|
Ovierview
Hello again, today I am reviewing the Hyundai HY-208 MP3
player/128 MB Flash drive. Having never used a Flash Drive this has
been an experience. As I type I am listening to a few MP3's on the
device, and also have some photos stored on it as well.
First thing's first, this thing is nice and
small, not as tiny as a plain Flash Drive, or the Creative
MuVo, but it's very close, about the size of a disposable
cigarette lighter, Mine is silver, and has very little on it in
regards to controls. All it has are the power button (also the Play
and Pause button) on the front, then on one side it has the volume
controls, the forward/Back/Stop switch, and a hold switch, that's
pretty much it.
I am sure you are wondering how it sounds, well, it doesn't sound
bad, considering it has no Equalizer settings, (more on this later.)
It is very clear, and the included headphones (hanging type,
the neck cord also has the ear bud wires running through the cord,
with the ear buds exiting where the neck strap comes around the
shoulders, making it very convenient. I just wish the ear buds were
foam covered, or at least more comfortable, as they sound rather
good.
 |
 |
| Hyundai HY-208 MP3
top view. |
Side
with controls. |
Test with FM Transmitters
I did try other headphones with the HY-208. I
have 2 sets I usually use, an older pair of Sony MDR-W08, in the ear
headphones, and also a pair of folding Sony MDR-A110 headphones.
With these the HY-208 had more bass (the headphones do have more
bass), but wasn't quite as clear as with the included ear buds. I
also tried it with the AudioBug (see AudiBug
review) and AnyDrive (see AnyDrive
review.) It worked well with the AudioBug, very clear, good stereo
separation, and also a small package to take along for the ride. I
was REALLY looking forward to trying this with the AnyDrive, as it
has provisions for using a flash drive.
I took the HY-208 and AnyDrive to my car to
test out, plugged the AnyDrive in to the lighter socket, then
plugged the HY-208 into the AnyDrive. I pressed play on the Anydrive,
and it started playing, for about 10 seconds, then stopped. I hit
play again, same thing happened. I was getting somewhat perturbed,
and tried once more, this time skipping the first song, it played
the 2nd song, again stopping after about 10 seconds. I
can only assume the HY-208 isn't compatible with the AnyDrive. Oh
well, was cool while it worked though, seems the AnyDrive has a
fader built in, fading one song out and fading the next in, nice
touch.
 |
| Player
with head-set. |
With the HY-208 having 128 MB ram on it, you
can get a good deal of music on it (depending on how you record your
MP3's, an hour or 2 usually.) It
has very straightforward controls, easy to use, and light too. I
have been wearing it when at work (hiding the ear buds inside my
shirt) and hardly remember it's there, unless I am on break
listening to music, or using the Flash Drive. I have used it to
transfer files between a few computers, worked flawlessly (in Win XP
anyway.)
One other thing, when I tried the HY-208 with
the AudioBug, I found that the HY-208 didn't have enough power to
keep the AudioBug powered on sometimes (the HY-208 doesn't have a
high volume, this might be part of the problem.)
Good Points
1)
Very small, has to be the smallest MP3 player I have used (I
have had a few over the years before going to Minidisc.)
2)
Very clear sound, either with the included ear buds or other
headphones.
3)
Great battery life! Uses 1 AAA battery, and has been going
strong all week on one (used a LOT.)
4)
Works as a flash drive without a battery in it, good in case
the battery dies and you still need to transfer some files
Bad Points
1)
No Display, I know it's small, but I still like to know
what's going on.
2)
No Equalizer settings, again, kinda asking a lot from such a
small device, but I got used to having the ability to tailor the
sound to the song, luckily the sound on the HY-208 isn't bad.
3)
The included Ear buds sound great, but hurt my ears after a
short time.
4)
Would be nice if it had other features, like a voice
recorder, or FM receiver. (Granted, this is in the Economy Line)
More Best-selling 128MB
MP3 Players
|
