Results tagged “fiio” from Anything But iPod

FiiO S3 Portable Speaker/MP3 Player Review

fiio
s3

Along with the FiiO PS1110 portable speaker I reviewed last week I also got a FiiO S3 portable speaker. While the PS1110 is exclusively a portable speaker, the S3 steps up the game and adds an integrated MP3 player that plays off SD(HC) cards.

FiiO PS1110 WalkBox Portable Speaker Review

fiio
ps1110

FiiO has taken the portable audio world off guard with the high quality E3 and E5 headphone amps, disproving the rumor that everything cheap and Chinese is crap. What many people might not know is that FiiO also makes other products and one of them is the PS1110 WalkBox portable speaker.

Fiio S3 Portable Speaker with Integrated MP3 Player

fiio

Although this one was up on the FiiO site back when we told you about the FiiO headphone amp, Chinese products like this isn't really that interesting before they make it to the rest of the world. The FiiO S3 is now available on DealExtreme (check this link for more pics) and therefor fall into that category.

The FiiO S3 is basically a portable speaker with two 1.2W speakers running off USB power or AA batteries. What's special about it is that it has an SDHC slot and a built in MP3 player along with both audio out and audio in jacks. I can see several uses for a player like this; first of all, I'd imagine this is a product suited for the older generation as the controls are simple and it doesn't require headphones. It might also be a nice toy for kids as they too would prefer a speaker. Lastly, podcasting might be a good use for it although not ideal seeing it doesn't have a screen. Either way, if FiiO is Meizu like we think, it should be decent quality for the $30 shipped.

abi Editor's Choice

SanDisk Sansa Clip

The Clip has a fantastic little form factor; cheap in build quality but very rugged. The interface is simple and relatively straight forward. The features on the clip are more or less average, mostly identical to the Sansa Express. However, what earns this player a spot in Editor’s Choice is the superb sound quality; you will not find another player at this size and price that can match it. Read the full review or go ahead and buy it.
Samsung P3

The Samsung P2 was a success and the P3 is a very welcome and substantial update. Samsung has paid close attention to users on P2 issues and made great strides in addressing and improving most of them. The best feature of the P3 is its native video support. Most content you thow at it will playback without conversion on the great looking screen. Stop by the Samsung P3 forums for more details or check out our indepth P3 review.
Microsoft Zune 120

Sure, many of us are not big fans of the walled garden, but there are a lot of great things going on with the Zune- sturdy hardware, ultra easy to use user interface, and a media player that is worthy of editor’s choice. The best part of the Zune is the constant firmware and software updates virtually giving you a new device at each major refresh. You can check out the latest Zune 120 & 16 review or stop by our Zune forums for the latest.
Cowon iAudio D2

The D2 is a fantastic sounding PMP with a very nice looking screen and a tone of features. One of the best features of the D2 is the SDHC slot allowing you to add another 32GB to this small wonder. The touch interface does not lend well to on the move operation, but it is not enough to keep it from being an editor’s choice. You can find usually find it at Amazon for the best price and before to check out the review.
Phonak Audéo PFE

Phonak Audéo PFE offer outstanding clarity and precision; natural, dynamic mids and treble, and decent bass for a single armature in-ear phone. They handle dense, complex music very well. The PFE work well with most acoustic and some electronic music genres, but bassheads might have to look at other alternatives. They're great for sports as well, since they fit very securely. Check out our review.