Rating: 
Summary: A very good mp3 player, but a word of warning
Review: The Sensory Science raveMP21000 is a very good mp3 player inits own right. It's easy to use, comes with an impressive pair ofSennheiser MX-4 earbuds (probably the best earbuds packaged with any portable), and offers a lot of functionality: voice-recording, memos, and phone number storage. The included software is simple to use and install, and the sound quality of the hardware is as good (or better, with the provided earphones) as any other.However, a few problems prevent the MP2100 from receiving a higher rating. Windows 2000 and NT users will be disappointed (and probably frustrated) to find that the included software is incompatible. The lack of a FM tuner is understandable, but regrettable. Pickier users will take issue with the use of a parallel port connector for file transfers, since this means slower transfer rates than USB and the inconvenience of unplugging your printer to download mp3s onto the player. In addition, Sensory Science is not exactly a very large company; customers may have difficulty obtaining adequate customer service, both now and in the future. A few more subtle problems arise, but this concerns all so-called "solid-state" mp3 handhelds. Mp3/CD players like the MamboX and Genica are starting to market, though they are admittedly difficult to find. With the ability to play both mp3 and regular audio CDs, these players can theoretically play back up to 10 hours of CD-quality music--as opposed to the 1 hour or so possible with "solid-state" handhelds. . . As it is, it's probably a good idea to take these considerations to heart before spending a hefty amount of cash for the MP2100, or any mp3 player for that matter. . . If you have a CD burner, waiting for the mp3/CD players is probably the way to go. But if you're deadset on a lightweight mp3 handheld with no skippable parts, the raveMP is a very solid choice: just be prepared to pay the "luxury gadget" premium for any of these devices.
Rating: 
Summary: RAVE MP 2100-Pretty darn good!
Review: I just got my RaveMP 2100, and I love it. I have heard a few other MP players and this one sounds as good if not better. The transfer time is also excellent. I think it's the faster parallel transfer I have ever seen. Takes only like 10-20 secs a song on my computer. I also love the other features like the built in mic that is very sesitive, great for recording meetings etc.. and the ability to store memos, contacts and phone numbers. Not to mention that is serves as a mini-harddrive and you can load any type of data on it to take to a friends house. I haven't seen any other MP3 player that can do all this. I would have gave it five stars, but the only drawbacks to this player is that it uses propritary mememory upgrade and currently can go only to 96 megs. That no a big deal since the player comes with 64 megs that seems like plenty for now. I would also like the volume to go a tad higher. It goes to 20, and it sounds pretty loud, but I use mine at 15, so that only allow 5 more before I max out, and as I age, my hearing might go as well. This again isnt a really big problem since you can just record your MP3 file at a higher volumn and sampling rate. If you in the market for a MP3 player, take a good look at this great player! note: You can put MP3's into this unit but you can upload mp3s back to a computer due to copyright restrictions. But another way around this is if you want to take mp3s to a friends house, just zip them up or rename them with a different extension and load them on the player as a regular file, and that way you can upload the mp3's to your friends computer. Pretty sweet huh?
Rating: 
Summary: Poor Customer Service
Review: Device works great..however, there is no updated software that is XP compatable. Customer service told me that they were 'sorry, but the 2100 is no longer a supported product'. They suggested that I purchase a newer model that was XP compatable. Will never buy anything from Sonic Blue again.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Entry-Level MP3 player..Great Sound
Review: Well, after reading the mixture of good vs bad reviews, I was a little leary about buying this product. However, for the price, I couldn't find a better value. I ordered 2-one for me and one for my wife. Upon opening the box, I found everything well-packaged. It comes with a easy-to-understand owner's manual (most people will only need it to install software), Rave CD installation program, Parallel hookup cord, Sennheiser earbud headphones, the Rave MP3 player, and a battery for the player. Including the battery was a very pleasing surprise. I was worried about installation. I plugged the cord to my parallel port, plugged in the player, and ran the CD...DONE!! It located the player without a hitch. The Rave program was easy to understand (no directions needed...purely drag and drop MP3 songs to the player, and you're done). A counter will show available space on the MP3 player, and will warn when you are close to being out of space. You can also edit playlists on the MP3 from the Rave program. Change the order of the playlist, etc, it's all a cinch. I uploaded 18 songs to the MP3 in about 5-6 minutes time. Not super-fast, but acceptable. The interface on the MP3 is intuitive and easy to use. I plugged in the headphones and began playing. However, the songs sounded "staticy and hollow". I wondered what the problem was, then I noticed the headphones were not plugged all the way in. You really have to "snap" the jack into the slot. It feels like you have to exhibit an unordinary amount of force to snap them in, but once I did, everything sounded great! Every song was crisp and clear. The Sennheiser earbuds are great, and come with a nifty round storage case that has about a 2.5" diameter. Easy to transport... The display is easy to understand and is filled with information, as well. On the display (during MP3 playback) is the following: Battery gauge, "shuffle" setting, EQ setting, Volume gauge, available space for files (in MB), date, elapsed time on played track, and track/artist title. There is also a "hold" button on side of the player. Switch it, and during playback, it locks out all button usage. Very cool for people who listen while jogging, riding bikes, etc. There is also an expansion port under the battery cover for an additional 32 MB expansion card! There is a button which cycles through different preset "EQ" settings (jazz, rock, classical, disco, normal, etc). Most all files sound the best on normal. Rock and disco add too much bass, and the earbuds cannot handle it without outputting alot of static. Minor issue, though. The only real complaint I have is the "shuffle" function. When I activated this, I figured that it would shuffle the entire playlist, then play each song. However, that is not the case. Imagine having 18 songs on the MP3. It may play song 3, then 7, then go back to song 3. It is entirely random selection. That is my only real complaint. I have had no problems at all with this player. I do not utilize the memo/planner/recorder options, but have looked at them and they seem easy to use. Also, I have not "ripped" song files from cd's to change to MP3 files, but I have looked at the program and it seems easy enough. In closing, this is a real easy to use player that exhibits great sound quality with an easy-to-use interface. From the time I opened the box to playing my favorite songs took about 20 minutes. I am happy I picked these up!!
