iRiver L-Player 8GB

Posted on 9 Dec 2008 at 12:20

Manufacturer: iRiver
www.iriver.com/

Supplier: Advanced MP3 Players
www.advancedmp3players.co.uk

Price: £67 (£79 inc VAT)

Rating: 5/6

The L-Player doesn't have the memory expansion of the Fuze, but in every other respect it's a superior player. For instance, watching video clips on it is a much more pleasurable experience; the screen is only slightly larger at 2in, but its 320 x 240 resolution is far superior. Video format support is better, too, including MPEG4 SP, WMV9 SP and XviD SP.

Likewise, audio support is far more comprehensive. Audiophiles will be pleased to find the L-Player will play not only MP3 and WMA files, but also OGG Vorbis and lossless FLAC files for the ultimate in audio fidelity. Sound quality is excellent and, while not quite as good as the X-Fi, comes a very close second. There's also an FM radio tuner and voice-recording tools to complete the feature set.

iRiver's D-Click system - where the screen itself is used as a four-way directional control - works well, but isn't quite as responsive as the scroll wheel of the Fuze or the nano. Also, in our view, battery life at 12 hours per charge for audio isn't long enough. But the price and overall quality of this player just about make up for these weaknesses.

Creative Zen Mosaic 2GB
Sandisk Sansa Fuze 8GB
Creative Zen X-Fi 16GB
Apple iPod Nano 16GB
Apple iPod Touch 32GB

Back to: MP3 Players

Author: Darien Graham-Smith, Mike Jennings & Matthew Spark