of the iMP-350 Slim-X model although the iMP-350 Slim-X will still be manufactured and sold for quite some time.

The really short version of this review is that the iMP-400 (yes, it is iMP-400 not iFP-400! iFP refers to iRiver's flash based MP3 players and don't have a 400 model number!) is an excellent CD/MP3 player that deserves to be called the top of the line CD/MP3 player. However, the iMP-400 doesn't really improve very much over the iMP-350 Slim-X which is up to $100 cheaper than the 400 model. The iMP-350 actually is a much better value with just slight fewer features... features most would not even miss. If you want to spend the extra money, the iMP-400 will not disappoint but the iMP-350 model will likely make you just as happy as this model.

The Short Take

If you were to consider the iMP-400 Slim-X against all other CD/MP3 players not made or sold by iRiver, this model is not only head and shoulders above the competition but on a completely different level! I would be quite comfortable saying that the competition didn't have a CD/MP3 that matched the quality, price, and features of the iMP-400.

However, when you look at iRiver's other medium/high end offering... the iMP-350, which was the first Slim-X model, the iMP-400 doesn't look quite as good. This is not because the iMP-400 is bad in any respect but that the original Slim-X model set the quality bar so high! The iMP-350 costs an average of $120 versus the $180-200 for the iMP-400 model. The iMP-400 doesn't offer that many more significant features over the iMP-350 either. The bottom line is that the iMP-350 was so good that the next CD/MP3 player by iRiver would offer relatively minor improvement that would be considered important to the minority of users. You can read the details portions to see some of the differences between the two models.

Pros:

1) FM tuner
2) long combined battery life (20 hours)
3) stylish
4) 4 line LCD in-line remote
5) Quality headphones
6) Flash ROM upgradable
7) Large Anti-Skip buffer/memory
8) Rechargable batteries in package
9) Car kit in package
10) Carry case in package

Cons:
1) Price is high versus just as capable first Slim-X
2) Not a large improvement over the first Slim-X when considering the price difference

How is the new Slim-X?

The current Slim-X is certainly flashier than the original model... it is stylish and sexy to look at with very few exceptions. The only real exception is the battery pack for the AA batteries that looks out of place when placed with the Slim-X (a similar problem to the original Slim-X). This Slim-X comes in Silver or Rosy Red... I got the Red one (but the Silver version is the easier one to find!). You get a few more goodies in the new Slim-X like a car adapter and real earphones (Sennheiser earphones!). CD and MP3 playback is excellent... but that's no surprise since this is an update to the original Slim-X. The FM tuner is decent and performs as well as can be expected for a portable unit. You can store a number of presets for the FM tuner... I've used up eight presets so far. You get a generous 180 second anti-shock buffer for regular CD playback and up to 480 seconds for MP3s (that were recorded at 44.1kHz, 128kbps... the buffer time changes for the MP3/WMA format). Out of the box, the Slim-X can playback MP3, WMA, and ASF music file formats. The flash ROM can be updated to support other music file formats when or if iRiver releases new firmware.

There have been slight improvements in playback on this Slim-X... the original had some dead space between song playback... i.e. instead of running continuously from track to track you would have a silence gap between songs. This gap is noticably shorter from the original Slim-X. You have control over four equalizer settings... which include Bass Boost, Bass Corner Frequency, Treble Boost, and Treble Corner Frequency. On top of this, you can set equalizer limits (to prevent sound distortion) and have the Slim-X auto adjust equalizer settings according to the type of music you're playing (The Genre ID TAG information must be on the song for this to work however). Don't worry, you still have multiple equalizer presets to work with (9 total)! You can also use WinAMP playlists on the Slim-X. You also get the standard playback options like repeat, shuffle, etc.

You have the pretty 4-line LCD inline remote that unfortunately is the only access you have to the more advanced features of the Slim-X. The body of the Slim-X only allows use of the basic playback function. Although the text might be a bit small for some, the LCD is an absolute joy to have and use. The LCD displays pretty much everything about the Slim-X on it. Battery power, track, menu access, visualization, etc. If you lose the remote, you have to purchase a new one directly from iRiver.

Battery life is good overall. You get two flat NiMH rechargables with the Slim-X that give up to 11-12 hours of playback. I get about 10 hours from them currently. You also get an external battery pack (2 AA batteries) that gives you another 10-11 hours (I get 10 hours with Duracell Ultras)... however, the external battery pack looks out of place and awkward on the Slim-X. The Slim-X will recharge the NiMH batteries if you leave it plugged in and has an overcharge protection.

Nagivation is decent for the unit. The only MP3/CD player that I feel has better nagivation is the TDK Mojo players, but it isn't as good as the Hard Drive based MP3 players. If you lose the LCD remote, you will have a hard time navigating through your MP3s however! The navigation is based on a menu system. Again, if you imported playlists from WinAMP, picking songs becomes much easier.

Extras

You get an okay carry case, the 2 rechargable NiMH batteries, the external battery pack, the Sennheiser earphones, the car cassette adapter, the car power adapter, the AC power adapter, a small but very informative manual, and the LCD inline remote. There isn't much else you need!

Final Thoughts

If you want the best MP3/CD player out there today, this is it... however, it is not a significant improvement over the original Slim-X in my opinion. Since the price of the iMP-400 is about $199 everywhere and the original Slim-X iMP-350 is $129 (and can be found as low as $100!) and is much easier to find (can be found at many electronics stores compared to the Slim-X iMP-400), the original Slim-X is a better bang for your buck while losing very little in usability and functionality. If you are willing to pay the money for the new Slim-X, I would say you're getting your money worth for the features and extras that were added to the package.

Be sure to read my epinions article on The Art of Buying...Getting Your Money's Worth by clicking on this link