A very nice alternate to a MP3 player or IPod

I bought this as a replacement for a RCA Lyra 2 MP3 player. I must say after four months and five batteries (at a personal average of 46-51 hours) I am very happy with my purchase.

The main complaint of software (Sonic Stage) I must say hasn't reared its head in my experience. I found the process for the most part to be very simple. I record mainly downloaded MP3's, CD's, and Windows Media Files. I use the simple drag and drop from the source to the Sony music drive. The only complaint I would have is the speed that the files are converted to the Sony AT3 format. I think this is more hardware (AMD K2 450) than a software issue. I record in maximum compression (standard which is a straight uncompressed file transfer will get you about 1 hour, and LP which gets you about 2 or so hours) gets around five hours or 68-70 songs per disc.

I used the other software options offered (Moodlogic, and Realplayer) and I admit that both were craptacular. I have never like Realplayer so my opinion may not be applicable. The other program Moodlogic may work for some, but almost all of my music is labeled as I rip it and placed in playlists, so I really dont need a program to arrange it for me.

The recording process is as fast as I could hope for. The complete burning process takes no more than 7-10 seconds, depending on file size. I use USB ver. 1.1 so if you use the new USB ver. 2.0 which is supported, I would assume the process to be even quicker.

The player itself is same in size aprox. the same size as a mini disc. The right side of the player has the connection point for the USB cord, a hold switch which locks all the controls on the face of the player, and a 2.5mm jack. On the left side is the disc ejection button. The face of the player has volume controls, a small dot matrix display screen, a menu button, a circular play/pause, ff, rev, and a stop button. Also included is a playlist button which if done correctly in the Sonic Stage you can select playlist and individual songs to play randomly. There is a basic EQ function which has a preset setting that is supposed to be the optimum setting which made the music have a tinney MP3 sound. I used one of the three individual settings played with the treble and bass to get a sound I was happy with. The screen is small but it does display needed info such as battery strength, song title that scrolls across the screen, and what EQ setting is in use, and volume level when the volume buttons are pushed.

The media is cheap I purchased five extra disc's for six dollars (one disc will get five hours of music on it). The supplied headphones are chessy so I bought a good set of earbuds which sound great. I also use a set of PC speakers at work (which is why I bought it for in the first place) and they great also.

I bought this instead of a IPod because I dont have enough music to justify the cost of a IPod. This players suits my needs fine I can put 25 hours of music in my pocket, it will play from here to kingdom come on one AA battery which is impressive (one of my friends had his IPod at work and couldnt play it because the internal battery ran down and he didnt have the cord with him to plug it up).

I would recommend this to anyone who wants a reliable, compact, simple to use, and great sounding player. I found the software simple to use, I got all the MP3's I downloaded over time to a safe media. Oh I almost forgot to mention it is impossible to get this player to skip, short of slamming it into the ground or against a wall I dont think it will skip.