Customer Reviews

Sensory Science RaveMP 2100 MP3 Player

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(15)

 

 

I was thinking of buying an mp3 player such as the Rave mp but in my quest to find the best mp3 player I stumbled on minidiscs. I'v been 3 weeks now...weighing the pros and cons of minidiscs and mp3 players and here they are: pros mp3 cons minidisc: 1) Initially slightly cheaper 2) can copy mp3's directly with bundled software 3) Latest fashion 4) will not 'jump' ever.

Pros minidisc con mp3 players: 1) Minidisc discs are only $2 and can hold 74 mins (double that of a flash card and flash cards are a wopping $60!) 2) Minidisc discs are also re-recordable ( 100,000 times!) 3)As with the mp3 player you can plug your minidisc in to your computer and (once you know how) can record your mp3s to your minidisc. 4)The minidiscs can record/play better quality music than mp3 players.

If we carry out a side by side cost comparison of the sharp ms-md722 portable minidisc recorder and and the rave mp player: INITIAL COST:

Sharp ms-md722 : $249 + 1 minidisc@ $2 = $251

Rave mp : $229

At this point the sharp md-ms 722 has a capacity of 74 mins of CD quality sound while the Rave mp3 has a capacity of (1 min = 1 meg) 64 minutes of nere CD quality sound.

I am sure that you would want to listen to more than one CD's worth of songs when You're out with Your mp3 player so you would want to buy Flash cards for your mp3 player (each usually holds 32 megs therefore 32 mins of nere cd quality music). EVENTUAL COST:

Mp3 player: Player($229)(64megs)+Flashcard($60)(32megs)+Flashacard($60)(32megs)=

Total time : 128 min (128megs@1min/meg)

Total cost : $349

Minidisc : Player($249) + disc($2)(74mins) + disc ($2)(74mins)=

total time = 148

total cost = $253

Therefore it seems that with a minidisc you get the best of both worlds: better quality music and a cheaper price. But if it's smaller size and not so good quality sound you want... and you have enough money... then mp3 player is what you want.

Please note that the prices given are relative values and might change every now and then.

Just got one of these after much research and comparison, and reading the reviews here helped very much. I use this for sound recording and data file transfers just as much as mp3 playing. I would like to note that even though the ravemp.com faq and the product manual state that it can only record in mono, in "high quality" mode it actually does record in STEREO from the line-in, and at very decent quality, too! Needless to say I was very pleased to discover this surprise. The line-in and -out are great features, too. Very portable; very low power consumption (1 aa battery = 6-8 hrs!); nice mike built-in; great deal for the 64mb included (don't forget to get the rebate form from their site). One more note: I am very happy i did not spend extra money for a different player with USB, as file transfers with this parralel port model are fine, seem to be faster than my parralel port zip drive and never require a wait of over 5 minutes. Also, despite what their documentation says I was able to get this working with a parralel port splitter! I have had no problems connecting this to a few different computers. So far I am a very satisfied!

I just got my RaveMP 2100, and I love it. I have heard a few other MP players and this one sounds as good if not better. The transfer time is also excellent. I think it's the faster parallel transfer I have ever seen. Takes only like 10-20 secs a song on my computer. I also love the other features like the built in mic that is very sesitive, great for recording meetings etc.. and the ability to store memos, contacts and phone numbers. Not to mention that is serves as a mini-harddrive and you can load any type of data on it to take to a friends house. I haven't seen any other MP3 player that can do all this. I would have gave it five stars, but the only drawbacks to this player is that it uses propritary mememory upgrade and currently can go only to 96 megs. That no a big deal since the player comes with 64 megs that seems like plenty for now. I would also like the volume to go a tad higher. It goes to 20, and it sounds pretty loud, but I use mine at 15, so that only allow 5 more before I max out, and as I age, my hearing might go as well. This again isnt a really big problem since you can just record your MP3 file at a higher volumn and sampling rate. If you in the market for a MP3 player, take a good look at this great player! note: You can put MP3's into this unit but you can upload mp3s back to a computer due to copyright restrictions. But another way around this is if you want to take mp3s to a friends house, just zip them up or rename them with a different extension and load them on the player as a regular file, and that way you can upload the mp3's to your friends computer. Pretty sweet huh?

