It’s inevitable that every MP3 player released post-iPod will be compared to Apple’s digital music player, and in many cases, the iPod comes out on top. But the Rio Karma might just buck that trend.
The 20Gbyte player has all the functions you’d expect from an MP3 player these days, and a few more besides, including a Rio DJ option that allows the player to pick your music for you, an auto-synch feature for your music collection and a stopwatch. The Rio DJ is perfect for when you want to relinquish control of your listening material.
Depending on what settings you pick, the Rio DJ will automatically pick the most played tracks on your Karma, the newest music you’ve added, tracks you’ve forgotten you put on there, choose songs at random or play them all.
You can create playlists on the move, and it’s no slouch on the music front either — it can fit 330 hours of MP3 music or 660 hours of WMA format on it. One criticism that has been levelled at MP3 players in the past is that the menu systems have been unnecessarily complex, and in many cases, it justified criticism. However, the Karma appears to have got it right. The menu system is incredibly easy to use, with the Menu button bringing you back a menu level each time you press it. Using the joystick that controls the play functions, you can navigate through the menus, selecting the options you want at a flick of the stick.
The auto-synchronisation feature means that your music player and your PC contain the exact same music collection — every time you add a new track to your PC, it will update your Karma when you next connect it. There are plenty of sound options, with pop, jazz, rock, classical and trance modes pre-programmed into the device. You can also turn the equaliser settings off, choose a ‘special’ mode that messes about with the auto gain and stereo separation, opt for a five-band parametric equaliser mode or choose one of three custom settings that you can play around with yourself. If the mention of a five-band parametric equaliser leaves you dazed and confused, it allows you to control the output frequency of five bands, plus their width and mid points. In brief, it gives you the most customised sound you’ll get on a player this size.
The Karma comes with a dock that can be used for recharging the MP3 player, hooking it up to external speakers or transferring tracks via the USB 2.0 connection. Curiously, the Rio Karma also comes with an Ethernet cable. A quick bit of investigating revealed that
the Karma can be hooked up to a network when it is docked.
The Karma is still not quite as pretty as the iPod, but then, very few things can even come close. That’s not to say that the Rio players aren’t visually appealing — they are, just in a different way. Rather than the cool lines of the iPod, the Rio Karma has opted for a black,
grey and silver case that is more reminiscent of an FM radio than an MP3 player, but we like it.
Rio Karma — €379
Features: 20Gbyte hard disk; compatible with WMA, MP3 and Ogg Vorbis formats; five-band parametric equaliser; cross-fader; Rio DJ and automatic playlist generator; dock with Ethernet connection
LCD screen: indigo backlight; 16 shade greyscale.
Dimensions: 2.7 x 3.0 x 1.1in
Weight: 156g
Battery: Rechargeable Lithium-Ion, giving 15 hours of continuous playback
Live! Verdict
Rating: four stars
A powerful audio player in a deceptively small package, the Karma has plenty of features to attract digital audio fans.
26/10/04
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