1. Introduction
CyQve MP3 Deluxe
- Page 1
- Introduction
Many manufactures lately introduce mini-CD (8cm) players instead of the traditional
memory based players. The reason is obvious. The lower cost of storage space,
since CD-R media is very cheap. CyQve introduced in Taipei 2002 their latest
MP3 player based upon the same principal and adds several interested features
compared to the traditional proposals from other manufacturers.
- Features
The
CyQ've WalkieMusic MP3 player allows you to playback MP3 files, burns onto 8cm
CD-R and CD-RW, with the capability of storing 45-50 songs. In addition to the
unique built-in advanced functions, ID3 tag support is included, so you can
see the song title and artist on the LCD screen displaying, multi-level song
directory search, 480-second long time shock resistance, direct charging function,
low power consumption allowing 15-hours of continuous playback, five selectable
sound equalizing modes - Normal, Classic, Pop, Jazz and Rock and full display
of operation status.
- Supports multiple CD-DA and MP3 music code
- Includes Equalizer System
- Includes Large-size & Digital Graphic LCD display
- Displayes ID3 tags (Track Name & Artist visibly)
- High playback duration, up to 15 Hours
- Includes extra batteries recharging circuit
- Supports shock resistance feature
- Includes various playback and repeat modes
- Designed with the Peer-to-Peer repeat functionality and delivering language-learning
utilities
- Specifications
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Playable Music Format
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Playable Audio / MP3 CD Discs
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Music Source
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Media: CD-R, CD-RW, CD-DA, CD-ROM (MP3,
MP2, MPG)
Music Format: CD-Audio/ Layer 2 and 3; for Mpeg 1, Mpeg 2, Mpeg 2.5
Storage: Max. 8 levels and 760 files
Diameter: 80mm
Capacity: 185/200 MB
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Compatible Discs format
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ISO 9660 or JolietTrack at once, Section
at once, Multi-section
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Access Time
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4 ~ 6 sec. average
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Sampling Frequency
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8k - 48k Hz
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Bit-rate
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8k - 384k bps
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Maximum Variable Bit-rate
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50% (VBR 50)
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Frequency Response
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20Hz ~ 20KHz กำ 0.5 dB
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Signal-to-Noise Ratio (S/N)
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> 90dB
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Distortion Rate
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< 0.1 %
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2. Package
CyQve MP3 Deluxe
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- The Package
We tested the retail version of CyQve MP3 Deluxe player. The package contains:
the MP3 Player, 5 pieces of 8cm CD-R media, a printed operation manual, in-ear
headphones, a colored carrying pouch, two re-chargeable batteries and one AC/DC
adaptor. The re-chargeable batteries are not included in the basic package,
only in the Deluxe version among with better ear headphones. In addition, CyQve
has bulked a retail version of InterVideo's WinRip v2.1.6 (MP3 Audio Encoder/Player/Ripper
using Padus Engine):
The drive is really small with dimensions of 106m/m (L) x 85m/m (W) x 25m/m
(H). The weight is around 160gr without 8cm CD-R inserted.
In the bottom of the player lies the open switch. In order to open the MP3
player just push it gently to the right
In the left side, there are power source (DC-In) and the Hold (on/off) switches.
If you enable the Hold switch the buttons of the player are disabled.
In the right side, we find the volume control, the headphone jack and the battery
charge switch:
3. LCD Screen
CyQve MP3 Deluxe
- Page 3
The player comes with a dot-matrix LCD panel (3cm x 1.3cm) that
can display up to 2x 12 characters. There is also an option to display other
languages than English (default). A very positive point is the adoption of ID
information (both IDE3 v1.0 and v2.0), the track number, the folder contents
display, the elapsed time, the playback file (mp3, cda, mp2), the possible equalization
mode, the shock proof protection and the A-B setting. The ID title of the track
scrolls so you can see the track name and artist:
On the top of the drive we can find all the necessary buttons to operate the
player. There are the four basic buttons (Play/Pause, Stop, Next/Fast Forward,
Previous/Fast Rewind) that are known to most users. In addition, four other
buttons are placed around the LCD screen with various functions:
- Mode button
The Mode button circles between:
- Direct Play
- Random Play
- Introduction (10secs) Play
- Program Play
- Repeat Play (One/All/One & All)
The selection apears in the LCD screen.
