Customer Reviews

Classic Portable MP3 Player with 64MB Expandable Memory (mp6410)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I had some trouble installing the software under Win XP, it wasn't recognized at first. After an uninstall and reinstall it worked fine. I think part of the problem many people are having with this player is that the manual for it is horribly written, and very sparse. Screen shots of an install telling you to click NEXT and OK are not an instruction manual! The manual gets 1 star tops.

On the flipside, I don't think many of the people having problems with the memory card actually bothered reading the manual at all. No problems hear adding memory cards. The thing is, you have to format them with the provided software. If you don't do that, then they won't work. Plain and simple.

It's a reasonable player, but does not put out the best sound quality. That's acceptable to me, because contrary to popular opinions, MP3 is one of the worst audio formats around for digital music, at any bitrate. Seeking to increase space/time on my player I experimented by adding the same song encoded at different bitrates between 96k and 320k. I couldn't tell much of a difference between any of them. That's good news, as you can lower the bitrate to save space and add more music. Again, if you're an audiophile like myself, you already know that whatever bitrate you use is going to be poor compared to what you are used to, so at least you can take advantage of that fact.

The interface and controls are very simple. Like many others I bought this just for working out. It serves that purpose very well and at an affordable price. The small display shows you volume level, track #, and time played among other things like built in EQ settings and playback mode. No, it doesn't show you the title of the MP3 playing, but think about it... You encoded the MP3, you put it on there because you wanted to listen to it... I'm assuming you can tell what song it is when you hear it. I don't see any need for a more complex display on this player.

On price alone I'd have been willing to give this player 5 stars, but I can't because there are definitely some downsides. The first being the manual as I stated above. The second thing are the headphones, their incessant hissing and their inability to reproduce a wide frequency of sound. Throw them in the trash immediately and put on a pair cost at least $30 and you'll hear a night/day difference (this can be said for just about any free pair of headphones you get with a device, though.) The third thing is the Random playback mode isn't random at all. It plays back the tracks in the exact 'random' order time after time. I've experimented with this, taking the battery out, loading new music on it, etc.. and it continually will just play the same track #'s out of sequence.

Lastly, the buttons are fairly cheap and the Play/Pause Off/On button is schizophrenic at best. It's either hypersensitive or it's completely stiff and non-responsive. Of course it happens at whatever situation would be worst. It turns itself on in a bag very easily, and when you go to turn it off it chooses to be obstinate.

In short, if you're looking for a player without much investment, and something you don't want to worry about breaking or having to replace, this is the perfect player. Ample memory and low price make it a winner for workouts and casual listening.

Nice player bad software spent over an hour trying to get the software to work on windows xp had to completely remove all the registry identifiers and install the online software

I have had my player for almost 2 years. I did have some brief problems with the intial setup but I was able to get my player working. I use my player strictly when I go to the gym. I have not had any problems from this player and it has proved to be very durable. I run and lift weights and have gotten sweat all over my player and it takes a licking and it keeps on ticking.

I am going to upgrade the memory because I have found that the 64mb is not enough for me. I would rate the sound quality as average and would recommend getting better earphones as the earphones that came with this player don't sound that good. I would buy this player again if given the choice because it continues to serve me well.

Although this may have been an easy to use product in the past, the company has not kept up with the fast-paced changes of the electronics world. This product was very difficult to install onto my computer. Installing a cd burner into my computer tower was much easier than setting up this little mp3 nightmare.

DAY 1:
The package of the Classic MP6410 said that the software CD would allow you to download files in either MP3 or WMA (Windows Media Player) format. The problem with this statement is that the necessary software did not install from the cd. In fact, when I looked at the list of files on the CD, the program (called Music Match) only had a plug-in, no actual program was listed. I tried to call tech support, but it was past their business hours.

Day 2:
When I reached tech support, the representative said the problem might be my computer (strange since the program wasn't even listed on the CD) but did not try to help me locate the program to download it from the CD.

Since Music Match did not install onto my computer with the other installed software, the plug-ins that were supposed to be work with the Music Match programs could not function. This completely voided the claim WMA files could be used by the MP3 player. Before reaching the tech support (see below for tech support details,) I also downloaded upgrade software from the EMI Global (the parent company of Classic)website, and still there was no Music Match listed in the download.

When i did speak with tech support I was told that I could download the Music Match 8.0 software from the Music Match website, but that EMI Global is no longer affiliated with Music Match so the new software would not work with the old plug-ins. At that point the representative began the 15 minute series of detailed instructions for the program I hadn't even seen yet.

