Specifications

Reviews
S
ome say a giant asteroid hit
Earth and killed the dinosaurs.
Other people argue that a storm
of miniature hard drives are pum-
meling planet Earth and killing all
flash memory-based MP3 players.
We’re not sure about the former,
but we know the latter theory isn’t
true because we’re still squarely
ensconced in flash-based devices.
This month, we compare three light-
weight players from three different
civilizations.
—LOGAN DECKER
MSI MEGA 516 256MB
Whipping out the Mega 516 is a sure
way to draw admiring glances, thanks
to the player’s elegant design and
scalpel-sharp two-color OLED screen
(for more on this mesmerizing
display technology, check out
our massive tech preview on
page 30). You’d never suspect
that this brushed-aluminum
beauty is guilty of one of the
worst design blunders in MP3
player history.
Instead of using the standard
jack necessary for a fairly impor-
tant accessory we call headphones,
Mega 516 uses the smaller mini-
jack instead. Exactly how stoned
do you have to be to make a deci-
sion like this? The bundled head-
phones sound even worse than
the crap that typically comes
with MP3 players—we’ve heard
better sounding music on hold.
The result: We had to buy an
adapter and use our own earbuds.
And while the sound from the player
was fine, the adapter added bulk and
looked goofy.
The Mega 516 has 256MB of
internal memory and an SD card
expansion slot. Both show up in
Windows Explorer as removable
drives—nice! But once again, we were
flummoxed by MSI’s poor judgment—
the Mega 516 supports only USB 1.1
transfer speeds. We might have been
able to forgive one major flaw for a
player this pretty (and the SD slot is a
nice touch), but not two. Next!
Creative MuVo Slim 256MB
The exact width and length of a credit
card and a wispy 5mm thick, the
MuVo Slim nearly blew out our con-
tact lenses with its explosive volume
and awesome sound. At the default
setting, tracks sound absolutely crisp,
and there are no funky audio blips
when moving between tracks. But
switch to the “Rock” EQ setting and
all hell breaks loose. Rimshots crack
like a pool cue being whacked over
your head, and bass notes are distinct
without a hint of mushiness. (There
are a handful of other settings for mel-
lower music and a five-band graphic
EQ as well).
If you require further persuasion,
the MuVo includes an FM tuner with
autoscan, up to 32 savable channel
presets, and direct recording from FM,
as well as a voice recorder with a built-
in mic. The player charges through
the USB port and uses Windows
Explorer for management.
We’re still waiting for OGG support
from Creative, and the removable
battery clocked in at a decent, if not
heroic, 13.5 hours. But it all comes
down to the sound, and the MuVo
Slim is fat at that.
GoVideo Rave-MP AMP128
It’s a nice shade of red; that’s good—
we like red. But otherwise, the 128MB
AMP128 isn’t a particularly distin-
guished MP3 player. Even though it
has an FM tuner and SD card slot, it
loses in more important areas, and
loses big time.
For one thing, it simply doesn’t get
loud enough. That’s bad. Second, the
headphone jack is on the side of the
player rather than the top, making
the headphone plug stick out to the
side and inconvenient for pocket
transport. That’s no good either. And
finally, the player actually crashed
when we were playing with the voice
recorder. We’ll let you make up your
own mind about that one.
The battery puts out a reasonable
14-plus hours, and the sound quality
is good, though not nearly as punchy
and bright as the MuVo Slim. For the
price of the 256MB version ($130), you
could get the MuVo Slim instead, and
put a little zest in your life.
MAXIMUMPC JANUARY 200588
FM tuner, SD card slot.
RABBIT’S FOOT
RABBIT TEST
Average sound, below-average design.
$100, www.rave-mp.com
6
MAXIMUMPC
VERDICT
Thin, sexy, and sounds fantastic.
PIG SNACKS
PIG STIES
No sound during fast-forward, no OGG support.
$110, www.creative.com
9
MAXIMUMPC
VERDICT
Player looks good, OLED screen looks even better.
ELEPHANT RIDES
ELEPHANTIASIS
Non-standard headphone jack, USB 1.1-only transfers.
$130 (street), www.msi.tw.com
4
MAXIMUMPC
VERDICT
MP3 Player Mashup
Presenting three wee MP3 playees—one is elegant, one is generic, and one just stinks
Note: We test all MP3 players with Shure’s E3c earbuds
($180), noting bundled headphones or earbuds only
when they are acceptable, which they rarely are.
With a non-standard
headphone jack and
USB 1.1 transfer
speeds, the Mega
516 proves that
sexy doesn’t make
up for stupid.
With its timid
volume level
and awkward
design, it’s
hard to get
excited about
the AMP128’s
other, more
exciting
features.
The MuVo Slim isn’t just one of
Creative’s sexiest players; it also
sounds amazing.
3.375”
2.125“
3.375
“
2.25
“
2.75“
2
“