Go Video Rave-MP AMP256 256 MB MP3 Player

by Go Video

Product Details

Product Manual [1.82mb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00065ZK3G
• Item model number: AMP256
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

You can take it with you when you hit the pavement with the Rave-MP AMP256 digital audio player. Designed with adrenaline, the AMP256 delivers powerful, skip-free music so you can crank up the burn. Compatible wth both MP3 and WMA file formats, the AMP256 offers an internal 256 MB flash memory and a SD/MMC memory card expansion slot for additional storage. It can connect to either Windows or Mac PCs via USB 2.0, and it supports dragging and dropping of files directly from your desktop to the player. Organizing and transferring music is simple as the player is designed to use Windows Media Player 9 as the default jukebox on Windows-based PCs. It's also been designed to work with Microsoft's upcoming Windows Media Digital Rights Management system.

The 256 MB memory will store approximately 4 hours of CD-quality MP3 files or 8 hours of CD-quality WMA files. It's powered by 1 AAA battery and will play continuously for up to 16 hours on a single battery. It also features an FM radio with 20 presets and the ability to record voice via the integrated microphone or record off the FM radio.

What's in the Box 256 MB AMP256 Rave-MP player, sport earbuds, case, armband

Product Description

Includes: carrying case with arm band, sport clip earbuds, 1 AAA battery, & USB cable. GoVideo 256MB Rave MP Digital Audio Player - This compact digital audio player lets you take your favorite MP3 or WMA files with you wherever you go. It has 256MB of built-in memory, but with the SD/MMC expansion slot, you can add up to 1GB more! WMA 9/DRM Compatible 16+ Hours of Battery Life Connects to a PC via USB 2.0

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 81 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bang-for-buck surprise., December 8, 2004

By 

Christopher Wanko "-C" (Nutley, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Go Video Rave-MP AMP256 256 MB MP3 Player (Electronics)

I'm starting to collect MP3 players like some people collect stamps. I've owned a Grey Whale (256Mb flash player), a Rio Cali 256, a Creative Muvo2 (still), and now this Rave MP. I've also had MP3 ability with my Handspring Visor (via a Soundsgood module) and two Sony Clies. Let's just say I'm converted to digital music.

I bought this one because the price was super low, a one-time offer at a big box retailer. They were in and out of stock, but I finally scored mine and here's my take.

For the price, it's near-unbeatable. The LCD screen is extremely readable, not a small feat considering the miniscule two-line display of Creative's Muvo2. Navigation is quasi-semi-para-intuitive, meaning once you play with it you'll get it. The nav pad is a standard d-pad with a center push button for activating choices, and it has slightly stamped tactile cues for function (FF, REV, Play/Pause, Stop). You might need to brush up on your braille to use this in the dark, but you can visibly see the cues as well.

First and foremost is sound quality. It's loud and clear, but not an overwhelming experience. It decodes WMAs and MP3s (per my own observations) and the LCD display makes good use of showing you song info in a flash... no scrolling, finally. As a player, it accomplishes the mission. FM tuning is not going to impress your friends with its DXing aplomb, but it pulls in stations outside 100% and within a building if you give it half a chance to find a signal.

Cool features? Oh yeah:
-FM line recording, although I can't imagine getting four
hours of Howard Stern on it;
-twenty radio presets;
-USB 2.0 connectivity as a removable drive, which makes music
synchronization fast and simple (use any music manager you
wish, including Windows Explorer);
-uses a single AAA battery and gets 12-14 hours from an
alkaline battery (use a rechargable and get about 8-10);
-and the reason I bought this, SD/MMC card capability.

The last point is worth discussion. I carry a Jump Drive Trio so I can read Memory Sticks, SD, and MMC cards, but also to carry a 1Gb MMC card with my system essentials and recovery tools. I have 384Mb free on it even after stuffing WinXP's two service packs on it, so I starting thinking about an MP3 player that would also handle cards.