Rating:
Summary: I did my homework and the RaveMP tops them all!
Review: I did more than 30 hours of research before I made the decisionto buy the RaveMP 2100 and I don't regret my choice for aninstant. I wanted a great MP3 player with some other features. The data transfer capability of the Rave appealed to me so it made my short list very quickly. I read reviews about more than 15 other digital music players and my short list had 4. All four had fairly positive to very positive reviews by both writers and users. My short list was the RCA Lyra, Sony Vaio Music Clip, Diamond Rio PMP500, and the Sensory Science RaveMP. You notice above that I wrote digital music players instead of MP3! This is where everything gets tricky. What RCA and Sony don't tell you is that their players don't play native MP3. The Sony uses its own ATRAC3 format and RCA uses a proprietary format as well. That can be a real GOTCHA if you don't want to mess with converting MP3 to their format. The Diamond has a good rep and a backlit screen, USB, and uses standard SmartMedia memory cards but the Rave comes with nicer earbuds (Sennheiser MX4) and has phone list, voice recording, memo capability and the data storage capability (like carrying a music box and a ZIP disk in one). The Rave is excellent! It has great sound and nice little touches like a battery compartment locking mechanism (no runaway battery lids), a hold switch on the side (no accidental button activations)and a very informative display layout. I also sprang for the extra 32MB expansion and I'm glad I did. I found the RaveMP Manager software to be very nice and easy to navigate, add, delete, organize phone list, etc. . . . I've read the reviews criticizing the sound and I wonder whether many of these people didn't have the right settings when they ripped their CD tracks or downloaded a track that wasn't clear. I haven't had any problems and crystal clarity with the right settings. Also, some people complained about the small, close buttons. They are rather small and close. However, I have pretty fat fingers and no problems here. But if your real picky or a little clumsy maybe you ought to think twice about the Rave. Also, I find the volume very adequate. I have walked down a busy city street with the volume set to 13 (max is 19) and had no difficulties hearing my music. In my opinion, the Rave has only one real drawback- it's not USB so it takes a little longer to download (10-20sec/song). One extra hint, the Rave comes with the Xing AudioCatalyst software (demo version), only rips at 128kbps and only randomly selected tracks. Spring for the full version. I downloaded some freebie software from the net and found them to be VERY slow and lower quality compression . . .
Rating:
Summary: An Exellent Product, Worth Buying
Review: I couldn't buy any Mp3 players because they were all USB, Music was a hobby of mine, a friend told me 'bout this product so I gave it a try, and believe me, it was my greatest experience ever,
also, if anyone of u who is reading this knows about other Parallel port mp3 players, then let me know Xak
Rating:
Summary: Good except my screen went blank
Review: I did some research in order to find a good mp3 player that was good and fit my budgit and the rave mp3 2100 looked good. With mostley good reviews i decided to buy it. When it came I was able to put songs from my computer on to the unit very easily. But after a week my screen started going blank and not showing anything so i called up customer service which they were eaisly able to be reached and they had me send it in to get it replaced. They said it would take 2 weeks for it to return to me and they lived up to their claim it came wihin 2 weeks. Since then i have had no problems with the unit and except for the flaw in it i would have to say it is well worth your money.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing
Review: I read all the reviews and wonder why people seem to have so many problems when I've had none with mine at all. It's cheap and easy to use, and it gives you **skip-free** music for well over an hour (upgrade, it's worth it for only around $30). I got it for a grad present, took it out of the box, and without even reading the instructions had it working in 2 minutes. It's interface is intuitive and easy to use. Uploading mp3s was also quite easy, just drag and drop. 170k/sec transfers is pretty good, about as fast as I download mp3s from the interent, so I definately can't complain. For the cost, you get an amazing unit. And yes, I had a problem with the headphones too until I read the review. Snapping them in helps :) I totally recommend this, MP3s are the future of music.
Rating:
Summary: Waste of Time and Money
Review: Because of the editoral reviews of this product, I thought that this MP3 plaayer would be easy to use. Not so, at least for me. As it turned out, no one in my family could get this thing to work at all. It got so bad that we gave the thing to a friend who got me into MP3's in the first place and who knows a ton about computers and electronic gadgets, and he couldn't get it to work either. Bottom line at least for me is that this thing is a waste of time and money.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Product For All Music Fans.
Review: After considering the purchase of an MP3 player for a long time, I finally broke down and got one. I have just recently began using it and I am very pleased with its performance. I had previously read a lot of bad reviews about this product and was apprehensive and doubtful of its capabilities. I had immediately expected problems with the installation and downloads of the songs but surprisingly all steps were executed quickly and successfully within the first attempt. The software is simple to use and understand and song downloads are completed in seconds. The player itself is small and can fit conveniently in a coat pocket or purse. It's also great that it can be used simultaneously as a music player and a personal organizer. Its buttons and different settings such as the playback and equalizer options are easy to adjust. Contrary to negative reviews about the sound quality, I found it to be clear and free of any static or background distortion as was experienced by other buyers. The sound is also remarkable without the use of the headphones included in the package. The only drawback is the limited memory which is used up quite rapidly if you download especially large files, allowing the storage of only 6 or 7 songs. All in all, this is a great introduction to the portable MP3 format for all first-time users such as myself.
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