Customer Reviews

iRiver T10 1 GB MP3 Player

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I'm a complainer (as indicated below), and don't tend to give high ratings for most goods/service. However, this is one well-designed player. This is my fourth MP3 player, and I'll be comparing the T-10 primarily to the iRiver, iFP-799, which as of this writing is still available at Amazon.

The Pluses:

- Uses an AA battery. This is a feature I really like, because I love the long life it provides, and it provides loooooong life. I've not done a formal measurement of the device, because I can't bear to be parted from it for two full days, but I have no doubt that if you use Lithium Ion Batteries, that you can get the rated battery life out of the system. (people who complain the battery life claims are over rated are probably using alkaline batteries, which don't last nearly as long).

- Battery compartment. The 799 was notorious for its flimsy battery compartment, which kept coming off, and which I would have lost if I hadn't taped it on. Well, they've overcompensated here, and the battery compartment is now attached and spring loaded. Its very well done - almost NASA or Military-quality.

- Controls - how sturdy they are. One of the reasons I returned my iFP-799 was that after a month of obsessive use, the main control buttons were starting to wear out (or didn't work well enough from the beginning -- this was especially true of the center "Joystick"). The controls here appear to be sturdier, and a simple redesign of the main controls (on the top) makes them a bit easier to use, less likely to be bumped, because they are closer to the face (others don't like this, but I think its good), and because the center is not a joystick, it seems less likely to wear out. Another thing that's better is that the Lock, which you can see on the face, is easier to get to, and doesn't get hit accidentally.

- The fm receiver/controls. First, the software design for storing and loading stations is much better than the ifp-799 (which I never did quite figure out), and i'd say its satisfactory. After you've figured out how to set/save a station, the rest is easily, and changing stations is very easy. The reciever itself is more sensitive than I would have thought, though the antenna/headphones make weaker stations fade based on your configuration. Although I've not done a formal measurement, it appears to be a good as my $40 CD/MP3 stereo. I wish it were more sensitive, but I'm being unreasonable.

- Lanyard Latch. They went out of their way to make the latch that you attach the player to really big and sturdy. It works well and does appear as sturdy in person as it does in the photo. It is of course overkill, but it doesn't hurt anything. I have a minor annoyance with how easy it is to atttach the player to the lanyard (see below), because of the shape of the faux leather connector that comes on the lanyard. Its a bit hard to attach/detach the lanyard w/o looking. Also, I find I often start/stop/turn on/off the player when putting it in/out of the lanyard. This may be in part be an artifact of my left handedness.

- Accessories. Because I bought the Australian version (see below), I didn't get the armband (which I liked alot on the ifp-799). it did come with a lanyard, which is of a different design than I've ever seen before. Its adjustable in the back, with the slack being taken up by increasing the overlap of the two sides. Its a very elegent design, and works very well. Update: after a month, it has started to slip during use.

- Sturdiness. I haven't done a drop test, and don't intend to (not that that's ever stopped me before!). However, the device appears to be quite sturdy. I would have recommended that they build the "black" parts of the device out of some slightly rubberized material to mitigate against the inevitable drop which will be in my future.

The Minuses:

- Music Management Software. I object strenuously to the idea that I can't use the 1 GB device as a standard USB Mass Storage Device. There are three downsides to this control. First, you can't connect your player to a PC unless you have had the forethought to install the software on that PC; second, the management software will allow you to copy non-music files from the player to your PC, but not music files. Third, ITS YOUR STUFF. Many people won't object to this as much as I do, and won't find it more than a minor inconvenience, especially if you know what computers you will get you files from. In fact, many people will think of the music management software as a plus, which will allow you to play DRMedstuff on their devices, which the standard MSD device won't support. I didn't like it.

- The OLED display. Because of the technology used, there is no backlit display, either its on and brilliant (and it is very bright -- I've used it as a flashlight around the house at night!), or its off. The IFP-799 had a standard LCD display, which allowed you to see what was on the display in ambient light without having to burn battery. The big downer here is that it is not sunlight readable, as are LCDs. I've found that this is tolerable, becuase I seldom need to look at it in sunlight, but your milage may vary here.

