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Iriver LPlayer (4GB, black)

Manufacturer: iRiver America Part number: CNETiRiverLPlayer4GB

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$99.99 at 3 online stores

CNET Editor rating:
3.5 stars Very good
Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!

More product information:: Editors' review; User reviews; Specifications; Product series; Manufacturer info

Bottom Line:: The Iriver LPlayer is a pint-size version of the well-received Clix. You get most of the same features in a smaller package offered at a pared-down price point.
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CNET editors' review

Iriver LPlayer (4GB, black)

price range: $99.99

Reviewed by: Jasmine France
Reviewed on: 06/27/2008

The good: The Iriver LPlayer is packed with features, including an FM radio, voice recording, bookmarking, subscription music support, multiple sound-enhancement options, and support for both Mac and Windows. It also offers an ultracompact design with a nice, bright color display.

The bad: The LPlayer's buttons aren't always responsive, and our test unit came with a bug that caused album names to be displayed in a foreign language. Videos must be transferred through software, and the rated battery life is not great.

The bottom line: The Iriver LPlayer is a pint-size version of the well-received Clix. You get most of the same features in a smaller package offered at a pared-down price point.

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Iriver LPlayer

Iriver first introduced its innovative D-Click interface in 2005 with the release of the U10, the boxy predecessor to the Clix line. The company shows no signs of abandoning the system, which is used to full effect on its latest U.S. release, the LPlayer. This ultracompact MP3 player could be the offspring of a first-gen Clix and the S10, with its similar design and extensive feature list. But the LPlayer isn't exactly like its predecessors. It comes with a more reasonable starting price point: $110 for the 4GB and $160 for the 8GB.

Design
One of the best features of the D-Click interface is that it allows for a large screen relative to the size of the device. The LPlayer measures just 1.6 inches by 2.2 inches by 0.4 inch but is dominated by a 2-inch color LCD (with a 320x240 resolution). As with the Clix, playback controls are activated by pressing around the edges of the display, with soft keys on the screen acting as guidance. On the main playback screen, pressing the top or the bottom edges shuttles through tracks, clicking the left side exits back through menus, and pushing on the right plays/pauses music. Clicking and holding the right edge takes you into a handy contextual menu where you can set the play mode (shuffle, repeat, and so on), adjust the EQ, and rate tracks on the fly (among other things). Handily, Iriver includes a dedicated volume rocker on the bottom edge of the device, next to the power button. A mini USB and standard headphone jack are embedded into the left edge, while the back houses the hold switch.

Interface
The LPlayer onscreen interface is a bit designy, though we're not as taken with it as we were with that of the Clix. You can choose between two themes for the menus, one with dot matrix text and small icons, and another with smaller, standard text and larger icons. We kind of miss the Clix's days-of-the-week theme that changed the wallpaper color from day to day. Also, you can't set your own image as wallpaper, which isn't a deal breaker but still a bit of a bummer. On the upside, the playback screen includes a wealth of information, including album art, track/album/artist listing, time elapsed/remaining, star rating, a clock, and a battery meter. Music is sorted handily by playlist, artist, album and so on, though we were experiencing a bug that caused most of our album names to display in Mandarin, despite the fact that the player's language setting and the ID3 tag info were both in English. At press time, we were waiting to hear about a fix from Iriver--stay tuned for an update.

Features
With the exception of the MPlayer, every Iriver MP3 player is packed with features and the LPlayer doesn't deviate from this plan. It supports a variety of audio codecs (MP3, WMA, OGG, ASF, and FLAC) as well as subscription-based music from the likes of Rhapsody. You also get photo (JPEG, BMP, PNG, and GIF) and video (MPEG-4, WMV9, and XVID) playback, a text viewer, voice recording, and a built-in FM tuner with autoscan and up to 20 preset slots. There's a file browser option for those who prefer to organize music in that way, and the player has swappable MTP/UMS modes for connecting to both Windows and Mac systems. Iriver doesn't skimp on sound options, either. The LPlayer comes packed with SRS Wow HD effects, a five-band custom EQ, and seven other EQ presets, as well as the option to have music fade in and out from track to track. For audiobook and podcast listeners, there's bookmarking as well as the ability to change track playback speed and delete on the fly.

Performance
The Iriver LPlayer is a mostly impressive performer, though it's not without some issues. Namely, we found that the buttons under the edges weren't entirely responsive at times, sometimes taking several presses before registering an action. It seems that you have to click on a particular place to get a quick response on the first try--no easy feat when the actual buttons aren't visible. Also annoying is that supported video file types must be run through some software for conversion during transfer in order to work properly on the device; drag and drop isn't really an option here. The rated 12-hour battery life for music isn't awesome, either, though 4 hours for video is decent (check back for Labs results).

