Thomson Lyra PDP2812 review

We expected great things from AV specialist Thomson and were immediately impressed by the little Lyra. The chromed casing looks great (even though it's a fingerprint magnet) and there's even a colour screen. Controls are both innovative and intuitive. There's a Hold switch at the top and a Power button at the side. Everything else is controlled by a front menu button and a directional button surrounded by a rubber dial - a well-thought-out alternative to the iPod navigation system.

The menu layout is intuitive and easy to get to grips with. We were also impressed to see a photo viewer make full use of the colour screen. However, while you can watch slide shows, you can't play tracks in the background - an annoying omission.

Sound is excellent and enhanced by the Sennheiser MX 400 headphones. We also liked the ease with which you could access tracks that were transferred both by ID3 tag importing (which most people will do using Windows Media Player) or by UMS drag and drop. Normally, you can only use one or the other to a satisfactory degree.

However, for all its cuteness, the Lyra offers only minor navigation benefits and a proper mini-USB port over the H10, which does all that this does but more, and better. But, as with the H10, if you're looking for a WMA-based DRM player then it still can't match the abilities, battery life or value of the Rio Carbon.