iriver SlimX iMP-400 CD/MP3 Player with Remote and Wraparound Headphones

Amazon Customer Reviews

(5 out of 5)

It's the same old song....

I bought this player while I was in Korea on a trip to see a friend.

I had heard much about the qualities of Iriver and their mp3 players, and with their new IMP-400, I expected an even better product. Bear in mind that this machine definitely deserves 5 stars, IF AND ONLY IF the IMP-350 never existed. As a mp3 player that is over 70 dollars more than the 350 model, I don't think the player itself is any better in functionality and quality. What does separate it from the IMP-350 is the fact that the headphones are much more better and that the design of the lid is different. However, would I spend 70 dollars more? No, I would rather get the IMP-350 and a pair of nicer headphones such as a Sennheiser 570 or Grado SR60 that are far superior than the supplied Sennheiser earbud phones. I do have to give credit to Iriver for the battery-overcharge feature, however I have heard that the 350s do the same.

You might be asking why I didn't get the 350. Well, I got the 400 in Korea with American currency, which pretty much means i got the 400 for about the same price as the 350, so why not? =)

All in all, if you want the nicer-looking CD player, get the IMP-400. Bear in mind, it's only the looks. As far as functionality, it's the same as the IMP-350, which I think is the better value.
All of this is my opinion of course.

(3 out of 5)

What they don't tell you.

I'm not one to bash but I have a few things to say about the IMP-400 that others seem to be missing. First off I was very disappointed at the boot time. Why does a CD player have to boot? When you put a disk in you should be able to hit play and listen to your music. With this unit you put the disk in and hit play and the thing has to literally boot up. It has a little iriver splash screen which shows the iriver url then it gets to the play screen and finally is starts to play. Sure, call me impatient but I don't like the the 5-10 second wait time. I haven't actually timed it but it's too long for me. Let's talk about the most important thing when it comes to a player of music. That thing would be sound. The sound on the IMP-is great. Not perfect though. I'm your basic rocker but I listen to rap as well. I love a good bass hit. I like a bass hit that smashes you in the face and knocks the teeth down your throat. This thing hits like a little girl. I won't even listen to rap on it because the bass kick is just not there. Okay, the last thing I'm going to gripe over is the size. Sure it's a sweet little tiny unit but why? Cause they take everything and put it somewhere else that you have to attach to the thing by wires. You can't to squat without the remote. So that's one wire. The recharable batts will last you about 2 and a half regular audio CDs so what happens when you want to listen to longer sets of music and you don't have access to your AC adapter? (another wire) you need to hook up the external Batt. pack (another wire). Really the thing looks like a freak octopus when it's all attached. Speaking of things hanging by wires...the remote has a cool clip so you can clip it on to you so that you're attached as well. Only problem is the end you need to put pressure on to open the clip is on the other side of the buttons for the remote. So when you put pressure on it to open it you start hitting buttons with your finger/thumb. Pretty stupid move if you ask me. Put the thing so it's oppiste the screen. I'd rather have a thumbprint that I should wipe off than hit buttons and mess up my songs. As you can tell I'm pretty disappointed with this unit. I started to doubt it when I kept going to the website which said it was out in the US but nobody in the US seemed to have it until a month and a half later and it's still relatively hard to find if not a special order item so you have to wait anyway. I'm sending mine back. I picked up the Sony player. It has better bass and it plays quicker from the get go. It's not perfect either but it's better than the IMP-400 in my view.

(5 out of 5)

On the Road Again...

For those who, like myself, have become addicted to storing and playing their music in mp3 format, this player is just about the best thing on the market. No other player except iRiver's own 350 model seems to be able to handle the combination of mp3 format and CD-RW media without problems. This model is an improvement on the 350 model in this area, as it does not seem to be subject to the sensitivity to temperature that occasionally plagued the 350.

The remote has been re-designed from the 350. While I find the new arrangement of buttons and switches to be better looking, the controls are not as easy to handle in 'sightless' mode, as when I'm using it in my car. Their positioning versus the spring attachment clip is also a problem, making it difficult to attach the remote without inadvertently hitting one of the switches. But when trying to go through multiple directories of songs, navigation is much easier than with the 350, and you don't really need to refer to the manual to figure out how to do this or to get to any of the other option settings.

Skip control has also been improved (not that the 350 was a slouch in this area), so it is now almost impossible to make the player skip, even when jogging with the player in a vertical position. And while jogging, the included wrap-around headphones are just fine, remaining on the neck and ears without bouncing all over the place, although their audio quality is only fair.

As my main usage for this is in my car (car manufacturers, take note - cd players need to know how to read mp3s!), the included car kit is nice, and helps justify the extra cost of this player. The small size and slim outline of the main unit means that I can keep the player inside the central armrest storage area, out of sight and not subject to slipping all over the place on sharp curves. Running on the car accessories power adapter also means I don't have to worry about battery consumption, though that seems to be just fine at about 8-10 hours per charge.

When running this player through either my car or my home stereo, the best feature of this player becomes obvious, its absolute clarity of music reproduction, absolutely perfect for classical music while also doing just as good a job on everything from Pink Floyd to Blink182. Some may find this clarity annoying, as every imperfection in the original recording becomes obvious - given the production quality of some modern day songs, this may show up more than you might think. The provided equalizer modes seem to be more than adequate, but you can create your own if feel the need.

In short, this is the player for those whose life just wouldn't be complete without having their music with them, regardless of where they are or what they are doing. And for this type of person, the relatively high price of this player is small compared to its net benefit.

--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

(5 out of 5)

A Great CD/MP3 Player, but why pay $80.00 extra right now?

Before I give my review, why are people paying $80.00 for this product insead of getting the just as great SlimX iMP 350. There is actually no difference, except for the remote. On the 350, it uses 75 degree rotating dials on the top and bottom for navigation. It's no hassle to change music. On the 400, it uses a d-pad and center enter button. Both have there pros and cons, but each in it is equal. Now for my review. SlimX makes excellent products (minus any CD player less than the 350). This one is no exception. It has excellent sound quality, excellent battery life (around 12 hours on a charge), and has great skip protection. Also, how can you go wrong with being able to carry 6 hours of 128kbps music with you? If you want to spend a little more, go with a Nomad Zen (excellent bang for the buck). Other wise, if CD's are your thang, go with the SlimX 350 or 400.

(4 out of 5)

Review of Iriver Imp 400 Slimx

Pros:
Iriver has come out with another amazing cd player. The Imp 400 has great features such as a 8 minute ESP, a wide 4 line backlit LCD remote, and much more. The slim design and the cover is wonderful. The color options are nice also. It also comes with Sennheiser MX300 earphones, which are much better than stock earphones. The rechargable NiMH are an added bonus, no more buying expensive batteries. The discharge and the overcharge features are good also.

Cons:
But the Imp 400 needs to work on the price. ... the price of the player is a bit expensive. For [a little] less you can get the Imp 350, It has the same features as the Imp 400 but the style is a bit worse. The weird rectangular battery shape is a downside. Not many stores in the USA sell these types of batteries.

Summary:
You should buy the Imp 400 if you want the latest style and features and dont care how much it costs. But if u want more bang for the buck buy the imp 350