Customer Reviews

RipFlash 128MB Digital Voice Recorder and MP3 Player/Recorder

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I purchased the RipFlash MP3 play to work out to and not for the digital voice recording features. This is my first MP3 player so I have no point of reference compared to other MP3 players. Given that, here are my experiences so far.

Pros:

- very good sound - especially with the equalizer
- fast transfer rate from my PC - 30 songs in less than 5 min
- very lightweight

Cons:

- no software for ripping CDs. I had to buy some but found a good one called MP3 Workshop...

- can only read MP3 format. Would have been nice if it could read WMA format. Then I could have used the Windows Media Player to rip the CDs.
- earplug earphone sounds good but had trouble keeping them in my ears.

Things you should know:

- If you do want to add a SmartMedia card, the songs on the card will be played separately from the ones in the built-in Flash memory. (this may be important if you want to play randomly)
- The display is small and somewhat hard to read, but did not bother me.
- I haven't tried to Rip CDs with the line-in but I think it is a useful feature.
- Would have been nice to have a belt clip for working out.

Overall, very good player. As I said, I like it very much, but it does have a few minor flaws. I can live with them for working out and would buy it again.

Just bought my first MP3 player last month. So far, so good. Extremely easy installation, I was able to go in less than 30mn (installing, filling up the thing with 30 songs -128 kbps- and playing !). I liked the size (and weight): not too small to handle, even without looking at it, not too big to be bulky in my pocket. Cool looks too (not like the little ugly RCA for instance !), but that depends on your taste. No battery problem so far, seems to last around 6 to 8 hours (which is more than enough once you recharge at night). Transfer rate was excellent, and with 128Mb, it's not critical to wait a few minutes (it would be another story with a few Gb hard-disk !). I found 128Mb to be a good compromise: less is really to small (you get tired of hearing the same songs again), and more drags you into another category of players (CD or hard-disk, with both having their own inconvenients, mainly the skipping issue). The recording function is useless to me, so I won't comment on it.

The only major drawback is the display: it doesn't show the artist, song title, etc. only the "track" number. It's actually not that annoying with 30 songs (you can browse through them fast) and esp. if you are running for ex., but still a drawback. You can't also reorganize your songs once loaded, so unless you use the shuffle mode (which works fine), you're bound to hear the first ones more often !

All in all, my recommendation is: there are no ideal MP3 player, but different and incompatible types. If you want a relatively small, no skipping one, go for the flash memory, and don't spend too much on the memory (it's the most expensive type). If you want to store all your music, go for a hard disk based like the iPod or others, and pay special attention to the software (with thousands of songs, you will WANT some organization !). If you want to play your CDs as well, and/or want a cheaper option, go for the CD-Rom based.

And if you want my last advice: have 2 players ! A small flash based, relatively cheap one for sports / commuting, and a big hard-drive based if you're a music addict on the move !

I am really enjoying this product. I can't give a comparative review, because this is the first MP3 player/recorder I've ever used. However, I did a lot of research in making this decision and can share with you the distinguishing features that drew me to the RipFlash Digital Voice Recorder/MP3 player.

My Requirements
I was looking for a digital voice recorder that is easy to use, can quickly and easily transfer files to my personal computer for use on a personal site. I also wanted to listen to MP3's via this device.

My Research
I used ... customer reviews and related products tools to get a feel for the product ranges. I also visited other e-commerce sites and review sites to get as clear a picture of the products I was considering. I found many positive reviews for mini-disc players stating their many benefits over other storage types so spent a lot of time researching them.

I found that many of the highest rated mini-disc systems did not have an easy mechanism for uploading recorded audio to the pc. This meant that I'd have to record my audio to the handheld device then connect the devices headphone jack to my pc's audio in jack, play it back and re-record it using the an application on the pc. I'm too lazy for that.

I was concerned about the "limited" storage on the pogo. 128mb holds about 30 mp3 files with a little room for audio recording. With the mini-discs, storage is [inexpensive] and portable, so I could have many mini-discs with my audio collection handy.

I was also concerned about one review that stated that the pogo audio in and out jacks were prone to static and weak connections.

My Decision
Remembering my original goal was easy audio recording and publishing, I put aside my concerns for limited capacity for my mp3 collection.

My Experience
+ Wow! 30 songs is a lot if you are selective.
+ The software works well and was easy to install.
+ It is very quick and easy to transfer files to and from the pc.
+ This thing is tiny and light. It fits in my shirt or pants pocket without feeling heavy or clunky.
+ I think the audio sounds great played back on the little headphones or connected to my Cambridge Soundworks speakers at work.
+ The batteries really do last a long time. (If they run out on you, standard AAA batteries are easy to come by.
+ The built in microphone is adequate for my purposes.

- 30 song limit
- while my audio jacks are static free so far, I'm concerned about the longevity.
- User interface for the software might be a little confusing at first.
- The user interface on the device is limited and sometimes awkward. (for example, when changing the volume, it is easy to accidentally change the equalizer from jazz to rock.)
- The digital display does not include filenames or any meta info about the songs.

