Summary

The H10 is iRiver's first micro-drive based digital audio player. Sporting a 5GB drive from Seagate, the sleek looking H10 comes in four different colors and features a color display. The H10 is priced at $279.99 which is about $30 more than the non-color Zen Micro and iPod mini. Will good looks and a color screen be enough to bring buyers over the iRiver camp? Read on to find out.

 

*Edit 2/21/05 - We have had several people inform us that the H10 is not recognized by some custom computers. We have confirmed this on several systems and have been unable to find a solution to the problem. We will most more information when we get a solution from iRiver. In the meantime, feel free to discuss any problems you are having in our forums.

 

*Edit 4/15/05 - iRiver has developed a new Firware revision which fixes many of the problems we encountered during our review process such as distortion, play list order etc. To download the latest firmware and view a list of fixes click here.

Full Review

Features and Design

 

There is no doubt about it, the iRiver H10 is a very attractive player. It is a tad bit taller than the Zen Micro, but it's also thinner. And where the Zen Micro has a more playful look to it, the H10 comes across as having a more serious demeanor. The review unit iRiver sent us came in Lounge Grey; but the unit is also available in Remix Blue, Trance Red, and Triple Platinum. The 1.5-inch color screen is located at the top of the player and is surrounded by a shiny chrome trim which helps give the H10 a high-end look. The H10 also features a touch sensitive pad much like what Apple and Creative uses in their micro players, but iRiver goes one step further and includes regular control buttons as well.

 

iRiver H10 in Lounge Gray

 

Using IBM's 5GB micro-drive manufactured by Seagate, the H10 has 1GB more storage than the Apple iPod mini and is designed to work with Microsoft's Windows Media Player 10. What separates the H10 from the Zen Micro and iPod mini is its color screen and image viewing capabilities, although Creative Labs is expected to introduce a Zen Micro Color very shortly. Like the Zen Micro, the H10 also features an integrated FM receiver and FM recorder as well as an integrated voice recorder, 30 equalizer settings (yes 30) and a removable battery. When it comes to audio support, the H10 can play back music files encoded in MP3 and WMA format. We suspect that iRiver will add Ogg Vorbis support in future firmware updates — but don't hold us to it. One interesting feature worth mentioning is the H10's support for text files, although without the ability to show images and content on an external monitor, they would make for a tough read. The battery that comes with the H10 is a rechargeable lithium-ion and is removable. iRiver claims the battery can last up to 12-hours on a single charge. The H10 does not synchronize with Microsoft Outlook like the Zen Micro does, so if that is a feature that you need, you are out of luck.

 

iRiver includes a very detailed paper manual, belt clip, ear buds, USB 2.0 cable which doubles as an A/C adapter, and a CD with Windows Media Player 10 on it. If you want to use the H10, you must have a system running Windows XP with service pack 1 or higher installed, and Windows Media Player 10 (WMP10). There is no support for earlier versions of Windows, Linux or Mac operating systems. You can charge the H10 by plugging it into your computer's USB port directly or by plugging the A/C adapter into the hybrid cable that comes with the player.

 

iRiver will soon be releasing a new docking station for use with the H10 and your PC. It uses a USB cable to connect to your computer and has a second charging bay for any extra batteries you may have.

Setup and Use

 

If you have Windows XP with Service Pack 1 or higher installed, setting up the H10 is incredibly easy. Just make sure that WMP10 is up-to-date and you are golden. Using MTP (Microsoft Transfer Protocol), WMP 10 will automatically recognize the H10 as a portable audio player. Your PC will also recognize the H10 under “My Computer” and allow you to transfer files using Windows Explorer too. There are two folders on the H10, one marked Data and the other marked Music, just drag and drop the file into the appropriate folder. We found through some iRiver fan sites that the H10 might be compatible with MusicMatch in an upcoming patch or firmware update; otherwise the H10 is only compatible with WMP10 and a couple music services including MSN Music and Napster To Go. MSN Music is not mentioned on iRiver's website, but because the H10 supports “Plays for Sure”, we are assuming it is compatible with MSN Music.

