RCA Lyra™ 20GB MP3 Player - RD2850 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)Had I not been able to resolve several issues that did come up in using the player initially, I would consider the RD2850 a below average player.As it is, I would consider it a solid audio file player with a few limitations.

As I was searching for a hard disk digital audio player, I noticed the Lyra RD2850 came with everything you need to use it universally: ear clips, rca connector for stereos, car adapter kit, and usb to connect to your computer.This and the size and weight were major motivating factors which resulted in my purchase.Some of the other hard drive MP3 players force you to purchase these items separately, and virtually all of them are larger and heavier than the Lyra.

Unfortunately, upon purchasing my Lyra and loading it with music files, I discovered a few problems.

Problem 1 - many of my WMA files wouldn't play.Apparently, the Lyra is not compatible with WMA files created by Media Player 10, which included those purchased from Microsoft's music download service.
Solution - I had to burn all those WMAs and rip them as MP3s.

Problem 2 - when jogging the player would give me a fatal error and shut down.It would then take several minutes to reload.Since my primary use of the player was for exercise this was an issue.
I called RCA, and was told to reformat the Lyra, but that didn't work, so I sent it back and received a new one within ten days.The new one was slightly better, but still gave fatal errors as I ran.I called again, explained everything, and was told that because it's a hard disk player it will have difficulty being bounced around.I wasn't excited about this explanation, but I will say that it was never difficult to reach technical support.I reached a technician within a minute on each call.
Solution - I have since found a remedy by holding the Lyra as I jog, not ideal but it works.I believe that an arm strap would probably do the trick as well.

Problems with the bundled software - MusicMatch 8.2, which comes with the Lyra, won't put any Windows Media files onto your Lyra.However, you can download Musicmatch 9 for free.My experience was that Musicmatch 9 froze up constantly when I tried to upload songs to my Lyra, besides the fact that every button I pressed seemed to give me a pop-up telling me to upgrade to MusicMatch Jukebox Plus.
Solution for me- Use the LyraSync software instead of Musicmatch.

Musicmatch is good for one thing, if you pay for the twenty-dollar upgrade.If you have old MP3s with no ID3 tag, it will find them and tag them for you very quickly.I decided it was worth it, because the Lyra groups the songs into categories from the ID3 tag.

Overall, I decided that I could handle all of these issues and I love the sound of the player.

Pros
Many accessories
Great sound
Windows treats the Lyra like an extra disk drive, so you can quickly copy any song (or other file for that matter) to it.
Decent Technical Support
Size and weight (small and light)

Cons
Shuts down with a fatal error when jogging (unless held by hand).
Not compatible with WMAs made by Media Player 10
Bundled software (MusicMatch) isn't very useful

Click Here to see more reviews about: RCA Lyraand#8482; 20GB MP3 Player - RD2850

Product Description:
Take your music collection with you anywhere with the RCA Lyra RD2850 hard-drive digital audio player, which can store 5,000 CD-quality songs (MP3 files encoded at 128 kbps) on its 20 GB hard drive. Amazingly slim at just 1 inch thick, it also weighs only 3.4 ounces. It plays both MP3 and WMA formats, as well as Secure WMA files offered by online download services. It also features an FM tuner with the capability of recording programming with the touch of a single button. Recorded audio files are saved and stored in MP3 format for uploading to a PC. It has a large, easily readable 2.1-inch LCD.
The Lyra DJ feature creates an automatic smart playlist that contains related types of music. It uses the PC to analyze your music collection based on mathematical audio analysis and neural network learning to create groups of musically-related playlists that can easily be transferred to the RD2850. With the SmartTrax navigation feature, you can easily browse audio files according to artist, album, genre, year or song title. Songs can be tagged as "dislike" during playback for editing or deleting later. The player has several EQ presets, including bass boost, rock, pop, and jazz, as well as a user-configurable equalizer setting.
The RD2010 is designed to be PlaysForSure-verified out of the box and works seamlessly with Windows Media Player 10, including support for Auto Sync to sync your music, photos and playlists. You can choose from a growing number of PlaysForSure download and subscription stores, such as F.Y.E (For Your Entertainment), MSN Music, Musicmatch, MusicNow, Napster, and Wal-Mart Music Downloads.
What's in the Box
RCA Lyra RD2850 player, AC adapter, USB cable, line-out cable, car adapter kit, clip earphones, and CD-ROM with Lyra Jukebox and MusicMatch Jukebox software.
Choose your music. Choose your device. Know it's going to work.
Look for the PlaysForSure logo if you're shopping for a portable music or video device and you want to make sure the digital music and video you purchase will play back on it every time. Match the PlaysForSure logo on a large selection of leading devices and online music stores. If you see the logo, you'll know your digital music will play for sure.
The PlaysForSure logo makes it easy to find digital media stores and devices that work together. Choose from a large number of digital music and video stores, including CinemaNow, MSN Music, MusicMatch, MusicNow, Napster, Wal-Mart Music Downloads, and many more.
Look for the PlaysForSure logo on a wide variety of devices including portable music devices, portable video devices, digital audio receivers, Pocket PC's and Smartphones.

The checkmarks indicate if the device is capable of playing back audio and/or video that's been downloaded from an online store. Additionally some devices will be able to play back media that has been purchase through an online store that offers subscription or rentals.