Rio 800 64MB Digital Audio Player

Rating:
Summary: Rio800 - Digital Thievery
Review: I bought a Rio 800 in February and have used it seldom because it is junk. It has never worked well and the manufacturer couldn't care less. It discharges randomly then charges partially and at its best can't be used for more than an hour. The display is even more frustrating since it is impossible to see - it's sort of grey on blue and navigation is a trial. Please don't subject yourself to unwanted pain. Buy a different product.

Rating:
Summary: No More Rio for Me
Review: After buying 2 Rio 600s for my kids, which worked great, I figured I would get an 800 for myself. I pulled the Rio 800 out of the box and followed the directions before use. I was initially having problems getting MP3/WMA files loaded, but when they did, it sounded great. After a month of limited use, I started having problems hearing the vocal track. OK, SO HERE'S THE PROBLEM: I have made numerous attempts to contact the support department for the Rio 800, and I have sent many emails. No response. I have no problem with Rio products and I was willing to return my Rio 800 for another, or whatever it took to resolve the issue. However, I'm disappointed when a company doesn't respond to the paying customer. After reading several reviews I see this is an on-going problem. Sorry Rio, but you have lost my business and I recommend others look elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: Horrible product-Stay away from Sonicblue products
Review: When you buy a product full of bugs and then face customer service that demands your credit card as after the first 90 days calls to support cost you [money]! Downloads through the RioPort software end up sounding horrible with squeals throughout. Don't download upgrades to the software as you will receive annoying requests to pay them even more money. ... The software is as buggy as the player. Plan on having to remove the backpack to shut it off as it freezes constantly. Regardless of what they tell you replace the Nickel Metal Hydride battery with one from [another store] as soon as possible. Whatever you do, buy a different MP3 player. Don't listen at your own risk.

Rating:
Summary: Don't Bother
Review: Although the idea is great, the product is horrible. I wasted over 200 dollars on this product. It broke after one day (no user misuse) The same happened to my roommate with her unit. Then after 2 weeks of trying to get Rio to fix it they finally tell me where to send it and a month and a half later, I still have not heard anything about the progress even after emailing them. I'm looking at different companys now, I will never go back to Rio.

Rating:
Summary: FIX the Rio 800
Review: Tech support,

I have owned my Rio 800 for one year before any problems developed.
And I think I have found the problems.
The problem IS NOT the battery as it is.
I tested my battery and it is fine after it is charged.

The problem is with the software in the Rio player's POWER SAVER MODE.
If the player is on long enough for the power saver time to shut it off, the player will not come back on at all- even if you remove the backpack and replace it.

When I turned the POWER SAVER off, the player played for 3 or 4 hours with no problems.
But when I powered the unit off, I could not just power it back on. I had to remove and replace the backpack for it to work, even though the POWER SAVER MODE was set to off.
Which means, the Rio unit is shorting out the battery.
(Before, I only had to charge the battery every other day and I would have the player on two and a half hours every day while working out.)

I hope this helped

Rating:
Summary: Technology not there yet...
Review: As an IT professional and an MP3 fanatic, I am thoroughly dissappointed in this product. With all the features and slick aesthetic appeal, one would think that this player would be "The One". Wrong.

After receiving my Rio800 in Jan '02, I immediately broke the annoying package open and dove right into the owners manual. While reading the manual, I surfed the Sonic Blue site. While clicking around to check things out, my Rio 800 was charging. After I clicked on my product link, the first thing that appears on their site is a notice about their faulty backpacks and chargers, Ah! I unplug the charger! (check this link):

...

So, giving them the benefit of the doubt I call their Customer Service department and they put me on a waiting list for their "new and improved" backpacks and chargers.

I finally received the equipment on 3/5/02 (remember I bought this thing in January!) After doing the calibration, firmware upgrade, software installation, and file downloads I finally tried it out.

Well, the sound was good. The headphones, forget about it. Spend an extra 10 bucks and get ear buds. In the end, the backpack they sent me is defective. After one day of use, it was heating up and was unresponsive when pressing any buttons. Needless to say, I'll be calling Sonic Blue on Monday.

We loose because this is the only rechargeable MP3 player for the price. The technology isn't there yet for this high-end player. If you can put up with the frequent battery changing, get a different player...

Rating:
Summary: Not Good Choice! Get an Intel Personal 3000 MP3 Player!
Review: First of all, the picture is misleading... It looks sleak and cool but it really doesn't... The Intel Personal Audio Player can be more the way you want it and the faceplates are a small cost! It also take forever to transfer songs from the computer to the MP3 Player, and I have a brand new Pentium 4 so it is't cause I have a poor quality computer. With the Intel Personal Audio Player, it takes a split second! Plus the SONICblue Rio 800 64MB Digital Audio Player had horrible features... It doesn't have good bass or treble control. Plus the sound isn't as clear as the Intel MP3 PLayer... Plus have you ever heard of the company SONICblue? Well Intel can assure you that you will have a quality MP3 Player...

Rating:
Summary: Totally unreliable - plan on replacements
Review: At first, I thought this product was great. Nice design, lightweight, easy to use. But three months later, I was on my second one because the battery wouldn't hold a charge (obviously a common complaint). The second one lasted six months until it froze, in the on position, during downloading. It wouldn't shut off unless the battery pack was removed.
Overall, the unit itself suffers from several problems. First, the battery life is low, and the battery meter is totally inaccurate - it may read that you are 93% charged yet quits in less than 10 minutes. Although the software is relatively easy to use and the player is very easy to use, downloading was sometimes a problem - freezing up, incomplete transfers, etc.
The sound quality overall was average at best - the main problem being that the headphones let in too much ambient noise. I tried to get replacements but had a problem finding ones that had decent bass quality.
I would not recommend this product unless you have a very good replacement plan or a lot of money to flush down the toilet.
It could be great, if only it were reliable.

Rating:
Summary: Poor Product and Poorer service and Tech Support
Review: Am about to send back my third RIO 800, as all three quit after a couple of hours. One was so hot during charging that it could be dangerous.
I emailed their Tech Support, they DO NOT answer. I emailed customer support. They advise they can do nothing and suggested tech support. I wrote to their corporate offices again nothing. Perhaps they are going under, so be careful!
I wanted to use the player, mainly, for audio books. I intend to write "Audible" and strongly suggest they no longer advertise anything from SonicBlue.
Amazon has been great, but I am also going to suggest the same to them. This makes them look bad.
I have lots more to say but you get the point. Don't waste your time or money. Lack of any support whatsoever should turn you off to this product and company.

Rating:
Summary: Broke the first day I got it due to a known bug
Review: They ship the Rio 800 with a power supply that will fry the Rio's Battery pack. Mine worked for 15 minutes and is now fried. After calling 3 different Tech support #'s, they offered to ship me a new battery pack and power supply free of charge, but I have to wait 3-4 weeks for it to arrive... Hopefully the Rio works OK when I finally get the battery pack. If it is a fantastic product, I will probably give it a few more stars. However.... 3 weeks to get a new battery pack??? Most companies will RMA stuff in 24 hours. SonicBlue's customer service leaves alot to be desired