The Carmen Car Audio Player (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)The Carmen Car Audio Player has some nice features but actual in-car usage didn't work for me. Since that's the whole idea, it is being returned.
Background: I like to listen to audio books while driving. I have an older Toyota Corolla with a cassette player. Many newer books are on CD but enough are still on cassette that I am not ready to change the car radio/cassette player. I figured out a way to listen to CD's using a portable CD player connected to a wireless transmitter from IRiver (good reviews and pricing for IRiver on Amazon). It works pretty well and while not as easy as an in-dash CD, it's not hard. The main problem is that the portable goes through batteries quickly. I rotate 3 sets of rechargeable batteries and one audio book of 10 CDs goes through 6-8 battery changes. A power socket adapter for the CD Player causes too much static with the IRiver. Also occasionally I listen outside the car. so I mused out loud about getting a MP3 instead, easier to carry than the CD player and no batteries.
My wife overheard and thought this Carmen audio player might help. i've only had it a week. Its a neat-looking combination wireless transmitter and audio player in one. At home, loading music and other files onto it is no problem, but in the car it is very hard to use.
I realized after opening that it is really designed for Internet radio in cars not equipped for satellite radio. But it can also do MP3 files. So I decide to try it. Actually, the software that connects to Internet radio that is on the Carmen player is pretty neat and very easy to use. It's a cinch to find radio stations of the type you want, listen to them on the computer and save them to the Carmen in real time for later playback. It much like a DVR for car radio. You have to use your own software to load other music or books, its own software is just for radio downloads.
I managed to load the car audio books and some music onto the Carmen using standard Windows Media Player or ITunes without much trouble. But then the gotcha kicks in. In the car you can't see the screen in normal lighting. After plugging it in, nothing happened, despite twisting the Carmen on its hinge at different angles, pushing into the socket firmly, nothing, or so I thought. I tested the socket with my IRiver and it was fine. I gave it up as a product failure, but then glimpsed words and numbers on the small screen when I drove under an overpass. Ah Ha. In darker areas, you can see backlit blue radio frequency numbers, music or book titles and tracks. It's very small but readable. But in normal daylight, even cloudy days, it is absolutely, totally unreadable, much worse than a digital camera LCD in sunlight. You can't see so you can't change music or book chapters or radio station saved files or radio station freqencies unless you drive at night or in deep shade. You also can't lock in a favorite unused radio frequency for playback; you have to reset the frequency each time by holding in the change button until you find your desired frequency. That's a pain.
I'm stubborn, so I determined to listen anyway. Unfortunately, the static that accompanied the spoken words and especially music on different unused radio frequencies was too high for comfort. Radio station recording were a little better but not much. My IRiver is much superior as a wireless transmitter. I'll go back to my CD player. Maybe I'll try a regular MP3 player with the wireless transmitter.
So in summary, getting music and radio and audio books into the Carmen audio player is essy, but actually listening to them in the car ia a flop. It's going back.


Click Here to see more reviews about: The Carmen Car Audio Player (Black)

Record FREE Music From Thousands of Stations. Carmen's exclusive, easy-to-use software makes downloading and storing your favorite programming quick and fun. Select the type of programming you want to hear. Choose from music, sports, talk, news and lots more! Connect Carmen to your computer with the included USB cable and let it find hours of your favorite programming for you automatically. Connect the Carmen to your computer with the included USB cable. Double click on the Carmen application icon in the folder on your computer's desktop. Pick your favorite genres; search or browse over 42,000 stations around the world. Recordings are saved on the Carmen. Insert into your car's 12V adapter. Connect to your radio via FM transmitter (or the included AUX cable.)

Get 67% OFF

Click here for more information about The Carmen Car Audio Player (Black)

Read More...

Livio Internet Radio Featuring Pandora (WiFi only, Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)There are a lot of buzz about HD radio being the wave of the future. I tried an HD radio, and let me tell you, this internet radio has HD completely beat! I live in an area with poor reception for local stations, and I was tired of having to listen my favorite station through my laptop. Within minutes of taking the radio out of the box, I was connected to my favorite station but then I started exploring. I couldn't believe what I found! The radio connected to my Pandora account seamlessly. I've added stations to Pandora on my laptop and they appear on the radio within seconds! Controls on the radio link to Pandora for "thumbs up" or "down." Fantastic. But the really amazing thing is the intuitive interface that provides access to countless (there must be tens of thousands) of radio stations from around the globe! The interface is so intuitive that the stations can be selected either by region or by genre. All with no buffering! Incredible! For these features, I am deleriously happy with my purchase.
For all of its exceptional qualities, the sound quality is disappointing. With one speaker, the bass is truly lacking (and I don't like heavy bass). The sound doesn't seem "full." There are jacks in the back to connect stereo speakers but I'm not sure how that would work or whether I want to go through the effort. I bought this radio based on a review in the Boston Globe. They mentioned the Squeezebox Boom as having the highest quality sound. Of course, that radio was significantly more expensive and doesn't have Pandora controls. Neither radio has an iPod connection and they don't have back-up batteries. Neither has iTunes tagging (seriously?!).
All in all, I'm very happy. When they develop a radio with audiophile-quality sound, I'll be in line to buy one. Hopefully, wifi/internet radio will really take off. I'd love to have a receiver for my home stereo (since that sends sound throughout the house).
January 2010 edit: I keep this radio in my home office. I still love, love, love it. Recently, I bought a Squeezebox Radio for my bedroom. This edit is to compare the two. I love both of these radios, but for different reasons. The Livio has quality throughout. The two standout features are the controls and the link to Pandora. The radio is so easy to set up and use! The controls are clean and uncluttered. The Pandora Thumbs-Up/Thumbs-down is easier on the Livio than it is on the computer. I also love the interface to find stations by genre. It just works so intuitively for me. On the negative side, it does not have an alarm clock built in. Otherwise, I would have bought one for the bedroom as well.
Now, the Squeezebox Radio: Also easy to set-up. The interface is a bit more daunting than the Livio. More options = more controls to tweak. As other reviewers have mentioned, the presets disappeared the first time the alarm went off. After resetting it, things have been fine. The alarm clock works well. Although the specs don't mention a back-up, I have found that if the router is out of commission, the alarm will still go off, just to a tone from the radio, rather than from the internet radio station. Other people have mentioned that the clock gets too dim at night. Not for me! I am so grateful that my bedroom is now reasonably dark at night! My old clock lit up the joint to the point that I used to cover the clock. Now, it's just right. Plus, the brightness level can be manually adjusted. Funny, someone elses complaint is one of my favorite features. The interface and controls are also more baffling than the Livio. Still OK, I just prefer the very clean controls on the Livio.
As for the sound, this would be a matter of preference. The sound in the Livio is a bit flatter. It seems to be missing some mid-range and higher range. The Squeezebox sound is bright and bold but is lacking in the low range. All in all though, I really like the sound on the Squeezebox. Especially for a small radio. I hope that these comments are helpful to someone looking at these two radios.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Livio Internet Radio Featuring Pandora (WiFi only, Black)

Stand-alone radio automatically connects to the internet and makes NPR stations, programs, content, and podcasts accessible to more people, in more places. Sets up in minutes. Searches for NPR programming by genre, location or keyword. The first and only dedicated device to offer Pandora's signature "thumbs up, thumbs down" controls on both the front panel and a remote, the Livio Radio puts you in command by allowing you to customize the music and programming you receive across any genre, from anywhere in the world, without a required monthly fee and independently of a computer. The Livio Radio makes Pandora accessible to more people, in more places. The Livio Radio, through Pandora and the Music Genome Project, gives its users the power to be their own personal DJ, one that actually pays attention to what listeners like and dislike. With its sleek design and set of features, the Livio Radio goes beyond providing access to free, personalized Internet radio available through Pandora. In the home, office, or anywhere a power source and a wireless internet connection meet, it's a stand-alone radio that connects quickly and plays Internet radio programming through its own speaker. The Livio Radio does not require access to a computer interface or a mobile phone for everyday operation.

Get 56% OFF

Click here for more information about Livio Internet Radio Featuring Pandora (WiFi only, Black)

Read More...