Samsung YP-E32 Yepp MP3 Player

by Samsung

Product Details

Product Manual [2.57mb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00003G1QT
• Item model number: YP-E32
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #303,309 in Electronics (See Top 100 in Electronics)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

With 32 MB of flash memory, a SmartMedia expansion slot, voice recording capabilities, space to hold up to 300 phone numbers, and an easy-to-read LCD screen, you may be wondering how you ever lived without the Samsung YP-E32 Yepp. This ultracompact, lightweight MP3 player is your ticket to ride the Internet music wave and is available at a comparatively low price.

In a world of translucent, multicolored and oddly shaped MP3 players, Samsung chose the pared-down look and designed the Yepp in a simple, yet stylish aluminum case with nicely placed buttons. The multiline LCD screen is one of the clearest we've seen--when it's playing back an MP3, it shows the song title, artist, total song length, and the amount of time elapsed. The LCD display also includes icons that show the remaining battery life and current mode.

Installing the Yepp's is a bit more difficult than you might expect. You must first install the software; then you attach the cable to your PC's parallel port. However, you need to make sure your parallel port is configured to ECP mode, otherwise the software won't even install. The user's guide isn't entirely clear on how to select ECP mode within your BIOS settings, so be sure to have your computer manual at your side during the process.

Once we got the Yepp up and running, it was remarkably easy to download music to the player using the Yepp's intuitive drag-and-drop interface. Ninety percent of the MP3 battle is taking the time to convert your CDs to MP3 format or download them from the Internet. However, if you already have a respectable library of MP3 music, you'll be using the Yepp in no time. If you don't, though, the Yepp ships with RealJukebox, a music management software program, and some starter MP3 files (though you can use any MP3-playing software you like).

As for sound quality, it's certainly not the cleanest audio you'll hear, but given the format and technology, it still sounds pretty impressive. We suggest tossing the uncomfortable, earbud-style headphones that come with the Yepp and upgrading to some better quality headphones--you'll notice an improvement immediately.

What else can the Yepp do? On top of being a portable audio device, the Yepp also functions as a telephone directory, holding up to 300 contacts. Don't worry, though, these files won't infringe on your memory, as they take up only a few kilobytes of space. You can also use the Yepp to store up to two hours of voice recording and then transfer the files to your computer.

With all that power in one tiny and cool package, the Yepp is sure to please. And even if you're not a computer whiz, chances are it'll only take you a few minutes to figure out the Yepp's technical workings.

Pros:

• Nicely designed and lightweight
• Easy-to-use interface
• Also stores voice audio and phone numbers
• Upgradable with SmartMedia cards

Cons:

• Skimpy user's guide
• Uncomfortable headphones

Amazon.com Product Description

Samsung's Yepp MP3 player is a shockproof portable MP3 player that can deliver uninterrupted, digital quality sound--even when the listener is on the go--because it has no moving parts. Its 3-D audio setting and seven-mode equalizer further enhance your listening experience. You can download MP3 files from the Internet or other online services, then create a personal play list to take with you. This MP3 player also functions as a portable recorder, storing up to two hours of voice recording at a time.

Samsung's Yepp's three-line LCD panel allows easy navigation through your customized play list by showing the song, the artist, and the track number. The Yepp MP3 player can also be used as a telephone directory, storing up to 350 names and numbers. With 32 MB of built-in flash memory and the ability to expand the memory with SmartMedia cards, you can store enough music for your listening pleasure.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A nifty mp3 player., April 7, 2000

By 

AwayFromHome (Toronto, ON) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Samsung YP-E32 Yepp MP3 Player (Electronics)

The YEPP is a good MP3 player (I have the 64MB version). I couldn't get it working on my Windows NT notebook, but on my Win 98SE machine the install was a breeze. The magnesium case is nice, and the voice recording feature is quite handy. Sound quality is good, but not great. The player can play at a decent volume.

Some things to consider before purchasing (I'm comparing this to a friend's RIO 500):

-the headphones that come with the YEPP are absolutely terrible. Then again, the RIO's headphones bite as well.