- Control Positioning. I wish they had put the three controls which are currently on the "left" side, on the right. This is because they are on the outide of the "Bulge", and is more likely to be bumped than if they were on the other side (the "inside"). I don't think they should have put the "elbow" in the document at all, but it's a small thing.

-USB Connectivity. It does not plug directly into a USB Drive (Needs the cable that you use for your digital camera). Of course it is a USB 2.0 device.

- USB Cover. The cover for the USB Connector appears to be brittle, because its made of hard plastic, and I fear that it will eventually break off with repeated use.

-USB Access while off. I wish that I could use it as a USB MSB even when it is off. Think about it - your USB memory key doesn't need any internal power to access the memory key. Why should my MP3 player be different?

- No audio in. In the 799, you could put audio in and record it in MP3, which was a nice perk, but I never used it, and don't miss it.

- Display format. The display, though very bright, is only satisfactory in its layout. They appear to have the space to make the letters bigger, but they didn't. Its good enough, but could have been better.

- The secondary controls are non-intuitive, difficult to learn. It took me a week to be able to do everything seamlessly without experimentation, and the first day was very frustrating.

- Earphones. They're OK. You don't use the earphones that come with your MP3 player anyway, do you? But for the record, they are OK, but not for me. However, they are "straight out", while the design of the device cries out for earphones that come out at a right angle. This is becuase the phones out are at the left of the device, rather than the top. I recommend you get earphones of your liking.

- Sound. This is neither a plus or a minus. I tend to think of all of these digital mp3 players as having basically the same frequency characteristics, nad that the big difference comes in the choice of speakers/ earphones, and optionally amplifier/ speakers. I'm using either Shure E2c earphones (which I have some comments on -- see that review) -- as well as some $10 sony over the ear phones when the E2cs aren't appropritiate. Becuase the Shure's are so efficient at transferring sound to the ear, I listen to them at a volume of 1 to 4 on the T-10, depending on my concentration on the sound. At the lower volume levels (1, 2 actually), the frequency response of the combination looses some base. At higher volumes There is nothing to complain about. This is probabably at least as much an issue with how good the e2cs are, rather than a real problem with the T-10.

None of the Minuses listed above are of any consequence to me other than the inability to use the device as a standard mass storage device (MSD), and many people might find this annoying, but it detracts only slightly from the overall usability of the system.

If you don't like DRM: I concur with all the other complaints posted here on DRM. To overcome the DRM Software, I first called the company and found that they don't have software available to the American version that allows its use as a MSD. Then, I found that iRiver publishes different software in different countries. For instance, it's my understanding that the European version has the radio disabled, because of a tariff issue. Well, in Korea and Australia (and most certainly the AU version), the software has the ability to choose either the Music Manager firmware, or the MSD firmware. Thus, you can have it either way with these versions. Thus, you might consider the AU version, if the MSD capability is important to you. You are unlikely to find the AU version at Amazon, though I've not checked with all the third parties. I ended up paying the equivalent of the Local big box price plus overnight shipping for the device I wanted.

Whether you get the American or another version, this is a well designed MP3 player, asuming you don't need to read it in direct sun (which I've not found is a big deal).