I own this player and it is a VERY great gadget.
It has allowed me convert all my old LP records into MP3's BUT the best thing is that it allows me to bypass the record companies new "copy protection" they put in place to prevent owners of having the ability to copy or make MP3's out of their CD's - with the Ripflash, you can still copy and make MP3's on those CD's :)

This is the best portable MP3 player if you are interested in recording on the fly. It records voice or from any audio source! And it's small enough to fit unobtrusively in your breast pocket. It has a good batter life and is very stable. The track name doesn't display but that's a minor nit given that most MP3 players don't record from any audio source with a line out. And there are no controls that only allow you to download a file a limited # of times - it lets YOU control what you do with your music. Rip Flash is my top choice!

I have been using my PogoProducts RipFlash 128 for a few weeks now, and I have to say that I am very impressed. It really satisfies my needs, and I have been impressed. My needs were:

- A digital voice recorder that would allow me to upload recorded files to my computer for storage.
- A good quality built-in microphone.
- A reasonable built-in speaker (so that others could hear recordings).

The RipFlash satisfies all of these requirements, and more.

For digital voice recording, the quality is surprisingly good. At medium sensitivity, the microphone will pick up voice discussions easily, even when 6-8ft from the speaker. There is only limited 'hiss' (probably because it's a solid state device), and recordings are clear and easy to understand. I use it for recording meetings and conferences, and it works admirably. It records at 32bps, which is too low a quality for recording a concert, but more than adaquate for speech. I haven't maxxed out the memory yet, and I have recorded some conferences that have lasted an entire day (>6hrs of speech).

For copying CD's and tapes, this little unit is surprisingly good. Just plug one end of the line-in cable (supplied) into the RipFlash, and then the other into the headphone jack (or line-out) from your source machine, and start recording. I recorded some old audio tapes, and was genuinely surprised at how good they sounded when I played them back on the RipFlash. The only difficulty associated with this, is that it takes a little experimentation to get the recording levels effectively worked out, but that's not a really big problem. The other issue is that, as it records a CD, tape, radio or TV broadcast, it's all stored as a single (MP3) file, unless you continually press start and stop at the beginning and end of each track. This is a little laborious, but necessary unless you want a huge single MP3 file of the entire tape/CD. Of course, you can always download some MP3 splitter software, and seperate the tracks after recording.

The manual is pretty AWFUL. It does provide some general information, but you really have to learn how to use the device through trial and error. I was actually thinking of writing an 'alternative' manual for the device, and I would if there was lots of interest, but, its reasonably intuitive, so perhaps it isn't necessary.

A word of warning, once you load (and format) an external SmartMedia card into the unit, the card WILL NOT be usable in your digital camera. You cannot switch between the two formats. So, buy another SMC if you want to do this. Also, the software the comes with the unit only works on MS-Windows operating systems. I loaded it onto Windows-XP, Windows-98 and Windows-2000, and had no problems. But, when I tried to get the device to be recognized by by Apple PowerBook, I had no luck. For me, this is a nuisance because my PowerBook is my main machine, but it won't be all of you PC users.

Overall, this is a very nice little unit. Compact, ergonomically pleasing, easy to use and effective. It only has very small memory, but enough to hold a couple of hours worth of music MP3's or several hours of speech recording. I recommend it.

If anybody would like to ask me a question about it, send an email to Aperius@Hotmail.Com. Make sure that you type the subject in capitals in the format "QUESTION ABOUT RIPFLASH 128" or else the message will be deleted by my spam filter.

Be aware if two things regarding this unit. It does not support Windows XP so you might have trouble using it on that operating system. But more troublesome is that this outfit has minimal, near zero customer service. Go to their website (you'll have to do a search as I did not find it noted in the documentation). Their FAQ section has a wopping TWO questions and answers. Anything else and you need to 'contact' them via email. Only problem is I have never been able to get a response. Buy this unit if you must, but be prepared to go it alone if you have problems.

A great device with some bugs that you have to work around.

I have no USB port so use it self-contained as a recorder
for Imus in the Morning (it ends up holding about 19 hours
at 16kbs, which is fine for voice).

You have to record line-in and play line-out to a good
sound system but it works fine then. The on-board microphone
is disappointing; the on-board speaker is tinny but I don't imagine
it's designed for listening anyway.

Some bugs:

1. If the battery dies during recording, you lose not only
that recording but every following one will not work right.
Apparently some memory pointer is hosed by this event.

The eventually found fix was to clear memory and then
record a full memory of 1.5 hrs at 192kbs. Then erase that
and you're good to go. Possibly formatting the memory from
your USB port achieves the same fix, but I have no USB port.

So don't let the batteries die during recording! A pair of
NiMH rechargeable AAA's lasts about 5 hours, so start with
fresh ones accordingly. I'd rate it as a major battery eater,
so rechargeables are necessary.

2. The sound does not mute on recording from line-in, which
reduces battery life to about 3 hours from 5. Plug in an
unattached 3.5mm stereo headphone jack to mute it.

I haven't used it for music but its higher bit rates seem to
be fine.

Inconveniences: It's hard to pick it up without unintentionally
pushing some button or other.

For dictaphone work something like the Panasonic RR-QR400 is
better engineered and smaller, by the way, though that has less
inherent sound quality and only an hour at the high decent rate.
The microphone and human engineering are better in the Panasonic.

I admit I bought this for the ability to do digital voice messages, so the fact it was an MP3 player was just a bonus. In terms of digital messages - it is fantastic! Sounds were as clear at 6ft as 1 ft - and only got louder when I put my mouth practically over the speaker. I could even hear the cars outside my building - the sound was that clear!

Let me also mention from the outset - the tech/customer support for this product is fabulous. This will be of particular interest to non-Americans looking to buy this product! I was very impressed as support nowadays can be very hit and miss, and Pogo Products defintely rank up there with one of my best experiences for support.

As an MP3 player, I suspect this needs a few refinements - but for the price, it was great and the amount of memory was fantastic. Its probably better though if you download MP3 files from your computer though, then catching songs from CDs onto the unit itself - unless you do have a line out plug on your CD player (I did not). The sound was also MUCH better using ordinary ...earbud headphones than with the sleek-looking but tinny earbud headphones...

I tried taping some of my cassettes, but unfortunately, did not have a line out feature (which they recommend using) on my cassette player and thus had to use the headphone plug. Although every single snap crackle and pop on my aging cassettes was faithfully recorded, there was occasionally - on some songs only - some electronic sound distortion. I couldn't work out if it was the RipFlash unit or the cassette player I was taping from. Certainly, when I uploaded the songs to my computer and switched from the supplied headphones to my ordinary bass-enhanced headphones, the music was fine. However, I think the quality of sound coming out of your cassette player is important and clearly the RipFlash is a bit sensative to preprogrammed equalizer settings on the cassette player! Also found out that if you increased the bit rate beyond the standard 128 kps and tried sampling from the headphone jack, the amount of static recorded increased significantly - is that why there is a 128 kps limit on most MP3 recordings?!

Had no problems downloading MP3 files from my computer, although you kind of have to stack them in one folder for transferring across. Also had no problems uploading and then renaming the MP3 files to something I would recognise rather than their file name.

The only other tip I would give is when deleting files on the RipFlash unit, instructions say hit the play button - you need to hit it twice to delete a file... The display changes to something that looks like Er yin - and it took me a while to work out that this wasn't an error message but "erase yes/no" Hitting the play button a second time to confirm file deletion was necessary - but not spelt out anywhere in the instructions...

So, I guess it depends what you want this for! If you want it for digital messages (email your loved ones a personal voice message...) or recording sounds on the fly then this unit is explosively brilliant. If you want to use this exclusively as an MP3 player/recorder, then you may want to look around a little more for something that is exclusively an MP3 player. However, I think I got great value for money and will be keeping an eye on future products from this company!

I bought this RipFlash primarily for voice recording, including memos to myself while driving.

What I like about the RipFlash:

1) Since receiving the unit about 6 months ago I find myself using it for *SO* many things I never thought it would be good for. For example: The "Line In" allows you to capture sound from ANY audio/video or audio-only source. Big deal, right? Well I happen to subscribe to an Internet real estate service that hosts ALL of the author's lectures in streaming media format. Very inconvenient if you don't want to sit in front of the computer for 40+ hours to listen to all the tapes. Enter the PoGo. I unplugged my PC's speakers, plugged in the PoGo (it comes with a Line-In patch cord) into the back of my PC, pressed the "Record" button on the PoGo, clicked the audio file I wanted to capture, then walked away for 1/2 an hour. After downloading several hour's worth (since it is voice-only capture I picked a lower quality level, which uses less memory) I transferred the files from the PoGo to the PC as MP3 files, then burned the real estate lectures onto several audio CDs. Now I can listen any time - anywhere - to what originally forced me to sit in front of my computer for hours!

That's just one example of an innovative use for this product. There are literally dozens of useful applications - I think of a new one every few weeks!

2) Software for the PC is good, easy to use, and uploads/downloads are pretty darn fast using the provided USB cable.

Now for the things I don't like:

1) Battery life. Uses 2 standard Alkaline batteries. They last about 10 hours. I found the "Ultra" batteries go about 50% longer, but they cost more. There is no way to plug in an external power supply.

2) Documentation is poor. REALLY poor. There are actually CUT OUT pieces of paper with new print on them covering the old print in the manual!!!

3) Menu doesn't work well for deleting specific files. Since this base model doesn't identify songs/entries by title, you only get to reference entries by number. The numbers change (re-number again) as you delete entries. I've found the best way around this is to use the PC software that comes with the unit.

4) No back-lighting for the display. Hard to view in low-light conditions.

(Number 3 and Number 4 are addressed in the RipFlash Plus - spend the few extra bucks - it's worth it!)

5) Ear bud headphones sound great, but you gotta have BIG ear holes to have them fit comfortably. I can't go longer than 1/2 an hour before it hurts.

I'm very happy with my RipFlash over-all, but I'd recommend spending the few extra bucks to get one of the more expensive RipFlash models of this product line.