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RCA Lyra RD1071A MP3 Player
Date: Friday, July 18, 2003
Author: Joe Di Figlia
Provided By: None
Page: 1 of 1
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UPDATE (drivers and stuff): I have noticed a lot of visiters here looking for drivers for this MP3 Player.
Here is a direct link to the product page: Click Here
For those of you needing more assistance. Here is a useful link: Click here. I know google doesn't turn up anything but us... so this is me working for you. Please join our forums.
I have been searching high and low for a cheap portable MP3 solution. I have tried everything from MiniDisc recorders to MP3 compatible portable CD players. When I think I finally find something, I realize that it doesn't do what I had hoped for, or the software was very confusing and/or limited. I have spent countless days and way too much money on gas traveling from store to store to return products that don't do what I want.
RCA Lyra is the name, and RD1071A is the product. As far as MP3 players go, this is the smallest and cheapest (relative to features) that I could find in any local electronics stores. Yeah, it looks like this one might find a home.
In the interest of keeping this thing from getting boring, I'm going to give you a direct link to the product specifactions. (this also saves me a lot of typing, hehehe) Click Here
Here's a FEW things this mp3 player features:
Software - drivers and Musicmatch Jukebox (discarded both immediately)
Firmware upgradable - Direct from RCA website: Version 1.7 - 4612 (March 20, 2003) Enhancements/Bug fixes include; enhanced USB connect time, enhanced playback quality of WMA files, enhanced browsing speed when switching from internal to external songs and back. Also, It fixes previous compatibility issue with some SD cards, issues with properly handling locked SD cards when using Windows 98SE and Me, USB connectivity issues, and memory size recognition and formatting issues in Windows 2000 and XP.
Supported Bit Rates - mp3: 32 kbps up to 320 kbps
When you first look at the Lyra you notice that the layout for everything is very simple. Up front you have four buttons, stop, last, next, and play/pause, and the display. The stop button doubles as the off switch while the play/pause button doubles as the on button.
If you rotate the device around a little bit to see the side, you are greeted by 2 more buttons. These are the two volume buttons, and they are clearly labeled with a "+" and a "-". Below the volume controls is the door for the battery. The Lyra only requires 1 AAA battery for power. I have had the player for over a month now and haven't had to change the battery once. 180 degrees from the volume controls is the Multimedia/SD Card expansion slot. I have read that this device can use a card of 512mb or greater. The switch located directly above the memory card slot is to lock the keys to avoid accidental activation.
Up top you have 2 more buttons and a mini plug jack for your headphones. The first of the two buttons is "DSP" button which will allow you to select your DSP modes (jazz, rock, pop, bass, and flat). The other button is the "MODE" button which will allow you to select from: repeat all, random, random repeat, program, and repeat program modes.
The display is nothing fantastic, but it does the job well. It is a two line alpha-numeric display that unfortunately isn't backlit. There is a benefit to that, though, if you are smarter than the average bear. You know what it is? If you don't know then I will tell you, BATTERY LIFE!!!
When you first power up the device it displays the number of tracks you have stored, your battery life, volume, and whatever settings you have set; such as repeat, shuffle, etc. During playback it will give you track information, the bit rate the track was recorded at, track number/name, and elapsed playtime.
If you use the included headphones you will notice that they are slightly uncomfortable at first, but after wearing them for some time, don't worry, they get more uncomfortable. They have a decent amount of volume to them, but if you turn the volume up and expect quality sound out of them you are dreaming. My original intention for this device was to take it running with me, but the headphones are not designed for people who are on the run; they kept falling off my ears.
The Lyra also comes with a strap so you can travel with it attached to your arm. Simply said, this is stupid. Why? While running, it became increasingly more uncomfortable, and the wires from the headphones bouncing across my chest became EXTREMELY annoying. As an example: Imagine a gnat smacking you in the chest the ENTIRE time you are running. The strap found a new home in the garbage pretty fast. I think it would have been better design to have given the Lyra a belt clip.
Transferring music to the Lyra is extremely easy, even for those with very little computer skills. You simply attach the Lyra via USB, with the provided cable, to your computer and it's recognized as external storage. The included drivers are not needed if you use Windows XP. Once the Lyra is recognized you simply need to drag and drop your music just like you would to any folder or hard drive. If you use an SD or Multimedia card in the available slot you will notice that it shows another additional drive. The speed isn't slow at all, but I would like to have seen it sporting USB 2.0, however, with only 128mb of internal storage it still goes pretty fast. You are also not limited to just mp3's, the Lyra can store anything you throw at it.
I have had this product for over a month now, and I continue to try to find something that will take its place, but I haven't found one. The Lyra is small, versatile, cheap ($99.99 at your local electronics store) and ready for a person on the go. I had only a few issues with it such as its headphones and arm strap but those are things that can be easily solved. The lack of backlit display, and belt clip are the only things holding this product back from being near perfect. There are other portable mp3 players out there with more storage and/or more features, but they are larger or more expensive. RCA Lyra, you earn yourself a 7/10
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