Home > Consumer Reviews > Transcend T.sonic 850 8 GB Video MP3 Player (Black)

I bought this player about a month ago and use it every day. It has all the features I looked for after shopping around for about two weeks. The display is crystal clear with very good definition. What sold me on it was the fact that it has a customizable EQ, a GOOD radio, easy to use controls that are rugged and have a solid feel. The file system is great, so you can set up your folders to find what you want when you want. The sound is truly amazing! You can't do better for the money!

The Transcend T Sonic 850 8 GB Video MP3 Player (Black) is fully loaded with features in an all metal, compact body. Combined with an attractive mirrored finish, this power packed dynamo offers a brilliant multi-line display via a 1.8" high resolution LCD/TFT screen. The image quality is quite vivid and well framed without distortion. Coming out of the box, I would highly recommend immediate laminate protection to keep the front of the device free of scratches.

Navigation is primarily through the on board 3 phase wheel control which easily allows access from one function to the other. As with all MP3 systems and depending totally on the area of reception, the FM radio has been kind of hit and miss. With the help of the customizable equalizer, music downloads are surprisingly crisp.

The T Sonic 850 brings a lot of bang for the buck with these key features;

- FM Recorder

- Video Player (.mtv)

- E Book Reader (txt.)

- Digital Voice Recorder

- Customizable Equalizer

- Preset 20 Station FM Tuner

- Photo Album (jpg/bmp format)

- Karaoke Style Lyrics Display

- Real Time Clock (Displays local & world time)

- Music Player (MP3,WMA,WAV,WMA-DRM10) formats

- 13 Language User Support (For Song/Artist Display)

Whether you're a Linux, Mac OS X, or Windows user, this device is compatible to all three operating systems. For music service subscribers, its a no go with Napster but operates with some hiccups included with Rhapsody. While it does download music files in their entirety, one glaring issue that keeps the Tsonic 850 from receiving a 5 star rating is that it does not download play lists.

The sweetest feature is the voice-activated recorder. It gets high marks on the Cool Meter for it will automatically begin recording when it registers a sound and pause itself when it can't detect noise. In a quiet space it is one gem of a feature.

Powered by a rechargeable Li-ion battery, non stop music play logged in at a little over 20 hours. So much for the 30 hour lifespan. Accessories include the industry standard but comfortable earphones, neck lanyard, mini USB type A cable, zip string carrying bag and software CD.

Overall, the Transcend T Sonic 850 8GB MP3 Player is a cornucopia of features that value conscious shoppers will find hard to resist. It is without a doubt one of the best buys out there.

This is a great product. The only downside i have found is that there is only a single play list. There is no way to select just certain songs/artists. Other than that I would highly recommend this product.

Once you get the hang of it this is wonderful. I love it. I charge it, download music, and I am off. I exercise everyday and it keeps me going. Well worth the money and the amount of space I have only one-fourth of it used up. Highly recommend this product!

Transcend has really done a nice job in creating a small mp3 player with a good amount of both memory and features. The things I like and dislike about the 850 are all really just preferences, as there are no real "problems" with it at all. Transcend might not be a well-known brand, but I highly recommend the T.sonic 850.

Pros:
1)Price. You can't beat this amount of quality/features for this price.
2)Battery. Has a good battery life, but even better is that it will fit my cell charger (Motorola Razr)!
3)Solid build. It's very light, durable, and even comes with a protective sheath. It's also small enough to not take up your whole pocket but big enough to get a comfortable grip on it. All the buttons feel sturdy and well made.
4)Features. It's got music, video, radio, voice recording, photos, and a text reader. The music has very good highs and mids. I don't have great headphones yet so I'm not sure how the base is. It does have customizable EQ though. The video is OK, but if you want something this size you really can't be too concerned about video. The radio gets decent reception and has plenty of presets. The voice recorder seems good though I haven't really tried it out. The picture viewer works fine and has zoom. The text reader only reads .txt files and wraps words to fit them on the screen, but it's still a great feature that many players like this don't have. It reads in 3 font sizes.
5)Easy to use. It only takes a few trys to learn the buttons, which all have sensible functions.
6)Interface. Some people might be turned off by its simplicity but I like it. Parts of it are purposefully retro (I think).

Cons:
1)Earphones. They're passable in sound quality but aren't comfortable at all.
2)Can't listen to music while reading text.
3)Can't customize the interface.
4)Doesn't show album art.