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iRiver SlimX iMP-550 CD/MP3 Player with Ultraslim Design

iRiver SlimX iMP-550 CD/MP3 Player with Ultraslim Design

List Price: $179.99
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best all around portable CD / MP3 Player Available
Review: There is not a single feature lacking in this product. Rest assured it will not go out of date, as firmware updates are downloadable from the manufacturer's website.

The sound from this unit (including the included Sennheiser earbuds) is absolutely flawless. Crisp, clear sound even on the lowest bitrate MP3s. No hiss, no crackle, no ambient noise.

Supports every major CD-R protocol, from standard ISO to packet written to Romeo discs with filenames over 128 characters.

Newly designed carrying case keeps unit snug and secure, prevents scratching (all features are controlled via remote) and a belt clip is provided, unlike previous models (i.e. the 350)

The manual is detailed and printed on glossy paper, the packaging is superb, the website well designed, and most importantly, the unit is extremely easy to use... a quick glance through the manual and you can be up and running within no time at all... the only major delay is to let the batteries fully charge/discharge for the first time. (You can use the AC adapter to try it out while you wait however!)

Rush out and buy this item... do not even consider any other brands, none come close to the quality of this item.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The ONLY player you will ever need
Review: This is the ideal mp3-cd player. It has been able to play ever codec I have sent its way, I have not once herd it skip with mp3 or cd audio, the fm tuner get surprisingly great reception, and the remote makes navigation through music pretty easy. Making a system the allows you to look through 12 hours of music on one cd with out confusion is difficult to do, but they have done it although I must say it take time to familiarize yourself with the remote. The battery life is great and the recharger works perfectly. The only complaint I have is that for some reason it takes longer to begin playing some songs and there are a few seconds of dead time, but that may be an problem on the behave on the cd rather than the player. The unit its self isn't as quite as some others but I don't find that a problem. It is incredibly small, fits in large pant pockets and the remote can be clipped almost anywhere plus it comes with a form fitting carry case that allows u to strap it to a belt and go any where with it comfortably even jogging. If you have been asking yourself if a mp3-cd is really what u want then I should make it clear that on one cd you can hold 3 or 4 time what a regular mp3 player can plus you can play regular cds, if you have been looking at jukeboxes ask yourself do u need 10 gigs of storage when u can put a couple gigs on a few cds for a better price and with less to carry then the bulky jukeboxes. And so if mp3-cd player is what you want mise well get the best of the best, the SlimX imp-550.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Jsut got one 3-12
Review: i really like this player it is awesome and iRiver fit a whole lot of info into the tiny remote which once u get used to is really simple to use! totally loving it! i was also gonna get the d-ne1 before i saw this one and man it is aweseom! I am a SOny fanboy at heart but this product is far superior top teh sony i read like a buinch of reviews to! i love it definitely reccomend!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Slim case and Remote control - WOW!
Review: This cd player has all the features I was looking for and more that are a total bonus. It plays MP3's, WMF's and regular cd's. I don't use the headphones that came with it because I have a very nice set of Sony studio type phones. The combination of the player and my phones is incredible sounding. I love the remote control. It makes it so much easier to control when you are in bed or in the car or have it on your belt, etc. You don't have to take the player out of its protective holder to get at any of the controls, only to change the disks. The equalizer is worth the price by itself. It has some presets, but you can totally control about 5 different levels, plus right and left. The remote even displays the name of the disk and song if your cd has that kind of information tag on it. I also love the fact that the firmware in the player is upgradable online. It's a very easy operation that almost takes care of itself. I upgraded right away from firmware ver. 1.03 to 1.10. The player itself is beautiful. The case is black and silver metal and comes with a velvety protective case that will slip onto your belt. I don't mind paying a bit more for this kind of quality. This is a great way for an adult to treat themselves to a new toy.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: It's All You'll Want
Review: Pros: Mp3 Playback, Thin design, Innovative remote, good battery life, fm tuner, car accessories included.

Cons: Needs remote to operate, small text on remote, no "true" jog dial, horrible pack-in headphones.

This player rocks. It plays as if it was an MP3 player instead of a cd player with the use of the remote. You can bring up menues upon menues of desired preferences. Blue back-light makes it look very cool. Did i mention that this thing very slim. About the size of 6 cd's stacked together. The sound is great with built in equalizer. You can adjust the high's and low's along with the bass. Distortion is nonexistant. This player plays all your music cd's, cd-r's, cd-rw's. Burn your Mp3's on a disk and get over 100 songs on a single disk. The player also recognizes WMA files along with your mp3's. You can save a winamp playlist and it will read them too! Accessories are abundent with car adapters as well as battery packs. The included headphones suck. You can hear something out of them, but if you have quality headphones, use those instead. A slight nag about the remote is that the jog dials doesn't rotate completely and act like levers, and also the play and stop button takes a lot of face space. Why didn't they include forward or back on the face as well? Other than that...awesome player.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent MP3 CD Player; Almost Perfect
Review: My first MP3 CD player was a Sonicblue Rio SP-250. It was an excellent MP3 CD player until it broke. I bought a cheaper MP3 CD player, and it was quite sub-par. This is my return to the high-end MP3 CD Players. First off, this player is the best I've used. And while it exceeds my expectations, there are still a few tiny, minute flaws.

The Good
The sound quality is superb.
The navigation is clear and easy to use.
The remote is easy to use, and has a vibrant display and backlight.
The accessories that the unit comes with are great.
The unit itself is THIN!
Battery life of the rechargable stick batteries is good.

The Bad
No controls or display on the unit itself.
Radio reception is not quite perfect (I find my self shifting the remote around to try and get better reception. To my surprise, it works).

