Customer Reviews

Samsung YP-T9JAB 4 GB Digital Multimedia Player (Black)

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I wanted flash memory and video, plus FM + recording so unfortunately that shut iPod out at the first pass and left me deciding between this, SanDisk Sansa, or Creative Zen V Plus. The Sansa is the cheapest and has an expandable SD card slot but I didn't like the interface, buttons, slow search, or known freeze-up issues, the Zen V Plus also has freeze issues and a smaller screen but it has line-in and better file management; I like the look of the T9 better than either and think it sounds best.

Pros
Looks best
Excellent sound quality
Records at highest encoding, 192kbps from FM
Easy navigation and logical interface
Sleek size fits nicely in your hand
Fast, progressive scan
One piece front = less dust buildup
Good battery life
Reads text
Video (mostly) works fine and has no time limit
Occasional freeze-ups but not as frequent as the others and so far easily unlocked by pressing menu + record

Cons
Actual storage capacity on my unit is 3.7gb, not 4gb = 300mb of marketing vapor
Video issues, some files don't work and approximately 20% of users cannot add videos at all
Firmware is unstable, most recent release was pulled back off
Slow, s-l-o-w transfer with current firmware
Games are lame and only available through new firmware releases
Sorting issues, precarious, error prone file management
Playlist issues, duplicates made
Standard earbuds sound ok but are uncomfortable
Scratches easily like most players
No marking feature for podcasts & audiobooks
No SD card slot
No line-in recording
Built-in battery, can not sync w/o charging it
AC adapter, accessories are few and expensive, >twice that of Sansa & Zen Plus accessories

At the end of the day I'm a little disappointed but every mp3 player has its own set of issues, you just have to choose your poison, so I'm trying to help you make a more informed decision; personally I still like the way it looks and sounds and to some extent that's all that matters.

So far, this is a fantastic player. Very tiny, very pocketable. It's got a great design, looks quite sleek and stylish.

On the features side, it's full of them. One thing that has put me off from buying an iPod is the fact that they're so sparse on features. Having a built-in voice recorder on this Samsung player is great. You can change the bitrate on voice recordings all the way up to 128Kbps. You've also got an FM radio and FM recording feature on the player. Again, something Apple iPods can't do "out-of-the-box".

Video is actually very watchable on this device. While you wouldn't watch a full-length movie, you can definitely watch an episode of the Simpsons, or better yet, short videos downloaded from the internet. You have to convert the videos using Samsung's Media Studio, but the conversion is quite fast, and it can convert most any video format. I converted an episode of Lost that was in Xvid format, and it had no problems.

Overall, the player is very impressive. Sound quality is excellent. If I had to find anything negative about the player, I'd say it's prone to fingerprints. But again, that's because it's smooth and shiny, so it's not really that big of a deal.

I'm giving it 4 stars out of 5 because I feel that Samsung should have included some kind of slip case or protective sleeve to keep this player nice.

If you're thinking about a Flash based MP3 player, I think you should seriously consider this player!

I recently owned the Cowon U3, The Sony NW-E507, and had an Ipod Nano.
I LOVED the sound on the Cowon but its tiny screen finally got to me, I couldn't read a thing, SO small. I figured as long as I was MP3 Flash player shopping I'd try the Creative Zen V Plus 4 gig player. It was OK, but felt VERY cheap...and the interface was annoying as the controls were NOT comfortable. The Creative barely got loud...and its screen in ANY light, looked rather dim and listless. Out of desperation I picked up the Samsung T9 4gig player expecting to probably not really like it.
WOW...it was like love at first site. The screen is beautiful and VERY easy to see the text. The GUI is awesome very tactile and super comfortable and EASY to navigate. It has a 9 band EQ which really works, and does not add distortion like Ipod eq's do. The Samsung plays super loud without distorting 4 those who like that sort of thing. It's a GREAT player...tons of features, Very comfortable to use and hold...and sounds GREAT. The FM is pretty good, about average as far as these players go. I just love this player...it has that kind of, WOW factor...
Feels very well made, and Samsung's software installed without a hitch TOTALLY opposite of the nightmare I had with Creative's product. If you try this player I think you'll be surprised just how good it is. Just great overall!
Highly recommended!

Initial Impressions

I've considered Sandisk 270e, Creative Labs Zen V and owned a IPOD Nano 4 gig (before I gave it to my sister). I was going to get the Sandisk 270 e (6gig) for around $[...] until I bumped into this beauty that just came out. I got it online for $[...] shipped, although it's 4 gig compared to 6 gig Sandisk 270e, I still feel it is worth it and also a better deal than the Nano 4 gig I had, even now Nano 4Gs are a little pricier.. T9 looks a bit sexier than Nano, tho some may argue that Nano has a more symmetric elegant look, I think they are both very well-designed. But T9 wins hands down when it comes to size and build. T9 is 0.2 inch shorter than Nano, but .2 inch thicker with almost same width. T9 has a larger screen 1.8" vs 1.5" but more important, T9 feels really solid in my hands while Nano has that "easily scratched" feel.