On the plus side, photo, video, and audio quality is good. Photos look bright and crisp, with nice color saturation. Videos look fine, though we noticed some letterboxing, which made the already small picture even smaller--not great for extended viewing. Music through our test Shure SE310s sounds solid, though not stellar. Bass is nice and tight, though not entirely thumping. You can adjust for this with the sound settings, but that tends to affect the cleanliness of the music overall. Mids are decently represented, however, the LPlayer seemed to be lacking a certain amount of warmth and richness. Highs are clear and detailed, but not sparkly. All in all, audio sounds even and will please the average listener.

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Specifications

Manufacturer: iRiver America
Part number: CNETiRiverLPlayer4GB
Description: PRODUCT FEATURES: The upgraded LCD display enhances viewing pleasure Feel the lifelike sounds of a live performance Express yourself anytime anywhere through its compactness Feel the control with the touch of D-Click Four colors, but with thousands of imagination Plays music, video, photos and more 2 inch color display Built-in digital FM tuner Integrated voice recorder Video Play (30fps) Fast USB 2.0 transfers

General
Width 2.4 in
Depth 0.5 in
Product type Digital player / radio
Height 1.7 in
PC interface(s) supported USB
Weight 1.4 oz
Color Black
Digital player signal-to-noise ratio 90 dB
Available body colors Pink, White, Black
Flash memory installed 4 GB Integrated
Dimensions (W x D x H) 2.4 in x 0.5 in x 1.7 in
Voice recording capable Yes
Included accessories USB cable, Earphones
Packaged quantity 1
Software type Drivers & Utilities
Radio
Radio signal-to-noise ratio 50 dB
Tuner type Digital Radio tuner
Station preset qty 20
Tuner bands FM
Antenna form factor Headphone cord FM
Digital Player / Recorder
Digital player supported digital audio standards WMA, FLAC, ASF, Ogg Vorbis, MP3
Digital player response bandwidth 20 - 20000 Hz
Digital player edit functions Erase
Digital player supported bit rate 8 - 320 KBps
Video Playback Features
Video playback support XviD, WMV9, MPEG-4
Still image format BMP, JPEG, PNG, GIF
Battery
Required Qty 1
Rechargeable Battery Rechargeable
Battery Enclosure Type Internal
Technology Lithium polymer
Battery Lithium polymer Rechargeable Player batteryInternal
Mfr estimated battery life 12 hour(s)=3.5 hour(s)
Audio System
Sound output mode Stereo
Additional features USB 2.0 compatibility, FM radio recording capability, TXT files support, Upgradeable firmware
Cable(s) / Peripheral(s)
Cable(s) included USB cable -, 1 x External
System Requirements
Peripheral / Interface devices USB port
Min Operating system Microsoft Windows XP, Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows Vista

Connections
Connector type 1 x Headphones Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm, 1 x USB
Built-in Display
Audio system built-in display TFT
Diagonal size 2 in
Resolution 320 x 240
Backlight display Yes
Manufacturer Warranty
Service & Support 1 year warranty
Audio Features
Sound effects SRS WOW HD
Amplifier response bandwidth 20 - 20000 Hz (Audio), 76.0 - 108 MHz (FM)
Built-in clock Digital clock
CD System
Playback modes Normal, Shuffle/repeat, Shuffle, Repeat one/all
Digital audio standards supported WMA, FLAC, ASF, Ogg, MP3
Equalizer
Equalizer type Digital
Equalizer factory preset qty 7
Equalizer factory presets Classic, Normal, Ubass, Jazz, Rock, Live, Pop
Equalizer user preset qty 7
Microphone
Microphone type Built-in
Headphones
Headphones type Binaural
Sound output mode Stereo
Connectivity technology Wired

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Product series

Iriver LPlayer (4GB, black)

$99.99

Manufacturer: iRiver America

Specs: Digital player / radio, 4 GB, ASF, MP3, WMA, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, Lithium polymer Rechargeable Player batteryInternal
Iriver LPlayer (4GB, pink)

$99.99

Manufacturer: iRiver America

Specs: Digital player / radio, 4 GB, ASF, MP3, WMA, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, Lithium polymer Rechargeable Player batteryInternal
Iriver LPlayer (8GB, black)

$69.99 - $159.99

Manufacturer: iRiver America

Specs: Digital player / radio, 8 GB, ASF, MP3, WMA, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, Lithium polymer Rechargeable Player batteryInternal
Iriver LPlayer (8GB, pink)

$99.95 - $159.99

Manufacturer: iRiver America

Specs: Digital player / radio, 8 GB, ASF, MP3, WMA, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, Lithium polymer Rechargeable Player batteryInternal
Iriver LPlayer (4GB, white)

$99.99

Manufacturer: iRiver America

Specs: Digital player / radio, 4 GB, ASF, MP3, WMA, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, Lithium polymer Rechargeable Player batteryInternal
Iriver LPlayer (8GB, white)

$99.95 - $129.99

Manufacturer: iRiver America

Specs: Digital player / radio, 8 GB, ASF, MP3, WMA, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, Lithium polymer Rechargeable Player batteryInternal

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