The default equaliser setting is very flat. While many people like this, others prefer to interfere with sound styles. The SRS EQ is capable of making a radical difference to the sound of your music, but will require some experimentation. Various other preset EQ settings -- pop, dance, metal -- help tone genres effectively and more specifically than SRS.
Visually, the colour LCD screen doesn't offer the liquid crystal orgy that iRiver's X20 did, but it's acceptable for a player of this size and simplicity. It's very low-resolution and individual pixels are easy to see. But for displaying song names and folder structures, it's fine. Just don't expect album art. As for the bitmap image viewer, really, there's no point. Images are low-res, diminutive and downright pointless. Why this 'feature' is even implemented is beyond us.
Most buttons perform more than one task (the A-B repeat button is also used to set the EQ) so memorising these functions is essential. Music can be dragged and dropped on to the player through Windows, via Windows Media Player or with iRiver's simple media-management software (both included). We're promised a 19-hour battery life from an AAA battery. Pop back soon to see what our labs pulled from it in our tests.
Conclusion
For its reasonable price, the iRiver T60
is a nice enough player. We're not whisked away with the design or
head-over-heels in love with the screen. But sound quality is nothing
short of stellar and once you've mastered the controls, it's easy
enough to use. This is a great choice for teens, and commuters enduring
bleary-eyed trips to and from the office, but the open-minded
audiophile won't find much to sneeze at for the price.
If you're after something as affordable but less Tobleroney, Creative's Zen Stone Plus is sure to appeal. For a great price, the Stone Plus also has sound to kill for.
Supplier: Advanced MP3Players.com
Edited by Jason Jenkins
Additional editing by Nick Hide