Audiovox Lyra RD1072 (256 MB) Digital Media Player

I have purchased (used on Ebay) 4 of these RCA Lyra MP3 RD1072 players (I also have Qty 3 RD1028, Qty 3 RD1076, 1 Qty RD1021, Qty 1 RD2215A and Qty 1 RD2010B, my favorite is the RD1072 with the Black Logo. The RD1072's are wonderful little devices. The sound is good and have a good 5 choice equalizer. The RD1072 players have worked just fine and have good battery life. I use rechargeable batteries AAA size and get about 10 to 12 hrs play time on a 700mAh battery. You have to be very careful to notice which color the RCA Logo that is on the front of the unit. If the RCA Logo is a black silkscreen, the player will recognize 650 songs (that is about 65 CD's worth of songs) when an added SD memory card is added for more songs (it acts like a RD1076). If the RCA Logo is Raised and Silver in Color, the player will only recognize 240 songs when an added SD memory card is added for more songs (it acts like a RD1028). There are apparently 2 versions of the RD1072A even though no mention to this anywhere I have looked. For the money a RD1072 with Black Logo and a 1GB SD memory card is equal to a more expensive RD1076 with a 1GB SD memory card. Everyone around me owns IPOD's, wife and all my kids, $200 dollar devices, they can't change out the battery, they have to wait to charge it, they have to upload all types of songs and search for the ones they want. Myself I love the little RD1072 with extra SD cards. SD cards with the songs I like and the extra rechargeable batteries is the best, I don't have to wait. Plug them in and GO! The RD1072 is rugged, I have dropped them when working and walking, they just keep on working, try that many times with your IPOD. I can pop the unit in my pants pocket, I have also strapped the unit to my hat with hands free operation while working, and tucked them in my beanie on cold winter days while working out doors for more hands free listening. I have attached the MP3 player to the hat and beanie using fishing gear. Love that eyelet on the MP3 layers. I am going to die with one of these $10 thru $20 dollar devices strapped to me somehow. Just like a good piece of trusted fishing gear so are these little MP3 players by RCA. Easy to use, understand and work at night with no light, just by feel. The Units use a standard cheep head set, if it needed to be replaced. Down loading songs to the device or SD card is so easy, it acts just like a external hard drive. MP3 and WMA songs are easy to download from Windows Media. No extra software to buy. An over rating of good to great in my book, it has to walk on water to be Excellent.

I received this player (brand new) as a gift and I wasn't sure that it would work with my computer. I have an older iMac running OS 9.2 and iTunes ver 2...

Anyway I couldn't be more satisfied! The computer recognizes the player (as a disc drive). I am able to fire up iTunes; arrange my songs in the order I want on a playlist; and drag the selected list over to the Lyra's screen icon. It couldn't be any easier! Plus, the Lyra remembers the songs in the order I arranged!

Also, I have found out that th Lyra works in practically any computer. I've installed the software on a Windows 98 machine and the system works rather beautifully. I've found out the Lyra works well on Mac OSX machines as well. I haven't tried it on newer Windows machines.

I like the build of the player. This player seems a bit more rugged than say the iPod. Because of this, it could be a better choice for kids and workouts. Speaking of workout friendly, the rubber buttons are a nice touch. You can operate the buttons by 'feel' another asset for your workout. Plus, at the price-point (used, these guys are pretty cheap), if it gets lost, dropped, or stolen, you can easily replace it with another. And the fact that it uses a single AAA battery, you can get more power anywhere.

If there is anything I don't like about the player, is the included EZ Clip earphones. I don't like the fit. and they are kind of cheap. Also, the included armband seems a little small. Could RCA be catering these players to a younger audieince?

I just got a 512MB SD card for the player. Depending on your computer system, you may need to invest in a card reader to drag and drop files onto. I've found if you are still using a Mac with OS9, you will need a card reader. However, most other computers I have tried will recognize the Lyra and the card when pluged in via the USB cable. Due to the basic transport controls, I don't feel you need to go past 1GB of external memory. Imagine pressing the FWD / REV buttons 100 times to get to your favorite song! Also, when using larger SD cards, you will want to organize your music with folders. When the filemanes start looking alike, your computer's OS might not allow you to drag selections onto the card. But, when you organize things with folders, you can eliminate this. Also when preparing your MP3s for the player make sure your ID3 TAG is set to V2.3. The player's display takes advantage of the Artist and Title information.

On a side note, I recently purchased another Lyra (used) for $20! Once again for the disposability factor. Now this one seems to act different. Maybe it has a different version of firmware or something - I don't know. This Lyra doesn't read the memory cards (which work fine in my other Lyra)! Also, when I turn on Lyra #2, the player gives a 'please wait' message and then arranges the files alphabetically (by file name). This could be frustrating if you would like to listen to your tracks in their intended order (by album). You can go in and edit the file names - this could be fairly tedious and may not be not be a permanent fix. But, for $20 I can't complain too much. I'll just put my favorites in there and shuffle! So, when buying one used, you may want to keep this in mind and ask the seller about this.

The Lyra was my first entry into the world MP3 players. Lets just say the experience has been positive so far.

RCA Lyra is a great MP3 Player for Beginners at MP3. Incredibily easy to tranfer music from your computer to your player! This holds close to 180 songs without adding a memory card, but you can add up to 1GB of memory with a SD card, and you don't need software to use it! Just bring up your music program and plug in the USB cable to your computer and connect the other end to your Lyra player and let the fun begin! You can spend hours adding and removing songs before you know it. It also comes with an arm band or neck strap so you can take it to go! No more CD's skipping, you can exercise, walk, travel, or sit around the pool and you'll never miss a beat! It's fun and easy to use! Enjoy life, enjoy Lyra, commercial free!

Introduction

I bought my 17 year old son this unit for Christmas and we both love it! In fact, I like his so much, I'm going to buy one for myself!

Prior to Christmas I shopped around and read the reviews for various MP3 players. I had some experience with an iPod Shuffle (See my other review) that I won in a contest. That experience made me certain that I wanted to buy an MP3 player with a screen and better controls.

In my opinion, the Lyra is a terrific unit that is just the right size, shape and has well designed and placed controls. The display is clear and easily read from an angle.

My only concern when I bought the unit was its 256M of memory. After comparing various units with more memory, I discovered that I could buy the Lyra and add a 512M SD memory card for less than a unit that came with more memory.

Pros

+ Great Value
+ Nice Ergonomic Design
+ Light Weight
+ Great Battery Life (20 Hours on 1 AAA)
+ Includes Arm Strap Accessory
+ Expands Easily with SD Memory Card

Cons

- Headphones are 'OK'
- No Backlight
- Some reported problems with 1G SD Cards

Summary

A great value that performs well and offers many of the features found only in much more expensive units. I'm looking forward to buying my own for the gym!

This makes two I now own. I like the SD card slot feature the best. I am able to insert any of my several 256, 512, and 1 gig cards full of tunes, and with one aaa battery lasting over 8 hours, the music just keeps on playing. The Lyra is also small and very portable. I use it on the job and in my car's aux. in jack. Great little player for the money.