Rio once ruled the mp3 world, but does it anymore? (Rio PMP600 32 MB)

Member Name: ken275

Product:	Rio PMP600 32 MB
Date:	05/08/01 (199 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Small and light, detailed display, can be expanded to support new media formats

Disadvantages: Proprietary expansion

The Rio Mp3 player was the product that started the whole portable Mp3 player craze upon its original release and the Rio 600 is the latest incarnation in this unique product range. The question is, faced with fresh competition from a now inundated market, can it still come out tops? I think so: bar a few niggles, it’s the perfect choice for any respectable techno-lover.

The fist thing that is striking about the Rio 600 is its appearance. Its silver and black exterior is incredibly stylish, but if you feel the need to express yourself, you can snap on one of the interchangeable coloured faceplates that are sold separately (I prefer the default exterior though). The main body of the player is extremely light and connects to a remote control that allows you to flick between tracks and adjust volume without having to use the controls on your player every time. The player itself is small enough to fit in your pocket without forming an unsightly ‘lump’ and indeed, I carry it around quite often all day without any trouble.

The current volume is displayed on the well-formed and crystal clear display on the front of the player along with other useful information such as the track name and artist and the bit rate of the recording. If the bit rate doesn’t read 128kbps (CD-quality) when you use this player then you’re missing out because the sound quality is consistently excellent with no distortion, and, no skipping (I tried to make it skip – threw it across the room, shook it, dropped it – and still my tracks played on.)

One interesting feature is its ability not only to play music in the traditional Mp3 format, but also Microsoft’s Windows Media Format (*.wma) which is the format the latest Microsoft Windows Media Player 7 encodes to by default meaning that you no longer have to go through the tedious process of converting tracks which so often used to take up my afternoons with my old player. Eve
n better, the Rio 600 is ‘extensible’ (or so I’m told), meaning that when new audio formats come along you won’t be left in the dust and your Rio will be able to play them after a simple update. Obviously I haven’t tested this yet, though, because new audio formats don’t rear their heads every single day!

The only problem I have with the Rio 600 is the format in which it stores music. Unlike a lot of new Mp3 players, the Rio 600 doesn’t use memory cards or ‘sticks’ but the 64Mb of memory (adequate for about one CD and a bit of audio) can only be extended by purchasing expensive proprietary packs that clip on. Since I like the idea of storing my entire CD collection on the one player this, in my eyes, is its biggest flaw, but if you’re happy with just 64Mb and can do without the storage space of the more expensive hard-drive based Mp3 players the Rio 600 is the best player I have ever had the fortune to come across. I think SONICblue (the makers of Rio) have done themselves proud by showing their ability to keep up with an ever changing market and still release the best products after several years of relentless competition.

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