Customer Reviews

iRiver H10 20 GB MP3 Player/Recorder Red

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

I purchased the iriver H10 20GB (Blue) about three weeks ago after saving and researching for about 6 months. In summary, I have been very happy with the player and would definitely buy it again.

The Good

The sound quality is very good. The included ear buds are fine (I'm not a fan of ear buds in general), but the source is clean and accurate and you can spend as much or as little on after-market headphones as you like. There is a lot of control over the EQ.

Virtually all of my music is in Variable Bit Rate MP3 format. The H10 supports MP3 and the Microsoft format (WMF). I don't use iTunes (ACC) or Audible so lack of support for those formats is not an issue for me.

The form factor is nice. It's about the same size as a deck of cards and fairly light. It fits in my hand or a pocket easily.

The user interface works well with either one or two hands. The controls are simple, intuitive and make sense. (I recommend you read the short manual or it might take you a while to stumble onto some of the more subtle features.) The thumb slider works well, even with a large list to scroll through-when your thumb hits the end of the slider, the display keeps scrolling. Using the slider to control volume rather than a physical knob or wheel is a good idea.

One of my main reasons for picking the H10 was the FM tuner. I like to listen to National Public Radio and other local stations. The tuner has good reception and it is easy to program stations as presets. I have used the ability to record an FM transmission a few times already.

The color display is bright and clear. The screen layouts make sense and have useful information. I don't have a reason to use the player to display pictures (other than when showing off the player), but it does have this ability.

I had no problems getting Windows XP to recognize the player-it shows up as a USB drive. Data transfer rates have been good for a USB device. I've loaded my entire library several times as I've played with different software besides Windows Media Player. It takes about an hour and a half to transfer 12GB.

Some reviewers have complained that the player locks up when they used Windows to browse the player's hard drive. It does take a while to display the contents of folders on the player, but I haven't had the player or Windows actually lock up.

The battery life has been good. I've taken it on a couple of multi-day trips and haven't run it down completely.

The OK

The player is designed to work with Microsoft Windows Media Player 10 (included on CD with the player). WMP does all of the basic things you want: rip, organize, update ID3 tags, build playlists, sync with the player. Of course it takes Microsoft's typical "software for dummies" approach-it doesn't do any of the things as well as some other programs and you can't change the way it behaves, where it stores your music files, etc. ("Sorry ma'am, but you don't need to know the bit rate we're using to encode your music. Move along now...") But, if you are willing to be assimilated (resistance is futile!), it can manage your music collection and player adequately.

Fortunately, because you can copy the music files directly to the player using Windows, you can use any software you wish. I like to use FreeRIP to create the mp3 files-it works very well, queries freedb so you don't have to type in any information, supports variable bit rate encoding, and is free.

To use the player with a lot of content, having clean ID3 tags is critical. ID3 tags store the information about the music file (artist, album, title, genre, etc.) in the MP3 file. I tried Windows Media Player, but again ended up using a different free program (MP3Tag) that worked better, especially when cleaning up hundred of files at a time.

Some reviewers have complained that the player will not play songs in the order that they were on the album. Remember that the players has only the information in the ID3 tags and the file names to work with. It doesn't seem to use the "Track" tag, but you can get it to play in album order if you include the track number in the file name and play songs in alphabetic order. For example, I name my music files "Artist - Album - Track# - SongTitle.mp3." 99% of the time I have the player on random shuffle.

I'm still looking for a program that can make it easier to sync the player and manage playlists.

I don't expect the software to be an issue for the typical owner-I tend to be very particular.

I suppose the support for text files is useful, if you wanted to keep some reference files on the device. I've read novels on a Palm Pilot, so I'm not opposed to using a small device for reading, but electronic devices have a long way to go to before they can match the performance and convenience of paper for pleasure reading.

Some reviewers have mentioned having to upgrade the firmware and having to remove the battery to reset the player. The H10 20GB does not have a firmware upgrade release yet, and it resets very easily by pressing a small recessed button with a paper clip. I have had to reset the player a couple of times, but it reboots quickly and this hasn't been a big deal.

The Bad

Bad is relative. Nothing I've encountered with the player is truly "bad."

Probably my worst complaint is that there is a brittle-sounding click in the headphones as the player changes songs. I don't really notice it any more, but at first it was annoying.

