Rating: Summary: Excellent Player Review: I have recently recieved the Rio 800, One of the only bad things that I have to say is that the audible manager software is really terrible. The earphones are OK, I didn't expect the best pair. As for the 128 Megs I got the new Pearl Jam Double CD on there without a problem encoded in WMA format @ 128k. (Just about 26 Songs) That is more than enough music for what I need it for. Calibrating the battery definatley stopped before the 5 hours (probably about 3.5) Even if I don't get the full 10 hours of play time thats fine because I don't want to listen to the songs 5 times. I would change them, so I might as well recharge while resyncing. I wear it to the Gym sweat all over it and go home, thats usually what these are used for and it does it's job.
Rating: Summary: It was great when it worked. Review: The sound of this player is great. I do suggest that you replace the headphones. I opted for the Sony headphones that hang on each ear rather than ear buds or a head band. Once you have good headphones you will be amazed at the range and clarity of sound this little device produces. It has enough memory to listen to high quality MP3's for two hours. The screen is a bit hard to read. They sacrificed functionality for fashion by using an oval shaped screen. Many times I find myself looking into the window at an angle so I can see the full song name. The controls are easy to use, and you can skip songs or pause the player without having to look at the buttons. The negative side of this player is reliability. I loved this player when first purchased. After listening to the preloaded songs I deleted all files and loaded it exercise music. 2 days later I was ready to change music and used Rio Audio Manager to transfer files. It was only able to access the first 64 meg. Anything further was a corrupted file. I reinstalled the firmware hoping to fix the problem. Now nothing but the firmware installer will access my Rio. On three different computers I get the same symptoms. Rio Audio Manager looks for device. Rio Audio Manager crashes. Same problem with Siren by Sonic Foundry, the first program I used to download files to the player. Even the microphone will not record into memory. After research I find many people are having problems with this player. I made the most common mistake of the digital age. Don't buy any device or software when it first hits the market. A lot of people are having problems with the Rio 128. The company should have done more test before releasing the product.
Rating: Summary: Just returned mine Review: I could not get this thing to run for more than 20 minutes. I calibrated the batteries 3 times but it would run out waaaay before the "10 hours" claimed by the manufacturer. After the 3rd calibration, it played for a few minutes before the sound completely cut out. I tried the headphones on another unit and they worked just fine, which leads me to believe the problem is with the Rio. Maybe I just got a dud.
Rating: Summary: Buyer Beware! Review: For Christmas, my wife and I both received Rio 600s. Hers did not work, mine lasted 2 months. Her replacement Rio lasted two months and is now being serviced. My replacement is still being serviced. Foolishly thinking that I couldn't possibly get burned again by the same product, I decided to buy the Rio 800 with 128mg (the 600 didn't have enough memory anyway and the upgrades are expensive). The 800 was awesome...for two uses! Then it stopped transmitting sound (same as two of the other faulty players). On top of that, the software corrupted my operating system and I had to get my hard drive re-burned. It does not seem possible, but between us we went through 5 faulty Rios. I conceded defeat and bought the Intel 128mg. It has worked well and I actually like its features and functionality better than the Rio (of course, I am biased now). Plus, you can get more than a thirty-day warranty with Intel, which is not the case with the Rio 128mg.
Rating: Summary: the rio 800 is great if they send you one that works!! Review: this would be a great mp3 player if only it could work propely, ive had 3 of these players & have had to send each of them back within a day after recieving them for various reasons.doesnt this company check there products before they ship them out?i think that they should.for the few minutes that it was working though it sounded great.
Rating: Summary: Awesome player but.... Review: I have owned the first release of the Rio 600 for about a year now and after a few exchanges of defective units...I have a pretty solid Rio 600 player. However, like most...you can never have enough memory. So, when Intel released their 128Mb Pocket Concert player...I went out and bought it. The Intel is a very nice player indeed and they have much to be proud of. But then, Sonic Blue countered with the Rio 800 128Mb internal memory player. Wow! Now I can also add more memory on top of the internal 128Mbs which I certainly intend to do. Rio has consistantly develeoped what I think is the best player(s) on the market. I have owned and tested quite a few and none of them are more pleasing to me than the Rio products. That is from a appearance and functionality standpoint. However, like all the other Rio products I have owned...the Rio 800 is no exception when it comes to actually finding one that will work correctly. Unfortunately, this company must have one of the worst QA programs (if they even have a QA department) of all the manufacturers. I am now on my 3rd Rio800 128 attempting to get past that critical 5hr. battery calibration step. Each time I have tried so far...all 3 units fail long before the 5 hr. cycle is complete. I have tried different wall outlets and nothing seems to correct the problem. Although the player does play fine...the advertised battery life after a charge (10 hrs. +) can not be obtained because of the battery calibration failure. I will continue my quest to get one of these to finally pass the calibration step because I really do love this player. So, if you are the patient type...this player is certainly worth the effort.
Rating: Summary: The portable yet sleek styled Home Stereo Review: This handy machine blew my mind when it came to performance. I had previously owned a Rio Volt for the purpose of being upgradeable for firm ware and the versatility of a CD. However, shock protection really played a big part in convincing me of buying a solid state memory MP3 player. Plus, the Rio 800 is firmware upgradeable for future formats and features! The most inticing features of this personal audio machine is its vast memory which holds many more songs than I had expected. Although my previous purchase of a Volt could hold 150 songs on a single CD, this 128 Megabyte, tiny, and sleek player holds more than enough songs for short trips on campus as well as semi-long drives around town, without the skipping of a CD! Since I listen to longer pieces of music, my Rio 800 still held more than enough (around 4 hours) of high quality, digital music. What's more is that this Rio 800's fidelity really surprised me with stellar performance on many of the highs and low frequencies. If there's anything I can say to truly convince you of purchasing one, it's the design. It's form truly follows function and definitely shows its intuitiveness. This beauty is still upgradeable in memory as well, something that other manufacturers of 128 Meg MP3 players don't have. If you want a player that really takes your breath away, don't hesitate!
Rating: Summary: Very Bad product Review: My Rio player broke within a year of purchase. The area where I have to plug in the adapter simply loosened up and broke off. To arrange for repairs, I had to call Rio customer service VIA LONG DISTANCE since they do not have a 1-800 number for customer service or technical support, but of course they do have one for Sales Inquiries. Without a warranty, you are asked to fax (again through a long distance fax number) and are charged a fee of $49.95. I will never again buy another RIO product just to have it break within only a year.
Rating: Summary: Garbage Review: Unfortunately there is not 0 stars. The product I bought just make a humming noise. Customer service? No answer to 6 e-mails. I tried calling. First, false information provided (deliverately?): just download the firmware and it will work. Then, they mock you: just send us the details and proof of purchase and we will replace. They do not (two attemps). Never, never buy anything from this manufacture or trust it.
Rating: Summary: Nah Review: I would recommend the Rio 900 player instead. It can hold 192 MB of music and is not that more expensive. I have also found that the 900's battery does not have a problem like the 800 initially does
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