Conclusion
In the end, I'm very pleased with this player. It is, in my opinion, the best MP3 CD Player on the market. Everything is done great, with minor flaws. The benefits far outweigh the problems with this CD player. However, if you MUST have perfect radio reception wherever you are, or you don't like having to work the player through a remote, this player might not be good for you. For the rest of us, who are just looking for a good MP3 CD player that has the versatility and quality not found in most other players, this is the Holy Grail of CD players.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best MP3 Player Available
Review: After using of this player for almost 2 months I highly recommend this player to everyone who wants to buy a MP3 player, whether a CD based player or flash or a Hard disk based player because this player have so many features with good sound
quality that other player doesn't offer.
I live in India and waited for more than 2 years, yes 2 years to get my hand on Slim X as they are not available here. I got it through my cousin who was going to Malaysia so I give him the details of Slim X 350 and 400 because they are cheap as compare to 550. But he brings 550 with him as other models are not available there, this is a good option as it is a new variant and superior than 350 and 400.
So come to the features and quality aspect of this player:-
Sound: The sound quality is loud and clear. I've noticed the detail of every song is much clear as compare to other CD based systems I have. And after listening on Xtreme 3D (Firmware Upgrade), which is a surround sound effect, you are not going
to listen your CDs on other mode available. Earphone is also of good quality and you can notice the difference once you try other earphones.

Features: I am not going to write about it's features because if I do then it will take more than 2 pages which is not possible. All I can say is that it is like a nuclear bomb.Small in size but contains that much of features which will blow your mind by
thinking that how in this small player has all these features.

Usability: I must tell you that it is very easy to use and understand and after the 2 or 3 times of use you can operate it like a simple calculator. Buttons and jog dials are easy to use and after some time you don't have to look at the remote to see that which jog dial is to be operated.

Remote: It is this cute and small remote I like the most. You can clip it on your belt or pocket and then easily operate it while the player may be placed in a bag or in it's case. And it's screen is no way small and you can comfortably read it without any problem. A nice backlit helps in this perfectly.

Here are other pros and some cons:
PROS
1. Plays any type of CDs whether expensive or cheap and written on any speed.
2. Easy Firmware upgradeability makes it new and exciting to operate.
3. Shock protection (upto 15 min. for MP3 and 30 min. for WMA).
4. Small size, light weight and a cool carrying case.
5. Resume function. Can resume upto 6 different CDs.
6. Built-in FM tuner was also one feature that I considered before choosing this player and it doesn't disappoint me at all.
7. Other added features like Name, Password, Game, Preset equalizers, ID3 tag information etc.

CONS
1. Cord of remote and earphone gets tangled and gives problem when walking or running.
2. If remote gets broke or lost then you can't operate the player as there are no control buttons on the player itself.

In the end I can surely say that you can easily choose this player over others and will not regret your decision because it is the BEST MP3 PLAYER available.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Superb!
Review: This iriver player is superb! Coupled with Bose QuietComfort 2 Acoustic Noise Cancelling headphones, it forms the ultimate travellers set for under $500. The iriver player (in its case) slips neatly into the Bose case outer sleeve too - nice!

Neat features of this player worthy of mention:
- Battery life is great - 16 hours standard (rechargable) with up to 55 hours when used with the external battery pack.
- Functional behaviour is extremely customisable. There are many menus available to get it to work just how you want it to.
- Player is firmware upgradable! As new formats come out, iriver can provide firmware upgrades to allow your player to be able to play them. Most others it supports what it supports and that's it.
- You get a free car kit including tape deck adaptor and car charger - very handy
- the unit is very light and compact - less than one and a half centimetres thick - one of the thinnest on the market
- It supports Winamp playlists. Simply include your playlist onto the CD you burn and the iriver player can load it up.
- The remote is excellent
- the overall product quality is superb

Why it is better than a Hard Drive MP3 player:
- Battery life is way better
- CDs are cheap as chips and you can fit around 10 hours of music on a CD anyway (if this is not enough for your trip or whatever, just take another CD along with you!)
- the iriver CD player costs WAY less than a HD player. For $188, this product is a bargain! :)

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Not robust at all
Review: I have purchased two IRiver CD players. The first one was defective from the start (no bass output). So I took a chance and ordered another player, which was this model (550). After using it for a few hours it broke -- the player cannot detect that a disk is loaded. It has not been treated roughly at all, but just sits on my desk. So, I am out several hundred dollars for nothing.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: It's All You'll Want
Review: Pros: Mp3 Playback, Thin design, Innovative remote, good battery life, fm tuner, car accessories included.

Cons: Needs remote to operate, small text on remote, no "true" jog dial, horrible pack-in headphones.

This player rocks. It plays as if it was an MP3 player instead of a cd player with the use of the remote. You can bring up menues upon menues of desired preferences. Blue back-light makes it look very cool. Did i mention that this thing very slim. About the size of 6 cd's stacked together. The sound is great with built in equalizer. You can adjust the high's and low's along with the bass. Distortion is nonexistant. This player plays all your music cd's, cd-r's, cd-rw's. Burn your Mp3's on a disk and get over 100 songs on a single disk. The player also recognizes WMA files along with your mp3's. You can save a winamp playlist and it will read them too! Accessories are abundent with car adapters as well as battery packs. The included headphones suck. You can hear something out of them, but if you have quality headphones, use those instead. A slight nag about the remote is that the jog dials doesn't rotate completely and act like levers, and also the play and stop button takes a lot of face space. Why didn't they include forward or back on the face as well? Other than that...awesome player.


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