I like to listen to longer material, audio books and old radio programs, and fast-forwarding to a mid-point to resume listening can take a while, even with the scan rate set to max (6x). A progressive scan (longer you hold it down, the faster it goes) would be more effective and intuitive.

The player comes with a white translucent silicone protective cover. It has a belt clip and is soft and does a good job of protecting the player, even if it is not the most attractive thing I've seen. I've listed it under the Bad category because it also makes it difficult to feel the Prev Track/Play/Next Track buttons through the silicone.

I haven't had to call iriver for support yet, but have no illusions about the quality of live support that will be available. Unfortunately, no one provides good customer support. Best we can hope for is a device that is made well enough that the need for support is rare. So far, the H10 20GB seems to fall into this category.

Because the player is designed to be a copy of your master library, there's no obvious way to delete files (even ones you've recorded using the player's FM tuner) using the player's interface. You have to connect it to your computer for this.

There's also no obvious way to figure out how much disk space is left on the player, either from the player or from Windows. As a work-around, I add up the size of the various media directory trees on my computer to estimate how much space is left.

I'm hoping both of these are addressed by firmware upgrades.


Oh.. and I wish I had gotten red.

I bought the iRiver H20 a month or so ago, so that I'd have something to keep me occupied between classes (other than studying Calculus - who goes to college and actually studies?). I'm quite amazed with the amount of abuse that the H20 has withstood thus far. Every day, it gets tossed into my duffle bag along with a couple textbooks, my lunch (which is somehow always damp by the time I get to it), a binder, and various pointy objects. When I'm at home, I use it whenever I'm washing dishes, lifting weights, and doing just about anything else. Thus far, the screen hasn't scratched, the translucent rubber sleeve that comes packaged with the iRiver hasn't torn or allowed the shiny red exterior to get scratched, the moisture from my aformentioned damp lunch and from washing dishes hasn't killed it, and even the jarring from being inside my duffle bag doesn't seem to have affected it.

For anyone that has even the slightest idea how to use a computer, the iRiver should be a snap to use. The iRiver does come with a cd that contains Windows Media Player 10 - and it can come in handy . . . sometimes. But, the easiest way to manage your mp3 collection is the simple, older-than-dirt, drag-and-drop method. You can create folders and subfolders directly, so you'll know exactly where your music is if you decide to pick a song by browsing the folders instead of picking an artist. If you have USB 2.0 and a computer with a sufficient amount of RAM, then you shouldn't have any problems putting files onto, and removing them from your iRiver. One thing to mention, is once you select a file or group of files to add\remove from your iRiver, wait until the selected action has completed before attempting another. If you start one action and then try to start another while the other is still in progress, the later action takes precedent and your computer really begins to lag while it holds the first action on the backburner. This isn't the fault of the iRiver, but there is only a set amount of bandwidth that your USB ports can handle. But just like with any product, you learn how to use it to its peak efficiency so that you get the most out of it and don't waste precious time.

Basically the only thing that comes with your iRiver other than the disk with WMP10 and the rubber sleeve for your iRiver, is the power cable and the USB connector. Although these are in reality two different cables, you must connect them together in order to recharge your iRiver. The cable that connects your iRiver to your USB port can be used independently. The power cable hooks into the USB cable. From past reviews, you may have heard that the power cable doesn't want to stay connected unless you go to extreme measures (like "taping the cables together"). I'm not sure where the person who said that got it. It's possible he got a defective one, because mine seems to work just fine. The power cable stays hooked into other cable without a problem. The iRiver also fully recharges (from a dead battery) in right around 4 hours (give or take). Don't expect to receive your iRiver with a full battery. Mine came with about 25 minutes of battery life when I took it out of the box.


All in all, H20 is quite a machine. I've found it to be reliable, and well worth the $270 I paid for it.





*whispers* get the red one . . .

Let me point out at the outset that I have been a dedicated iPod user (most recently a 6gb Mini) for the last two years and have grown to love both the iPod and the iTunes software. Both are elegantly designed and easy to use. I bought the iRiver H10 20 GB player in order to try out the Yahoo!Music subscription service. So far (about two weeks) I have been very pleased with both. The H10 is very solid and has excellent build quality. All controls are placed logically and work smoothly. A minor complaint is that the control lock switch at the top of the machine feels a bit flimsy, but otherwise the unit is very well made. I also like the color screen a great deal and find the display to be clear, bright and easy to read. It is hard to go back to the black and white screen of the iPod.

