Rating: 
Summary: Great Player Great Features Great Price
Review: Pros:
Supports packet written CDs - Use your CDRW disk like a hard diskSupports multiple .m3u playlists - control what songs are played and in what order through .m3u text files. Will resume EXACTLY where you stopped - a must if you listen to radio programs and audio books. Has bookmarking feature - great for returning to an audio book or radio program point after listening to music. Firmware upgradable - Unit ships with version 1.0 - I highly recommend upgrading to version 1.3 which is available on the IRIVER international site at the time of this writing. Supports track queuing - select the next song to be played while listening to the current song. Easy to program - shows filename while selecting songs to program Many more features Cons:
No backlight. In summary, the IRIVER IMP-50 gives you more features than many MP3 flash and hard drive players at a fraction of the cost and a fraction of media cost - 700 MB CDRWs are way under a $1 a disk. It's features blow all other manufacturers' CD MP3 players away. I highly recommend this or any other IRIVER CD player product. Linux and other non-windows OS notes.
Supports Linux packet written CDRWs. You MUST use Joliet extensions when creating your file system for the firmware upgrade disk. .m3u playlist text files MUST be terminated with CR/LFs (DOS) not just LFs as is the standard in Linux. .m3u playlist files take the following format: \directory\im_no_angel.mp3 \directory\my_life.mp3 Note that the DOS \ character MUST be used as the file separator. For best results, use only 1X-4X speed CDRWs. RTFM and online documentation.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent player, great features, low price!
Review: I recieved this as a Christmas present, and I must say that I am very satisfied. The best thing about this player is all the little features that they thought of to make things more convenient. PROS:
Great sound quality
Extremely customizable, easy-to-use interface
Anti-skip works very well with MP3 CDs (has skipped only once so far)
Batteries last 7-10 hrs with MP3 CDs
Resume feature remembers where you left off on the last 10 CDs you have put in the player
Plays all different types of MP3 files, including variable bit rate
Reads even cheap-quality media that other players won't read
Firmware upgradable, works very well
Comes with headphones and car stereo tape adapter CONS:
Battery life significantly less with audio CDs
Anti-skip doesn't work very well with audio CDs
Takes a long time to load after turn-on (sometimes 30+ seconds)
Often cannot load when batteries are low
Doesn't come with AC or car power adapter However, since I don't use audio CDs (I burned my whole collection as MP3s), I give this device five stars. I use rechargeable NiMH batteries and they work beautifully. One caution: the batteries go right under where you load the CD, and if you don't shut the door to the compartment tightly, it may pop up and keep your CD from spinning and say NO DISC. I thought the device was broken until I discovered this problem.
Rating:
Summary: Quality and Value
Review: I am very pleased with the performance and quality of the iMP-50 --it's a great MP3/CD player for the money. I did a lot of research and found that the iRiver products have a good reputation across their product range. Don't be fooled by the iMP-50's low price because there's little evidence that iRiver cut corners on this player. It is well-designed and loaded with the great features of iRiver's more costly players. The construction has a high-quality appearance and is quite durable. It may not have a flashy metallic finish but it still looks and feels good in the hand. SOLID FEATURES:
The sound quality of the iMP-50 is excellent and can be tweaked with the equalizer settings and various low/high frequency boost features in the player's menu. I've only used this player with Sony MDR-EX51LP Fontopia earbuds ($30 but worth every nickel) and so the sound is clear and powerful. The earbuds that come with the iMP-50 are average quality. Better to invest in quality headphones/earbuds if you really want to enjoy the sound quality of any MP3/CD player. The earbuds/headphones are the critical link so don't skimp on them if you truly want to enjoy the sound quality. The player's firmware is also user-upgradeable (I've installed the latest version 1.10 that has additional custom equalizer settings and some other tweaks) and the menu system is easy to master after a few minutes. To take advantage of all the iMP-50 features, spend the time to read the owner's manual. The graphic LCD display has a wealth of information (MP3 tags, file type, sound level meter, battery condition, and others), however, it isn't backlit. The lack of backlighting on the display is the only cost-cutting measure in my view and is not worth thinking about unless you normally operate the player in darkness. ANY PROBLEM AREAS?
None worth mentioning. It appears that some reviewers on Amazon have given the iMP-50 low ratings because the CDs are loaded from the bottom of the player (to me it's no more difficult than any other player I've seen) and the fact that they couldn't get all of their CDs to play properly. I've tried a wide range of my own MP3 discs and normal CDs and the iMP-50 has had no problems with any of them. Anyone having problems are likely using discs that are worn and scratched and ANY player will have trouble with those. The disc mechanism is identical to those on laptops (that's how they get a thin profile) and should prove as durable as any good portable. Overall, the iMP-50 appears to have all the features of iRiver's higher line products but at a remarkably affordable price. It was a great purchase.
Rating: 
Summary: Carry a LOT of Batteries!!
Review: This thing plays ok, but the one I have exhausts a fresh set of name brand batteries by just playing through 1 standard audio cd. I have a Sony that will play a dozen or more. Tech support would not even acknowledge an email. In this fast-evolving market, products have to measure up and so does tech support. I would not recommend this player unless you are going to run it on an a/c adapter or you have a LOT of batteries you want to use up.
Rating: 
Summary: Great features, bad design.
Review: The player has LOTS of good features. I liked the firmware upgradability. Took less then 10 seconds from a CD-RW. Good file browser.... and a host of other features I wouldn't care about after a few months. The design of the player is worst. The CD's go in from the bottom. So if the CD retaining mechanism ( the ball bearing that hold the CD in place) get broken (which is very common), the CD wont stay in the player anymore! The hinges for the lid is made of cheap plastic. I bet they would break very soon leaving with no choice but to use it upside down. For those who want to run it on batteries, the player drains batteries like water. Don't buy it unless you want to run it with an AC adapter.
