Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review
(14 customer reviews) 33 of 33 people found the following review helpful
One of the best MP3 players on the market today!,
June 23, 2005 The_Digital_Dude (USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: iRiver iFP-899 - Digital player / radio - flash 1024 MB - WMA, MP3 - ruby red (Electronics)
I've had this unit for a few days now, and I must say that it is quite impressive for what it is, especially compared to some competing products. It's not perfect, but I think it comes closer than most other attempts by other manufacturers.
First and foremost, you must read the manual. There is no getting around this. Once you've done that, operating the unit is pretty easy and nearly intuitive. There are a lot of nice custom settings and bells and whistles that are worth knowing how to use.
Overall, I think the sound quality is quite acceptable for the purpose. I primarily got this player to listen to Internet audio downloads / podcasts for subject areas that interest me to reduce boredom at the gym, along with the occasional music listening to some of my favorite ripped CD's. I think higher bitrate recordings sound quite good, and lower ones are handled respectably. If you want to listen to high fidelity audio, this probably isn't your first option...Read more
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Kudos to iRiver!!,
July 30, 2005 J. Austin (Texas USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: iRiver iFP-899 - Digital player / radio - flash 1024 MB - WMA, MP3 - ruby red (Electronics)
I did quite a bit of research before finally taking the MP3 Player leap. Had procrastinated due to lack of options, high price and concerns over sound quality. But I wanted an alternative to my "talk radio" standard while walking. Decided on the iFP 899 and am very pleased. Sound quality is key for me. For instance, I'd rather buy more hard drive capacity for my computer than use other than WAV files to burn my own CDs. I.e., I can "tell the difference" with other file formats. But so far I have been amazed with the sound quality of MP3's on my iRiver. I'm using a set of Sony sport headphones because I prefer to hear the "outside world" while walking as a safety measure. While walking today one of my favorite Kenny Burrell tracks came on and I had to do a double take -- I thought someone in the yard across the street was tapping a cymbal. I'm using Goldwave to convert my WAV's to MP3 at 192 kbps (the unit can handle higher but I chose this to leave head room) and the sound is...Read more
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Amazing sound quality. Great features.,
May 23, 2005 Matthew (Princeton, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: iRiver iFP-899 - Digital player / radio - flash 1024 MB - WMA, MP3 - ruby red (Electronics)
I had originally purchased a similar Samsung player that I had liked a lot in design for a flash player. Some of my tunes on that unit sounded great, some were just so-so. Having done further research. I was uncertain whether I was going to go w/ a Creative Muvo or the iRiver; I passed on an IPOD Shuffle b/c I don't like having do deal with manufactuer's overpriced batteries if they die. Creative Labs had pretty good ratings for sound quality and a very low price. However, some of the reviewers indicated issues with product defects.
So I splurged on the 1 GB iRiver 899. Though the body being plastic did not seem the most durable; the sound was outstanding, loud, and well articulated, on EVERY song- even those less than 128 resolution. There are numerous options including 3D sound, Bass boost, preset and manual graphic equalizer, that allow you to further enhance your tunes. 1 GB is holding over 120 with over a 1/4 of the hard drive still free - many of my files are...Read more
