Leading the pack. (Diamond Rio 500)

Member Name: M_J_Carrier

Product:	Diamond Rio 500
Date:	28/01/01 (26 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Navigation, Software

Disadvantages: No charger, expensive memory

The Rio500 was released a while ago now, and with the release of the new Rio600 many would have predicted its demise, but not so.

The Rio500, coming in the metalic grey as well as three other colours was and still is a leading player in the portable mp3 market.

The Rio500's success lies two main areas which put it ahead of the rest. The first of these is its control. The large well lit display makes the track titles easily readable while the ergonomic buttons and scroll wheel make movement between tracks fluid. The second is it interface, yes its USB, arn't they all know a days, but more importantly the RioPlayer (the software that comes with it) is outstanding not only does it allow full CD-ripping but it makes downloading tracks a breeze, with compression options to allow it to store the full 3hours of music.

The player as well as excelling in those two areas it has it's down falls. The first of these are these are the functions. The bookmark function is an added and rather pointless extra and as is the EQ functions but who can complain about getting too much. The other major pitfall however comes in the power. Yes an AA battery provides 16hours battery life but having to replace the battery every 16hours becomes costly, a charging option would be infinitly better. I result in getting a charger with recahrgables for the long-run solution.

It has improvements that unfortunately weren't met with the Rio600 but it still remains a great player, it incredibly light, with 3hours of playable music, the (costly)ability to expand, an amazing software package and sleek looks makes this still one of the best player around.

A word of warning however, it has been for a long-time and it can only hold off a little longer so keep your eyes peeled.

Summary: