Customer Reviews

Samsung YP-700H 128 MB Digital Audio Player

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

In terms of size, looks and "slickness", this player takes the cake. It has a rare combination of features that are not found on any other smaller flash memory player. I use it to "discreetly" carry music to work and record meetings. Except for the earphones it is indiscernible to others. At present I only use the built in 128 MB of memory and have 50 songs stored in WMA format (64k) with room to spare for voice recording.

PROS:
* Great features: 128 MB built in memory, MP3 & WMA support, voice recording, FM tuner with presets, expandable memory slot (add an extra 128 MB of storage)
* Great size: very small and light, fits nicely in a shirt pocket.
* Ni-mh rechargeable battery: good for about 12 hours of music
* AAA Battery pack to use while charging the main battery (good for about 8 hours - hence the 20 hours promised by Samsung)
* Belt clip case is very small and slick, great as an inconspicuous player carrier
* Controls are handy (once you learn them). Can access song lists, equalizer and voice recording mode all with the touch of a button.
* Great Sound - Good volume; nice clean mid's and high's with strong dynamic bass(in DBB mode)
* Supports USB 2.0 (up to 480 mbps)

CONS:
* Does not include an AC adaptor (instead it provides the battery pack to use while charging the main battery)
* Supports WMA (windows media format) but does not allow a direct copy over from the media player (this is a problem more with WMP than the 700 - WMP support should be coming though).
* yepp audio software does not often recognize song info on existing music files, only reads them accurately when recorded from CD directly to yepp software (a hassle for internet audio files)
* When using the player in the carrying case with headphone, you cannot close the case, unless you plug the headphones into the remote and the remote into the player (weird oversight on Samsungs part)
* Included ear pods sound okay but are not very comfortable.
NOTE: The case closure and ear pod comfort problem can be addressed with a new set of "low profile" earphones - a standard "L" mini-jack will not work - I recommend Sony Fontopia model# MDR-EX70LP, they are small enough and sound amazing.

# This player is ideal for folks who:
- Want a small discrete player
- Want voice recording capability
- Use WMA format
- Want FM tuner
- Want a rechargeable Lithium-ion battery

# This player is not so good for folks who:
- Want to take a large audio collection with them
- Like MP3 format (at 128k) and don't want to change or tweak (compress) their files.
- Want data storage in addition to music
- Want seamless integration between music sharing activities (i.e. bearshare, limewire) and their player.

Summary:
This is slick portable WMA device with a radio and voice recording capability.
* Hardcore MP3 audiophiles who want a small player with mega storage will probably want to look at the I-pod player and Xplay as a better solution.

THE GOOD:
--MP3 player with expandable memory, voice recorder, AND FM tuner - rare to find all three features on one device.
--Very sleek, compact design (less than three ounces)
--Remote control device makes it easy to use and travel without needing to hold the player in hand.
--The software is great, I don't know what other people are complaining about. Very user friendly.

THE BAD:
--The memory (128 MB/expandable) is smaller than that of hard drive players - only allows you to hold about 65 songs (but also much more light and compact, so decide what your priorities are).
--The remote control does not have all the capabilities of the actual player, and the buttons are all over the place (an occasional nuisance, but a marginal problem at worst).
--The FM tuner signal is a bit weak.
--The user's manual is most useful as a coaster on which to set your drink.

THE UGLY:
--The "2xMP3" feature simply allows you to resize MP3's based on their kbps speed...so it doesn't actually allow you to store twice as many MP3's at 128 kbps (CD quality)...it simply allows you to resize them to 64 kbps.
--Be careful not to purchase the model from Best Buy - the Best Buy version DOES NOT INCLUDE THE FM TUNER, but costs the same amount!

Overall this is a GREAT device, minor complaints here and there, but I'm very satisfied with the purchase.

I have always wanted a small portable music player. After thorough comparisons of features, size, and reviews between different brands and models, I finally decided to buy this one. I actually bought it with the intention of returning it because of some of the negative reviews, but it turns out that it is a very good player after all with only few drawbacks.

First, let me talk about the goods.

1. It's small, light, easy to carry.

2. It has enought memory. You can record 2 hrs of MP3 music, or if you convert to WMA, it doubles the capacity or more depends on the compression of the WMA files. Right now, I have 75 songs in WMA format, and still have space for at least 20 more songs. Plus, it has a expandable slot.

3. Songs are transferred fast. It takes only a few seconds to download one song to the player. I didn't even try the "2X" method yet.

4. It has FM tuner w/ 5 presets, which is very convenient. One thing to keep in mind is that you have to use the remote to listen to FM.

Now the flaws.

1. The control bottons on the player are small and hard to press. (But the ones on the remote are placed well and much easier to use.)

2. The software is ok. Since I read so many reviews complaining about it, I only add files maually instead of letting it search my hard drive. But still, it doesn't recognize some of the song names, and you need to change them if you care, especially for the ones you copied from your CDs. It would read titles as "track 01". Otherwise, the software is fine.

3. The remote display doesn't show song titles. It only shows track # and time.

4. If you don't use the remote, there's no FM.

5. The AC charger can't plug to the player directly. You have to take the battery out of the player to charge. So, in the cases that you first start to use the player or low battery, you have to use AAA battery while the NiMH is charging.

Overall, this is a great player. Easy to use, nice to look at. It's not perfect, but good enough to enjoy it.

I bought this player just last week and I can't say enough good things about it. Downloading songs is so easy and fast. The LCD display is very nice. Scrolling text, adjustable fonts. Is the download speed fast you ask? A 4 MB song took me about 5 seconds or less. I heard that Sony players have to convert MP3's to their format and then download them to the player and that this process takes quite some time. The sound quality of the YP-700 is great. Did I mention that their 2XMP3 technology allows compressing an MP3 even more. This is a great memory saving feature, but don't let the 2X fool you. It doesn't mean that you can fit twice as many songs onto the onboard 128 MB memory or smartmedia card that you can later add, but still it's a great feature. I think I was able to get a 4 MB song down to about 3.4 MB. That's a 15% memory saving. I haven't had a chance or reason yet to use the external battery pack yet. The player is advertised as being capable of 20 hours of play. The internal rechargeable battery is good for 8 of those 20 hours and the external battery pack, which takes a AAA battery, is good for 12 hours, at least that's what I got from the owner's manual. Don't make the mistake of buying a different player just because you want to save 50 bucks or so. The extra money you will pay for this is well worth it. Hope this helps. Enjoy.

I bought this Samsung player for my girlfriend for her to use when she goes running. Myself, I own a Sony Minidisc player, which I like, but I've never played around with an MP3 player before. I was a little nervous about taking this plunge without firsthand experience, especially since this was a gift. After reading up extensively on the subject, this Samsung player seemed like the best buy.

The main advantages to this player were: 1) the FM radio - a big plus for, say, running. 2) the 128MB available memory. 3) the ability to expand memory further by buying the easily-available Smart Media card. 4) obviously, as an MP3 player, there are no moving parts and therefore no skipping.

The player was a big success as a gift. Its light and easy to grip, and an absolutely adorable little piece of electronics. The battery holds a charge for what seems like forever. The radio tuner has a number of programmable preset stations. The accompanying Yepp computer software was a hit also. Sound files transferred to the player preposterously quickly. I have a number of media managers on my computer (Real Player, Windows Media, Quicktime, Winamp, Musicmatch, etc.), and they are constantly at war for control of my MP3s. Upgrading one will without fail screw up all the others. And if two are open at the same time (I know, it sounds stupid, but there are times when its needed) disaster strikes! The Yepp software is completely unobtrusive, plays well with others (if you will), and works more smoothly with my computer than any other media manager I've used. It isn't necessarily the most user-friendly, but its not bad either.

All in all, its worked out great. I would highly recommend this as music device for sports and exercise use. The biggest limitation of this player is the fact that it doesn't allow you to carry 40 hours of music with you (this is why I use a Minidisc player for myself, as I can fill up 3 or 4 discs and carry them along with the player without noticing the weight in my bag), so if you're looking for a portable music library, this isn't the way to go.

This is a great little MP3 player about the size of a tape. The screen on both the remote and the unit itself is very good and has an eye catching blue backlight. The RioPort software that comes with it for transfer is difficult to use, however the bundled Explorer like application makes up for the RioPort's shortcomings. The headphones that come with the player are relatively good if you like earbuds. The major issue with this player are that it uses a custom Ni-Mh rechargable battery. This is not an issue by itself as the player comes with an adapter to use a regular AAA battery, however this adapter is very poorly designed and is only held on to the player by an AC adapter like plug and is very easy to pull out unless you use the enclosed case. The case is very poorly designed as it forces you to use the remote which has a low profile plug on it, otherwise the cover on the case will not close properly as it has no holes in it for a proper headphone plug as well as making the whole player and AAA adapter too big. Other those two shortcomings this is a pretty good MP3 player for the money.

This is a great MP3 player. It has great funtionability and an easy to read screen. It comes with 128mb on board, which is just huge and has the option to expand that memory with smartmedia. The compression option seems to work well and vastly improves the amount of music you can put on the player. I don't think the rechargeable battery quite reaches the advertised 20 hours of use and neither does a duracell ulta AAA reach the 12 hour mark. The voice recording function is neat, but I don't use it. I don't use the FM tuner much either. Download speeds are acceptable with USB 1.0 and beign compatible with USB 2.0 download speeds should be exceptional.

All in all this is a great player and it is well worth it's price. I also have an MP3 player by DGN and I payed a little more for it. Right now, I don't know which one to keep.

This is a great MP3 player... I've been looking for a long time and found a great one.

Love the 128MB flash memory - I also bought a 128MB smart media card and have MORE than enough memory for my music.

Two major flaws: the CD ripper software [stinks]. It locked up my Windows 2000 machine TWICE attempting to connect to the device. I've decided to use MusicMatch to rip my CD's, and use the much more user-friendly Yepp Explorer software to actually download.

Also, the physical design of the case isn't so great. In order to use the carrying case, you must use the remote control device, so you end up having to clip the carrying case AND the remote control device onto your shorts if you're working out... not very convenient. If you try to plug the headphones directly into the MP3 player, the flap on the carrying case won't close. I ended up buying a different set of headphones, which allows me to plug directly into the mp3 player w/o using the remote control.

Overall a GREAT player. Definitely recommend it...

Aside from all the other great reviews about this player which are true for most part here are the things not mentioned:

+ it comes with two programs, one of whihc in my opinion is not good cause it names the audio file on player weird and is only good if u dont have a good mp3 file manager program on ur pc, the other program yepp explorer is awesome...
it allows you to use any font on your computer to name the mp3 file! thats a cool feature, if you are confused, what i mean is, when you transfer the mp3 onto the player, u can choose what font the name and artist will be scrolled in

+ yepp explorer is also very easy to use, it allows u to drag and drop from windows, it works great with XP, it is easy to rearrange files already on mp3 player, no problems with that...

+ another great feature is that a startup logo for the player can be changed and customized! with some diffucutly i found this program on the samsung site, you can use any graphic(color will be converted to b&w) and you can even animate it and make it scroll and stuff (trust me its very cool).

+ Voice Recorder: functions pretty good. Although I never use the voice recorder, anyone who is looking for one intergrated into an MP3 player, this is a good one... Also you can transfer the voice recording onto your computer as .wav files

+ Comes with external battery adapter (AAA). Comes in handy. I keep it in my bookbag so when I unexpectdly run out of regural battery, just connect this...

Now for the negative:

- Remote is heavier then player! its very uncomfortable cause it hangs on your ear (if you are using the supplied headphones) the remote does not show the track name it only shows track number. You need the remote to listen to the radio so on Samsungs part the remote/head phone situation is a great failure.

- The carry pouch/belt clip thing is very stupid since you would hav to use remote with it(unless you wanna take out the mp3 player every time), its a stupid belt clip but it would make a good holder (for example if u put the mp3 player in ur bag to keep, not to get it scratched up...)

- Although not a huge problem, the random mode is not good at all, you have to listen to the song in order for it to go the next track randomly, you can't just press next...

To sum it up, the player is great. It does have negative features but they are non significant (except the remote). I dont use the remote anyways. Remotes just get in the way, this player is so small that you can just take it out of your pocket easily unlike a MD player or CD player which are bigger so it would be a bigger struggle....
I love it I suggest anyone looking for an MP3 player to buy this one... Compact, Sounds Great, Good Memory, Good Battery

It took a while, but I now love my Yepp. I use better headphones than the ones supplied and I don't use the remote control at all. I find that mp3's play louder without the remote in. So that solved a problem for me. The controls on the main unit are just as good, once you remember them. I like how the play/stop button toggles up and down to go up or down a track.

I also like the FM tuner. I don't know why more mp3's don't come with that.

I recommend considering this player. Just keep in mind that you may want to use different headphones and you may want to use it without the remote.