This is my third MP3 player. My first two were hard drive types- one jammed up all the time and I returned it, and the second was wonderful until I dropped it- "sigh". So this time, I thought I would just get a small flash type. I really liked the fact that I could replace the battery and just keep moving on. The only thing I didn't like, was the fact that I couldn't get all that many songs on it. I loaded up my cds (yeah, I'm still one of those who has a bunch of cd's), and was able to put about 18 on it. Okay, not bad, but then I thought, well, what if I reduce the bit rate down from the standard 128 (which is the Windows Media Player default setting when you burn CDs). So I went into Windows Media Player to tools, then options, and realized that under one of those tabs you could change the download setting. So I changed it all the way down to 48 bit (gasping cry from all the audiophiles out there...), and tried one cd first in 128 bit, and then in 48 bit. I switched back and forth between the two quality settings in several songs, and while you may not have the quality that the "experts" say you need to have, for my little ol' ears, I could barely hear any difference whatsoever. So I went back and reburned all my cd's at 48 bit, and "voila"- I now have a 1 gig flash player that holds 45 cd's with no (to my and my 17 year old's ears) discernable loss of quality! Needless to say- I am thrilled. I love the fact that I can change a battery out anytime I want, and don't need to plug this into a computer to charge up. Plugged in a nice little set of $40 sony headphones, and it sounds as wonderful as ever. I have no problems with the controls (and I am a big 280lb guy). I've got 45 cd's, a radio, and small flash sized convenience in one happy package. If you are one of those audiophiles who fusses over those sound quality issues, then go get yourself a 4 gig Ipod nano, and load it up at 128 or 192 bit and have fun. But if you just want to listen to some music, and are more easily pleased, then this player is a wonderful way to go. So now, excuse me, but I am going to very happily ride off into my 48 bit sunset... :)

The Iriver T10 player is just perfect. It is just what I was looking for in a player. The 1GB storage is nice. Hopefully they can expand future models to 2 GB someday.The FM feature is great. The T10 comes with a neckstrap and an armstrap. I use both. The arm strap is nice when jogging. The FM reception is far better then I expected it to be. Even when indoors it comes in nice and clear. You also have an option to record FM or voice. It even can record FM broadcasts at a set time. You don't even have to be there. The player just kicks on at the specified time and records. Nice feature!I take the T10 to sporting events and listen to the radio broadcast of the game and catch up on other scores. I have no complaints about this player. The sound is awesome even with the supplied earbuds. I use Shure E2C's which are wonderful. It is a nice investment. Well worth the money.

This is my second MP3 player. My first is a SanDisk 1 G Silver MP3 player. I have a 2 hour daily commute and do not like the thought of not having an MP3 player. I wanted a backup in case I lost or broke my first MP3 player. The iRiver T10 was on sale, I liked the specs, I couldn't find the SanDisk 1 G Silver MP3 player anywhere, so I bought this. And I'm glad I did.

Pros:
- PlaysForSure certified, you can buy your music from any PlaysForSure certified music service and are guaranteed that your purchased music will play, you are not held hostage to iTunes.
- SRS WOW 3D sound.
- 45 hours battery life, that's exceptional, doesn't use proprietary internal rechargeable batteries, you won't ever have to replace your MP3 player because the batteries can no longer be charged. And you won't be deprived of the use of your MP3 player while it's charging.
- flash memory, unlike micro hard drive MP3 players there are no moving parts to damage.
- has radio and recorder (voice and radio).
- good looking, has a small color screen.
- looks and feels solid.

Cons:
- too many dangerous functions.
- not like a USB drive.

The sound from this MP3 player is incredible! Deep, rich and loud. All I can say is WOW, or more precisely SRS WOW :)

Another thing I like about this MP3 player is that it uses AA batteries with a 45 hour battery life. I bought 4 batteries and a recharger at WalMart for $9.88. Each battery can be charged about 300 times. 4 batteries x 300 times x 45 hours per charge = 54,000 hours = 3,600 weeks at 15 hours per week usage = more than 69 years of use at $9.88... battery costs and disposal are not issues... :)

The factory included earbuds are ok, but I prefer the Sony fontopia earbuds. The sound seems better and louder from the Sony earbuds. The factory included neckstrap was ok, but I prefer the one I bought at the Dollar Store (it cost me $1). There were no other accessories to buy.

