Review: iriver Mplayer portable speaker
The iriver Mplayer, better known as the Mickey Mouse MP3 player, recently made a new friend.
It's called the iriver Mplayer portable speaker, a precious 1.1-watt speaker that can connect to practically anything and isn't yet available in the US. Not without the help of friendly importers like Warehouse123, anyway.
Read my full review and check out a smattering of pictures below.
Packaging
Unlike the Mplayer itself, the Mplayer portable speaker is packaged in a clear plastic box.
A Walt Disney Korea hologram affixed to the bottom of the box puts to rest any questions about iriver's affiliation with Disney. The speaker's design and the Disney logos emblazoned both on the box and the unit should be more proof than anyone needs, I know, but what I learned from a past run-in with someone who questioned Disney's involvement is that overdoing something isn't always a waste of time.
Nestled inside the main container are the speaker (protected in hard plastic) and a smaller box labeled "accessory & manual."
Contents
Little is left to the imagination with a label like that!
Included with the speaker, then, are an 8.7-inch audio cable, warranty booklet, and user manual.
Design
If you read my iriver Mplayer review (or just looked at the pictures), you'll notice that the glossy plastic Mplayer speaker (1.7" x 1.6" x 1.2") looks exactly like it.
The fact that the unit is a three-dimensional Mickey Mouse head is an obvious statement, but it's pretty silly to describe the speaker's appearance without mentioning its inspiration.
As indicated by the official e-store in Korea, the 0.6-ounce head is currently available only in pink. However, considering that the second-gen Mplayer (known as Season 2) comes in 10 different colors and "Mplayer SPEAKER_PINK" is printed on the UPC sticker on the bottom of the speaker box, it's reasonable to assume that additional colors are on their way.
At the bottom of the speaker is a mini USB port. A USB cable is not included (as shown under "Contents" above), but it's required to charge the internal li-ion battery.
An LED indicator that glows red while the battery is charging and green when it's charged is located on the right side of the speaker.
A standard 3.5mm audio jack sits above lanyard holes at the top.
Function
Just as the Mplayer itself is not equipped with a speaker, the Mplayer portable speaker is not equipped with a player. In other words, it does not have any internal memory to store music; it is just a 1.1-watt speaker.
That's why iriver includes the 8.7-inch audio cable. One end plugs into the top of the Mplayer speaker, while the other can plug into just about anything with a 3.5mm headphone jack.
For example:
The speaker can be connected to the Mplayer.
And the iriver S10 and Creative Zen Stone Plus.
It's also a fine fit for the 3G iPod nano.
Or the Creative ZEN and Samsung P2. You get the point.
Operation
As shown in the "Design" section above, there is no power button or volume rocker on the Mplayer speaker. Without going into technical details (which I don't know, anyway!), the speakers work like this: plug in an audio source to turn it on, unplug an audio source to turn it off.
The source's volume controls are used to manage the speaker's volume.
Sound Quality
Unlike the 1-watt speaker built into the iriver clix 2 cradle, this 1.1-watt speaker actually produces somewhat decent sound. It isn't rich, full, or booming (of course), but it's definitely adequate for personal use in quiet situations or when a better solution isn't available.
Whenever and wherever you would typically listen to music using, say, your cell phone's built-in speaker would be an equally fine time to use the Mplayer portable speaker. That's about the kind of sound quality we're dealing with here. Digital media players with integrated speakers like the iriver X20, Samsung S5, and most Archos devices sound better to my ears, but yours may disagree.
Battery Life
Hidden inside the Mplayer speaker is a non-removable li-ion battery that charges via USB.
The speaker receives a full charge in under 2 hours (1:40 according to iriver) and can run for up to 5 hours on a single charge.
Conclusion
The Mplayer speaker is a unique, novel, and affordable DAP accessory that certain non-audiophile demographics will find irresistible. It's cute and small, its built-in battery provides a respectable amount of use time, and the sound quality is better than what most will expect from 1.1 watts.
Even though a better device would be one that combines the speakers with the actual player (Mplayer Season 3, anyone?), this speaker will still find its way to many homes.
The iriver Mplayer portable speaker is available from Warehouse123 for $25.
What kind of device you will put on review next ? Maybe golf ball speaker ? Don't murder yurself by stupid reviews.
Posted by check it out | 11:41 PM on Mar 04, 2008
No stupid reviews, only stupid commenters who can't spell.
