Sindre Lia plugs in and tunes out to JVC's XA-MP101, a 1 GB flash player with distcintly minute measurements, broad format support and even an FM radio.
The new JVC XA-MP101 audio player crams 1 GB of internal flash memory into a metallic black casing, weighing 42 g and measuring only 50 x 15 x 50 mm. Capable of storing up to 550 songs, the player supports MP3, WMA and WMA-DRM formats, as well as a voice recorder and an FM radio. Not only do features abound, but JVC has also found room for a monochrome LCD display with blue backlight as opposed to the voice guidance system employed in the recently reviewed JVC XA-A50.
As the XA-MP101's physical measurements remain at an absolute minimum, the LCD display is rather small, yet manages to provide vital information during audio playback. We did however notice that the XA-MP101 acted a little slow when skipping between tracks, and the drawbacks of having such a small display became evident when browsing music. In fact, it would take ages to see the name of all 500 songs stored since titles scroll by in slow motion without no means of increasing speed - and we also missed the option of navigating back to the playlist without entering the main menu.
The icon based main menu is otherwise easy to use, providing shortcuts to vital parts of the system such as the file manager, voice recording, FM radio, and audio playback settings. The XA-MP101 offers seven preset EQ modes to choose from, including Normal, Classical, Jazz, Rock, Pop, Bass, and Customized - however unfortunately, the player doesn't match the output quality of many of its larger competitors. The soundscape proved to be flat when using the bundled set of earphones, whereas adding a quality headset improved matters only to a certain degree; sound remained too sharp and loudness proved less than desirable.
Connecting the XA-MP101 to a PC was a simple and straightforward affair, with a USB 2.0 slot providing quick and easy transfer of songs to the unit. WAV files created when using the record function in the voice recorder or FM radio can also easily be transferred to the PC.
JVC claims a battery life of up to 17 hours for the AAA non-rechargable battery in the XA-MP101, whereas we experienced a battery life of approximately 15 hours during the test period.
Availability
The JVC XA-MP101 is currently available in Europe, bearing the price tag of €225 EUR at the time of press. A 512 MB version is also available in the XA-MP51, selling for €170 EUR.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Archive