- EQ
CyQve MP3 Deluxe comes with five equalizer presets:
- Normal
- Classic
- Pop
- Jazz
- Rock
The current selection appears on the LCD screen.
- ESP
The CyQve MP3 Deluxe player includes 8MB SD-RAM buffer that protects playback
from shocks. With CD-DA format there is protection up to 120secs, while with
MP3 this reaches the 400sec. That would be enough even for hardcore joggers.
By pressing the ESP button there are three available options:
- No ESP
- CD-DAE ESP
- VCD ESP
- MP3 ESP
- A-B
After pressing this button two times (A and B) the selected time period will
be repeated periodically. The A-B selection blinks on the top of the LCD screen.
- MP3 Playback
When a disc with MP3 files is inserted, the CyQve MP3 Deluxe will read the
disc contents and display the disc folders among with the total files:
In the next picture, we can see the folder number (03), the track number inside
this folder, (10) and the playback time:
- CD-DA Playback
When an Audio disc is inserted, if you have enabled the anti-shock protection
(ESP), you will see the total songs (5 in our case and the disc total time (21:26):
If we disable "ESP" the CDA will come up showing the inserted disc
is an Audio disc
Lastly, during the playback process, we can see the track number and the elapsed
time
4. Battery, Media, Software
CyQve MP3 Deluxe
- Page 4
- Batteries
As we said earlier, CyQve included two re-chargeable batteries. According to
the specifications, the batteries can last for 12-15h continuous Mp3 playback
and for 7-8 hours for the CD-DA format. It is suggested for the first charge
to leave the "Charge" switch on for 8hours. Afterwards you must turn
the Charge switch off to prevent battery power consumption. Of course alkaline
batteries can be used alternatively with similar operating performance.
- Attached media
The attached CyQve 1-20x 8cm CD-R media comes from Ritek:
ATIP: 97m 31s 07f
Disc Manufacturer: Ritek Co.
Assumed Dye type: Phthalocyanine (Type 7)
Media type: CD-Recordable
nominal Capacity: 186.47MB (21m 15s 00f / LBA: 95475)
We tried to overburn and the maximum capacity is, according to the Nero CD
Speed software, you can burn up to 203MB of data.
- Attached Software
We installed InterVideo WinRip software:
The software offers many options, including MP3/WMA encoding, sound effects;
surround sound and of course visual effects
Under the software's properties we can find the Mp3/WMA encoding properties.
The software supports only CBR encoding.
For the test, we used WinLAME RC1 software to create a variety of MP3 files
using all possible bit rates and encoding methods:
5. Performance, Conclusion
CyQve MP3 Deluxe
- Page 5
- General performance
After we have tested the CyQve MP3 Deluxe player for one week in various cases
we can say that in general it worked well among with some glitches that will
trouble user. The drive playbacks all possible MP3, MP2 variations we tried
(32-48Khz from 8Kbps-320Kbps, CBR/ABR/VBR). Also it can playback 8cm AudioCDs
correctly. The weight and its dimensions are small enough for everyday portable
use. The included batteries will last for around 4hours of continues playback
for MP3 files and around 3hours for CD-DA discs. The drive has a very quiet
operation and the included headphones offer adequate sound fidelity. The package
is considered as complete, although better MP3 encoding software could be included.
On the positive side, we can list:
- Small dimensions, low weight
- Can playback ANY MP3 file, bit rate and encoding method (CBR/VBR)
- Retail package includes re-chargeable batteries
- The LCD screen is scrollable displaying a variation of information
- Includes Equalizer, anti-skip technology and A-B function
- The player's menu can be offered in various languages (optional)
On the negative side, we can list:
- Displays only 12 characters of the file
- Anti-shock protection doesn't work so well with Audio-CDs, since it skips
very easily
- No track elapsed time display
To sum up, we could say that the player is a good buy for all users who need
a complete portable MP3 playback solution. The drive can be found at 132 Euros
in the European territory at UK and in Spain under the ODM brandname; Rimax.
Later on middle of Auguest, a new version named WalkieMusic MP3 Fashsion will
be added with backlit (Blue) and dual-language (English and Spanish). This new
one will support the multi-language exactly, yet for the current one Deluxe
version will not built with multi-language support.