iRiver iFP-180T 128mb Bright Silver MP3 Player

Amazon Customer Reviews

(5 out of 5)

Superb sound from a tiny package

It was going to be a toss up between the iFP180T and the MuVo 128, but the extra facilities (voice recorder, tuner, screen etc) won out in the end. That, and the fact that the MuVo was "unavailable" despite all my efforts to obtain one. I've been very pleasantly surprised by the iRiver job. The sound quality seems (to me) superior to other players I've heard. I use either Sennheiser MX500s or Aiwa HPV-743s, and listen to WMA files ripped at 96 KbPS from CDs. I've had experience of only a few digital players: Iomega's Hipzip, Rio's 600 and the original Creative Labs Jukebox, but I think the iRiver's sound is better. Could this be down to the generous 10 mW output of the amplifier?
Another plus, as far as I was concerned, was the power source being an easily swappable AA battery. Players with built-in chargeable sources have a habit of dying on you at inconvenient times. I found the iRiver was happy using my rechargeable AAs, and it's no hardship to carry a replacement. This might require a slightly fatter player, but just how tiny do you really want them to get?
The 128Mb of flash memory is certainly enough for me, giving two hours or so of WMA files as above. I understand the iFP190T has a full 256Mb, but I wouldn't want to risk dropping a machine that cost more than the £170 the 180T set me back!
Some sort of protective carry case would have been nice, in neoprene with a belt loop perhaps, but the whole ethic behind the machine seems to be hanging it round your neck. It's easily light enough, and it would be a nightmare trying to design a case which would enable you to access the player's controls anyway.
The tuner has a generous 20 presets, and the quality of listening will obviously depend on your headphones (which provide the antenna) and the broadcast signal strength in your area. The stations I like vary wildly between very good, to surprisingly disappointing in reception.
You'll know if you need a voice recorder. Upgrading the firmware to the current spec enabled a choice of recording at three qualities. Obviously there's no built-in speaker; the only playback is via the headphones.
It's vital to read the manual. I found the player easy to use at its most basic, but to control the advanced features with the limited switchgear necessitates some complex and inventive keystrokes. After a few hours' use all becomes clear, and you can "personalise" the player, setting a favourite equalisation or tinkering with the backlight timer, for instance.
At the end of the day it comes down to sound quality - or should. Tracks from Dave Matthews, Madonna and Brian Eno Cds sounded simply stunning, and even some WMAs sourced from old cassettes were a pleasant surprise. The upgradability of the firmware and the possibility of its compatibility with future formats (depending on which way iRiver wants to go), together with the very comprehensive set of features on the player (what else could you possibly want it to do?) make it a very attractive buy - even at the price.

(4 out of 5)

Warning on WMA support...

Before buying this mp3 player I had ripped all of my cd's (120) into WMA 96kbps 44kHz Stereo CBR using Windows Media Audio 9 codec but they wouldn't play on this mp3 player. They would play at the higher 192kbps no problem but that means bigger files so I wrote to iRiver tech dept and they state that they don't support this rate only VBR and further recommended that I use Windows Media Audio 8 as 9 is not fully supported. So I was surprised to see one of the reviewers say that they played WMA at 96kbps with this player.

So I am now in the process of converting my 120 albums into mp3 at 96kbps which is a long and arduous process and I'm really disappointed because I was happy with the WMA rate I used which gives a great sound on my Kenwood radio cd mp3/wma player (it doesn't have a problem playing them).

Anyway, that's just a warning to others that this player does not support all codecs.

Now to the good news. The sound is exceptional, it really is rich and full, even with the highly compressed 96kbps mp3 rate. The music manager software for transferring music files to the player is easy and convenient to use. No learning curve there. Apparently, if you prefer you can opt for the UMS format which works with Windows Explorer and sets the iRiver player up to be a new drive in windows so you just copy files as you would to other drives. But I'm happy with the current setup and don't feel the need to change. The controls and interface are only adequate but I don't demand much from a 128mb player. I'm happy enough with these. One little gripe is I wish they could support RDS/EON for radio to display the channel name.

Overall, for sheer sound quality I heartily recommend the iRiver iFP-180T mp3 player. Just be careful which codec you use.

(5 out of 5)

Excellent Little device

I like so many others spent an infuriating period of time deciding on which MP3 player to buy; large hard drive style or small flash? Then which one. Well I bought this lovely little MP3/WMA player a month ago or so and I'm chuffed with it, the sound quality in my opinion is marvellous, but then again I've nothing really to compare it to! The radio is a lovely add on which is of great quality and means that if you get bored of the mp3's you have you can take a break with the radio. I know it's only 128Mb, but this is enough for a couple of albums (128Kbps) and for the commute into work this is more than enough. It also forces me into listening to the other tracks on albums that you never initially like but end up loving, a trait the MP3 is killing off.

Plus what I really like about this MP3 player; firmware upgrades.

Speaking of which, if you upgrade the firmware, the MP3 player acts as a flashdrive, enabling you to circumvent the software provided to add files.

All in all, a great player.

(5 out of 5)

just the best

Very good looking little machine. Although the silver case is a bit plastic, it's actually built quite well. Within seconds of connecting with a USB to my laptop, I had installed the software, converted some tracks to MP3's and downloaded onto the player. The sound quality is very very good even if you select one of the middle of the range MP3 file size and conversions (to save some file space). The good quality Sennheiser headphones certainly make a difference. The buttons and menus take a bit of getting used to but work well. Could do with a more obvious on/off button. Overall a great buy, good quality, easy and quick to use. You have to get one.

(4 out of 5)

Very stylish and feature rich

I bought this player after having spent about a week browsing the various choices. Finally settling on the Iriver becuase of its unique shape (I wanted something different and to stay away from the common square box). When the product finally arrived, WOW. Its soo small. I was able to listen to my MP3's within 10 minutes becuase the software was soo easy to setup and use. The sound is very clear and crisp and the LCD display rocks.
I was worried about it looking cheap and tacky but looking closer, its actually built very well and it screams quality.

Some niggles I have are:

Navigation is quite complicated. You have to really read the manual in order to move about the various options. Mp3 player feels a bit too light. I would have preferred if it was made of metal but then again it's mean't to be worn around the neck. Once the battery is in, its ok.

I would definately recommend this player for those who want something to show of with, want something discreet but makes an impact when it is seen and has top quality playback.