Impressions after 3 days

Hm, I don't know what the fuss was about trasfering files from T9 considering Nano (using iTune) wouldn't even let you copy off the IPOD without major headaches (I remember I had to download alot of 3rd party programs until I was able to copy songs off Nano, but the biggest headache was converting all the hexadecimal names back to their orignal mp3 names). With the T9, at least you can easily copy off from it in Explorer right off the bat. And it only took about 3 seconds for Windows to recognize and list the files and just as long to copy one song (Well I do have Core 2 Duo laptop). I had no problem using the Samsung software, I tried Windows Media 11 for awhile but quickly switched back. Granted, I haven't reorganized my songs in order, but I'm sure given everything else, it shouldn't be a problem. As far as navigation within the T9, so far it is very intuitive compared to Nano (I know I only compare to Nano because it's the only one I've owned recently that is comparable and don't get me started on the Rio RAVE mp3 crap player that I bought for $[...], thinking it is a steal, now that's a piece of @#!$! It broke within 3 months and I kid you not, the screen now has a frozen virus sign with a sad face whenever I boot it up. The software/navigation on that junk sucked!!!)

Sound quality:

I think this is the most important part of having a mp3 player. I use to think there is little difference, I mean they are all recorded at same bitrate, right? NOT. While I'm no audio-expert, I hear no hiss and the sound quality to me is excellent compared to others I've had in the past. There is a 3D sound setting that is pretty neat and a whole preset of built ins. The volume goes pretty far, up to 36 notches.

Bonuses

This is what sets it apart from Nano. It can play videos, play games (2 included), record lectures, FM station, store pictures, text files and lasts 30 hours on a charge (haven't really tested this but I'm sure it's better than 24 hrs the new Ipod Nano is claiming).

Hm, played some videos on it, and it is crystal hear, colors are nice and very fast.

Possible negatives:

Unlike Sandisk 270e, T9 batteries aren't exchangeable and you can't add additional memories. That was the selling point for Sandisks, but seriously, I think by the time the battery dies, it's about time to get a new player. Or hopefully you can find a replacement battery on e-bay. Extra memory would be NICE, 4 gig is ok for me. Hey you can't have it all (SanDisk is bigger in size and doesn't look as cool to me as T9, that's the bottom line).

I got the 4gb version of this mp3 player a few days ago and I've been tinkering alot with it. Compared to the iPod Nano, it has several features that make it stand out, such as battery life (30hrs, it has a lithium POLYMER battery, they're new, last longer, and pack more charge than lithium ion batteries), screen (beautiful 1.8" screen, can be very bright if you set it), and interface (very good looking flash interface with nice themes). In addition, while the yp-t9 isn't as thin as the nano, it's a little shorter and wider, which in my opinion fits into my hand much better.

Audio quality on the YP-T9 is excellent. I just moved from a Cowon player and I have to admit that it doesn't reach that level yet, but this player can get very loud if you want it to and has very good audio quality for its size.

So basically it's pretty close to perfect... but I do have a few gripes with it. First of all, I can only charge the player through the USB cable (no AC charger included). While I'm ok with that, the problem is that whenever I add songs to this player, the player automatically starts charging, whether it's low on battery or has 80% battery. As far as I know, charging a battery when it's 80% full is BAD for it, so I'm trying to add songs only when the battery is low and I need to charge it.

Secondly, the interface, while very slick and colorful, is a little slow at times. When I try and view "all tracks" from a certain artist or for a certain genre, I sometimes have to wait 10+ seconds for it to list all the tracks. Definitely frustrating. The player takes about 10 seconds to start up, but I don't really mind that.

Finally, browsing through songs isn't as easy as the iPod nano or some creative mp3 players with the touch-sensitive keys. When you hold the down button to scroll through songs, instead of scrolling quickly, it skips maybe 10-20 songs at a time. It makes it harder to find a certain song or album that you want.

However, all in all this is a great player, I'm definitely keeping this. I would have preferred an 8gb version, but I can wait for that. I would have given this player 4.5 stars but there's no such option, and I only give five stars to a product if it's practically perfect. However, I really do think this is the best flash-based MP3 player out there.

This is an excellent mp3 player in this class. My daughter has a nano and my wife has this device, my daughter likes this one better.

Pros: FM tuner works great, great display, video play back, equalizer settings, smaller than nano, voice recording is great, desktop software is straightforward.

Cons: device had to be reformatted after second connection to desktop as it was not recognized anymore(samsung indicated to me that this is a well known problem that they are working on. The reformatting solved the problem, but wasted an hour of my time, as I had to reload all the content. The device and computer connection has worked flawlessly ever since.) Slightly slower operating system than ipod, although elegant.

