Lexar Media LDP-600 Digital Music Player 256MB

Rating:
Summary: Look elsewhere, this is a poor-quality mp3 player
Review: While I'm a big fan of Lexar's flash memory cards, this MP3 player is a very poor choice, even though its memory can be expanded via a larger-capacity SD card.

First of all, this player is thick. Companies like Creative Labs have thin and stylish MP3 players, but this Lexar is thick and unstylish -- you have to see it in person to see what I mean. It's not really butt-ugly like iRiver players, but still very plain. Again, it's the thickness that unpleasantly surprised me.

Second, sound quality is TERRIBLE. The same MP3 files (encoded at 192kbps) that sound great on the iPod sound muffled and colorless on this Lexar. Worse, there are occasional pop noises that are not present on the iPod or Archos AV320. This is just terrible. For this alone, I advise you stay away from this Lexar product.

Third, the buttons are hard to use (esp. when the player is in the cheap clear plastic case) and the screen is hard to see in most lighting situations. This is simply one of the most user-unfriendly MP3 players I've come across.

Fourth, yes it has built-in FM, but its reception is horrible. My tiny $5 no-name AM/FM radio gets clear reception here in the office, but the Lexar gets nothing but statics. I don't think this is because I got a lemon; from what I've read elsewhere, this is a common complaint.

In short, while I'll continue to buy Lexar flash memory, I'll advise anyone not to even think about getting this MP3 player from them. In fact, if you search on Amazon you'll see their other MP3 players are no good, either.