-the parallel port transfer isn't very fast (~140 kb/s .. about 7 minutes for the entire 64 MB). Compare that to a USB RIO which takes about 2 minutes to transfer 64 MB.

-the 3 line LCD screen is not backlighted and in MP3 mode one line is wasted by displaying the EQ setting (I'd rather see the line used for information about the MP3). The RIO's screen is much nicer. Granted, I don't look at the screen that much.

-the YEPP uses 2 AAA batteries, versus the RIO's single AA battery. If you plan to use Alkalines, the RIO will end up costing you alot less (2 AAA batteries aren't cheap .. especially with a battery life of ~6 hours).

If you can live with the drawbacks, this is a very good MP3 player. It can do voice recording, and is quite a bit cheaper than the RIO. Skip the 32MB version and head right for 64MB.

Did I mention that MP3s and these MP3 players are awesome?

51 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Samsung Yepp E-series, February 9, 2000

By 

Pete Owen (Chelmsford, England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Samsung YP-E32 Yepp MP3 Player (Electronics)

I first heard about MP3 players a while ago, and thought they seemed like a fairly cool idea but wouldn't have considered buying one (impoverished student, the usual... :), although I have about a hundred MP3 files of varying quality on my HD. However, I won a Yepp in a competition about a week ago and I am hugely impressed! I can't be too objective as I hadn't surveyed the market beforehand, but I am very pleased with the Samsung. The gadget itself is tiny, sparkly and pleasantly understated, and the sound from it is brilliant: very low background noise, accurate reproduction of the file's quality (it plays files with a variety of conversion rates) and 7 different preset EQs (of which, to be honest, I have only used "normal" and "rock", although it has 3-D sound capabilities). My biggest complaint would be with the earphones that came with it, which were pants, but once these had been replaced with a pair of my own I could better appreciate the player. It is very small, very shockproof and sounds great, as well as having a large amount of that mystical "gadget value" - I'd definitely recommend it.

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars AWESOME...but there were problems with my unit..., April 19, 2000

By 

Ahmad Abdul-Rahman (New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Samsung YP-E32 Yepp MP3 Player (Electronics)

I bought the 64MB version of the Samsung Yepp. Why did I choose Samsung over the others? Well, I crossed the RIO 500 off my list early on because it lacks the voice recording capabilities of virtually every other mp3 player in the market. Sure, not essential, and USB connectivity might be more useful than a voice recorder, but hey, the Yepp is supposed to have a USB cable in the pipeline.

So why the Yepp and not the Nomad or RaveMP? Well, the Nomad has a FM tuner, but it's not upgradeable - important since 32MBFlash cards are probably going to be dirt cheap in a year or two. And the RaveMP has an ugly design in my humble opinion.

So what did I think of the YEPP when I got it? It's a great wee player. Loud enough for even the soft music I listen to, VERY compact unit with a good belt clip (Which the RIO and the Nomad lack). Battery life was less than expected, it's more like 6-8 hours. Button interface is very logical and easy to use, I like the erase on the fly button, allowing you to free up memory for voice recording while "on the road". Sound quality was excellent, and as expected. However, the headphones really suck, hardly a revelation.

If I liked the player so much, why did I just give it 4 stars? Well, my player SKIPPED like crazy - sometimes several times during a track. I'm quite sure it is a flash memory problem because it skips in the same places each time you play it, and in the same way. I've just sent my unit back for replacement, and hope the flash memory problem is not a common one. I've looked around for reviews from people with the same problem without much luck, so I felt compelled to warn everyone to check that their unit doesn't skip - Samsung emailed me to say that the problem I described pointed to a defective unit.

In the end, I can't be too harsh, because I quickly fell in love with my YEPP, and would highly recommend it above others on the market. The Rio is good if out of the box USB is vital to you, but you should seriously consider the YEPP for it's additional features over the Rio. Just be careful with flash memory problems.