4. Usage

The iAUDIO5 player easily handled all the MP3s, OGG and WAV format songs we threw at it. Playback was crisp, clear and instantaneous. You can adjust the equalizer and turn on sound effects such as extra bass. Visual effects can be set to strobe the LCD colors to match the beat of the music. Up to 1000 different colors can be shown, and the display is eye catching, provided you are in a dimly lit room.

The player has a few notable disadvantages that we should point out. First, it has a rather long boot time of about ten seconds, and navigation is also a bit rough. The two rocker switches can frustrate you; pushing the wrong switch will often send you to an unwanted menu item. Another black mark is that you cannot change most options if a file is playing - only the volume can be adjusted during file playback.

FM Radio

As with most other MP3 players that have FM radio, the reception is spotty. From inside our office in Westlake Village, California, we could not pick up any radio stations. Outside, in the parking lot, a few radio stations were received, but you wouldn't want to listen to them for too long, because the noise was just too great.

When you get a good signal, you can record the programming, simply by pushing the record button. However, we did not test this feature, because of the player's inability to get a noise-free station from our location.