Despite the reviews which have appeared elsewhere, I have found the menus to be logical and easy to navigate. I have no complaints in this regard, although others have been critical of the fact that there is no way to create a playlist "on the go", but since I never use this feature on my iPod anyway I don't miss it.

Of course the most important aspect of any audio device is how it sounds and in this respect the iRiver does not disappoint. It is, in a word, terrific and exceeds that of the iPod in my opinion, especially when compared with the Mini.

My major disappointment with this player is the use of Windows Media Player as the interface. iTunes is just so much better, but that's the subject of a different review. Fortunately I have found that it is easier for me to use the Yahoo!Music Engine to manage my machine instead. It will perform all necessary functions while allowing you to access and transfer subscription tracks. It will also show exactly how much disc space you've used on your player and how much is left. The service is wonderful by the way, but that too is the subject of another review.

I have experienced none of the other problems mentioned by others in this space. My computers always recognize my player and synchronizing it has never been an issue. I would rate the battery life as very good to excellent.

All in all this is a very well made piece of equipment with excellent sound quality which allows you to access suscription music. It represents a very viable option to the iPod.

First of all, for everyone who thinks that only the iPod has style--take a look at the iRiver. It's sleek and sexy as well as being fairly light. The controls are easy to use and figure out. The only gripe I have is that the power button should be recessed so it isn't so easy to turn it on and off if the player is in your purse or your pocket. It does have a locking mechanism so no harm no foul.
The playlists can be generated through Windows Media or you can generate a quicklist on the fly. I would suggest using Media player unless you are just compiling a list of a few songs.
The sound quality is excellent! And the headphone provided are OK considering they are the freebie type. The radio and voice recorder are also excellent--and there aren't many MP3 players that include both at this price!
Ahhh and the battery life is really good! It lasts for about six to seven hours for me.
Overall, this is a great player, with a great look, great sound, and excellent value. If you don't want to get locked into the iTunes monopoly and want more flexibility with services such as Rhapsody, Napster, or Yahoo Music this player is for you.

I recently bought and returned the YH925GS. Not only did it not have an FM tuner (didn't care that much), but adding, modifying, and deleting files was becoming a BIG pain.

The MP3 player is pretty slim, even though it's not the slimmest one you can buy, it's light so if you like jogging with it or excersising you'll barely notice it. Like all 20 GB MP3 players, you can store 5,000 songs (approx. 400 CDs). The controls look strange at first, but actually, all you need to control is the touchpad. There are also arrows for them most easy navigation. You'll notice that it's easier to use than most MP3 players on the market today. The battery life is 16 hours. Some of today's players have more than 20 hours, but I guess 16 is okay.

The player also comes with a 1.8" LCD screen, and more colors than a computer so your photos will look of professional quality. On this player, something that most if not all players can't do, is view .txt files. This is a really cool feature. You can store lyrics or essays in Notepad, then transfer them into the player. This is a VERY cool feature that I will be using more often.

The sound is really good. It doesn't have WOW features that most MP3 players have, but it has a very decent equalizer. The sound isn't distored at all, and I'm suprised about this.

The player also comes with recordings and FM tuning. THe microphone can pick up voice pretty far, and the FM tuner is quite good too. There are also 20-preset stations for your tuner. And listen to this one, you can rip off of the radio. How cool is that? Say your listen to the radio, and you hear this hot new track that is so good, you can just press record, and you can listen to it whenever you want. It's not that other players don't do this, it's that this is the 1 of 2 players that has the fantasic combination of 20 GB, Radio, and Recording. (the iAudio X5 is the other player that has this...I didn't buy it because it doesn't allow you to change track settings, WTF?)

It's also PlaysForSure compatible, but to use WMP 10, you have to download the drivers from the iRiver website. Unless you have a lot of music on WMP, I would just stick to the drag-n-drop. It's not just drag-n-drop (e.g. My Computer, iRiver) or WMP 10 that's compatable. RealPlayer is compatable, and Napster is too (but I think Napster sucks). To put photos on your MP3 player, you can use the manual drag-n-drop. As a matter of fact, the My Computer>iRiver method is probably the best. I have no reason why you would want/need WMP 10 or Real to manage music. Though, I guess to have further options, you would need it. But otherwise, it's VERY easy to add tracks since you can drag-n-drop. But remember, if you can't get Windows to understand the H10, you'll need to go to iRiver's website and download the new drivers. I wish they would give you the drivers beforehand, because some people with computers may not have internet.

