iRiver SlimX iMP-350 CD/MP3 Player

What people search:

Title : iRiver SlimX iMP-350 CD/MP3 Player
Author : iRiver
Release Date : 20020301
Binding : Electronics
Regular Price : $129.99
Amazon.com Price : $140.49 (-8 %)
VISIT AMAZON.COM'S PAGE

Editorial Reviews :
With its beautiful sound quality, royal good looks, and simple operation, the iRiver SlimX portable MP3-CD player sets a new standard for future portable units to follow.
The SlimX is one of the most adaptable players we've encountered. It rolls upgradable firmware, eight-minute antishock protection, ASF (Advanced Streaming Format) and WMA (Windows Media Audio) compatibility, ID3 tag support, and the ability to play standard audio CDs, MP3-encoded discs, CD-Rs, and CD-RWs into an ultratrim (0.6 inches thick) player. And the sound is deluxe, delivering crisp highs, discernible mids, and bass thick enough to make low-end aficionados nod their heads in approval.

Since we had yet to fully investigate WMA, we felt compelled to dig into the format. At first we were hesitant: how could WMA compress music files to half their size--at, say, 64 Kbps--and still sound good? After dumping an entire, 100-song playlist onto a single CD-R, however, we were humbled. The procedure was painless, and the sound was incredible. The iRiver SlimX completely fulfilled our demands; using the gorgeous inline remote, we easily skipped ahead 10 tracks at a time, used fast-scan to hear a particular verse, and made a customized playlist on the fly.

In fact, the remote lets you operate every function (save changing a disc) without having to dig the unit out of your backpack or its carrying case (included, but frail), and it also includes a hold switch that prevents accidental playback.

After the WMA-disc success, we switched over to an MP3 compilation made by a friend. While reading the different ID3 tags (MP3 file markers that feed song, artist, and album names to your player), we first played the songs whose titles intrigued us most, like 'Nannari to Naru Deshou' by the excellent Japanese female duo Puffy. That's why ID3 tags are so cool--they allow you to search by name, not track number.

Next, we took the SlimX out on a long walk to judge its portability. Unless we made silly, Pete Townshend-style windmill movements, each disc played satisfactorily. We noticed that standard audio CDs popped more than anything we burned off the Web, which was strange. We also sampled the five equalizer presets, although we noticed only subtle differences in sound at low volumes.

While listening to any Web-audio disc, the SlimX fills up its antiskip buffer with the eight minutes of music. Essentially, this means the player doesn't have to read the disc as much, which results in prolonged battery life, and ultimately the SlimX delivered on its promise of up to 23 hours playing time. To get these results for yourself, just make sure the two flat NiMH batteries are fully charged, and pop an extra pair of AAs into the external battery pod. It's that easy.

For those new to ASF, MP3, and WMA formats, you may be disappointed by the SlimX's user's manual, which is skimpy at best. Our Guide to Making MP3 Files will familiarize you with the basics and help you turn your computer into a virtual jukebox.

For those of you who are considering upgrading to the iRiver SlimX--or are looking to pick up your first player--we highly recommend this player. In fact, we miss our test player so much, we're going to buy one of our own. --Arno Kazarian

Pros:

Upgradable firmware
Compatibility with MP3, WMA, ASF, standard audio CDs, and CD-R/RWs
Supports ID3 tags for easy search of MP3 files
Nearly skip-free performance

Cons:

Relatively useless user's manual
Shallow-sounding earbud headphones
Frivolous carrying case

Buyer Reviews :
Alot has been written about this little gem, some of which is contradictory and confusing. After owning it for a month, here are some of my observations:
1. It does NOT skip. By default, 'enhanced' anti-shock is disabled, and it's only mentioned in passing in the manual. Enable it, and jog away! I highly recommend purchasing a neoprene waist belt for this, and due to it's slim profile it sticks perfectly on one's lower back/upper butt. Really, you can sit back on a bench and not be aware you're wearing it.**
2. The remote is a little weird and complicated, but once you're used to it it's truly a marvel. I never missed the lack of LCD on the main unit as I thought I might; in fact, I've come to appreciate the division of functionality, and it makes the unit as slim an unobtrusive as possible.
3. The FM tuner works very well, and is very usable, not just a 'throw-in'. The auto-presets feature is particularily nice when travelling.
4. It's wonderful for spoken word and audio books. I download a daily web-radio show to it.
5. It's ability to read packet written CDs is a huge plus. I hardly ever change disks; I just drag what I want onto the disk and delete what I've already heard.
6. The equalizer is actually very good and listenable, not just your average muddy 'bass boost'.
7. I use Koss KSC-35 clip-on earphones, and the sound is fantastic. Also, the light, airy nature of these phones complements the above mentioned belt fit to create a truly portable sound system that you can forget you are 'wearing'.
If you've read this far, you're obviously interested in such an animal as the SlimX. If so, I don't know what's better than this model. Nice job, IRiver!

**Correction: this player will skip after 8 minutes if allowed to flop around. Nevertheless, it's still better than the 40 second protection from my Panasonic, which I never could run with.

(by Cliff)

Features/Technical Specs :
* Ultraslim design (16.7 mm thick)
* Supports audio CDs, MP3- and WMA-encoded discs, ID3 tags, CD Text, and M3U playlists; integrated FM tuner
* Upgradeable firmware (will support new audio technologies as they emerge)
* Anti-skip protection up to 8 minutes (best protection around)
* Includes 2 1400mAh NiMh batteries, velvet bag, 11-function LCD remote, earbuds, power source, and manual

back

What people search: