iRiver iFP-195TC

Walkmans. That guy at the bus stop hasn’t really contracted some nerve disease. No vigilante brain signals have hijacked his appendages, making them flapping about merrily. Said nonexistent neural disorder also isn’t responsible for his flailing limbs battering nearby seniors and pregnant women. Go and ask him what the hell he is doing, and after removing some secreted ear buds, he’ll respond ‘Groovin’ man. Groovin.’

Walkmans. That guy at the bus stop hasn’t really contracted some nerve disease. No vigilante brain signals have hijacked his appendages, making them flapping about merrily. Said nonexistent neural disorder also isn’t responsible for his flailing limbs battering nearby seniors and pregnant women. Go and ask him what the hell he is doing, and after removing some secreted ear buds, he’ll respond ‘Groovin’ man. Groovin.’

These days, walkmans have been replaced by MP3 players, shoving in an age of smaller, better and funkier. The iRiver iPF-195TC meets these trends full on, being tiny, lightweight and high quality. And expensive.

Piled inside its packaging is a set of excellent Sennheiser headphones; a USB cable (6.4Mb/s, USB 1.1 only); a small pouch; a belt; and a lanyard – the last three all an appealing gun-metal grey.

The iPF-195TC selling point is its onboard flash memory – a fantastical 512MB. It’s also the sole reason for its staggering price of $689. Overkill for an MP3 player, considering a decent 256MB player will set you back $250. It's a premium price for premium space.
A single AA battery provides power and gives the unit an unusual, but comfortable profile. While the manual says you’ll get 20 hours, high bit rate tunes will push this down to about ten.

Using the control knob to navigate the player’s menus is tricky at first, as the buttons and knob change function with every menu. The knob could also have been more prominent as it's sometimes hard to trigger. The designers probably came to a compromise however, as the knob easily catches on the lip of the pouch when you insert it. But you’ll learn to master and live with these niggles.

As for sound quality, MP3s and WMAs play sweetly. The unit has great bass response, and this was especially impressive after cranking the volume. The onboard FM radio does a great job of picking up stations, and the unit’s recorder can store up to seven hours of your mutterings at high-quality (if the memory is empty).
iRiver has designed a fantastic MP3 player, and the only thing stopping it from being perfect is its high price, thanks to the 512MB of memory (and maybe the Sennheisers). Otherwise, it’s hard not to recommend.