Rating: 
Summary: It's great when it works!
Review: I'm glad I'm not the only puzzle user out there! I have it for almost a year by now, and still love it when it works. I am referring to MP3 CDs... It has no problem reading the older TDK CDRs (blue dye), however, it doesn't reconize the newer CDRs (tried different brands/burn speed/burners), it'd just spin and spin, sometimes it displayed the infamous NO DISC error, but most of time it just spins endlessly. What I can't understand is why it's not behaving consistently on the same MP3 CD! At times it reads a disc w/o problem, then there are times it just spins or freeze up after a while. The discs are fine, for they play fine on other MP3 portable, such as the $50 Pansonic SL420. I had emailed to iRiver and no one ever got back to me!Can someone please tell me what brand of CDRs that would work on this player? I find that it's hard to find a brand that it likes, for even within the same batch of CDRs, the player may be happy with one disc but not the others.
Rating: 
Summary: Awsome CD/WMA/MP3 player
Review: This is the best CD player I've ever had. I owned it for over a year and never failed to play any WMA or MP3, where else same CD could not be played on other players. One of the best feature is the control unit (with LCD display) that comes in very handy when you are driving and it control and features are beyond what you need. If you set the controls and features correctly it can control anti skip, back light, scan speed, search by folder...etc. I do admit there are some bugs where it would stop the music and have to restart, but rarely occures. Compare to other players initialization is much quicker.
Rating: 
Summary: Good for it's price
Review: I'm very satisfied with this mp3 player, all in one thing. Just Use it with another one earphone and will enjoy the sound quality. ;)
Rating: 
Summary: Nice featuers, but...
Review: First I have to start off by saying that this CD player has the most features in any portable CD player I have ever seen. You have limited control over treble/bass, but the majority of portable CD players give you NO control over your sound, except for some stupid bass function. The remote is extremely useful. It displays all of your ID3 tag info on a nice 4-line display. One of my favorite parts is that the remote is backlit, which I find very useful for listening to the CD player at night. One of my other favorite features is that you can upgrade the filmware. I have only touched on the features that were important to me, because if I was to go though everything, we'd be hear all day. So we have a great sounding, feature rich, and extremely slim CD player. Sounds like a good review so far, but I am convinced that Rio/iRiver can't make a sturdy CD player. I used to have a Rio SP250 that I loved. I dropped that and it broke. I take full responsibility for that. But my slim iRiver stopped working for no apparent reason. I have had the disc player for 11 months now, and it will not work unless I hit it real hard to get the laser to move. Reading a lot of other peoples complaints, it seems like this happens way to often. A portable CD player needs to take a little abuse here and there. It can't just stop working for no apparent reason. And fortunately for me, my service plan ran out 20 days ago, so I can't do much. I could go through the manufacture and try and get it fixed, but I can't be without a CD player for that long. I use this for 8 hours and work, my car, and home. I really find it hard to live without a MP3 CD player. So I went out and picked up a Sony Atari player. It's the $100 version and thus far I am happy. Sounds good and the menu structure works well enough. I wish it was backlit and I could control treble/bass. But those are my only complaints so far. I would not recommend getting an iRiver disc player unless you get it form somewhere like a Best Buy where you can get an extended warranty. I say stay away, but it might be worth the chance.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't buy this.
Review: This horrible, overpriced P.O.S. is the buggiest, most unstable player I've ever owed. This is even after the firmware upgrade. It skips when I walk.... Yeah, WHEN I WALK! And sometimes it skips just like a record player would. It doesn't like some CD's, and it will simply just stay on, spinning the CD, claiming it's loading when nothings happening, wasting battery life. SO you go ahead and plug in the "spare" AA battery attachment -- drinks those batteries like kool-aid on a hot day. Very clunky, and unnatural design makes taking it from place to place without the 'remote' unquestionable. and it's touchy slightest movement controls ensure that you'll accidentally change a song you're enjoying when you reach for something. The NI-CAD batteries are difficult to get out, and hard to find replacements for... Once I get a new MP3 player, I plan on skipping this piece of crap as far as I can into the nearest body of water.
