Rio 800 64MB Digital Audio Player

by Rio

Product Details

Product Manual [1.56mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 1 x 2.6 x 3.7 inches ; 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0000501U3
• Item model number: 90260092
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (67 customer reviews)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

The ruckus over MP3s and Napster-focused copyright battles has overshadowed the huge portability advantages of digital music. Only a few years ago, "portable music" meant carrying around a bulky CD player and either a CD wallet or a load of plastic jewel cases. The Rio (now part of SONICblue) line of digital audio players pioneered portable MP3 devices, and the new Rio 800 flagship model has the potential to redefine what portable audio should be.

The Rio 800 comes with 64 MB of memory, enough for about an hour of MP3 music. It can also accommodate Windows Media Audio (WMA) files, which can stretch the playing time out to nearly two hours thanks to that format's high compression. If 64 MB isn't quite enough to store your daily dose of tunes, SONICblue sells proprietary Memory Backpacks (instead of standard memory cards, like SmartMedia or CompactFlash) that can boost your Rio to 96 MB or 128 MB. Unfortunately, prices are still fairly high for these Backpacks; hopefully they'll come down as Rio popularity increases.

Another great feature is the built-in microphone feature that lets you record meetings and notes to yourself, then play them back later. And if your tastes run more to spoken-word recordings, Audible.com media files take up even less memory.

The Rio 800 is powered by a rechargeable battery, which we found to be perfectly acceptable. It averaged around six to eight hours of continuous use per charge and required only a few hours to recharge. A red light let us know when the battery was being recharged, turning off when the battery was ready. The 800's carrying case is also much improved from earlier Rio models--smartly designed, form fitting, and providing easy access to all the controls.

The control buttons are centrally located, and with some practice we were able to operate the Rio's various functions without looking at it. On the unit we tested, we had to be sure to push toward the top of the volume rocker to increase the sound level, rather than where the volume icon was located, but that barely registered as a minor irritation.

Also included in the Rio 800 package is a remote control that clips onto your clothing, which was particularly handy on our afternoon jogs when it would be awkward (or, dare we say, dangerous) to reach for the unit's main controls. Another boon for frequent exercisers is the (misnamed) Hold switch, which locks the controls (but not the remote) in case of accidental bumps. The Rio also comes with a pair of folding headphones that look cool but were uncomfortable to wear for more than about 20 minutes.

The LCD screen is a bit larger than most and has plenty of room for information like the current song title, sample rate, time, track number, and volume. However, to display that much info means using a small font, so at times it was hard to read. And the circular display window put form over function; it looked nice but it was sometimes hard to see objects around the edges due to the shadow projected by the circular frame. We had to tilt the unit nearly every time to see the play indicator to find out if the music was stopped or just paused.

Overall, though, these criticisms are minor quibbles compared to what the Rio 800 offers: a portable repository for all your digital audio needs, from tunes to voice recording, with high-quality playback. --Jeff Carlson

Pros:

• Acceptable memory storage, especially using multiple file formats
• Voice-recording function
• Rechargeable battery

Cons:

• Display can be hard to read at times
• Included headphones are uncomfortable
• No Audible.com compatibility yet

Amazon.com Product Description

Get all the versatility of a 64 MB digital audio player in a sleek design with the Diamond Rio 800. This Rio adds memory and features to the Rio line, plus recharging capability. The Rio 800's 64 MB of flash memory means you can capture and play back over an hour of near-CD quality music (MP3s encoded at 128 Kbps) from the Internet or your CDs, or up to 32 hours of spoken word recordings. Additional snap-on Rio memory backpacks (sold separately) can add up to 340 MB of storage.

This player comes with its own recharger unit so you can save on battery costs. The remote control also allows you to play, pause, advance, and rewind without removing the player from the case. The LCD display shows the song/book you are listening to, plus the artist and time. The Rio 800 supports the MP3 and WMA audio formats, and it is upgradable to support emerging digital standards so your Rio is always up to date. It's SDMI compliant, enabling you to download secure tracks from all the major recording labels.

The USB interface allows you to download songs from your PC or Mac to your Rio faster than with any other interface type. Note that USB connectivity requires a USB port and either a PC running Windows 98 or 2000 or a Macintosh G3/G4 or iMac running System 8.1 or later.

The included Rio Audio Manager software works with Windows 98 to organize your audio tracks by name, artist, and length. It turns your CDs into MP3 or WMA digital formats for playback on your Rio 800. You can also master your mix with custom playlists. For Mac users, SoundJam software is included, which works with your iMac or G3/G4 to organize tracks and turn your CDs into AIFF, WAV, or QuickTime digital formats. It allows for easy drag-and-drop transfer to the Rio 800.

