Samsung YP-T7 MP3 player mini-review
We just got our hands on Samsung's new 512MB YP-T7 flash-based MP3 player, which is shaping up to be a pretty solid alternative to the iPod shuffle, especially if you've been fixing for something with a color LCD screen and an FM tuner. There's a lot we dig about the YP-T7, but the first thing you're going to have to reconcile with yourself about this thing is the price. The MSRP is $149.99, which means it is definitely not the best bargain around when it comes to 512MB flash players (there's a 1GB version in silver that'll set you back another fifty bucks).
That said, theres a lot to like in the YP-T7: its got a 1.12-inch, 96x96 pixel color LCD screen, aluminum and
magnesium casing, support for playback of MP3, WMA, and OGG audio files, PlaysForSure compatibility, direct-to-MP3 and
direct-to-WAV encoding, an FM tuner, and a digital voice recorder. Even though it does weigh about 50% more than the
iPod shuffle (see comparison chart below), the YP-T7 is still incredibly light. You wont even notice it while youre
carrying it around. The sound quality is excellent, among the best weve heard in a flash player. Gettings songs and
JPEGs on to the player was a snapyou just plug it into an USB 2.0 port and drag-and-drop files onto it like any
regular flash drive.
Heres the thing: is there really a point to having a color screen in a player this small? Its clearly on the novelty
tip to be able to view JPEGs on a 1.12-inch LCD (the screen is so tiny that itll make squinting at pics on your phone
seem almost pleasurable), but having a color screen does actually make navigating the user interface easier.
Speaking of the UI, Samsung isnt going to win any awards for this one, but overall it was pretty intuitive (it only
took about a minute to figure out how everything worked), and the mini joystick made it pretty simple to get around.
Our one complaint was that selecting a playlist took a few more steps than it probably should have.
The FM tuner wasnt amazing, but its also not unusual to get crappy FM reception here in Manhattan, so well give
them a pass on this on. Battery life turned out to be as expected, or just over ten hours, though we didnt spend a lot
of time killing the battery by looking at JPEGs on the color screen (that got mighty tiresome after about 45
seconds).
So is it worth buying? Hate to say it, but these days $150 seems a little steep for a 512MB player. Not that we
didnt dig carrying the YP-T7 aroundtheres no doubt that this is one of the better flash players weve checked out
latelybut a shmancy color LCD screen just isnt a critical enough feature for a flash player, which makes it hard to
justify shelling out that extra premium. If Samsung is serious about putting the hurt on Apple and smacking down all
the anonymous Taiwnese and Chinese manufacturers that are nipping at their heels, theyre going to have to figure out
how to price these things a lot more aggressively.
Heres how the YP-T7 compares sizewise with the iPod shuffle:
|
Player |
Samsung YP-T7 |
iPod shuffle |
|
Height |
2.46-inches |
3.3-inches |
|
Width |
1.4-inches |
0.98-inches |
|
Depth |
0.57-inches |
0.33-inches |
|
Weight |
1.25 ounces |
0.78 ounces |
Heres what you get in the box: Manual, CD with software, Quick Guide, USB 2.0 cable, charger, speaker cable, USB
2.0 adapter thingy, lanyard, and headphones.
And heres the YP-T7 alongside a little something well be reviewing next.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Dennis - Help me fight for my son @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
I loose Quarters all the time. Something tells me I will loose this all too easy. =P
simon @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
Looks cool, but I'd like to know, why no AM radio? I hardly ever listen to the radio, but when I do, its to listen to baseball games, which in my area are only carried on AM radio. What a bummer.
OddManOut @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
"I loose Quarters all the time."
That's a good point. And if one loses this thing it's equivilant to losing at least 560 quarters.
I guess even in the world of electronics things CAN be "too small"...
