9. Benchmarks

Write 180 MB Of MP3s Test

We took three CDs from the rock band Soundgarden (Badmotorfinger, Superunknown, and Down On The Upside), for a total of 186 MB. The disc contained 43 MP3 files. These CDs were ripped at 160 kbps using MusicMatch Jukebox Version 6.10.0178. We chose to encode the audio at 160 kbps, because the sampling rate is a little higher than 128 kbps and we believe it yields audio quality that is a little bit better. We felt that the slightly higher audio quality was important to fully evaluate the sound of each unit during our testing process.

We then used Nero Burning ROM 5.5.6.4 and wrote the files to our three CDRW drives, all at 4X. The Iomega 4X/4X/6X USB drive is closest in function to the Imation RipGO! We also used the Asus CDRW-1210R, an IDE drive, and wrote the mini CDR at 4X using this drive as well, just to provide a reference for comparison between the performance of the USB and ATAPI for writing CDRs. Just to see if there was any difference, we burned the same test disc to mini CDRW media. Again, because the Compaq PM-1 is unable to write CDR media, it was not included in this test.

Battery Life Performance Test

In the battery life performance test, we took one of the mini CDRs that we burned in the test above and used the same disc in both players to get an idea of what kind of battery life we can expect from each of our sujbjects. We left each player plugged in for a 24-hour period prior to the the test to make sure that the batteries in each unit were fully charged. Both units indicated that the batteries had a full charge prior to testing. We then inserted our test mini CDR into the unit, selected all of the tracks and put the unit into a continuous repeat mode. We monitored the time it took until the player shut down or stopped because the battery was fully drained. The battery life could be reduced by movement of the player or other factors, so we consider this battery life value a "best-case" estimate. The time is reported in hours and minutes.