Features:
- 32 MB onboard flash memory
- Can be used with 32 MB multimedia card (MMC)
- Resume feature
- Durable leather carry case included
- Runs on 2 AAA batteries
Description:
There's a lot to like about MP3 and Audiovox's moderately priced MP-1000, affectionately dubbed the MPDJ. With the MPDJ and a PC, even the most physically active listeners will have everything they need for quality portable audio listening. Like many portable MP3 devices, the MPDJ is remarkably tiny, extremely lightweight, and capable of storing 32 MB (about a half-hour's worth) of compressed digital audio. And while it isn't the ultimate in MP3 players, the MPDJ offers two very cool distinguishing features: a rugged and well-designed leather carry case with a sturdy belt clip. Other features are perfectly agreeable, if more or less standard: a headphone jack, volume and tone controls, repeat, shuffle play, and accompanying software for playing MP3s on your desktop and encoding music from CD to WAV or MP3 (or WAV to MP3). The MPDJ also sports a resume function, which picks up from the start of the last track played. Setup is simple for newer PCs: load the CD-ROM, install the software, connect the supplied cable to your parallel port and attach to the MPDJ, and start downloading MP3s or encoding your favorite CDs. Most computers already have their parallel port configured to ECP mode, but you'll have to the change the configuration in older models using your system BIOS, which might be a little tricky (but is explained in the MPDJ manual). The software consists of three basic programs: the desktop Player, the Encoder, and the Downloader. The Player is the most straightforward and, conveniently, it continuously scrolls through the song details (artist/title) in the Windows icon bar, so you don't have to flip over to the Player window just to see what song you're hearing. While use of the Encoder is reasonably simple and the recording options abundant, Audiovox neglects to offer specifics pertaining to many of the encoding variables (emphasis, diff block, and so on) in the manual. (For your convenience, we've listed them in our FAQ section.) Encoding CDs to MP3 using the Encoder is painfully slow; we recommend downloading some free online software for this purpose (such as MusicMatch or WinAmp) instead of using the supplied tools. Another reason to use other software is that the Encoder software does not have the built-in ability to link to CDDB, the CD Database, which would otherwise automatically supply the artist and track information for the encoding process. Although the current software supports this functionality, you must download the update from Audiovox's Web site, and your time is probably better spent securing another program to do the same thing. Once your music is on your desktop, downloading it to the MPDJ goes much faster than encoding, but is still slower than we'd like--about 10 seconds per MB, which is actually about par for the course with MP3 devices that use a parallel port connection. MP3 players that use a USB connection will get much faster transfer rates, so we recommend that you check out one of the USB variety if speed is your major concern. Its controls were somewhat unintuitive, but once you get the hang of which button does what, the player is relatively simple to use. We were delighted to find the MPDJ so easy to access from the confines of the carrying case. The top is open just enough to accommodate the headphone jack, and the top and front-panel buttons are all accessible through thick, clear-plastic windows. Sound quality, for those unfamiliar with MP3, is very good--and scalable. At its best (44.1 kHz, stereo, bit rate 320 Kbps, variable bit rate zero), it's very close to CD quality. The highs are not quite as smooth, the bass is thinned a bit, and the presentation overall sounds somewhat stiffer than the best that CD can offer. Still, playback is remarkably free of digital artifacts or disconcerting phasiness. Even at low resolution, the sound is very listenable. On the other hand, the sound quality is reason enough to use headphones other than the supplied earbuds. However, the earbuds are very sensitive--that is, they play loudly for a given volume. (You might find the player incapable of driving large headphones as loudly as you want.) As for battery life, Audiovox's astonishing claim of 14 hours of usage per AAA pair was supported by our audition. We only wish that MP3 players that can hold enough music for a 14-hour road trip were the rule instead of the exception. --Michael Mikesell Pros:
- Tiny and lightweight
- Easy to set up and use
- Flexible record configurations
- Handy resume feature
- Durable carrying case included
Cons:
- Software slow to encode CDs and download tracks to player
- MPDJ slow to begin playback
- Not Macintosh compatible
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