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34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Frisby is now Hisonic (now $49.99, shipping optional), August 11, 2007
(Updated October 4, 2008).
I now own no less than 3 of these phones. As it takes about 20 to 25 minutes to load 2 Gigabytes of music (about 16 to 24 hours' worth) from my computer to the phones, I like to load them and keep them loaded with different styles of music. I just grab whichever phones hold the type of music I am in the mood for and go about my business (I like LOTS of variety - I'm funny that way). Besides, one never knows when the first one is going to go bust and I never want to be without one. Yes, it is that important. Music is my life.
However, my original headset was made under the Frisby brand (my second and third are both branded "Hisonic" but are identical to the original "Frisby" - for the most part). After 14 months of use, the Frisby is starting to die. A couple of months ago, it was still working fine. That is to say, it would run for 12 hours on a fully recharged AAA battery. In the last couple of months, the MP3 player (and/or battery) is losing playing time and failing prematurely. It still works but not as long, in fact only about 30 minutes.
I originally suspected that sweat was shorting out the battery connection to the player because of exposed screws at the bend/swivel joint in the band as well as where the band connects to the player and battery shells. So, I wrapped electrical tape around those exposed screw heads to keep the sweat out. Alas, it was to no avail. The player died after 20 minutes of use today. Upon returning home, I placed a fresh battery in the chamber and turned on the player. It's battery icon in the display showed it as being fully recharged -- for about 10 seconds. Then it displayed as being empty and the "low battery" warning displayed and the player shut down. I am beginning to think that sweat is not the issue after all (although, it might be). It is simply old age (not mine, the player's).
I believe you can expect at least one year of reliable service from this player. After that, it will slowly degrade in service until it quits altogether a few months after that. Note: My other two newer Hisonic players still work just fine. They are 4 months and 2 weeks old, respectively.
Is a year's service worth $49.95? You betcha!! Despite the player's shortcomings, I wouldn't be without it. There is nothing better or more reliable out there in Amazonland. "You pays your money; you takes your chances" (so to colloquially speak).
Read more details of the player's operation and features in my original review below.
(Below text revised August 12, 2008)
Having researched the web, I found models from Aiwa, Coby, Nextar, Zopid and Frisby (a division of Comsis Computer). Frisby sold the patents on this model to Kaito Electronics which now markets it under the "Hisonic" brand.
Clearly, this Hisonic (formerly "Frisby") model is the winner. While some of the others were less (and more) expensive, they all had less storage space than this Hisonic model.
This Hisonic model does have a few minor drawbacks. It seems to be somewhat flimsily constructed in folding sections that are not very ergonomically correct or comfortable to wear for extended periods despite the rotating earpieces. The connecting bar at the folding joint rubs against the bone of your skull behind your ears requiring you to hook the bars over the tops of your ears in order to prevent the earpieces from slipping and falling off. This makes the tops of your ears stick out. Aside from making you look silly, it is somewhat uncomfortable at first although one gets used to it after a while. I find that it helps to point the connecting bar as far down the back of your neck as possible.
How does it sound? The overall sound quality of this Hisonic model is, in my estimation, "adequate but not breath-taking". However, I doubt if any of the other brands of phones in this style sound any better than this one. Any headphone that sits ON the ear is not going to yield as much bass response as those earpieces that are lodged INSIDE the ear canal. But then, with the IN-THE-EAR plugs, you have to deal with those annoying cords and who wants that?
The Hisonic has 6 equalization (tone) settings. The only one of the settings I found to be satisfactory is the one named "Bass". Incidentally, the louder you turn the volume, the more bass there seems to be in relation to the mid-range and treble.
To save space on my hard drive, I ripped most of my CD's into WMA files (using Windows Media Player) with a variable bit rate of 85 to 145 kbps (the intermediate setting). This may account for the lack of "highs" in the WMA files. You may be able to achieve better results by adopting a higher bit rate during the ripping of your CD's to WMA files (though it will take up more space on your drives) or by choosing to save the files in MP3 format.
This Hisonic model runs on a single AAA battery. Regardless of what the manufacturer is claiming, I recently placed a fully recharged rechargeable battery in this headphone and listened continuously for 12 hours before the battery finally quit. I think that is pretty darned good. Alkaline batteries may last longer.
Incidentally, if you are going to use rechargeable AAA batteries, don't use Sony brand (they are just a millimeter too long to fit in the battery compartment of the Hisonic headphones). Instead, I found that Eveready Energizers (also available here on Amazon) will fit just fine in this model.
How many hours of music will it hold? I was able to fill up 2 Gigabytes of storage space with 484 Monophonic MP3 files of 3 minutes duration each (taken from CD reissues of old 78 rpm records). That brings the total to a WHOPPING 24 HOURS! (Hisonic also makes a 1GB model for less money but the 2GB model is a much better value for only a few dollars more). Depending on the bit-rate at which you copied the MP3 or WMA files from your CD's, you may get variable results. WMA files may take up less space on the flash drive if copied at a lower bit-rate, but they won't sound as good. You will just have to experiment to find a happy medium between longer playing time and better upper frequency response.
