RCA Lyra 1072 MP3 Player

Specifications:
• Very compact
• Plays MP3’s and WMA’s
• 256MB Built-In Memory
• Expandable SD/MMC Slot
• USB Connectivity
• Price: $79.99US

There is so much competition in the MP3 Player market today, it’s immense. Each time a new player is released, it promises new killer features and larger memory capabilities. But for some people, that may be too much. There may be some people who are just looking for a decent replacement to their Discman, and don’t have a need for Gigabytes of space. The player we are reviewing today, is great for those types of people, so let’s hop to it.

The Lyra comes in many different models, but the one we are reviewing is the 1072. The player is very light, and you could fit two of them in the palm of your hand. The player comes with a base 256MB of internal memory, with the ability to add in an SD/MMC card for more expansion.

One benefit of the player, is in addition to playing MP3’s, it also plays WMA files, which usually take up half as much space as a standard MP3. So if you don’t wish to get an SD/MMC card to expand the memory, you could convert your MP3’s to WMA’s, if you don’t mind losing a little quality, and be able to store twice as much.

The player only requires one AAA battery to operate, and has a lock button to prevent accidental song skipping, or turning on/off of the player. The player also has buttons on each side of the unit, 8 in total. There are the Volume Up/Down buttons, On/Off and Skip Back/Forward buttons. Also, there is a DSP button, that triggers a few sound presets: Bass, Pop, Rock, Jazz and Flat. The last button is the Mode button, which is how you can change the playback to Random, Repeat and a few others.

All the buttons are easy to push and the placement adds to the style of the player. The functionality is also great, but one thing that the player cannot do, is skip albums. On the players start up, it puts together all the MP3’s in the various folders and makes it into one playlist, so that you cannot jump to another album. I would have liked to see this feature, but it’s liveable without it.

Some of the contents that come with the player are also useful. Contents include a Users Manual as well as other pamphlets, the CD-Rom with software and drivers, a player carrying pouch, a USB cable and a Duracell AAA battery. Also included is a pair of earphones.