Overall, if you want the great combination of 20 GB, WMA and MP3, Recording, Drag-N-Drop (no hassle with WMP or Real), and FM radio, you just HAVE to have the H10.

The iRiver series has some great advantages for music. It offers gapless playback, avoiding two-second pauses when listening to a complete album (which can ruin continguous transitions on albums such as Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon). And many reviews suggest it offers higher fidelity for complex sound.

One downside: This is one of the only players not supported (at least explicitly) by audible.com, favored as having the largest library of downloadable audiobooks/ebooks. There are some ways around that, such as third-party software that requires being a bit more tech savvy than you might be. But if audiobooks are your thing, an alternative (such as the Creative Zen line, or the industry-leading iPod) may be preferable.

I just purchased the H10 20 GB mp3 player (Red). I did a lot research on the net prior to choosing/purchasing this player. The features that I was looking for was a compact player, large disk space (20GB +), works with Yahoo Unlimited ($5/month subscription), and reasonablely priced.

I like this player. It is larger than the 5 GB version, but similar to the Ipod 20+ GB. Knowing it was not a mini player, I checked it out on display at BB prior to ordering it. I purchased it from Amazon and saved $40 compared to BB and had better color choices (red vs. blue).

I have not have had any problems as described in prior reviews. The controls are easy to use. The holder is a rubber material and fits the mp3 player snug.

The complaints about Win Media Player (WinMP) 10 syncing immediately upon connecting is a setting in WinMP (Sync Tab -> Set up Sync Button).

In general, the pros and cons are:

Pros:
1. It was the same size as the ipod 20 GB.
2. 20 GB.
3. Color display
4. Works with Subscription services (Yahoo, Napster, Rhapsody To Go).
5. Good earbuds (Sennheiser). Personally I like over the ear headphones (Sennheiser PX 100).
6. Controls are logically laid out on the machine.

Cons:
1. Can not replace the battery.
2. Input cable is both power and usb.
3. Would have liked the 5/6 GB version's case size.
4. Cradle not available yet.
5. Larger hard drive options (40, 60).

Cons as related to an mp3 player
6. One more device to carry around (cell phone, pda, psp, mp3).
7. Had to clean up all of my older mp3s tags(artist, album, track no., etc)

I heard of the H10 before it even got released, for I used to own an iRiver SlimX 400 CD-MP3 player that was just perfect. You couldn't ask more from a CD-MP3 player (it was absolutely thin and even had games!). I had seen the H10 while downloading firmware updates for this player, and when it was nicked in the subway, I made a quick decision and bought one of the first red H10s sold.

PROS:
I could talk and talk about this all day. They are, mainly,

- Battery life | it's better than expected, and way better than an ipod's. It will certainly last you enough to listen through a whole day uninterrupted, or a long transcontinental flight, and to go back home and charge it. With normal use (3-4 hrs a day) I can use it for about a week. It does depend on whether you use the screen for pictures or changing settings really frequently or only sparingly.

- Sound quality - Buy sound-isolating earphones like the Shure e2c and it'll be bliss. But the bundled earphones are really good anyway, they're the Sennheiser mx400s, which have a relatively loud sound, balanced bass, treble, etc., and are way better than iPod bundled phones. Besides they're black, which reduces the risk of being a crime victim.

- Design - I absolutely love it. Beautiful little chromed details are great, and the red is astounding. Don't be fooled by the photo here in Amazon, the touchpad is light grey instead of black.

- Compatibility - You can play almost all kinds of music files without a hitch. You can buy from any music store aside from iTunes and listen easily.

- Ease of use - No installation required! (ONLY COMPATIBLE WITH WINDOWS XP). You can use to sync with Windows Media Player, as I do, and then it will just copy all your music files and the images in any folder you specify, optimised for the device. Choose Automatic Sync to do this. If you'd prefer to drag and drop the files just use the "Emergency Connection" setting: reset the player, then connect the player, and finally press the o button while turning the player on. This will make the device appear as just a new hard drive. Copy your music to the "MUSIC" folder and you're ready to go!

- Case included - It's one of those translucent silicon cases so popular with iPod. I don't like it, but it's really safe.