I did more than 30 hours of research before I made the decisionto buy the RaveMP 2100 and I don't regret my choice for aninstant.

I wanted a great MP3 player with some other features. The data transfer capability of the Rave appealed to me so it made my short list very quickly. I read reviews about more than 15 other digital music players and my short list had 4. All four had fairly positive to very positive reviews by both writers and users. My short list was the RCA Lyra, Sony Vaio Music Clip, Diamond Rio PMP500, and the Sensory Science RaveMP. You notice above that I wrote digital music players instead of MP3! This is where everything gets tricky. What RCA and Sony don't tell you is that their players don't play native MP3. The Sony uses its own ATRAC3 format and RCA uses a proprietary format as well. That can be a real GOTCHA if you don't want to mess with converting MP3 to their format. The Diamond has a good rep and a backlit screen, USB, and uses standard SmartMedia memory cards but the Rave comes with nicer earbuds (Sennheiser MX4) and has phone list, voice recording, memo capability and the data storage capability (like carrying a music box and a ZIP disk in one).

The Rave is excellent! It has great sound and nice little touches like a battery compartment locking mechanism (no runaway battery lids), a hold switch on the side (no accidental button activations)and a very informative display layout. I also sprang for the extra 32MB expansion and I'm glad I did. I found the RaveMP Manager software to be very nice and easy to navigate, add, delete, organize phone list, etc. . . . I've read the reviews criticizing the sound and I wonder whether many of these people didn't have the right settings when they ripped their CD tracks or downloaded a track that wasn't clear. I haven't had any problems and crystal clarity with the right settings. Also, some people complained about the small, close buttons. They are rather small and close. However, I have pretty fat fingers and no problems here. But if your real picky or a little clumsy maybe you ought to think twice about the Rave. Also, I find the volume very adequate. I have walked down a busy city street with the volume set to 13 (max is 19) and had no difficulties hearing my music. In my opinion, the Rave has only one real drawback- it's not USB so it takes a little longer to download (10-20sec/song).

One extra hint, the Rave comes with the Xing AudioCatalyst software (demo version), only rips at 128kbps and only randomly selected tracks. Spring for the full version. I downloaded some freebie software from the net and found them to be VERY slow and lower quality compression . . .

I did a lot of researching into mp3 players. in the end, I decided to go with the rave, mainly because of its memory compacity (64, upgradable to 96). When i got it, everything installed easily, and after 10 minutes (read the book and this is all it is going to take to setup everything), i got it to work.

It's easy to grab songs if you know what your doing, which i didn't (just check the box on the Audio Catalyst and click grab-- very simple). I called customer service once (non-800 #) and they were very helpful.

After all my mp3's were on the thing, i have to disagree with those that say that the quality isn't good, and if yours is, its the mp3's that you put on the thing.

For everyone complaining that it has a parallel port connection instead of a USB, a USB would be faster, but it takes only 3 seconds as is to upload a song onto it.

I love it and think it is a great device,and have recommended it to all my friends, and now i'm recommending it to you.

Here's what I like: it has a built-in microphone and line-in jack for recording PCM audio (with 3 quality settings). It has file transfer capabilities, and you can download contact data and memos, which display on the LCD along with a clock. It's tiny, with good battery life on 1 AA and it has a battery gauge on the LCD. It has a button lock to keep it from getting bumped to the wrong settings. The sound quality is very good, with surprisingly decent earbuds from Sennheiser--they won't make you want to throw away your Sennheiser SR-600 headphones, but they're the best earbuds I've heard, and they're tiny like the RaveMP.

Here's what I don't like: the software ONLY RUNS ON WIN 95/98--the RaveMP won't work on NT, Linux, Mac, etc. While there is third party software for the Rio, I have been unable to find any that works with the RaveMP. Also, it uses a (usually scarce) parallel port instead of USB, with a proprietary cable you'll never be able to find another of. The controls are not very intuitive and the software is merely adequate.

Bottom line: it isn't perfect, but if Win 95/98 is your platform, this is a very good unit. The file-transfer, memo, and voice recording features are very cool additions. Until somebody comes out with a better one, I would recommend this to other people.

