Smart,good value ...but I am on my 3rd! (Rio Carbon Pearl 6 GB)

Member Name: Lesley381

Product:	Rio Carbon Pearl 6 GB
Date:	20/11/06 (95 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The price, the 6GB and the looks.

Disadvantages: The durability and reliability

My history with Rio !

Number 1:
I brought the Rio as I liked the look ( silver, classy and not at all plastic ) plus the 6GB memory for the price was really good value. I had an old battery operated MP3 player for years with a very small memory and as I used it for the gym/running/commuting I was desperate for a larger chice of music.
When it arrived it was well packaged and came with a mulit socket adapter -ie european/UK/USA - which I thought was a great idea. The instructions book was very basic but concise - this button does that - but the extra instructions are on the cd that accompanies the player as well as having the software for putting music on to the player.
It was easy to get started - being able to charge from mains or the computer was really usefull- no more batteries ! I found that the push on/off button at the top was a bit trickey - you have to hold it down to get it to activate and I left the player on a few times by mistake by not getting it right.The menu button at the side was very easy to use and self explanatary. I only really use the play music function but it allows me to play all, or to pick artists or albums - all which are listed in alphabtical order.The headphones supplied were the normal push in the ear really uncomfortable - but some may like them.

The player comes with a reset button on the top of it - activated by a pin or similar. On my 1st Rio I was constantly having to reset this for some reason especially before and after charge.

Loading music onto my rio was simpleness itself - I used media player aswell as the Rio software with no problems. I currently have 44 albums on my current Rio and still have 3GB of satorage left. Ive had to delve into all my sad Cds that I brought 20 years ago !

My Rio came with a rather sleek black case which I hoped would protect it. The Rio is a handsized sleek shape - but this was the down fall of player no 1 !

I use it for cycling to and from work and due to its shape and size was shoving it into pockets, or into waistbands so I didnt have to hold it. The inevitable happened and it dropped onto the floor - rendering the LCD screen totally U/S. Whilst I could still play music, I couldnt see what I was playing or whether I had switched it off or just paused it.

Number 2:

So the hunt for a new player started - and again I was drawn to the Rio carbon for its excellent price and storage - plus to me it looked far more attractive that skinny over expensive IPOD or similar.Number 2 arrived and didnt have the reset problem. We had a joyous trouble free relationship for 4 months ...and then one day it just stopped working. RIP. The warranty had expired so ............

Number 3:

I still really like the look - I have got used to perhaps the awkwardness of carrying it and have got better it putting it in bits of my clothing without it falling out. Before buying this my husband got a 4GB skinny player from another manufacturer - I was tempted but it all looked cheap and cheerful in comparison. I am now 3 months into my new Rio and have had no problems.

This is stylish looking,easy to use MP3 player with a large storage capacity that sounds good and yet is very good value - but reliability and durability are a little debateable.

I hope this review is of use to you and thank you for reading it.

Summary: A good value player that can be `precious`

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