 

*Edit 2/21/04 - We have had several people inform us that the H10 is not recognized by some custom computers. We have confirmed this on several systems and have been unable to find a solution to the problem. We will most more information when we get a solution from iRiver. In the meantime, feel free to discuss any problems you are having in our forums.

 

The connection cable that comes with the H10 is very odd. It interfaces with the H10 using a proprietary interface that looks very similar to what we have seen on some cell phones. The other end of the cable uses your basic USB jack. Instead of using a separate input to plug the A/C adapter into the H10, the A/C adapter plugs directly into the USB cable itself. A LED glows red when the player is charging and turns off when it is finished. There are two things we do not like about this connection setup. First of all, the USB cable uses a proprietary connection on one end, so if you lose the cable or damage the interface, you are screwed. You cannot just run to your local computer shop and get a new USB cable; you are forced to buy one from iRiver. And when you visit iRiver's website, they show the A/C adapter for sale for $7.99 but does that include the USB cable it plugs into as well?  iRiver's site is not clear.

 

Once our player was charged, we tried it out using Windows Media Player 10 (WMP10). WMP10 instantly recognized the player and we then proceeded to transfer music to the H10 using our Sync list. Transfer speeds were very fast and on par with what we have seen from the Apple iPod mini. If you added files to the Music folder on the H10 as a mass storage device, WMP10 may delete those files when synchronizing the H10, so be careful.

 

The menu system on the H10 is probably the easiest we have seen. There are six different menu options to choose from: Music, FM Radio, Recording, Photo, Text, Browser and Settings. Simply move your finger up and down the touch sensitive slider bar to choose your selection and either tap the slider or hit the “o” button to select it. We were told by iRiver public relations that the touch sensitive slider used on the H10 is very different than the technology used on the Zen Micro or iPod mini. For one thing it's not nearly as sensitive as the other players, and there are multiple touch contact points on the slider which makes changing the volume or scrolling a lot simpler. Some people may not like the combination of traditional buttons and a touch sensitive pad, but we think it works; and it is easier to use in our opinion.

 

The play, fast forward, and rewind buttons are located on the right side of the player, while the power button is on the left side. Button placement is very intuitive and easy to use. The interface that connects the player with the supplied cable is on the bottom. The H10 comes with a rubber piece which covers the interface, but since the rubber piece is not physically attached to the player, we can see a lot of people losing it. iRiver does include 4 replacements for this part with the package, but it is still a major design flaw.

Performance

 

The H10 comes with a USB 2.0 compatible interface and we found transfer speeds to be fast and reliable with no problems. Transfer rates were a tad faster than the Zen Micro we reviewed a while ago, taking about 3-4 seconds to transfer a 4MB song where the Zen Micro averaged about 8 seconds. We have heard reports that the latest Zen Micro firmware update increases the transfer rates.

 

The H10 can playback MP3's recorded at a bit rate of 32Kbps ~ 320Kbps and WMA audio recorded at 32Kbps ~ 192Kbps bit rate. The H10 is also able to read tags generated in the following formats: ID3 V1, ID3 V2 2.0, ID3 V2 3.0, and ID3 V2 4.0. While a song is being played, it will show the song title and information and the format the song is encoded in, but it does not tell you what the bit rate is.

 

The ear buds that come with the H10 are the Sennheiser MX400. They are above average quality, but do not sound nearly as good as the ear buds that come with the Zen Micro or iPod mini. The H10 player itself features a 90dB SNR (signal to noise ratio) according to iRiver. The Zen Micro has a 98dB SNR which could account for why it sounds better. The Sennheiser MX400 ear buds fit comfortably and should appeal to the typical user. Audiophiles will of course want to use their own head phones.

 

iRiver includes 30 different equalizer settings on the H10, that's more than we have seen on any other player. There seems to be a different EQ setting for every conceivable genre. We were able to noticeably hear changes in the music when changing the EQ settings, but distortion got really bad when changing to a setting that have a lot of bass. Changing our ear buds helped a little bit, but the 18mW of power to each channel just isn't enough. Worth noting, some of MSI's digital audio players feature a massive 30mW of power to each channel — in a flash based player!

