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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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