Everytime I receive a package with review items in it, I like to perform a tribal style dance around my desk. Okay, I am lying, my desk is in the corner so I couldn't do that if I wanted to. However, I do open the package! When I got this player, it came in an unpadded Fedex envelope that looked like it had been dropped on a dirty sidewalk and run over by a small child on their tricycle. Luckily, the player was left unscathed but I would like to see it shipped in at least a padded envelope in the future. When I opened the envelope I found an attractive package with an attractive player displayed inside. The package has plenty information regarding the product's features on both the front and back, which is always nice. Time to rip open the pretty package and find out what's inside!
Once you open the package you will find inside the following items:
Bling MP3/CD/FM Player
Remote Control with FM tuner and belt clip
High Fidelity stereo earphones
AC/DC power adapter
2 AA batteries
User's Manual.
Manual
I would like to start by complimenting irock on their excellent owner's manual. This player has a lot of features and to get the most out of it I would most definitely recommend reading it. I will not go into depth on how to use this player because the manual covers everything. If you have any questions regarding MP3s and how to create a MP3 CD, you may also consult the manual. As for obtaining the MP3s, there are several options. The easiest way to get MP3s is via file sharing networks such as Kazaa, but you can also copy a CD to your computer and turn the WMA files into MP3 files by using WMA to MP3 conversion utilities that can be found online.
Play Modes
This player boasts 3 play modes: CD, MP3, and FM. This may lead you to believe that you can use standard CDs, digitally store MP3s, and listen to the radio... but this is not the case. To listen to MP3s, you need to burn them on a CD. An option to store MP3s on the device would have been a great addition, but the price would have to increase dramatically to accomodate a physical drive being integrated. I must say, however, that this device performed flawlessly in all modes. The CDs played back as expected and the FM mode was a lot better than I would have expected from a device without an antenna. All of the radio stations I tuned in to were crystal clear, with the exception of 1 that wasn't so clear, with an ever so slight bit of static. But overall, the FM mode is great.
While you are using a CD mode, there are also 6 playback modes:
Normal: Plays all tracks on entire CD once, then stops. This is the default playback mode.
Repeat 1: Repeats the current track displayed on the LCD, continuously.
Repeat Album: Repeats all of the tracks within the current album (directory), continuously.
Repeat All: Repeats all of the songs on the entire CD, continuously.
Intro: Plays the first 10 seconds of each track on the entire CD, then stops.
Random: Randomly plays all of the tracks on the entire CD, then stops.
Features
Another plus for the irock BLiNG is its stylish good looks and massive feature-set. The player has a 4 line LCD display that scrolls song title, album name, kHz, kbps, and also shows play mode, battery level, directory number, track number, song length, and visual EQ. The remote also has an LCD display but it only says CD or displays the FM station you are on. There are also the standard player features such as the HOLD toggle switch which lets you prevent unwanted button presses. The remote lets you control almost everything on the player with one hand and is designed to be ergonomic so that you can hold it in your hand comfortably and easily push the different buttons. The remote is needed if you want to use the FM mode, but if you will only be using this to listen to CDs, you may decide not to use the remote. The remote also has a small optional clip that you can use to attach to your belt, shirt, etc. if you want to.
Headphones
The BLiNG player is also packaged with a pair of ear buds. These headphones are some of the best earbuds I have ever used. The tone range with these headphones is amazing, high pitches are crystal clear and deep roaring bass kicks make your ears tingle. These earbuds are also very stylish like the rest of the player, and are extremely comfortable with padding around the bud. You could probably purchase better headphones seperately, but why? The quality of these headphones are so great that I couldn't warrant purchasing $80 headphones to replace them, there wouldn't be an amazing difference anyway because these earbuds are truly exceptional.
Note: I tested this player with several different music genres including songs from: George Acosta (Techno), Papa Roach (Rock), KORN (Rock), Daniel Beddingfield (Pop), Eminem (HipHop), LinkinPark (Rock), Craig David (Pop), Tupac (HipHop), Tatu (Pop), Slipknot (Rock), and more... Every single song I played sounded crystal clear and every tone could be heard, these headphones are absolutely amazing.
Equalizer
This player also has a digital equalizer that lets you choose one of six presets: BASS, FLAT, CLASSIC, JAZZ, ROCK, and POP. The setting you choose has a great impact on the music you are listening to. My personal preference is usually to leave it on the BASS preset because I listen to a lot of techno and hiphop with plenty of bass. However, depending on your music preference, you will want to select the appropriate preset. For music with lots of Saxophone, etc. you will want to use JAZZ, for songs with a lot of electric guitar and drums you will want to use ROCK, and for those who like orhcestra type music with pianos and violins and the like, you will likely want to use CLASSIC. The setting you have the player on will drastically change the way you listen to your songs. A techno song just doesn't sound the same with the JAZZ or CLASSIC setting, you need to find the appropriate settings for your songs, it will make a huge difference and you will enjoy the player much more if you don't just leave it on one setting for all types of music.
Rechargeability
Another item included with this player is a pair of AA rechargeable batteries. These batteries can last up to nine hours and take ~7-8 hours to fully recharge. I was very pleased that these batteries were included, because usually electronic devices only come with standard batteries.
Skip Protection
One word sums up the skip protection on this device: 'wow.' A lot of players out there boast a 60 second skip protection that doesn't hold up with a vigorous shaking. This player, however, sports a 120 second ESP that actually works. I decided to test the skip protection while playing an MP3 CD, and after several minutes of shaking and smacking the device, I could not get it to skip, not even once. I started to get a bit frustrated, even yelling at the player: "Damn you BLiNG, its been 200 seconds, skip already!" I then realized this was a good thing and was no longer frustrated. In all seriousness, the BLiNG player has the best skip protection I have seen, I literally could not get it to skip.
Conclusion
Overall this was an amazing product. I expected little from this player, but instead got a feature-packed player with excellent headphones, included rechargeable batteries, and amazing skip protection. If you are looking for a player that can play standard CDs, MP3s, and FM radio, I would most definitely recommend the irock BLiNG and I give it TheTechLounge Recommended award. Kudos to irock for an amazing product.
Pros
Very stylish
Packed with features
Remote
Excellent headphones included
Rechargeable batteries included
Excellent skip protection
Cons
Can't store MP3s on the device
Need remote to use FM mode
http://www.thetechlounge.com/article/31/irock+BLiNG+MP3+CD+FM+Player/