Monmin @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
ok, let me save the ipod fans some time here by supplying the canned response for almost all Shuffle competitors:
"Nobody has ever figured it out yet. The thing that makes ipods rule the universe is the great user interface and the itunes integration. It just works. Drag and drop is fine but what makes Shuffle superior is the autofill feature. You don't need a display for a 512mb player. Save your money and buy a Shuffle."
Not that I agree with this response.
darx @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
The only mp3 player I have ever heard of with an AM radio was a sony..and that was a while ago.
Monmin @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
Oh shoot, I forgot to add to the canned response that fm radio and voice recording are useless clutter that over complicates the UI. SORRY ipod fans.
Dmitry @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
No, I do need a display on 512mp player. It can hold around 150 songs, and I like download new songs all the time and ERASE old one ( I don't need 20-40GB player)So I want to choose a song that I want quickly.
I agree with FM radio and voice recording. I don't need them.
AM radio its another question...
edd:e @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
I find it quite sad that the iPod Shuffle is now the 'standard' flash-player by which all other flash players are now compared against.
Apple releases a dated (feature-wise at least) player with no screen into a crowded market of veteran brands and suddenly becomes the de-facto standard. Sick.
Not that I'm against the Shuffle - it's good at what it does, and is a pretty damn good value considering the storage...but features? Nah. It'd be like if Apple released a mouse with 2 buttons - and everyone started comparing mouses from logitech against this NEW AWESOME Apple mouse.
Wait...
Dmitry @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
No, I do need a display on 512mp player. It can hold around 150 songs, and I like download new songs all the time and ERASE old one ( I don't need 20-40GB player)So I want to choose a song that I want quickly.
I agree with FM radio and voice recording. I don't need them.
AM radio its another question...
TG @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
I have a shuffle and I'd gladly pay the extra $50 for the screen.
However, the deal breaker is the lack of 'Audible' support.
I love flash players because (for the most part) I can drop them all day and not have to worry about replacing an expensive hard drive/microdrive.
Until Apple comes out with screen based shuffle or someone else has a flash based Audible compatible player, I ain't switching from my shuffle.
aleitry @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
even though i bought the 1gb at a $30 discount, i tend to agree that the pricing is off. That said, I like this player too much to say the premium is wasted. I use all the extra features.
In the end, should the yp-t8 deliver on the feature set, I will consider buying it and selling the yp-t7.
Scott @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
I posted a link to my own review of the Samsung YP-T7Z in the comments section of the last Engadget article on this device from two months ago. After almost 50 visits from Engadget readers and lots of positive comments, I will post it again for anyone who may be interested in a more detailed review. For those of you questioning the usefulness of the FM tuner, it is perfect for use at the gym where the audio from TVs are broadcast over FM stations.
http://shadow1019.blogspot.com/2005/03/samsung-yp-t7z-mp3-player-review.html
TheTspoT Admin @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
Now thats SMALL! Scott's review is sweet, check it out.
TheTSpot Admin
http://www.thetspot.org
010111 @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
now that Carmi is gone. and Taiwanbrown stopped (thanks!) can someone tell "TheTspoT Admin" to freaking stop?
seriously... your FREAKING NAME lets you link to your personal site. i do it. plenty of other people do it. is there ANY REASON other than wasting space and trying to feel important to add your link in *AGAIN* at the end of every single post? i mean... you have to manually paste it in... it annoys people and it's duplicitious. let's save the contents of the actual comment for RELEVANT LINKS. thanks.
Joshua Ochs @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
What the hell? I think this proves Apple's point that a screen is useless on a device this small. Look at it - you can see all of about 8 characters! Unless you're still using eight-dot-three names, what good does this do other than let you say "but mine has a screen!". Yeah, and my amp goes to 11.
As others have (sarcasticly) said, the iPod Shuffle rocks because of integration and price (yes, price!). This thing has no special integration and is more expensive. Which means it is irrelevant.
