4-1-1's Full Review: RCA RD1000 Kazoo (32 MB) MP3 Player
I've read a number of great reviews on this MP3 player, awarding this player with a generous 5-star rating.
I bought this MP3 player last December as a Christmas gift to myself. The main reason why I bought it was because it was inexpensive: only $99 at Target (chain department store).
Features that I like about this player:
- Small size, slightly larger than a match box.
- Ships with a a decent pair of headphones, two AAA batteries, MusicMatch MP3 ripping software, a USB cable, a wrist strap and and neck strap.
- Skip-free audio playback.
- Easy to operate.
Features that I do not like:
- Short battery life. I only get about 6-to-8 hours of playing time per set of fresh batteries.
- Only 32MB of onboard storage. This is a small amount of storage, and users will find it a limiting factor.
- MultiMedia card storage. This particular storage media is hard to find and is expensive. I paid $75 for a 64MB upgrade card.
I use this MP3 player on a regular basis, usually when I go out on my evening walks or when I want to listen to music while working out in the garage. At a 128kb sampling rate (CD quality), I was able to squeeze almost exactly 100 minutes of music into the player. At a 96kb (near-CD quality) rate, I can fit two hours of music on this thing, and at a 64kb (FM radio quality) rate, I can fit about three hours of music over 96MB of storage.
As much as I like the Kazoo player, I would not buy this device again and would shop for something that ships with a minimum of 64MB of onboard storage and the ability to accept the cheaper, more widely available "Smart Media" cards.
This is a fine, introductory player available at cheap price. It is small, easy to use, and makes for a nice toy... but I wouldn't buy it again.
What's on my Kazoo? My current listening list -- almost 100 minutes at a 128kb sampling rate which I will surely change with my next battery change -- includes:
Smashing Pumpkins
Ava Adore
Bullet With Butterfly Wings
Everlasting
Zero
Marilyn Manson
Little Horn
The Beautiful People
Coma Black
Disposable Teens
President Dead
Target Audience (Narcissus Narcosis)
The Nobodies
Coma White
I Don't Like The Drugs (But The Drugs Like Me)
Rock Is Dead
The Dope Show
Rammstein
Mein Herz Brennt
Links 234
Sonne
Ich Will
Feuer Frei!
Mutter
Fuel
Hemorrhage (In My Hands)
3 Doors Down
Kryptonite
Radiohead
Fake Plastic Trees
Bauhaus
Poison Pen
Verdict: 3-stars. Good, but not particularly recommended.
32 MB flash memory for skip-free playback Plays MP3 audio format USB connection for fast downloads Additional memory slot for MMC cards Windows compat...More at Amazon Marketplace
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.