Samsung YP-Q1 Diamond review

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9.0

spectacular

Average user rating from 1 user

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Samsung YP-Q1 Diamond user reviews

January 24, 2009

Posted by: simonsimon

"Perfect for me"

What I like:

great sound at a remarkable price

What I don't like:

navigation and touch screen can be vague and sensitive

Review:

My primary reason for using an mp3 player has always been for listening to music and to obtain best possible sound quality with a somewhat limited budget. The objective was to purchase a well-priced player then balance it by upgrading it with a good quality pair of earbuds (a high-end earbud if required).

Obviously, judging sound is very subjective. But, after trying several players (IPod shuffle, in general, IPods are too pricey, Sony NWZ E and S-series, Creative Zen Plus, Sansa Clip, and Samsung K3) I’ve discovered the best sound and equalizers to come from the Q1. It has four default equalizers (seven-bands, thankfully): one master EQ; and three other user equalizers as well, which makes it convenient to adjust to various track characteristics. I may be mistaken but in “Emodio”, the software it’s packaged with, you can set even more custom EQ’s to your music.

The other element to consider that is equally as important is the earbud. The pair the Q1 comes with is satisfactory. Again, I’ve tried several ranging in price from low to high-end earbuds and I found a mid-level pair that produced the sound I was pleased with. (Strangely, the costlier headsets didn’t quite justify their price or showed any remarkable improvements.) However, due to Q1’s many equalizers, I could adjust approximately to my liking the various characteristics of each pair of earbuds I experimented with.

I consider it an added bonus that it offers a very crisp and vibrant picture/video display that is neither too small nor too large for reading text comfortably, and to view pictures and album art. As well, the overall size of the player is like that of a clam-style cell phone but thinner. It can fit into a pocket easily and into many universal cases available. The Q1 is relatively new and an exclusive case is not yet available in my area.

The FM radio sound and reception, also an important feature for me, is excellent. The voice recording is clear and accurate. The battery life is rather extensive. The overall design is very cool, elegant, and it’s very comfortable to hold.

There are three main features that the Q1 lacks and would have made it a perfect player for me: it doesn’t have a dedicated volume rocker on the side; the navigation and menus could be improved; the touch screen is vague and sensitive and is prone to accidental navigation. (The Sony NWZ’s general navigation is very good.)

All things considered, the Q1 offers great value. The drawbacks are overlooked because the sound quality, which has always been my objective, is so exceptional.

I hope my review is helpful. Cheers.