Lyra 256MB MP3 Player with FM Tuner (RD2012)

by RCA

Product Details

Product Manual [868kb PDF]

• Item Weight: 10 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0002I8VVA
• Item model number: RD2012
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #202,680 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 23, 2004

Product Description

RCA RD2012 -- The 256MB Lyra Flash MP3 Player has you covered, keeping you entertained and informed at home or on the fly. Backlit line dot matrix display with icons Includes MusicMatch audio management software Windows PC and Mac compatible Color - Blue

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, November 26, 2004

By 

Andrew H. Goldstein (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lyra 256MB MP3 Player with FM Tuner (RD2012) (Electronics)

I am very enthusiastic about this little guy.

My biggest fear was that with only one AA battery, it wouldn't be loud enough. (When I'm huffing and puffing on the treadmill in my crowded gym, I like my music LOUD!) That has turned out not to be a problem at all. The radio is always plenty loud; I rarely have to turn the unit all the way up to its max. As for MP3 playback, it depends on the file. Some of them seem to be recorded at a loud level, and some are softer. (I'm going to have to learn something about ripping to figure out what's going on with that.) The ones that are recorded at a high level are plenty loud enough. ("I wanna make some eardrums bleed!" Spinal Tap)

The radio reception is not fantastic, but I have never found a portable radio that *does* have fantastic radio reception. This one is about the same as all the others.

Here's one thing that you might not expect: when you are recording FM, you can't adjust any settings. That is, you can't change the volume and you can't scroll through the stations. I suppose that it has to be this way, but it would be cool if it wasn't.

There are 9 separate control actions (4 push buttons, a "left/right" button that gives you 2 more control actions, and a thumb wheel that gives you 3 others: "up", "down" and "select" when you push it in.) Of all those, there is only one that is finicky: the "left" action on the "left/right" button. Sometimes I have to push it so hard to get it to register that I just give up. That's only a pain when I'm tuning the radio. It means I have to tune up all the way around back to the bottom again.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars so far so great!, November 28, 2004

By 

S. Gould "gouldpjaks" (Woodmere, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lyra 256MB MP3 Player with FM Tuner (RD2012) (Electronics)

I purchased the RCA Lyra MP3 player because of the size and the price. I don't need a lot of memory because I tend to listen to the same songs again and again until I get bored. I stored about sixty songs so far, with room to spare, and I haven't even used the SD card option. An additional reason for my choice of the RCA Lyra was this expansion option- using minute SD cards instead of CDs.

That said how has this unit performed? So far its great. To begin with I was able to load the songs and I have no great understanding of this stuff! The instructions were not stellar but the software helped explain much of what had to be done. When I couldn't get the plug in to install I thought I was in trouble but the Lyra MusicMatch Jukebox program asked if I'd like to download this item and at my command did it for me and automatically profiled the files to make them usable. The mp3 controls are fairly intuitive so using the Lyra after loading the songs is a breeze. The sound is fabulous. I love the headphones that clip around your ears. They produce quality sound, stay in place and are light weight and comfortable.

I also appreciate the case and armband that are included. They make exercising to music easy. The unit continues to play well even when I'm in motion. The small size of this MP3 player makes it quite convenient to take with you anywhere. The price was also right. I'm very happy with this device!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great low cost player with expandable memory & FM recording, February 17, 2005

By 

Rob Houser (Suwanee, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lyra 256MB MP3 Player with FM Tuner (RD2012) (Electronics)

I waited a couple of months to write this review just in case there were any surprises. So far, so good. This is a great player if you want a reasonably priced player for exercising or moving around a lot. It's also good for people who use WMA files (from Windows Media Player), want expandable memory for more songs, and want to listen to and record FM radio.

I would definitely buy the Lyra again, although I'd get the 512MB or 1GB internal memory instead of 256MB. I use the internal memory for background music that I always want to have available and the external memory (SD card) for the music that I change a lot. With WMA files at 128 Kbps (average quality), I get about 45MB per album (or about 5-6 albums on the 256MB of internal memory). FYI, when you record radio, that also goes on the internal memory. I bought a 1GB card that stays in the player at all times with more music and for trips I carry an additional 512MB card for more song selection. Keep in mind that even with frequent sales on SD cards I doubled the price of the player by buing the extra memory.

WHY I CHOSE THE LYRA:
* Flash-based memory seemed more stable for use while in motion.
* Plays WMA files (which are smaller than MP3 and don't require conversion after ripping in Windows Media Player).
* Has ability to take SD/MMC card up to 1GB for memory expansion (some other players only accepted smaller cards).
* Receives and records FM radio.
* Doesn't require special software to get files onto the player.
* Uses standard AA battery (so I can use my rechargeable and not keep up with special chargers for the player).
* Good price (...).

POSITIVE DISCOVERIES SINCE MY PURCHASE
* Headphones loop over the ear and don't come off accidentally. They sound decent. They irritate my ears after a couple of hours, so I sometimes switch out with my ear buds.
* With a rechargeable NIMH battery, the single AA battery lasts for a long time.
* When you plug in the player to your computer, explorer shows both the internal and external memory in a way that makes it easy to drag and drop music onto the player. You can also copy music onto the player from Windows Media Player if that's already where you're managing your music (or any other music software, for that matter). You can also use a card reader to copy files to the SD card without the player being involved.
* Before I bought the Lyra, I was a little concerned about other reviews mentioning the profile feature. This isn't a big deal at all. It's just a scan of the disk to build a list of available songs and ID3 metadata
* The display is small, but you can see a lot of data for a small player. Back lighting works well for night usage.
* Radio reception is better than I expected. Portable players are never perfect for radio, but I can hear (and record) what I wanted.

NEGATIVE DISCOVERIES SINCE MY PURCHASE (NOTHING TERRIBLE HERE):
* Carry case is pretty lame if you're fidgeting with the player a lot to pause and change songs. It doesn't account for the SD/MMC card and doesn't protect it well. It fits slightly askew with the headphone cord in the player. But if you're running/exercising, the case and arm strap will work fine.
* Battery cover is very light plastic and feels like it will break when I take it off. I dropped the Lyra on my desk today and the cover flew off, but fortunately didn't break.
* Headphone jack is at an angle which seems like it will put added stress on the connector over time because it gets bent so easily. No problems in the short-term usage.
* Navigating to another song with the controls isn't intuitive, but you can learn how. The player does maintain folder structure, so if you organize well before putting the music on the player it benefits you in the end.

WHAT I'D LIKE TO SEE IN THE NEXT GENERATION OF LYRA PLAYERS:
* Built in (at least to case) mini USB connection (like 1" cable) that I can carry around with the player.
* Better case that allows access to buttons, protects the external card better, and does not cover any of the display. Also, case should have space for 2 extra SD cards and possibly a spare battery.
* Memory of what song was paused or playing when the player is powered off (auto resume). I saw that another reviewer said his remembered the song but mine does not.
* Way to go back up to the folder containing the song currently playing without having to stop the song playing.
* Timer recording for radio (currently have to manually press record to start and stop recording).