RCA RP-2480 Portable MP3/CD Player

(thing) by QuantumBeep (4.4 mon) (print) ? (I like it!) Mon Jul 05 2004 at 22:50:40

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?

printable version
chaos

A simple cellular automaton	Wal*Mart	bootable USB key	Joseph von Fraunhofer
Windows Media Player	metrosexual	XBox	RioVolt MP3/CD Player
Ogg Vorbis	MPEG	gadget	firmware
RCA	Fingerhut	I bought a bookstore	MuVo
MP3

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