- Easy interface - Way easier than other iRiver products.

- Firmware updates - iRiver allows you to download improvements of the player's features. They erase all your files, but you can resync it with your computer and you're set. Any annoying things on the player can be solved by this (and my SlimX experience tells me they will).

- All the extra features: record from FM radio, SRS-WOW really improves sound...


CONS
Really few, but they include:

- Has a tendency to crash - A LOT. If it stops responding, just do not touch it for two minutes (as in 120 seconds). If it doesn't budge, use a paper clip to press the Reset button and that's it. No settings or music are lost. It can be quite bothering, though, to need a paper clip that often. This will likely be fixed with firmware updates.

- Case doesn't identify Play, Forward and Back buttons - To use them with a case, you have to either look at it intently or memorise their exact location. There's no little plastic bump or something that tells you where a button is. This makes operation without seeing the player difficult for the first few weeks.

- Picture viewing is average: pics will either appear pixelated (if compressed automatically with Windows Media Player) or take time to load (if loaded as-is).

- Awkward charger - If you want to charge the player, you need to connect a special cable with a proprietary plug into the device, and then plug a "black brick" AC charger to the cable itself. This means that, if you're going on a holiday, you need not only the bulky charger but also a second cable with the USB plug. What's with the proprietary charges? Why can't we just have standard power inputs in consumer electronics?


And now, my warranty/support experience. I can easily say that this has been the best warranty and support experience I have had in my life.

After a couple of months of using the player, the hard drive had a failure. Living in a high altitude place, and subjecting the player to an 'intense life', this is perfectly possible. I was totally and absolutely depressed, since I live in Mexico and had purchased the player on a trip to the States. No company (Sony even runs TV adverts remembering you of it) honours an American warranty here, so you buy their heavily premiumed items here. The H10 is sold in stores here for well over $500.

I just thought it was a lost cause. I was going to stash the H10 in a drawer and go off and buy the overpriced Mexican version, when I decided to call iRiver Support (USA) in my free time through Skype. An American rep answered the line in about five minutes (if it's hard for you to understand reps from India imagine someone who knows English as a second language and is speaking from a computer). He asked some brief questions and then emailed me a recovery files with instructions. When that failed, I just emailed it through their nice customer support web system, and within a couple of hours I had a RMA number to return product. So far so good! I called again and asked if there'd be a problem to have the replacement shipped to Mexico on my expense. No problem! They specified to send the player without any accesory or instruction manual.

So, I DHLed the player to their offices, and it arrived there on Friday December 23 in the morning. Well, imagine my surprise when, on December 24, I was greeted with an extra Christmas present: a brand new (didn't say refurbished anywhere) H10 player, in its box with all the new accesories: headphones, case, etc etc etc. Best of all, it had arrived through UPS Expedited Next Day, something that probably cost about $60 USD, and with all taxes prepaid (probably $30 at least). I was amazed at the efficiency (they probably dispatched the replacement in a couple of hours at most) and by the kindness of doing something they didn't promise in their warranty policy.

Just because of that, I can tell you: buy from a company that cares about its customers; especially now that Apple is ignoring consumer plight regarding the badly designed Nano screens (here in Mexico they are outright refusing warranty, benefitting from the difficulty of suing and the lack of regulation). I have known iRiver cares because of the release of all those firmware updates for products they have, after all, already sold. But this makes it perfectly clear. Buy a fantastic product that has great looks and is made by a good company, the H10.

Awesome MP3 player, only compaints are battery life and speed. The player is slow to load songs (i have 20 GB version with 11 GB used so far). The sound is rich, has great features, blah blah blah

I use it with Napster-to-Go. Works fine. Just make sure you take advantage of the firmware upgrades, and as long you take care of it, it will take care of you.

I just want to clarify that iRIVER has some of the best tech support I've ever experienced. I noticed in the review below that the reviewer says it isn't great yet he had never experienced it.
I called today- just to make sure it hadn't changed. I even called during their lunch time and I was through the phone menus and had answers to my two questions in 5:21 seconds. I can't even make it through that average phone tree in that amount of time. And then I got a follow up email just to make sure that I was happy. They also use an online tracking system for open issues. I had another awesome experience with them when I bought my first player back in 2003 and I've never looked back. I've since purchase for myself or others 5 additional devices.
I LOVE having an alternative to the iPODism that seems to be taking over the world.