Brandon @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
Sorry #13, I wholly disagree. Shuffle is fine if all you want is music and don't give a damn about what music you are listening to. But some of us like to listen to albums straight through, and might even *gasp* want to listen to a different album without trying to guess how many times I need to cycle through to get to it.
Screens are a necessity to me. I frankly don't think "shuffling" should be the default way to listen to music, and it plain sucks with jazz or classical. But then again, I'm a music snob.
TheZodiac @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
I lose packs of gum all the time - so screw the shuffle. Quarters on the other hand are worth more :) And.. Ill take every damn function I can get out of a player.
darx @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
very nice review scott!! 010111, chill out man
mike @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
monmin ..
compare the big 1GB version for 200 bucks to an iPod mini for 200 bucks.. 4GB and much much better battery life.
enjoy organizing your Samsung player with.. er.. Windows Explorer (I know.. WMP is very slick *sarcasm)
Ah yes, the 1 inch screen.. i believe that's what SJ meant when he said, 'tortured interfaces'
only a sadist would buy this...
and only a sadist would buy a $200 music player and whine about lack of AM support.. dear god..
Adam @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
darx = TheTSpot?
Anyways - this looks cool. A shame they had to waste so much plastic on the packaging though. Also I am sure my fat ass thumbs are going to skip it to the next track when all i wanted to do was turn up the volume.
TheTspot.org Admin @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
darx is not tspot. i speak for myself. lets keep the comments about the article, and not someones rage towards people posting comments to a great news site. like darx said chill IOIOII.
dealdetectives @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
to the ones that asked about why no am radio...
i wondered this for a long time myself since i also use am radio alot, and after some research i figured it out. it boils down to the antennae.
when you have an fm radio in a tiny little mp3 player you might not know it but the fm radio actually uses the headphone wires as the antennae for getting a signal. if you dont have the headphones plugged in, try recording or listening to the fm radio. you'll notice the quality will be crap and you'll get less stations.
the headphone wires as the antennae work great for fm radio but not am. am radio needs a different type of antennae to receive the signal, which is in the shape of a coil or a loop. the problem is since these players are so small they cant fit a big enough coil antennae in the player to be able to pickup am radio stations.
hopefully they can figure out a way to do it in the future but for now, as far as i know, thats the problem with am radio in these mp3 players
fubenkyou @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
anyone know where to get that little usb to usb mini converter??
Rick @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
What is that watch in the last picture?
Sheniferous @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
Rick... it's Fossil's newest Wrist PDA.
http://www.fossil.com/jump.jsp?itemID=2208&itemType=CATEGORY
jem @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
guys i know atleast two players that would kick that samsungs ass...the ipod shuffle for its price and simplicity and the sony nw-e505 or nw-e507 for its superior technology and feel. that samsung looks just like any other chinese or taiwanese oem but check out the sony's capsule like design including 3 oled lines. so you can fit a screen on something that small which doesnt make it look cramped. and u cant bit of 3 minutes of charging equals to 3 hours of play.
figa @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
22 is absolutely right. Last time I had an FM flash player, I tried listening to it without the headphones plugged in, and I couldn't hear anything!
Randall P Rourke @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
I do wish that when doing reviews the authors would be kind enough to mention the common street prices. Especially if they are going to make the cost a part of the evaluation.
The 1gb version of this player is available for $169.00 which as someone else mentioned is a $30.00 discount off of MSRP. Considering this player has features and the shuffle has none, it makes it quite a bargain in my book.
My only hang up is I wish it used a AAA battery. I plan on waiting until the Sandisk Sansa is reviewed and then buting either it or the 1gb samsung.
darx @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
For your information, I am not tspot, but who really cares if he uses double links, get over it. Agreed with 27, I used this player at BB and it was only 169, a very good deal imo. The sandisk sansa does look quite good also.
twain wheck @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
SOMEONE CALL A WAAAAAAAMBULANCE FOR #14!! HIS INTERFEELERS ARE HURT!!
