Rio se510 512 MB MP3 Player

by Diamond

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0007V9RQA
• Item model number: se510
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)

Product Description

Designed to complement your gym and outdoor activities, the Rio SE510 MP3 Player is a Windows friendly device that lets you store up to 512MB capacity of MP3 - WMA - Audible files that you'd download from Internet sites onto your computer. It's Microsoft Playsforsure compatible to ensure dependable file integrity. It weighs just about 2 ounces with an AAA battery (one included) and can operate up to 20 hours on one battery. The large multifunction LCD screen is easy to read and also has stopwatch and lap timer functions. It's a perfect companion for joggers, runners, walkers, and skaters. Sports Armband and Sports Clip Operates up to 20 hours on 1 AAA alkaline battery Unit Dimensions WHD - 2.7x 2.5 x 0.88 / Weight - 2.2 ounces with battery

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rock me baby!!, September 30, 2005

By 

K. Garrett (Island of Oahu, Hawaii) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rio se510 512 MB MP3 Player (Electronics)

I purchased my Rio se510 from a local store instead of Amazon solely because I was too impatient to wait for it to come in the mail. I had previously purchase a Rio Forge 512 for my spouse to take to the Middle East with him. While I liked his, I didn't need a player with quite the capacity of that one (up to 1.5GB) nor was I interested in having a FM tuner. I did more research with various MP3 players and after rejecting the IPods (yes, I did say 'rejecting' the IPods. I don't care for the style and having to pay extra for an armband. Besides, everybody and their brother has an IPod.), I chose the se510. I like the over-the-back-of-the-ear headphones (more on that later though) and the armband comes with the MP3 player. I didn't have to shell out another $20-30 for one. I use mine while I'm on the treadmill, doing yardwork, etc. so the armband was a must.

Installing the software was a breeze. I'm on an HP Pavillion 763n running Windows XP. Since we own two Rios I was concerned the program wouldn't be able to tell them apart. All that worrying for naught. The program recognizes both players easily. When you launch Rio Music Manager it automatically scans your computer for new music. I like the PlaysForSure feature since I frequently purchase music from MusicMatch. (I'm all for compatablity in my gadgets.) I have had no problems running the program or with transferring files. You can create playlists on your computer, plug in your Rio, click the playlist name, then the tranfer button and boom, all done!
I love the key lock feature on the Rio. Simply slide the lock up and it will lock the jog dial and all the buttons. You can configure the player to lock all but the volume, too (my preference since I can turn it down when needed without having to unplug). This comes in particularly handy with the jog dial since I have a tendancy to bump this puppy a lot. I can't tell you how many times I've dropped it (three today alone!) and it's still going strong. This baby is tough!
The menu on the Rio is super easy to access and navigate. Hit the little round menu button and then up down and right to left with the jog dial. My 7 and 9 year olds can navigate through the menu. How much easier can it be?

Battery life- not bad, not bad. I get about the 20 hour stated time on one AAA. Considering there are days when I live with the player on, that's pretty darn good.

Headphones- eh. Not the best but not the worst. Since not all ears are created equal, the included headphones are a bit big for my ears and would pop out occasionally. I do like the over-the-back-of-the-ear style though. If the bud part itself was a tad smaller, they would have fit perfectly. That said, I did have to replace the headphones because the wire by the connector became 'touchy' and the right side would cut out if it wasn't just so.

All in all, I highly recommend the Rio se510. And at this price, you can't beat it. I paid about $50 more at my local store. Get it for someone (or yourself!) for Christmas!!

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bang for the buck, August 8, 2005

By 

T. Butler "mathman" (Fort Collins, CO United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rio se510 512 MB MP3 Player (Electronics)

This player is very sturdy. I have dropped it and banged it against weights while working out and it still works great. The sound quality is top notch and you won't need to spring for better ear buds like you have to on most mp3 players. The ear buds are very comfortable and will easily contour to your ears and not fall out while you work out. The software is extraordinarily intuitive and so is the menu browsing on the player itself. You can browse by artist, genre, album, songs, and a few other options. There is a stopwatch (I have never used). The date and time are synchronized every time you transfer music from a computer. I have been very impressed with the battery life. You will truly get at least 18 hours of battery life from 1 AAA battery (I have averaged about 20 hours of battery life from each AAA battery). The backlighting on the player is great and gradually fades out after you have made selections. I was so pleased with this player that it was the only one I would buy for my girlfriend and she has been incredibly satisfied by it as well.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I liked this so much I stole it-, April 13, 2006

By 

S. Stagman (Iowa's East Coast) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rio se510 512 MB MP3 Player (Electronics)

I liked this so much I stole it- from my son. Holding over 100 songs this is an excellent entry to mid level player for most people. Let's face it: 100's of songs is great in theory, particularly if you're looking for a storage device though in that case I would buy an external hard drive for less money and more space, but realistically- when is the last time you sat down and listened to 500 different songs in a 8 hour period?

The sound quality is amazing, the files very portable (just hook it up with your usb cable to go back and forth between computers using the included Rio Music Manager or go 'old school' and use Windows Media Player which is pretty standard with the Windows OS), the sport earphones are the first I've ever been able to wear without them falling out every few seconds. I keep mine (well, technically it's his) in my purse and it's always enjoyed- on a recent car trip 4 different people borrowed it and 3 of them are now planning to purchase one for themselves. The other one is planning on me purchasing them one for their birthday.

The included music manager is versatile and easy to use with a familiar WMP type interface but goes one better and makes it simple to browse only the music on the Rio, set up playlists and with a simple right-click you can add tracks from your resident library to the player (heck, when we brought it home it was installed and we, absolute novices to mp3 players, were adding tracks to it in under 5 minutes) or a playlist.

To be fair- we have run into the upgrader/reformat/freeze issue twice in the 6 months since buying it but it was such an easy fix- pop the battery out and leave it that way for about 15-20 minutes- that it's simply not a huge issue and the bigger problem is transferring itunes music to it (which can be done with a little fiddling in your itunes settings- we called customer support and they walked us right through it). My older son, by the way, recently bought one of the newer ipods (the ones with video capability) against my recommendation and is now regretting it- he can add music from one computer but then when he goes to our second computer he has to choose whether to keep what's on there or add from that computer as it seems 'married' to one computer and lacks the individual track portability of the Rio.

And if anyone is wondering? I just picked up a Rio Forge 256 at eBay a few days ago so yes, there's a happy ending- my son will get his Rio back as soon as the new one arrives- unless his sister steals it :o)