RIO Eigen 1.5 GB MP3 Player

Rating:
Summary: WWWWWWOOOOOOOOOWWWWWW!!!
Review: AMAZING!! BEAUTIFUL SOUND!!! AHHHH I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!! WOO HOO YOU'LL LOVE THIS!! YAHA!

Rating:
Summary: nice, but not good enough
Review: I just got it yesterday, it works good, but for the control manual, not as good as I wished. i perfer iriver here. the program buttom is so small and flat, can hardly feel it. i have to use my nail tip to push it. the rotation control has no real big functions, i can not even choose the song in the same album while it is runing. i have to touch the program buttom and start over to select songs in different album. all in all, the sound it good enough for a mp3 player, size is cute. but the control manual is so so. really so so.

Rating:
Summary: Jinx
Review: I purchased a Rio Eigen and it fell out of my lower cargo pants pocket - about 2 feet to the floor. The display now says "upgrader" and nothing I have read will fix it or get it to work. I'm going to try to return it and see what they do - its only 2 months old. I'll post again with their response.

Rating:
Summary: Jinx
Review: I've had an Eigen for about two months now. Last week at the gym, the Eigen fell about 4 feet onto a rubberized floor. Shouldn't be a problem, right?

Wrong. It played one more song, then displayed a message, "Upgrader" on its LCD. After doing some poking around on Rio message boards, I learn that this is very common when the Eigen or Nitrus is jostled. Some fixes include upgrading the firmware, reattaching the hard drive's ribbon to the main board, or just whacking the unit against the table a few times. Unfortunately, like most people, none of these worked for me.

The Eigen is a piece of junk. I wouldn't buy it again if a comparable unit were within $100. It just isn't worth the risk.

Rating:
Summary: Junk, Junk, Junk
Review: I've had an Eigen for about two months now. Last week at the gym, the Eigen fell about 4 feet onto a rubberized floor. Shouldn't be a problem, right?

Wrong. It played one more song, then displayed a message, "Upgrader" on its LCD. After doing some poking around on Rio message boards, I learn that this is very common when the Eigen or Nitrus is jostled. Some fixes include upgrading the firmware, reattaching the hard drive's ribbon to the main board, or just whacking the unit against the table a few times. Unfortunately, like most people, none of these worked for me.

The Eigen is a piece of junk. I wouldn't buy it again if a comparable unit were within $100. It just isn't worth the risk.

Rating:
Summary: Piece of Garbage, Lousy Customer Service
Review: If I could give a "O" I would. I bought the Rio Eigen with high hopes that it would be a cool, convenient way to have music when I worked out. From the beginning I had trouble with the software - and I am no computer newbie. Of course it was a long distance call to India - at my expense - to try to get things fixed. Finally,it worked for a short time, but within a month the unit would not work at all. I called again (3rd or 4th call, again at my expense) and returned it - $5 or so for postage and insurance. The customer service rep had promised a replacement unit - new. The UPS package (and what a headache connecting with UPS!) said in large letters "RECONDITIONED." I refused the package and am now working with my credit card company to try to get a refund.

Rating:
Summary: Piece of Garbage, Lousy Customer Service
Review: If I could give a "O" I would. I bought the Rio Eigen with high hopes that it would be a cool, convenient way to have music when I worked out. From the beginning I had trouble with the software - and I am no computer newbie. Of course it was a long distance call to India - at my expense - to try to get things fixed. Finally,it worked for a short time, but within a month the unit would not work at all. I called again (3rd or 4th call, again at my expense) and returned it - $5 or so for postage and insurance. The customer service rep had promised a replacement unit - new. The UPS package (and what a headache connecting with UPS!) said in large letters "RECONDITIONED." I refused the package and am now working with my credit card company to try to get a refund.

Rating:
Summary: Piece of Garbage, Lousy Customer Service
Review: If I could give a "O" I would. I bought the Rio Eigen with high hopes that it would be a cool, convenient way to have music when I worked out. From the beginning I had trouble with the software - and I am no computer newbie. Of course it was a long distance call to India - at my expense - to try to get things fixed. Finally,it worked for a short time, but within a month the unit would not work at all. I called again (3rd or 4th call, again at my expense) and returned it - $5 or so for postage and insurance. The customer service rep had promised a replacement unit - new. The UPS package (and what a headache connecting with UPS!) said in large letters "RECONDITIONED." I refused the package and am now working with my credit card company to try to get a refund.

Rating:
Summary: Definitely a Smart Buy
Review: Out of all the mp3 players out there, the Rio Eigen is top notch. Though it doesn't pack the storage power of the iPod, not many people need 10-40 gigs for their music. I will break down the basics of this awesome little unit.

It's compact and easy to use. Any problems with Rio's "Nitrus" have been cleaned up. It has a smart professional looking design, and its metallic case just adds a little more style. The display is easy to read, and simple to navigate through. The buttons...although a tad small work nicely and don't really feel tacked on like with other players.

The sound is top notch. A lot of people complain about the scratchy sounds in the background...well just make sure the files you transfer to the player are quality to begin with. The amp has decent power and can go low to blow your brains out high (if you like it that way) without distorting the music. There are 5 equalizer presets, but there is also a handy custom equalizer you can adjust to your preference.

It comes with a power supply, the unit, software, usb cable, and ear phones. Though, I really don't like earbuds...they hurt my ears, so if you suffer the same problem, consider getting some other ones. The software takes a little tweaking, but if you know how to operate a computer, the directions are painless and thorough.

All and all, this is a fantastic unit. Everything is easy to use; the storage is large but not OVERLY ambitious like some of the other juke boxes, sounds great, and looks great. My minor complaints are that the battery (although long lifespan [16 hours]) is a lithium one that you have to recharge for up to 5 hours. This is a bit of a pain for me...but that's just me. JUST BUY IT!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: WWWWAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH
Review: When i got this thing i thought is was the player from heaven. less then a week later...it gave me hell. It made a weird bepping sound, would'nt play music with out turning off, and it would not connect to the usb port. in all i just got a replacement and if it dosnt work im gettin the iGP-100. Burm yours.