There are a couple of things I don't like. This MP3 player show up as an "audio device" and not as a USB drive when I plug it into my computer. I can still drag and drop music from my computer to this device, I just have to remember to put it in the Media\MUSIC folder. By creating folders, you can simulate multiple playlists. I like to group my high energy stuff (for working out) in one folder, my relaxing tunes (for chilling out at the end of the day) in another folder and so on, and depending on my mood and situation, I just select the appropriate folder. There is a site which has firmware to turn this into a USB mass storage device, but I'm not willing to install non manufacturer firmware.

The color screen is ok but most of the time, it is off and nothing is showing. You need to press a button to turn it on. I prefer the screen on my SanDisk 1G Silver MP3 player which always had 4 lines of information showing.

The menu / submenu functions seem to be grouped together logically. Everything is where you would expect it to be. All except for the playback mode and equalizer setting that is. To set the playback mode, you have to be in music mode, then you press the record button and use the navigation / menu buttons to select the playback mode. To set the equalizer setting, you have to be in music mode, then you hold down the A-B button and use the navigation / menu buttons to select the equalizer setting. Huh? Doesn't make much sense... Why not have everything available under settings... just a thought in case the iRiver engineers are reading.

There are some dangerous functions that I would much prefer not to have. You can delete a tune, that's acceptable. But you can also delete an entire folder... not good. And you can even format your MP3 player, in about a second... very very very not good. I prefer to be forced to be plugged into my computer and have Windows Explorer do those dangerous deleting and formatting functions.

Overall, the excellent sound, solid construction and that 45 hour battery life overcomes its shortcomings; that it isn't a USB drive and those dangerous functions.

I have several mp3 players and I had yet to find one suitable for everyday use until I picked this little gem up.

My requirements were:

-LONG battery life with replaceable battery (those embedded batteries are going to need factory servicing after 250-300 charge cycles...you can use rechargeable AA or AAAs and easily replace them)
-Color screen...more than 256 colors.
-USB 2.0 transfer
-Ability to drag and drop
-Ability to play OGG files
-FM tuner
-FM recorder
-Solid construction

I have another unit I use for in-line recording, so that wasn't a big deal to me. I came across this unit for a good price so I gave it a shot. Well, at first, I was upset because I couldn't get the player to be recognized under Windows. I called iRiver and a tech walked me through the steps of setting up the appropriate user account and permission in the registry. After that, I hooked in and updated the firmware.

This syncs with Windows Media Player 10 and does so seamlessly. You can set it to sync up automatically or manually and WMP10 can convert to 64kbps wma files to save space if you want. I updated the firmware and transferred a couple of music files with WMP10-no sweat. I then was able to open up the player and drag and drop files into it (requirement met!) Next came the key part-SOUND.

The sound on this unit is very good, even with the included earbuds. I connected a pair of active noise cancelling headphones with big magnets and the SRS sound was FULL and RICH, even though I was just playing OGG files (remember to put those in the DATA folder, not the MEDIA folder!) There's a lot of tweakability on sound, even though there are no user presets you can save to. The screen is nice, if not really large, and it's easy to get the controls down once you've had a day to get used to them.

The unit came with a sturdy armband and a necklace to connect to the T10's VERY well-secured lanyard clip. Either choice is OK, but I prefer the armband because I am always afraid I'll drink a soda and spill some on the unit if it's hanging right below my mouth.

The T10 has a good tuner and can record FM in nice quality. I also found the voice recording to be good, if a little sensitive to body noise (if you touch the body while you record, it is very audible.) The battery life is projected to be 45 hours (WHICH IS FANTASTIC!), so I use some AA NiMH spare batteries from my digital camera for power and I never have to worry about finding a plug when the power goes out. In a pinch, alkalines work just fine, too.

Let's review my requirements:
-LONG battery life with replaceable battery *CHECK*
-Color screen...more than 256 colors.*CHECK*
-USB 2.0 transfer *CHECK*
-Ability to drag and drop *CHECK*
-Ability to play OGG files *CHECK*
-FM tuner *CHECK*
-FM recorder *CHECK*
-Solid construction *CHECK*


In short, this player has satisfied all my needs and done so with great style to boot. I'd highly recommend it with the following warnings:

-Getting it to connect with Windows initially might require a call to iRiver.
-The unit is sort of chunky (it's kind of like a triangular prism) and will not slip into a pocket like a flat piece of cardboard. You will probably need to use a bigger case or one of the two included carry options.
-The design makes it hard to see the controls when wearing the armband on the left arm. Wearing it on your right will allow you easy access to the controls.


