I bought this MP3/CD player for the same reason most people probably do: It's what they have at Wal*Mart. Since I am thus privileged to live with this thing, I might as well share my experience with it.
Features:
- White, silver, and black body
- 200 second
MP3/
WMA anti-skip memory
- 45 second
Audio CD anti skip memory
- Can resume playback on MP3 discs
- 3-line text display
- Seven silver song surfing buttons
- Five
EQ presets, including "off"
- Rocker style volume control
-
Button lock (hold down "Menu" key)
- Supports
MAU tracklists
-
SmarTrax organizes music for easier listening when tracklist is used
- Supports playback from open discs
- Uses 2
AA batteries or 4.5V
AC adapter (not included)
Least expensive of the RCA MP3/CD product line, the RP-2480 is worth its 49.95 USD list price. It has very good sound, and it gets passable runtime on its batteries.
The only faults I can find with this device are the lack of
backlight, the
obscene startup time - often 30-40 seconds, and an occasional lockup while seeking tracks. Some may prefer a bit more volume as well.
The
SmarTrax feature supposedly allows the RP-2480 to sort music tracks by Artist, Genre, and other common
IDv3 tags, but don't expect to get much use out of it. Turns out, the only way to create a SmarTrax-enabled disc is to burn it using
MusicMatch Jukebox (CD burning-impaired
shareware version included). Since I don't use MusicMatch Jukebox, and refuse to pay 20 bucks for a player not even as good as
WinAmp, I have never tested this feature.
All in all, I would buy it again if I had to do it over, but the device hasn't exactly stolen my heart. I may check out a high-end
RioVolt next.
Product info:
http://www.rca.com/product/viewdetail/0,2588,PI700582-CI700009,00.html?