# MP3 - Enabled CD Players **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 5, 2001, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-enabled-cd-players/74977 "2001-08-05T12:41:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2001, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-enabled-cd-players/74977/1 "2001-08-05T12:41:09Z")
I’m considering purchasing one of these handy devices. I have quite a few MP3s, but I also need a new portable CD player, so I can kill two birds with the proverbial stone. So I notice in the sale ads of today’s paper that the prices have come down to within my range ($59.99 for a “regular” one and $79.99 for one that’ll display the titles). However, I don’t know how well they work, how reliable they are, etc. . . I have been unable to find much information following a quick search, so: Do any of you have one of these CD players? If so, how well does it work? Any peeves? Particular brands to stick to/stay away from? All advice appreciated. Thank you, and have a nice Sunday. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2001, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-enabled-cd-players/74977/2 "2001-08-05T15:10:37Z")
Not all players play all types of MP3 files. Example, the MP3-CD Player in my car can’t play Variable Bit Rate. I have a RioVolt, it cost about $150. But, it plays any MP3 thrown at it, and WMA files. And, most importantly, it’s firmware is upgradable, so it has the possibility of playing future formats like MP3Pro and Ogg Vorbis. ---
**Author:** ![Diver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@Diver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diver)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2001, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-enabled-cd-players/74977/3 "2001-08-05T15:25:23Z")
Regarding a brand I would stay away from; A couple of months ago I bought one made by D-Link. Their network cards might be okay, but they sure don’t know how to make a CD player. It had several problems such as not seeing all the files on the CD and going into a hysterical stuttering fit in the middle of a song. It was necessary to shut it off and restart it when that happened. I sent a couple of emails to their customer service and didn’t get the courtesy of a reply. I took it back to Circuit City and got a Phillips brand that works well. I don’t know about it’s upward compatability with the new standard. There is nothing in the manual about that. ---
**Author:** ![Theios](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e8c25b/32.png) [@Theios](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Theios)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2001, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-enabled-cd-players/74977/4 "2001-08-06T03:12:58Z")
Like, Revtim, I have a RioVolt. I love it. He’s right, it plays anything you throw at it. Doesn’t matter what bitrate, doesn’t matter what media, doesn’t matter what encoder was used. Great little device. They also seem to have a dedicated team of programers that have been hard at work making new options available on a regular basis (via easy flash upgrades). So, you’ll get good support for the product. ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2001, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-enabled-cd-players/74977/5 "2001-08-06T05:18:34Z")
Any downsides to the Rio Volt? I was thinking of getting one myself, and so far I’ve heard only good things about it. Are there any cons to balance out the pros? ---
**Author:** ![seriousart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@seriousart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seriousart)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2001, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-enabled-cd-players/74977/6 "2001-08-06T05:50:48Z")
Hey AudreyK, I knew I had seen a review for this… It’s at: [http://formen.ign.com/news/32337.html](http://formen.ign.com/news/32337.html) Basically they only have good things to say. Some nit-picky stuff about it not being able to read sub-folders, but otherwise it’s “very strongly recomended”. -bri ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2001, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-enabled-cd-players/74977/7 "2001-08-06T16:44:25Z")
Neat. Thanks, **seriousart**! Looks like I’m gonna have a new toy soon. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2001, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-enabled-cd-players/74977/8 "2001-08-06T22:14:14Z")
I think they even fixed the subfolder problem with later releases. If there’s a downside, I’d say it’s price. You can get MP3 players for a lot less than 150 bucks. Also, even with firmware upgrades, it’s bound to be obsolete someday. Something like a new audio format that requires more processing power than the RioVolt has becoming standard would do, although that’s perhaps unlikely for a while. Actually, what would really make it obsolete would be a device that has 700meg of RAM for the same price. No moving parts, lots longer battery life, skip proof. If you want, you can check the newer firmware releases and their release notes at: ftp://ftp.diamondmm.com/pub/rio/riovolt/ ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2001, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-enabled-cd-players/74977/9 "2001-08-06T22:15:19Z")
Oh, and I bought mine from [http://www.buy.com](http://www.buy.com) . ---
**Author:** ![Geek\_Mecha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ecae2f/32.png) [@Geek\_Mecha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geek_Mecha)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2001, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-enabled-cd-players/74977/10 "2001-08-06T22:46:12Z")
Thanks for the feedback and link. So far, the cons aren’t really discouraging. I listen to both CDs and mp3s with equal frequency, and I commute a lot, so a hybrid player is a good investment for me. As for it being obsolete one day… well, it’ll still be usable. And I’m no stranger to obsolete toys. 🙂 MacMall, of all places, has it for $139. Chances are I’ll get mine from there. Thanks again. ---
**Author:** ![BeoWulf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f9ae1b/32.png) [@BeoWulf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeoWulf)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2001, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-enabled-cd-players/74977/11 "2001-08-06T23:12:34Z")
wow, I’m really glad I read this thread. I’ve been contemplating getting an MP3 / CD player for a long time, and this RioVolt sounds like a great one. Thanks again. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Baraqiyal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@Baraqiyal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baraqiyal)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2001, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mp3-enabled-cd-players/74977/12 "2001-08-06T23:36:12Z")
I think the Rio Volt is great, but I have a couple of issues with it. The display is small and you have to wait for it to slowly scroll to read the artist and title. When you have 300+ songs per CD, that’s a lot of scrolling. A third of the display is dedicated to an animation of a dancing guy. What a waste of valuable display real estate. Also, the ear buds that come with it are awful. Just use some nice headphones. Overall, I love it. Using WMA files, you can get 20 hours of MP3 quality audio on a single CD.