The Samsung T9 4GB was the first MP3 player I have ever purchased. After reading many reviews on many products, I finally settled for the Samsung T9. I AM TOTALLY DELIGHTED WITH MY PURCHASE! The sound is SPECTACULAR!
The T9 design is SLEEK and ELEGANT and smaller than my small cell phone. For the "technologically challenged" it's been pretty simple to operate. I downloaded the manual from Samsung's website...no problems!
Transferring songs was a breeze (from Rhapsody To Go). I love the RECORD function and look forward to having fun with the FM radio, video and photo functions. I have learned quickly that 4GB is not enough space if you want to include lots of music AS WELL AS your favorite photos and videos. I'm new to this MP3 scene and I am already researching for a MP3 player with at least 16GB!!

As others reported, the earphones are not the most comfortable but the sound is absolutely wonderful!! I purchased these accessories which have really come in handy and which I reccommend:
SonyCPA-9C MiniDisc and Discman Cassette
Adapter for use in the car, Samsung K5/T Power Pack
and the Kensington 33388 FX Speakers To Go.

In summary, the T9 IS A GREAT PRODUCT...especially for beginners to "get their MP3 feet wet"! The cost is low and the sound is great. The accessories (not included) make your listening pleasure more enjoyable and provide greater portability. My only wish is that Samsung would have at least an 8 or 16GB MP3 player. As a music lover, you fast learn that 4 GB just does not provide enough space to hold all of your "favorites"!

I've had the Samsung YP-T9 for a couple months, and in terms of sound quality and usability of the device, I have not been disappointed. What is extremely disappointing, however, is that Samsung did not make the effort to include first class software with their first class player. I am a software developer, and it pains me when I see a hardware device severely weakened by mediocre software. And, be assured, Samsung Media Studio (SMS) is mediocre, particularly when it comes to playlists.

First of all, how about calling a playlist a playlist? Samsung calls them "Albums" in the software and "playlists" on the player. How goofy is that? Secondly, when you connect the YP-T9 to your computer, you don't see the playlists at all in the view of the player you get in SMS. Thirdly, if you thought a "playlist" was a list of songs that play in the order you specify, you were mistaken. When you transfer an "album" from SMS to the player, you can simply forget about the order of the songs in the playlist on the player resembling the order that you set them up in in SMS. Fourthly, I saw a message somewhere in the software suggesting that if you update an "album" in the software, the next time you connect the device, it would sync the album/playlist automatically. I have never seen that happen.

You can sort of use Windows Media Player to transfer songs to the YP-T9, but that seems to be a song at a time. I did not see a way to take a WMP playlist and transfer it to the device and have it show up as a playlist on the device.

Come on, Samsung. Let's have some software that is worthy of your player.

After owning a iPod mini for three years, I felt like I needed a new player. I could go with the new, sleek nano- click wheel, clean interface, iTunes support... Not much else that was cool. I had heard about the T9, and went to check it out. It was clear that Samsung was determined to make a great player that could be a full competitor to the nano. With the smaller size, bigger and better screen, video, fm radio and recording, a mic, and even flash games, it looked great.
After purchasing it, I was immediately pleased. The interface was smooth, and transferring songs was very easy with the packaged software. It may not be all it could, but it gets the job done fairly fast. Of course, I loaded it up with songs from my mini. No surprise, playing music was easy, organized and nice sounding. The player has several different sound EQs, as well as their own "3D sound" technology. It also has a play speed feature, which is convenient for audiobooks. I also find it quite amusing with normal songs.

The picture viewing is nicely done, too. It shows one picture large on the left, and three smaller on the right in a bar. Selecting one maximizes it to the full screen, and from there you can zoom in, select it for your theme background, or go to the next one in your collection. I've found that pictures look surprisingly good on it's screen.

Video, a feature missing from the nano, works quite well here. Samsung Media Studio, (The packaged software) supports MP4 and AVI video, and then converts it into it's own SVI format to conserve space. Again, the screen makes video great. I don't mind the small size at all, personally.

The radio is another good feature, with shortcuts for favorite stations. It has generally good reception. You can view text files as well. Flash games are surprisingly detailed, and more are added as firmware is updated. The FM recording is awesome. You can choose from either 96, 128, 160 and 192kbps. Voice recording also works well, with similar bitrate options available. There's also a file browser, which is great for deleting files directly off of the player.
Overall, this player is full of features, but all of them are done really well. If you're looking for a player that is known for it's convenient interface, ingenious navigation, and it's great software and music store, but not much else, go and buy and iPod. Please. But if you want a truly unique, high-quality, feature full player that's sure to but a smile on your face, go with the T9. You won't be dissapointed.

I bought this about 8 months ago and I've loved it- it does everything the ipod does and more, for less money. I always used Yahoo to download music and i never had any problems, until about two weeks ago. Everytime I plug it in to the computer, it freezes up. Now I can't download any music to it... very frustrating! I've tried looking online for help but nothing has worked, next step will be to call customer service.
It's really nice that it has radio built in, that it records voice and radio, and that it plays video. I have no complaints while it was working- If I was to do it again I'd try a different brand- after reading these reviews I'm not so sure about Samsung's reliability. Personally, I still wouldn't get an Ipod- I think they are a rip off, and it's ridiculous they only use Itunes.