Rating:
Summary: iMP-50 is a heck of a deal, no matter the complaints!
Review: This puppy deserves a 4.5 really, because there is no such thing as perfect, but then again, for this price, this is a screamer. What is important: The sound quality is great, even with 128kbps MP3s, sound like regular CDs, and I am a picky former musician. Price, well gee, this price for an iRiver is great, Thanks AMAZON, and you shipped it free, but so fast! The headphone buds sorta suck, but they *are* free, and are easily better than anything in a discount shelf. This player deserves headphones with neodymium magnets to be really appreceated! So many features! Man alive! There are plenty of others, that cost more, and don't have anywhere near the controls and adjustments available. Firmware upgrade went easy as pie, you need a computer with a cd burner, but doing the upgrade is as simple as putting the burned disk in the player, hitting play, and leaving it alone until it shuts off after a few seconds. With upgrade there are 8 EQ presets, and 3 user adjustable presets that can be done with base level and crossover settings, and then the same with the treble end. Pretty nice for a cheap toy (it doesn't deserve the title cheap, really) Battery life with MP3s ain't too bad, just not nearly as much as they claim so far that I see, but I am still testing these puppies. I have two of them, and both run great. Loading the disks in the bottom/back of the drive is wierd, and the cover/back is a little bit flimsy, but within the scope of the price, and I don't really see it as an issue if you take care of it, but I would recommend getting a shoulder holder or something and not using it in the pocket to be safe... On some of the weaker MP3s the volume will be just adequate, I hoped for a little more margin, but it is very acceptable. Four line display a big plus, this player has all of the major features of their most expensive models, just not a remote, and no illumination and a few more things. The free cassette adapter is a real plus, and considering the price, it is acceptable though a little bit sad that there is no car or home power adapter... But this *is* their entry level product, and they did a very respectable job, if you complain, you are asking for too much! The buttons feel perfect and the placement isn't too bad. With bass settings higher, it is good, even without the bass boost, though a bass boost button would be nice because each recording responds to the EQ settings a little bit different. I will take the great EQ over bass boost any day, though. Anti shock not too great with cd, but with MP3-cd, wonderful, and both have 3 settings, off, medium time, long time based upon seconds. I was able to setup the thing within a few minutes and it was fun in the doing. The manual is really pretty good, just an occasional Grammar error. Get this puppy as a second player, an entry level player, a nice gift to a friend, a walk around that you won't cry over too much if lost or stolen, though the thief would be getting too good a thing. This isn't a slim thing, but it is smaller than the photo makes it look like. Totally acceptable. A very good product for a very low price. Thanks Amazon and iRiver. I hope that they are good with the warranty, if so, this is a no brainer!
Rating: 
Summary: A bang for the buck
Review: The battery life is awesome(as long as you playback MP3 CDs). The headphones are okay, I only wish that the headphones cable/cord was longer. The setup menu is a bit clumsy and counter-intuitive, but you won't need to use it too often, so that's no biggie. The body is made of hard plastic, and isn't too sleek, but the player is suprisingly small and not too thick(as I expected from a cheapo gadget like this one).
Also, some parts of the manual are written poorly. For some reason, when I copied the playlist files to a separate directory on the CD, the player couldn't find and playback those files.I'd like to clarify that in order to burn the MP3 CD with M3U playlists(the ones generated by WinAmp player), you have to copy both the MP3 music files and the M3U playlist files to the same directory on the CD. Enjoy your purchase everyone.
Rating:
Summary: I'm ready to buy another mp3 player!
Review: Battery life is terrible! I've never had a another mp3 player before, so maybe others are worse, but I use this for gym workouts of maybe an hour or so, and the batts (good Powerex rechargeables) are OK for maybe two sessions, and after that you takes your chances! One of the reviews here mentioned that mp3 content has something to do with batt life. I archive my collection with 192kbps (anything really irreplaceable is kept as a .wav, but I've only been using mp3's with this player); I'm not a fussy audiophile, but anything below 192 is definitely noticeable, so why bother? Even worse, since you have to keep removing & recharging batts, is their location: you have to open up where the cd is (not all that ergonomically easy, either), pull the cd off its spindle, lay it down somewhere, then open the little batt door and pull 'em out. Hope the cd doesn't get scratched when I lay it down somewhere without having to go find a jewel case for it! Speaking of ergonomics, the control buttons are goofily laid out in semi-circular fashion, not intuitive to me at all. Guess some of you really buy stuff 'cause it looks nice or cute or whatever, so maybe you'll like this arrangement, but I didn't buy the unit to -duh- look at it. Another problem I have with this unit is lack of sound volume. Again, this is my first mp3 player, so I can't compare it with others, but I use Plane Quiet noise-cancelling headphones (I love them!), and sometimes I'll have to rerecord things with additional volume just so I can hear them easily. I think they could have provided more volume power. Oh, and one more thing--it skips sometimes, too.
Rating: 
Summary: Inaccurate information
Review: The quality of the sound of this CD player is acceptable - The player is advertised as having a sixteen hour battery life, however I have never gotten more than six hours from the best AA batteries I could purchase and I am very disappointed with that. It significantly increases the price of owning and using this player. Also - the slightest shock makes the battery compartment pop open and the music stops.
Rating:
Summary: WAY BETTER THAN AN iPOD!
Review: I found this for only $39.99 and it's basically a small iPOD. This can hold about 10 hours of music on one CD, and CD's are interchangable, so you could carry around a case of them! Think about it: 700 MB for $40, or 40 GB for $400 plus accecories. With blank CD's at such cheap costs this is the best deal. I gave it four stars becuase it wont play my iTunes store music.
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