Rating:
Summary: Update on battery life
Review: I found out that IRiver itself only lists 7-8 hours of play time on the rechargeable batteries. If you want the 23 hours advertised, you have to dangle a cord out the side and use the EXTERNAL AA battery pack as a source. By the way, the practical power for the rechargeables are more like 2-4 hours, not 7-8. Also, hanging an external battery out the side defeats the appeal of how slim it is. If you are buying this cool looking CD player you are either going to have to live with 2-4 hours of battery life per charge, or you are going to have to dangle an external set of batteries out the side. This compromise was apparently a design feature of the player. Don't believe me? Here is the quote from the company's FAQ section: Q. Will the iMP-350 SlimX operate without the external battery pack, or is it required? A. The iMP-350 SlimX can run by itself on the flat batteries only. The approximate playing time on the flat batteries only is 10 hours for MP3 files and 7-8 hours for regular audio CDs. The two AA batteries, when used in conjunction with the flat, NiMH batteries, help increase playtime to approximately 23 hours for MP3 files. Also, they act as a backup when the flat, NiMH batteries run down.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent for its price
Review: I researched and tried many CD/MP3 players before buying it, and I found that this brand has so many more features compared to the other popular brands. Its sound quality is also very good. It also has ver good treble. But, Sony CD players have stronger bass, and this player's bass is not as good as Sony's players. That is the only drawback, but with 100 bucks, you won't get a Sony player loaded with too many features like this player. Highly recommend if you can tolerate its bass. For personal CD players, I would not recommend brands other than IRiver and Sony.
Rating:
Summary: Poor battery life
Review: I bought the player for my son. He loves the size and function of the player, except for the battery life. Unfortunately, this problem makes the player almost useless. My son doesn't want to use the AA battery attachment hanging out from a cable. It doesn't look cool. I sympathize since the size (thin) is a big attraction. We have used the discharge and charge feature but can only get a few hours of play time off of the rechargeable batteries. We have give it two months now and the battery life has not improved with use. I am very disappointed with the battery life. Given the choice, I would not buy this model again.
Rating:
Summary: a really great player for its price.
Review: When the player finally arrived, I was ecstatic. The look of the player was gorgeous and the machine was so sleek and light, and I loved the long cord of the remote, because I tend to store my CD Player in a bag as I walk around. The remote-usage for fairly easy to use, even though the user manual is virtually useless. However, I e-mailed iRiver support and received enormous help, so that's that. The free bag is useless as well, so I suggest you get another carrying case or something. The only problem I really have with the player is the battery-life, and the batteries that are part of the extension are kind of cumbersome when I want to carry my player around. However, I'm willing to pay the price for good-quality music. Besides, the player comes with a charger, which is enormously useful when I'm just sitting around at home, trying to block out all the sounds. The earphones are adequate, but I purchased another set of earphones by Sony on some other reviewer's recommendation. I don't regret it, but I don't find the new set too necessary. The player worked incredibly well, but it lagged on some tracks. When I inserted a burned CD with mp3 files, it started freezing on certain files, but I have to admit that it was probably because the CD was damaged. There's some lag time between tracks, but it's negligible. Oh, and the biggest thing that bugs me about the player is the loud noises it makes while running. I'm planning on e-mailing iRiver support and asking some questions. It's annoying and irritating to listen to the player run. However, all in all, the player is a great investment. I plan on using it for years to come, and the sound quality is just wonderful. I truly enjoy it.
Rating:
Summary: Very good, but the ends don't justify the means!
Review: This CD player is awsome. The sound is great and the remote is realy cool. The only problem I have is how long it takes to load. For me it isn't just ten seconds like another person said, but about two minutes! Once you get your CD loaded it is great but getting there is another story. I have just started using a different brand of CD-RWs and they seem to be all right, that is why I gave it four stars. P.S. just a warning, This product scratches easily, especially the remote!
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