RCA RD2209 Lyra 2 32 MB Digital Audio Player

Rating:
Summary: Adaptable, rugged, serviceable player
Review: Allow this review of a long-standing owner (2 years) to address some of the concerns by those reviews below. Although the Lyra 2 is not as readily available, it is still out there in the marketplace and for those considering it for purchase, get all the information you can, as you would with any MP3 player.

1.) The bitrate issue was entirely related to the MusicMatch software, which has been addressed (removed) through subsequent releases. You have the option of capping bitrates at 96, 128 or 160 kbps if you wish to conserve card space (if you listen to books on tape, OTR or the like it isn't as much of an issue) but you don't have to. You can download at 190, 320 or VBR if you want.

2.) The player still comes with a 32MB CompactFlash card. I also have a digital camera which uses CompactFlash, and part of my decision to choose the Lyra was because of the same memory platform. I can use the cards in either as I need them. Since then, I have purchased additional cards for the camera and now have lots of additional storage to use for the Lyra. A 2GB Compact Flash card holds a lot of music and obviates the need to continually burn CDs.

I've never had functionality problems with the unit, have been able to set up folders on the cards when downloading music to organize it and navigate through them without any issues. The player has taken a lot of abuse, traveling and commuting and being used in the car with the supplied cassette adapter. It's never failed me yet. I do prefer earbuds and never bothered with the headphones that came with the unit. That is just my preference.

It has provided me with great battery life but I do recommend rechargeable NiMH batteries instead of throwaway alkalines if you intend to use it a lot.

Compare it with others and the memory provided, flexibility to upgrade memory and price when you make your decision. At the time it was released this was the only portable on the market with an FM tuner; there is a far greater selection now.

Compact Flash memory still gives you better battery life then HDD players like an iPod or Jukebox. If the batteries die, you can pop in a couple of spare AA's and keep going. With a HDD player, you're out of luck unless you can plug it into the car or go home and recharge it for several hours.

Rating:
Summary: Adaptable, rugged, serviceable player
Review: Allow this review of a long-standing owner (2 years) to address some of the concerns by those reviews below. Although the Lyra 2 is not as readily available, it is still out there in the marketplace and for those considering it for purchase, get all the information you can, as you would with any MP3 player.

1.) The bitrate issue was entirely related to the MusicMatch software, which has been addressed (removed) through subsequent releases. You have the option of capping bitrates at 96, 128 or 160 kbps if you wish to conserve card space (if you listen to books on tape, OTR or the like it isn't as much of an issue) but you don't have to. You can download at 190, 320 or VBR if you want.

2.) The player still comes with a 32MB CompactFlash card. I also have a digital camera which uses CompactFlash, and part of my decision to choose the Lyra was because of the same memory platform. I can use the cards in either as I need them. Since then, I have purchased additional cards for the camera and now have lots of additional storage to use for the Lyra. A 2GB Compact Flash card holds a lot of music and obviates the need to continually burn CDs.

I've never had functionality problems with the unit, have been able to set up folders on the cards when downloading music to organize it and navigate through them without any issues. The player has taken a lot of abuse, traveling and commuting and being used in the car with the supplied cassette adapter. It's never failed me yet. I do prefer earbuds and never bothered with the headphones that came with the unit. That is just my preference.

It has provided me with great battery life but I do recommend rechargeable NiMH batteries instead of throwaway alkalines if you intend to use it a lot.

Compare it with others and the memory provided, flexibility to upgrade memory and price when you make your decision. At the time it was released this was the only portable on the market with an FM tuner; there is a far greater selection now.

Compact Flash memory still gives you better battery life then HDD players like an iPod or Jukebox. If the batteries die, you can pop in a couple of spare AA's and keep going. With a HDD player, you're out of luck unless you can plug it into the car or go home and recharge it for several hours.

Rating:
Summary: Great as long as you don't have Windows XP
Review: I bought this last night as I thought it was a good deal at (....). The package didn't say xp but I figured that the website would have a driver for it. Sure enough it did. After downloading it, the installation was ill-fated. It kept saying it will not support xp. So I tried it again and again the same thing. Man that sucked. You know what I did? I reinstalled Windows Me that I originally had. I'm tired of all the BS of trying to run things on xp. My scanner company still hasn't put out a driver for xp. So I figure I will go back to Me for about 6 months and then maybe the drivers will be availible.
Well, the player is great as long as you don't use the headphones that came with it. The sound from those sound cheap and not enough bass. So I put on my Phillips headphones and sounds a lot better now. I also recommend getting at least 128MB compact card for more music as the 32MB card that comes with it is insufficent for anything more than 30 minutes.
The display is terrific with the backlight. I am very happy with it. No more skipping CD plays on my jog.

Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Brilliant!
Review: I got this as a present for Christmas. I was looking into MP3 Players, and I didn't see this one, but I'm SOOOOO glad I got it.
It's nice and lightweight, fully portable, and great for running or jogging as it includes a remote control. It includes a 32 MB CompactFlash card, which sutes me, but you may need to upgrade to a better one, as this can only hold about 10 songs, Max. I never thought an MP3 player could have so many features! It has various modes such as Repeat 1, Repeat All, Shuffle, Program, ECT. By the way, I fully disagree with the only bad review on this product. 128 BPS is great sound quality, especially for a portable audio device. If you want something more, go ahead, buy an MP3 player, and end up having less space on the flashcard then the people who bought this product. Some other features include the digital FM tuner. Actually, the signal for that is not great, but in my opinion, I don't care. I don't pay 150 dollars to buy an FM Radio.
A 6 band equalizer, also including rock and Jazz DSP modes, and a beautiful backlit LCD display rounds out the features. Loading songs onto the card goes So fast! 1 minute, and you can download 32 minutes worth of songs onto it!
If I have to gripe, then I'll say I didn't like the headphones. I bought a pair of sony MDR-W08 Headphones. It makes the sound quality better too.
Trust me, if you buy this, you won't be disapointed

Rating:
Summary: Piece Of Crap
Review: I hate this thing. actually it only worked once. i got a few songs on it. now it is incapable of reading anything and i intend on replacing it in the near future. avoid at all costs. id recomend mp3 cd or high mp3 player such as the ones made by Rio and the apple ipod for you mac owners

Rating:
Summary: DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY!!! - READ THIS REVIEW FIRST!!!
Review: I purchased the Lyra2 and promptly returned it.
When it came, I installed the software (that you have to use to download mp3s to this player) and found that is was converting all my 192kbps mp3s to 128kbps!!! I was very frustrated because converting an already compressed mp3 to an even lower bitrate is degrading the sound quality dramatically!

I called RCA... which they don't make easy... and they told me that I would have to contact MusicMatch and RealPlayer to find out how to disable that conversion in their software. After spending all day trying to contact them by phone (which was even more difficult than reaching RCA!) and getting transferred from one tech to the next that didn't know how to stop this conversion, one of the MusicMatch techs asked me if the Lyra2 could even play mp3s over 128kbps? I thought he was insane! I called RCA again and they confirmed it...

THE LYRA2 IS LIMITED TO 128KBPS!!! What a rip-off!!!

I went back over all RCA's documentation, their website, FAQ's, and even Amazon's very thorough Tech Specs, and NOWHERE does RCA disclose this!!! NOWHERE... not even in their own documentation!
Their techs didn't even tell me until I asked them point blank!

I was so disappointed because it seemed really well built and had a really cool backlit display! Because it uses CompactFlash, you're only storage limit is the size of your card (unlike players with built-in memory or that use SmartMedia).

Sadly, the cool design of the Lyra2 hardware is NOT worth the
senseless and unnecessary compromise of sound quality.

RCA... if you're listening... step into the 21st century!
If you can't make a player that plays an mp3 file over 128kbps, don't bother!

Rating:
Summary: RCA Lyra 2 Review, By: Amal
Review: It's a really good product, that is before the warenty expires. It is really versitile. I love the Compact Flash Media Card. All you do is hook up the external drive to your computer and transfer files to another computer. I have had a problem with it though. Sometimes when you turn it on and hit play or enter for the digital music or radio it wont work. Other times while listning to digital music it'll shuffle through random play, suffle, scan, etc.... and it'll also go to contrast w/o you pressing anything. Also for radio it'll only play your presets it wont let you listen to any other stations.

Rating:
Summary: Light, Small, Unlimited Flash Memory and Easy to Use
Review: When shopping for players, I overlooked Lyra2 because it appears on most sites as having only 64 MB, but I recieved it as a gift and it is GREAT! Because the MP3s are stored on a Flash card, memory is effectively unlimited (I just saw a 514 MB card for sale). I carry it while running - it's small enough to tuck into my shorts and light enough that it doesn't bounce all over. The radio tuner is a neat feature that I'm glad to have, as is the "lock" that prevents buttons from getting pushed unintentionally. It'd be nice if it accepted better quality sound files, but it's not as though I listen to it through top-quality headphones while sitting in a quiet room. I recommend this player for people who will be out-and-about (you pobably won't notice anything lacking in the sound). Also, if you're getting your MP3s online, chances are they're 128 BPS anyway.