Posted by Altima | 04:02 PM on Mar 05, 2008
That is a horrible comment by Mr. "Check it out"!! This is a good review and it is definitely worth to read. The mplayer is great and the speaker is pretty nice as well. For $25, this speaker is a good buy. I like the idea for combining mplayer with built-in speaker, I hope it will come true.
Posted by Nicky | 11:43 PM on Mar 05, 2008
my english is terrible. But idea of review it's not brilliant, is unnecessary. Inspite of my opinion, I'm big fan of pocketablets . I'm visiting site every day and I still will. I'm sorry, but it's waste of time writing and reading about speaker's.... Nicky wrote : speaker is a good buy " but NOT to write about it. The mplayer with built-in speaker could be nice to read about, if will come true. Sorry for my opinion and my english.
Posted by check it out | 11:55 PM on Mar 06, 2008
Speakers shouldn't be written about or reviewed? Since when and says who? Gee, I hope Bose and Klipsch and all those fellows that make ipod docks don't find out.
This Mickey speaker may not be to your liking, "check it out", but it's unique, made from a well-respected company, and is relevant. Jenn reviewed the Mplayer last year, so what's wrong with reviewing the Mplayer speaker? Other than ignorant comments like yours, that is.
I know a lot of girls who would love this speaker and this review.
Posted by Perilous | 01:04 PM on Mar 07, 2008
yep. girls and kids would love it. Shouldn't be written cause it's only a speaker. With Mplayer I agree. Interesting review. And generally review's of speaker's bulit in device's is OK. But this one is boring and complete waste of time.
Posted by check it out | 09:56 AM on Mar 09, 2008
This is suitable for short news. It's worth to mention about it like a short information. Not for review.
Posted by check it out | 10:16 AM on Mar 09, 2008
Who are you that you can tell Jenn what she should review? She can review whatever she wants and has no obligation to cater only your needs.
So you think it's boring and a complete waste of time? Well, duh, then DON'T READ IT! No one is forcing you.
I didn't much care about the review either since these speakers don't interest me in the least bu why should this entitle me to tell Jenn to not review it?
Posted by Dominus | 01:44 PM on Mar 09, 2008
but I did not read it ! Not worth it ! What do you find in this review ? what kind of information ? that you can plug it in to zen player or ipod ? What kind of profil this site has? speaker's fans? And what next ? silver spoon review ? This review is not valuble for this site . This is only my opinion. I don't try to tell (suggest) Jenn what she should review or not. opinion is opinion .
Posted by check it out | 02:47 PM on Mar 09, 2008
If you did read it, you'd see how ignorant your comments are. What kind of information is in the review, you ask? Let's see. How it looks, how it works, how it sounds, how long the battery lasts, and how much it costs. What else should Jenn put in a review? How it tastes? If it blends?
You clearly don't know anything about what kinds of people visit this site. If you take a look at the reviews page, you would see how popular the mp3 player reviews are. Especially all the iriver ones. People who like mp3 players usually like speakers too. And Jenn writes accessory reviews in addition to device reviews. The speaker is an accessory.
Posted by Perilous | 03:19 PM on Mar 09, 2008
Nothing change my opinion. And yes. I m ignorant. I like mp3 players and like redaing about it.It just doesn't fit to this site any way. The speakers are very close to toys and others crap. Maybe should be another site only about mp3 players and accessory. Let's make the registration and block people like me with unwanted comments.
Posted by check it out | 11:39 PM on Mar 09, 2008
We have been trolled - thanks for the experience.
Posted by Dominus | 11:33 AM on Mar 10, 2008
This review, I don't see any problem. Jenn, it's good review for me. So keep it up and I'll get back often to check your site.
Posted by Brain | 08:58 PM on Mar 10, 2008
*Brain* I don't see problem too. Like I said before, I'm visiting this site, (twice a day) and I still will. No mather what :)
Posted by check it out | 03:01 AM on Mar 11, 2008
I notice there are thoughtless commenters around here but I thoroughly enjoyed your review!
Now that I see the real life pictures though, I think the colour is a bit off-putting, not as shiny as I'd like them to be. But still, it's a nice little gimmick (and thinking of getting one in near future, perhaps when the new colours are out).
Posted by Fels | 05:19 AM on Mar 16, 2008
Another useless external loudspeaker.... How boring!
Posted by philz | 11:13 PM on Mar 16, 2008