AAA batteries are small and easy to find. A spare is easy to carry in one's pocket. So, if you have a spare battery (or two) in your pocket, you can listen practically ALL DAY without having to repeat any music! It is like having a Juke-Box in your head only much less cumbersome.
At least one other reviewer said he had a problem with the battery being drained somewhat during file transfer from the computer to the headphones. While that is possible, it should not even be an issue as the battery need not be installed at all in order to transfer files. In fact, the instructions recommend removing the battery before transfering files. Whatever power the headphones may need for file transfer (if any) is derived directly from the USB port of your computer.
The Hisonic is VERY programmable and you can choose to play the tracks in the order in which they were loaded or in random shuffle order and some variations there-of. It even has folder partitioning capabilities so you can jump directly to other music genres depending on your mood without having to crawl and wade through many contiguous files to get there.
The thin lever on the underside of the right earpiece that is used to enter the display menues and navigate through them is somewhat flimsy and seems as though it might break if handled clumsily or carelessly. However, I have not experienced any malfunctions in 12 months of intermittent use so far. It is somewhat confusing at first to figure out how to manipulate this lever to get to where you want to go. Pushing it forward or backward simply moves it to play the next track or the previous track. To enter the menues and sub-folders, you have to push the lever straight in upon itself and then move the lever forward or backward to navigate through the menues and functions.
As others have observed, transferring MP3 or WMA files from your computer to this headphone's flash drive is simple and easy but somewhat slow (about 20 to 25 minutes to load 2 GB worth of music).
I need to mention one IMPORTANT 'caveat emptor' here.
The new Hisonic models have a file pre-loaded on the flash drive labeled "MICIN.DIR" which did not appear in the models previously manufactured by Frisby.
It is important to remember to place the MP3 files OUTSIDE of this "MICIN.DIR" file in the general "F-drive" (or "Removeable Disc") file instead of inside the "MICIN.DIR" file. If you place your MP3 files inside of this file, your headphone display will not recognize the presence of any files.
How much does it cost? The Frisby brand formerly sold here on Amazon for $100 and subsequently $80. The exact same model, now marketed under the Hisonic brand, has been reduced to $70 and then $60. Oddly, Amazon seems to have this exact same model listed three different times with three different prices. In one instance, the price shown is $49.95 with $7.50 shipping direct from Kaito Electronics. In some cases, shipping is free. You'll need to do several searches on Amazon until you find it at that price (or just follow the link to my other reviews).
While not perfect, the Hisonic 2GB MP3/WMA player is simply the best cordless, headphone-enclosed player of its kind available today.
I hope this review has been useful to you.
Dan (private consumer not affiliated with any company).
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Actually, I'm surprised..., December 9, 2007
I ordered this Frisby 2GB Wireless MP3 player to wear while I workout. That is pretty much limited to walking and running on a treadmill and a free weight workout while standing, sitting, and laying on a weight bench. The headset feels odd in your hands because the earphones are heavier than a normal headset (no doubt because of the electronics in the earpieces) and it gives the impression that the band is flimsy. But the band is really sturdy and has some unique joints that flex easily when putting it on your head. The headset fits well on my head and I really like the behind-the-neck band. The earpieces are comfortable. Overall, the fit is exactly what I was looking for.
Adding music to the headset was simple. The package includes a USB cable and some software. I didn't load the software but just plugged the headset into a USB drive and the headset was recognized as a removable drive. Easy as pie...drop and drag your music to the headset. The headset screen gives you information about the MP3 but since it is on my head I don't really care. I set the mode for random shuffle and listen to what ever I get. If i don't want to hear a particular song, the toggle switch is easy to find (right on the bottom of the right ear) to toggle to the next or previous song without taking the headset off.
Sound quality is what you might expect - nothing spectacular but not bad. It is what it is - a $65 MP3 player built into a headset. It exceeds my expectations in that regard, hence the title of this review.
I have noticed a major complaint with other 'sports' headphones related to headphone failure when they get a bit of sweat on them. I don't sweat buckets but I sweat plenty and this headset seems to handle it fine. Water isn't dripping off of them when I take them off but they have had some exposure.
Overall, a fine product in my opinion.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Everything I was looking for., July 22, 2007
I had been looking for a way to listen to music without the hassle of wires. I got a pair of wireless headphones, but the pair I got cut out, then I found these. I was a little unsure about buying a product from an unknown company, but it was a wonderful buy.
First of all, customer service is amazing. I accidentaly sent the package to the wrong address, one email and it got fixed. Second, it worked just as advertised. Plugged in, put on music, and listened right away. I didn't test out battery life, but I use it at work, and it lasts me a long while, so I wouldn't be surprised if it were at least the 13 hours advertised. Sound quality is great, and functionality is good as well. My only qualm is that transfer is a little slow, but for an mp3 player that works this well, I don't mind at all.
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