The Sensory Science raveMP21000 is a very good mp3 player inits own right. It's easy to use, comes with an impressive pair ofSennheiser MX-4 earbuds (probably the best earbuds packaged with any portable), and offers a lot of functionality: voice-recording, memos, and phone number storage. The included software is simple to use and install, and the sound quality of the hardware is as good (or better, with the provided earphones) as any other.

However, a few problems prevent the MP2100 from receiving a higher rating. Windows 2000 and NT users will be disappointed (and probably frustrated) to find that the included software is incompatible. The lack of a FM tuner is understandable, but regrettable. Pickier users will take issue with the use of a parallel port connector for file transfers, since this means slower transfer rates than USB and the inconvenience of unplugging your printer to download mp3s onto the player. In addition, Sensory Science is not exactly a very large company; customers may have difficulty obtaining adequate customer service, both now and in the future.

A few more subtle problems arise, but this concerns all so-called "solid-state" mp3 handhelds. Mp3/CD players like the MamboX and Genica are starting to market, though they are admittedly difficult to find. With the ability to play both mp3 and regular audio CDs, these players can theoretically play back up to 10 hours of CD-quality music--as opposed to the 1 hour or so possible with "solid-state" handhelds. . . As it is, it's probably a good idea to take these considerations to heart before spending a hefty amount of cash for the MP2100, or any mp3 player for that matter. . . If you have a CD burner, waiting for the mp3/CD players is probably the way to go. But if you're deadset on a lightweight mp3 handheld with no skippable parts, the raveMP is a very solid choice: just be prepared to pay the "luxury gadget" premium for any of these devices.

I wasn't sure what to expect, since this was my first mp3 player, but my experience with the Rave has been almost wholly positive. It's ultra light so I barely know I'm carrying it. The controls, while a little difficult to manage while the unit is in a pocket (let's hear that song again!)are pretty clear and, on the whole, simple to figure out even if you haven't bothered to read the instructions. Power use is minimal so batteries last quite a long time. With 64 Megs of memory you get about an hour's worth of music at what I think is a very reasonable price. I don't make much use of this unit for anything other than mp3 playback, but the multi-functionality is impressive. Above all, the sound quality is excellent.

I don't like ear-bud type headphones, which is what this unit comes with, but that's my own problem, and it's really the only one I have with this player. For the rest, I am incredibly happy with its performance, which has been flawless.

I have read the other reviews and I am surprised at some of the users problems. I guess not everyone is computer savy.

I connected the parallel cabel, connected the MP2100, and loaded the software without a hitch. Ripped my own CDs at 128 bit (any lower and you sacrafice quality), dragged the new mp3 files to the appropriate window and I was all set. What is all the fuss about?

Sound quality on my own ripped mp3 files was great. The quality from the internet varies greatly so don't judge the play quality on someones elses mistakes. Stay with 128 bit rate when ripping and quality is on par with CD Rom.

The only gripe I have is parallel port connection versus USB. USB is a little faster but and a little less bulky but not so much that it is a problem. Just would be nicer with the USB. Also, you need to read the manual to perform the other functions. Not intuitive as someone else mentioned. Again, Not a big problem...just need to read (maybe that is the problem, no one likes to read direcitons).

Overall I am very happy. Nice features and a slim design. Hold button is nice and so is the external input and output. I give it a 4 out 5 flaming puckered stars. USB would make it 4.5 cause a 5 is almost unobtainable in my book.

Back in November, I eagerly purchased a Rave MP 2100. For the next 2 1/2 mos, I couldn't have been happier.

However, In Feb., the device froze up on me, showing the initial Sensory Science screen and that was it. According to the SS FAQ, this symptom is indicative of a loose connector. I sent it back & Amazon agreeably sent a replacement.

The replacement device froze up the same night I opened it. Sent it back and received a third. After a couple of days, it too froze up. After communication with the SS technical support, we found out that it was a particular MP3 file that was causing this freeze-up. They were able to duplicate the problem on their end. However, there was nothing about this file to indicate that it would have caused such a problem.

Needless to say, I send the 3rd one back. Amazon refused to send me a 4th and refunded my money.

I did truly enjoy the Rave MP when it worked. But if one file can cause it to freeze up, I'm sure another one out there could do the same without warning.