iRiver E100 MP3 Player Review - Performance
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If you were hoping that the E100 was going to redeem itself by performing like a high quality MP3 player, you are about to be disappointed. The sound quality of the E100 is decent, but does nothing to improve the overall quality of the player. Music loses some of its vibrancy in the middle ranges, especially as you increase the volume of the player. Bass and treble both perform fairly well, but the entire range becomes scratchy as you reach the upper volume limits of the player. The built-in equalizer helps emphasize the bass, but does little else to improve otherwise mediocre sound quality.
Video quality is actually remarkably impressive, but you will doubtlessly encounter compatibility issues. For some reason, the video player on the E100 is very picky about the strictness of the file type of the videos it plays (or doesn’t). The result is that you will have to run almost every one of your videos through the converter which is included with the E100. Once you have converted your video files, they will run on your MP3 player at 320x240 at 30 fps.
As I mentioned previously, the MP3 player itself will sometimes hang temporarily while navigating through the menus. The problem does not extend into the audio or video players or the image viewer, but it is a slight annoyance which has no place in a modern piece of technology.
In summary, the iRiver E100 is an inexpensive MP3 player which has been packed with atypical features at the cost of design and performance. The performance is typical of a lower-end MP3 player, so in reality, you are trading the poor design for several higher-end features. If you are looking for a cheap MP3 player which you can count on to play your music well, this perhaps isn’t the best choice. If you are looking for a cheap MP3 player which also plays quality videos and throws in some specialized extra features, the E100 is your best bet, especially for the price.
It is unfortunate that the E100 does not quite live up to the expectations set by its predecessor, the Clix, but in and of itself, the E100 is not a bad piece of technology. Perhaps iRiver experienced a good-luck break with their previous MP3 player, or maybe they just had a lapse of design quality with this latest release. Either way, iRiver is creating a respectable image for itself and the MP3 player consumer should keep their eyes open for future developments from the company.
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