iriver ChromeX iMP-150 CD/MP3 Player with 120-Second Anti-Skip and Upgradeable Firmware

iriver ChromeX iMP-150 CD/MP3 Player with 120-Second Anti-Skip and Upgradeable Firmware Review

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I bought this player as a replacement for RioVolt SP100, which finally died on me. I was a little sceptical, as the reviews weren't always great. The first unit I got was DOA, which made me pretty sceptical. But Amazon was great - they replaced the product promptly and even paid for the return shipping. pAfter that my luck changed for the better. The player is excellent. It is actually better than Rio's SP100. The display is much more informative, with bit rate and volume levels, and other things displayed instead of stupid running stick figures that SP100 had at the bottom. The menus have plenty of options to play with. New options are available through the upgraded firmware, but honestly - I never bothered. I am still running with the original 1.03 firmware, and it's working great for me. pFor listening to the audiobooks, the player has a convinient resume feature that re-starts your audio track at the same exact spot where you stopped it (instead of going to the begginning of the disc or the beginning of the track as some other players do). With updated firmware you are supposed to be able to sort your tracks by name, tag, physical order or recording, etc. pThe sound quality is good. I am not very picky though, so YMMV.pThe remote works fine for me. It's not the silly four-way "rocker" where you always push the wrong button. pThe player works in regular AA batteries. I like that, because I can use rechargable ones or disposables. The unit doesn't charge the batteries, so you need an external charger, but I have several of those, so it wasn't a problem.pThe only problem I had so far (besides the first DOA unit) is skipping with CD-RW. I guess the updated firmware may fix the problem. But it plays regular CD-Rs great, so I can't complain too much. And as cheap as the CDs are (especially if you are a frugal dude and don't mind doing rebates), CD-RWs aren't that important.pAnyway - get yours and enjoy! Four starts are only because of the DOA unit, otherwise this would be a 5-star unit.

iriver ChromeX iMP-150 CD/MP3 Player with 120-Second Anti-Skip and Upgradeable Firmware Feature

• Supports music CDs, home-made CD-R and CD-RW with MP3, WMA, and ASF
• Upgradeable firmware allows additional format compatibility going forward
• Enhanced anti-shock mode with 40 seconds of skip protection for audio CDs, 120 seconds for MP3, and 240 seconds for WMA
• WinAmp playlist playback support; up to 16 hours playback on 2 AA batteries (not supplied)
• Recognizes discs in packet-write format

The innovative iMP-150 (also available as the iMP-150CK, with car kit) comes stacked to the gills with features like broad format compatibility, prebuffering, antiskip protection, firmware upgradability, graphic LCD with multilanguage display, and packet-write format readability so the player can double as a hard drive extension (using data CD-RWs).p The ChromeX supports music CDs and homemade CD-Rs and CD-RWs with MP3, WMA, and Microsoft's Advanced Systems Format (ASF). New formats such as AAC and mp3PRO can be supported in the future through a simple firmware upgrade. The iMP-150CK also supports Winamp playlists as long as they use the .m3u file extension (a maximum of 20 lists).p The player provides 40 seconds of skip protection for conventional audio CDs, 120 seconds for MP3 (44.1 kHz, 128 Kbps standard), and 240 seconds for WMA (44.1 kHz, 64 Kbps). By applying iRiver's own special algorithm, the iMP-150CK provides better performance against shock than standard antiskip algorithms. At the same time, iRiver maximizes protection at the beginning of songs through prebuffering.p The iMP-150CK comes with a graphic LCD that supports multiple languages, including English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, and other alphabet-oriented fonts; Korean; Japanese (katakana, hiragana, and kanji); and others--a total of 35 languages. With MP3 (128 Kbps) files, the iMP-150 can play for 16 hours on two AA batteries (not included). IRiver's iMP-150 ChromeX player with remote control supports multiple standards of digital audio format, music CD, homemade CDR/RW with MP3, WMA and even ASF format. This affordable CD player features Shock-Free to give you more enjoyment and freedom as well as Graphic LCD supporting multiple languages. The player provides the latest updated features via firmware upgrade. New formats such as AAC, MP3 Pro and so on can be supported in the future with a simple upgrade method. The player's features such as add on, modification, and continuous improvement of disk recognition are always provided. In addition, the iMP-150 can support Winamp Playlist as long as it has the filename extension.m3u (maximum 20 lists).

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Customer Reviews

A wonderful MP3 CD player. - S. Reinhardt - Cleveland, OH USA
I have two MP3 CD players - one by Jensen and this one by IRiver. This one was definitely worth the extra money. I love the firmware upgrade feature. I have done it several times over the last year. The in-line remote is very handy. My flash MP3 player is better for jogging than this CD player, but this one is great in the car and attached to the home stereo.br /br /We also use it like a boombox with external speakers in my daughter's room to play MP3 versions of her favorite music sometimes.br /br /I really like this CD player.

not good for a long lasting cd player - - New Jersey
ive had this cd player for a little less than a year and it has failed me. After about 6 months or so, the cd player wouldnt work. i would press play, and it would come up to the screen that says Iriver and then under it says "loading..."..and it would never go on...everytime it would never go on..so it was still under the warranty so i sent it back to the company and got a new one..about 2 months later...the play button did not work anymore...put brand new batteries in everytime...never worked...the player just wouldnt go on..battery life was HORRIBLE...heavy, and bulky..does not go loud at all..alright sound quality..otherwise..look for something else


Apr 29, 2010 02:04:04