The Rio 800 comes with the recharger, remote control, folding headphones, one AA battery, a USB cable, a carrying case with belt clip, and software on CD-ROM. Rio covers this player with a one-year warranty on parts and labor.

See all Product Description

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Watch out, nomad 2!, December 27, 2000

By 

"cheetah86" (Millburn, NJ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rio 800 64MB Digital Audio Player (Electronics)

Wow! That was all I could say when I first heard about the rio 800! It had all the features of the nomad 2 except for the fm radio feature, which wasn't such a big thing anyway. This has plenty of features. However, I only gave it 4 stars because it wasn't as great as I expected. Yes, it does have a recharger. On a 2.5 hour charge, it can last 11 hours without another recharge. I haven't confirmed this yet, but it sounds pretty decent. One warning about the rechargable battery - the first time charge program needs to be better implemented. It says "It will recharge for x more minutes." It starts at 300. But the first time I tried it, it stopped around 190 and said it was done. Then the battery ran out after 30 minutes. So I tried again. This time it was successful, except after about 150 it stopped displaying how much was left. It said "It will recharge for more minutes." Not too helpful. Well, enough about the batteries. The interface itself is pretty nice. It has a high-res backlit display. (I think the resolution is of that of a gameboy!) The menu system is pretty nice. Just keep in mind that it has a 10 second startup time once you turn it on. Also, from here you can record information. Although the record feature is usefull, it is not a unidirectional microphone, so it will only record what you say directly into it. Back to the interface, it contains about 10 eq presets, plus you can make a custom bass/treble setting if you prefer. It also supports multible playlists that are editable. (I use one for music, and another for comedy music.) The usb interface is simple, just plug it in to the rio and then to your computer. The rio software is slightly difficult, it takes a bit of getting used to. Finaly, the remote is a good feature, but not well implemented. The contacts on it are so that if you turn the headphones going into it a certain way, the sound gets messed up. (I don't know the reason for this.) It's a nice player for someone entering the portable mp3 market, but don't throw out your rio 500 just for the 800's extra features.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars possibly unusable out of the box, but ok once working, July 7, 2001

By 

vic spicer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rio 800 64MB Digital Audio Player (Electronics)

this is my first MP3 player; i wanted something that would work with itunes with little or no fuss.

i did the battery-charging calibration thing- yes it's damn annoying to have to wait 5 hours before you can play with your new toy!

but despite the calibration going ok i immediately ran into the same problems described in other reviews: the unit randomly shuts itself off or will "freeze" and only reboot if the memory-battery pack is removed and re-mounted. for a new piece of somewhat pricey electronics to do this out of the box is almost unforgivable.

i upgraded the firmware to v1.56 from riohome.com. this seems to make things better; itunes uploads quickly and with no fuss. and it looks like it's actually monitoring the battery level now, and has run all day without a random shutoff or freeze.

my classical audio files encoded at 160kbps sound very ok, with little hiss or distortion, and i can transfer about 60 minutes of music into it in under 2 minutes.

the headphones that come with it are almost instruments of torture; while they look cool, they hardly fit my overlarge head and spear the insides of your ears after a few minutes. very uncomfortable.

they made some odd ergonomic decisions, including a cute oval-shaped display window that actually cuts off part of what you can see.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic sound and great performance., February 16, 2001

By 

Jason Crow (Silicon Valley, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rio 800 64MB Digital Audio Player (Electronics)

It was between the Nomad II MG, the Nike PSA 120 or souped up PSA60, and the Rio 800.

I chose the Rio for the quality, the hipness, and the one time fee of having plenty of memory and a rechargeable battery.

The downside is the price seems steep for a high end Walkman, and the additional unique memory packs make me feel like a sucker - until the price comes down.

The battery charges very quickly and all the features work very well. The bass is strong and the sounds are crisp, especially with the best made MP3s off Napster. And the prices for used Rios on Ebay make me handle the longer term prospects of getting an upgrade.

Please note that Intel has a 128mb player coming out soon for 299. It seems like it has everything, but it doesn't look nearly as cool as the Rio 800. The headphones say "Intel" largely on the sides. And I like a little more rebellion and to be cooler when I listen to music.

The Rio 800 software has some bugs that make organizing MP3s a minor hassle. However, the USB transfer is fast. I do know that the software that Creative issues for the Nomad is far better.

And if you want the Rio for jogging, buying a Nike PSA 60, with an additional 64mb of memory(making it 96MBs), and getting a rechargeable battery and charger will lead you to an equal price to a Rio 800. It is just not as simple as the Rio 800.

For the newcomers like myself to MP3 players, I am very pleased with the Rio 800. It is a solid product that I know will have continual value for working out, jogging, and be a great companion for your music needs on the go.