I spent about an hour or so working with the Music Match 8.0 and found that if I used it to convert music from a CD into mp3 format, I could save the music into a file and then drag and drop directly into the MP3 drive.

Day 3:
After filling the 64MB memory with 15 songs of my choice, I found that only the first 4 1/2 would play. Half way through the 5th song the music would stop and the controls would freeze. The only way to turn it off was to remove the battery.

I have left a message with tech support and am waiting to see if he will have anything helpful to say.

About Tech Support:
I called 3 times. Each time I was asked to hold for " " (apparently a name was supposed to have been recorded, but all that I heard was background noise). I sat listening to several Rod Stewart lounge tunes and then heard what I thought was someone fumbling as the picked up the phone. However, no one was there, just an automated menu telling me to leave a message.

Finally, several hours later my call was returned. The reason for the delay? EMI Global, which produces 13 different product lines (ie TVs, Karaoke machines,digital cameras etc.), only employs ONE tech support person for ALL of their electronic products.

The representative on the line was not much help. He was (understandably) rushed and rattled off a list of reasons things might not be working and then rattled off a lengthy explanation of what I should download and what I should do once it is downloaded. I am above average in my computer skills but there was no way I could remember 15 minutes of instructions for a program I hadn't even downloaded yet. I tried to get him to slow down, but he specifically said that EMI Global support does not coach customers through the process step by step.

You get what you pay for.

I have this for more than 6 months now and have been extremely satisfied.

It has easy to use USB interface and everyone knowing something about computers and MP3 files will be able to use it in a few seconds.

Very light, very small. Memory can be expanded to 128MB which shoudl be plenty for a typical listener.

I like it very much. It even keeps the music for a few seconds in memory while you are changing the battery (one AA !).

The only small disadvantage is that it seems to consume the battery while "OFF" and if you do not use it for a week, then you may find that you need to replace the battery still. But, hey - what product doesn't need batteries ? :)

It my long, sordid history with MP3 players, the Classic 64 MB was my first. For a reasonable cost and an ability play about 20 + songs, it seemed like a good fit for a novice starting out. The interface for loading the music is very user friendly and the sound quality is very good. However, as with many of the subsequently electronics I have taken issue with, this product's durability became a liability.
First, the Classic does not have an impressive case as it seems like it was made out of the cheapest plastic available. Next, the battery cover is so poorly designed that it takes quite a struggle to pry it loose to replace the battery, resulting in damage to the battery cover. Finally, the internal design is flawed because intense vibration (such as that which comes with running) causes this player to skip. It's a solid start music player, which means no moving parts. There is no way this should be happening, unless the circuitry inside was fraying. There are many other low-cost, small-capacity players on the market. I would strong recommend checking those out instead of the Classic.

I just bought this (...). It was easy to install the firmware using the supplied CD. It sounds great. My only complaint is that I want to add more memory but the instructions do not show the orientation of the card to insert.

This is my first mp3 player. This mp3 player is definitely a good buy if you are looking for a cheap player with above-average playability. After looking at all the other reviews, yes this player isn't exactly the best, but for [the price] (I got it at sears for only 74.99) it is definitely worth every bit of your money. One major flaw to the product is the manual. The manual is very horribly done (Telling you to click next aren't instructions), Emiglobal might as well not have included a manual and saved some trees.

This is a neat little mp3 player. It bridges the gap between expense and size. 64 MB of memory stores a little over an hour with mp3s encoded at 128 44khz. If you decrease the encode, you can fit more, with little loss in sound quality. The mp3 player could use more buttons and an actual on/off switch, because it can turn itself on sometimes if it is bumped against something for too long. the equalizer is alright, but due to the fact that you can't tweak itself, its more of a novelty because you can never get the right mix for the song you want to hear. I don't have the flash card yet, so i can't review it. One thing to note is that the manual is written horribly. it is easy to install and I had no problems getting it to work on my computer (which is running WIN 98 SE) I don't know about XP or 2000. another thing to note that is sort of amusing is that if you read the warranty in the back of the manual, you will notice that the mp3 player is not covered under damages sustained by "other acts of god", which I believe also covers lightning bolts? anyway, a good buy for the price.

I bought this in 2000 for around $89 I think. I have moved all over the country and I just found it and it still works! Amazing how outdated it seems now in the iPod age!