I'd DEFINITELY recommend this unit to ANYONE who needed a great player that didn't need line-in recording.

I must say overall I really enjoy the iRiver T-10 but before I list the pros and cons I have a caution for buyers. Though, as of the writing of this review, the iRiver was described as shipping with a Sports case with belt loop and armband it has a lanyard instead. This may not be an issue for some but was an extra expense for me.

Also I had trouble locating the "sports clip" until I realized it was the giant key chain at the top of the T-10. The pros of this player did out weigh these minor annoyances.

Unlike some of the other reviewers I've been able to "Click and Drag" files on to my player either for music, photos (see below) or just storage (in the data folder). It's truly plug and "play", with WinXP. Maybe those with issues are not using XP or need the firmware update. It would be nice if the player would work with windows 2000 but if you don't have a compatible operating system don't buy the T-10.

I've also synchronized music files and play lists using Windows Media Player 10 with no issues.

I love being able to use the player as a storage device. One down side is it requires a USB interface cable to transfer files. I wish I could just plug it in but many other players require the cable as well.

I tried to use the player to view Bit Map (BMP) files. Again all I needed to do was click and drag to the "Data" folder. Easy as pie but the photos didn't look great. So, don't use it as a photo viewer. The color screen does look nice otherwise and I'm sure with some playing around I can get some okay looking pictures on the player.

I haven't had a chance to test the full extent of the battery yet but I like using easy to find AA batteries.

There was a learning curve in using the controls and the menus but that would not hold be back from recommending the T-10. I eventually got a hang of it fiddling with the player while reading the instruction manual, which was surprisingly comprehensible.

I used the voice recorder and it was adequate to good.

I've done a drop test ... by accident. It fell about 2-2.5 feet off my desk because I snagged the USB cable with my foot while I was transferring file. It still works find with no apparent physical damage. Again, being able to just plug it directly in a USB port would be nice.

All the other pros of other reviews are ditto with me. However, not mentioned were the many equalizer settings including a custom setting. The T-10 can run a few more dollars than some of its peers but I'm very happy with it.

I used to have the rougly feature-comparable Samsung Yepp YP-T5 player. The Yepp was a good little device. It worked solidly for two years (and I assume it continues to work for the thief who took it!), but I think the iRiver T10 is superior to the Yepp in almost every way.

* The battery life is unrivaled by any other flash player I have seen. The player uses a standard AA battery. (You can use a rechargable AA battery if you want a rechargable system.)

* The T10 firmware is vastly better than the Yepp. Navigation is easier. The available settings are extensive and useful. The T10 has a time of day clock, which is one thing I always wished the Yepp had. Also, the T10 starts within a few seconds whereas the Yepp required five or six seconds to load.

* The display is bright, has a better resolution, is in color, and is easier to read. The so-called color screen of the Yepp is a regular LCD screen with a colored backlight.

* Support for mp3, wma/asf, and ogg music file formats and can also display small non-compressed Windows bitmap (.bmp) image files. The FM radio tuner has better reception than the Yepp.

* The T10's largest handicap is that it requires Windows Media Player to transfer music files. However, the latest version 1.70 firmware updater software gives the option to switch the T10 from MTP transfer mode (Microsoft's proprietary Media Transfer Protocol) to UMS transfer mode (USB Mass Storage, the protocol used by flash drives). This switch appears to be supported by iRiver (although quietly: the updater took a bit of searching to find). Previously you risked disabling the player by applying the UMS firmware intended for players sold in foreign countries.