The Rio Cali/ Forge line would have been my first choices, but the Cali is not recognized as a removable drive (you must use Rio s/w to xfer files) and the Forge is expensive (although it is now recognized as a removable drive). I stumbled upon the Rave MP from a friend who scours the web for deals. I took a shot and well, this is now my new card reader. It read my 1Gb MMC card with no problems, and that's my acid test.

I'm not crazy about the price point, because it's a little too close to the Rio Forge and Rio sound quality is generally superior to most devices. However, if you catch this on sale, you absolutely must give it a try. It's a slickly-designed, sharp little toy that packs a ton of features in a small package.

Fred

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great features -- needs new firmware, November 5, 2004

By 

Marc Aronson "Marc" (California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Go Video Rave-MP AMP256 256 MB MP3 Player (Electronics)

Pros: Great features like expansion SD/MMC slot enables total storage of 256MB(onboard) + 512MB(SD card) = 768MB(total); allows navigaton of music by artist, album, etc., which is an unusual but very nice feature for a flash-based player; easily understood controls; good sound quality; nice holder for use while jogging, biking, etc.

Issues that tech support has told me will be fixed with new firmware scheduled for release in December-2004: 24-second start up time when fully loaded with music; won't recognize more than ~113 files

Cons: Not a show stopper, but the first unit would occasionally refuse to power up properly. I returned it for a new one and so far I am not having this problem anymore.

Drag-and-drop support: When connected via the USB port it looks like a disk drive, so you can simply drag-and-drop your music without installing any SW onto your machine. If you have added a card to the expansion slot, it looks like two separate drives -- one for the internal memory, the other for the SD/MMC card.

If the new firmware fixes the problems as committed, then I would rate this player 5 stars instead of 3.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great entry level player, November 26, 2004

By 

Troy B. Anthony "tbanthony" (Cleveland, OH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Go Video Rave-MP AMP256 256 MB MP3 Player (Electronics)

For those newer to digital music, I think this is a great player and I'm very happy with it. I had purchased an entry level MP3 player a couple years ago and gave up on it and returned it.
When I was looking to stick my toe in the water again, this player caught my eye. I liked it's looks for one. It is easy to transfer music to because even if you don't use any other software like Musicmatch, it appears as a hard drive and you can just click and drag music to it and create folders just as you would with any other drive. This unit is also Microsoft Playforsure compatible which helps ensure you'll have minimal compatiblity issues with download services, etc. I haven't had any problems with Musicmatch or the Microsoft sites and their downloads. Also, I thought the supporting web site (http://www.rave-mp.com/sitemap) did a competent job of providing at least basic info like online pdf copies of user manuals (in case you lose yours). They also provide the capability for emailing questions via the web site which is nice.
The unit comes with headphones that I feel are pretty comfortable and have acceptable sound quality. The unit includes an armband which I haven't used yet and a belt clip which I REALLY like that I'm using a lot. The part of the belt clip that fits behind your belt is made of metal and feels very sturdy. The player snaps into the plastic frame of the belt clip easily, securely, looks good, and all controls are still nicely accessible.
Speaking of controls, I found the controls to be easy and intuitive.
I really like the LCD screen as well. The backlit screen has good contrast, displays a fair amount of information, scrolls the title if it is larger than the screen so you can read the entire title of the song, and is very spiffy looking with white text on black background.
I have not experienced the problems mentioned by other reviewers. I do not have long boot times (but it appears to be related to the number of songs on your player) and since I do not have more than about one CDs worth loaded on my player at this time that would explain why I haven't had that as a complaint. Obviously, I have not hit any software glitches with having too many songs, etc, either.
Today, I bought an SD card with an extra 256 of memory so I may enventially load enough songs to hit these issues. The SD card inserted without a hitch by the way.
Overall, I really, really like this player. I haven't had a single problem.
I'm using this player on my commute to work (I take the bus) and it's working out great for me.