 

iRiver rates the battery life of the H10 at 12hours, and from what we can tell that seems to be pretty accurate. Using the standard settings we were able to squeeze out a little over 11 hours of battery life in between charges. The battery is removable so you can always plug in a fresh one on those long trips or replace it if it goes dead.

 

The battery is replaceable on the H10

 

The 1.5-inch color screen looks absolutely fantastic on the H10 and does not cause the battery to drain quickly. JPG images looked good on the H10, but you cannot output images to an external display, so keep that in mind. We loved how the iPod Photo shows album art from the song that is playing, and that would have been a great feature to include on the H10, but iRiver decided to keep it out. Hopefully the upcoming Zen Micro color will have the ability to output images to an external display. You will have to decide if paying $30 more for the H10's color screen is worth the money.

 

Conclusion

 

The H10 digital audio player is definitely a step in the right direction, and is a very strong first offering of this kind from iRiver. We did not experience any real problems throughout the review process. The H10 did not lock up on us, battery life is above average and it works seamlessly with Windows Media Player 10. The overall usability of the H10 is second to none. That's also one of its shortfalls.

 

We love the color screen, but have to question its usefulness since it doesn't show album art and the player does not output stored images to a TV. We also love how it interfaces with Windows Media Player 10, but other than Napster To Go and maybe MSN Music, those are the only services iRiver actually acknowledges the player works with. And lastly, while the ear buds fit comfortably, they just do not sound as good as those that come with the Apple iPod or Creative Labs Zen Micro. We also wish the H10 had more power output per channel to help eliminate the massive distortion we encountered when playing anything with bass. As it stands though, the H10 is a great player that you should consider.

 

 

Pros:

 

-          Menu is easy to navigate

-          Touch pad works well and is not too sensitive

-          Seamlessly works with WMP10

-          Great battery life

-          Good looking

 

Cons:

 

-          Only works with Windows XP SP1 or higher

-          Only supports WMP 10

-          Terrible distortion when playing anything with bass

-          Proprietary USB cable

-          Cannot output images to a TV or monitor

-          Color screen doesn't show album art like iPod photo

Specs

FEATURES

- Plays up to 150 hours of digital music*
- 5GB of internal storage**
- Vivid color display
- Ultra-intuitive interface with convenient touch strip
- Displays your digital photos
- Slim, lightweight design
- PlaysForSure enabled to play more of your music
- Rechargeable, removable battery lasts up to 12hrs.
- Built-in FM tuner and FM recorder
- Integrated voice recorder
- Ultra-fast USB 2.0 transfers
- Supports MP3, WMA, JPEG and TXT files
- Enhanced 3D audio (supports SRS WOW™)

PACKED WITH

- iriver earphones
- Carrying case with belt clip
- USB 2.0 interface cable
- Installation CD
- AC adapter

PC SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

- Windows XP (Service Pack 1 or higher)
- CD-ROM Drive
- USB Port

Item	Category	Specification
HDD	Capacity	5GB**
	File System	FAT 32
PC	Supported OS	Windows XP
	Interface	USB 2.0
Audio	Frequency	20Hz~20KHz
	Headphone Output	18mW (L) + 18mW (R) at 16Ω Max. Volume
	S/N ratio	90dB(MP3)
	Frequency range	±3dB
	No. of channels	Stereo (L/R)
FM Radio	FM frequency ranges	87.5MHz ~ 108MHz
	S/N ratio	60dB
	Antenna	Headphone / Earphone cord antenna
File support	File type	MP3(MPEG 1/2/2.5 Layer 3), WMA, TXT, JPG** Audible
	Bit Rate	MP3: 32Kbps ~ 320Kbps WMA: 32Kbps ~ 192Kbps
	Tag	ID3 V1, ID3 V2 2.0, ID3 V2 3.0, ID3 V2 4.0
Power Supply	AC Adapter	DC 5.0V, 2.0A
	Battery	Rechargeable Battery
General	Dimension	95.5 X 54.6 X 15 (mm)
	Weight	Approx. 96.2g
	LCD	1.5" 260,000 TFT LCD
	Operation Temperature	-5°C ~ +40°C
	Max. playtime	Approx. 12 hours (When used with 128 Kbps, MP3, 20 Volume level, EQ Normal, LCD off)

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