In my estimation dragging music files to the T10 as if it were an attached drive is vastly superior to the frustratingly inflexible Windows Media Player. A drawback is that DRM-emcumbered ('PlaysForSure') files apparently cannot be played unless transferred with Windows Media Player using the MTP protocol. In addition, I haven't been able to get playlists to work with the UMS firmware.

* The sound quality of the Yepp YP-T5 and T10 is comparable. Disclaimer: I am not an audiophile and sometimes squeeze files down to a 64 Kbps bit rate to fit more on the player.


Minor nitpicks:

* The T10 is about one-third larger than the Yepp YP-T5 in size and weight. They're both about the size of a 20-piece pack of chewing gum, so both are small.

* The flap covering the T10's USB port sticks out and gets bent around in my pocket. I liked the Yepp's flush fitting USB flap located out of the way on its narrow end.

I've been able to run the MTP-US version without WinXP using Linux (Fedora Core 4). The core functionality of the MTP protocol this player uses with Windows Media Player is actually PTP2 (Picture Transport Protocol) which ghoto2 handles quite nicely. I'm able to transfer files and create playlists using some scripts posted at misticriver.net. I've even upgraded to the latest MTP-1.54-N-ENG firmware without the "benefit" of a winDoze box.

iRiver doesn't support Linux users - but it works pretty well with it otherwise.

It's a good player:
Very good audio, good user interface (browser, skip, etc)
I really like the timer-based FM recording capability.
(a simplistic TiVo for radio)
The display is clear, very easy to read with or without light.

Purchased as a gift (after much research into the "world of digital musical wonders"), it should be noted that this T10 was my first official foray into the land of downloading music and MP3 players. Tiny but all "so cool," we've had it for a few weeks and wanted to report that the T10 has met most initial expectations.

The little information screen is brightly lit when on and clearly readable. Once the menus and controls were figured out, operation was simple. The instruction manual was helpful in explaining how to record both off the radio and via voice. Battery life is adequate. And the 1 GB of storage is sufficient. The sound quality is wonderful!

To get more than just recordings of music onto the T10, we signed up for the two-month Napster-to-Go trial (again, a first time thing). Although there were some initial glitches in getting the music from Napster to the T10, the problems were solved with just a little exploration.

Most bright teens and computer literate adults will have little difficulty figuring out the process but it should be noted that it seemed it was the DRM licensing thing which was the greatest problem encountered (since if that isn't set-up right the WMA files will load but won't play on the T10). It's also suggested to upgrade the firmware too.

What's more, it should be mentioned that the user will be required to have WIN XP with all the current Service Packs, Windows Media Player 10 (for DRM), and broadband/DSL for downloading (the reason I want to emphasize this is because I still have friends on older OS's and dial-up).

Overall, this T10 has provided an extremely enjoyable and enlightening experience into the digital music world--so much so that I'm even thinking of getting an additional one for me along with the transmitter (iRiver AFT 100 Mobile) to play it through the car radio!

I've had the iRiver T10 for about 5 months now and all I have to say is wow. I have listened to it every weekday for 1-2 hours, and have only changed the battery 3 times. Also, I have my sound quality turned down so I can fit more songs on it, and it still sounds better than most of my friends Mp3 players(Dell's Jukebox, Ipods, etc.). The decrease in file size has allowed me to put 292 songs and 5 recordings of 10+ minutes, and still have half of my iRiver size left. The recorder on this thing is awesome. A little sensitive to movement but besides that it rocks. If you want to buy this, do it. Best Mp3 player in my mind.


Update: Well its been like 4 months now. I got something like 400 songs on it, and still have atleast 300 MB left. HA. 1GB is perfect. I recommend that if you by this, take the rubber jogging case off of the arm band and put it around the iRiver. I did this, and since then I have dropped it something like 3 times. (>.<) Still works perfectly. I also recommend either getting the FM adapter so it works in your car, or if your car has a 3mm Aux. port, getting a dual male connecter so you can listen to it on the go. I been running the 3mm Aux. connector and have put my friend's Ipod to shame with it. :)