Digital Trends

Mpio FY200 256MB March 15th, 2004 | by

Voice Recording

As we have mentioned, FY200 has a very sophisticated built in voice recorder. Recording quality is very good and you can choose to record in 3 different modes, low, high quality and super high quality. Each mode records at a different bit rate, and the FY200 supports both VOR (VHF Operated Recording) and AGC (Automatic Gain Control) capabilities. VOR allows you to record when there is a sound present rather than recording everything constantly. This is important because it will save precious storage space on the unit. The AGC capability allows you to automatically control the overall frequency depending on the input.

Speaking of input, you can use the integrated microphone or hook an external microphone into mini-plug input. The manual does not mention anywhere that you can use an external microphone with the FY200, but we tested this out and it worked fine. We would have liked to see mention of this on MPIO's Website or in the manual but could not find any.

It is very easy to encode and record audio files from an external source. Digitalway includes a cable which allows you to plug the FY200 into the audio output of a CD player or any other audio source so you can record music from that source and encode and store it on the FY200 for later playback. We were very impressed with this feature and could find it useful when transferring audio files between two different sources. The only downside is that you have to play the audio file in its regular speed, so it takes a while if you are going to record anything of real length.

Poor Design for Exercising With

By far one of the best features we have seen on any digital audio player was how easy it was to take the older MPIO DMK MP3 player with you on a jog or workout. Simply strap on the arm band and snap the player into a plastic cradle. Well Digitalway really worsened this feature by forcing you to put the FY200 into a nylon case and weaving the arm band through this case. There is simply no easy way for you to undo the FY200 from your armband. The nylon case fits around the FY200 very snugly and makes the player controls very difficult to use through the plastic windows.

We mentioned earlier that the FY200 includes a second set of headphones. The first set is used to allow the unit to hang from your neck like a necklace but the cable is not long enough to accommodate the arm band. Digitalway includes this second set to be used with the armband or if you choose to not have the device hanging from your neck. Unfortunately, this second set of headphones is just plain terrible. The quality of the headphone construction and the quality of the sound are poor. The result is a very flat sound reproduction that audio enthusiasts are sure to cringe at.

To top it off, there are no safety precautions to keep the FY200 attached to the standard neck ring headphones. The previous MPIO DMK has a separate catch that would prevent the headphones from disconnecting from the player. We have seen this feature on just about every MP3 player on the market across all brands, but it is missing on the FY200 altogether. This makes it easy for the FY200 to fall when working out.