Brian @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
Apple haters! M$ haters! Everything haters! The shuffle is the ONLY AAC/iTunes DRM-compatible flash player our there right now. Sure, Apple haters, you think it sucks cuz it doesn't have the trinkety add-ons you've come to know and love on your WMA players. But there's a reason the Apple people are liking it, and it's cuz it's their ONLY flash option! And while it doesn't have the trinkety stuff, you can bet a future gen one will. Cuz right now, it's the only AAC/iTunes game in town. It's late to market by music-player standards, but it's a FIRST for AAC. I'm begging you idiots to stop the whining, stop the flaming, stop the hating! You got yours, I got mine, let's all just f'ing be f'ing happy! Damn it!
eyal @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
does anyone know where to find only the "USB 2.0 adapter thingy"? or how does it call (so ill search it on the web)? i need the usb A to Mini B.
MarkieMark @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
Just got the 1gb version to replace my Rio Carbon- this shit rocks!
Only prob - there is no sort of protective cover or case for the unit. Anyone know where to get one?
Thanks!
Dan @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
What's with the watch? A MP3 player?
Vinnie @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
I won this player from samsung and even though i haven't received it yet i am quite excited about it. If you compare this to the suffle it is like way better than the ipod shuffle. Some mentioned that it sucked to organise the playlists with windows explorer. I love using that system for organizing my mp3. I have an ipod mini myself and to be honest I hardly change the music on that because its just too annoying to use itunes to do that. I rather drag and drop folders in my windows explorer. Maybe some people like random, but I like to choose which song I want to listen at the moment that I want instead of skipping 100 songs first! I think i'll use this more that my ipod mini!
Zombeezy @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
My CD mp3 player, cassette player and portable radio's always get yanked off the table when I listen at home or work because of the headphones I wear while doing work. I didn't want a simolar fate to happen to a hard-drive based mp3 player, so was waiting for a nice 1GB mp3 player.
I listen to a lot of audiobooks and needed: 1. The device to be recognized easily and quickly as a removable drive 2. To be able to drag and drop files/folders from Windows Explorer 3. Be able to navigate folders on player easily.
I did want to have to install software on a PC to be recognized or to transfer files of any kind. The cost was not a concern, nor the ability to record voice or listen to radio or connect to a source and make mp3 files on the fly by the mp3 player.
If you are thinking of this unit or one of it's similar Samsung unit's, make sure you read Scott's Blogtastic Blog at http://shadow1019.blogspot.com/2005/03/samsung-yp-t7z-mp3-player-review.html
Also, go to Samsung's site and download the manual and take the time to read it. Also, buy the unit from somewhere that allows no questions-asked returns, even if it means you pay for a silly in-store warranty to be able to.
The small size and weight is nice - unlike my cell phone which would fall out of my shirt pocket if I bend over, this is light enough to clip on a lapel or shirt sleeve edge or pocket. I have also dropped it several times and still works nicely, although the case is more to add a clip to the player than to protect it.
I tried to view a couple of pictures and they were so laughingly small that I took them off.
In use, the removable drive works great. Recognized immediately, able to take the files and folders dropped from Windows Explorer, the only thing I had to do was figure out how to set it for auto resume (discovered that the default was set to off), and how to navigate using the toggle button.
Once you find the file you want, it works nicely. The problem is that the color display is so small that it is difficult to read unless you have time to squint and stare, which I can't do while driving. Even with the scroll speed on fast, it takes too long to display a filename if it is long, and with books, most of the file names are the same except for the beginning file designation of each file (like 1-01, 1-02 etc) so it is annoying to wait for that beginning part. I will correct this in my next batch of transferred files by renaming my files simply like "1-01" instead of "1-01 Robert Crais - The Forgotten Man".
Unfortunately, even with my folders numbered and files numbered and in perfect order, and the player in normal play mode, and with the latest flash update from the Samsung website (which doesn't tell what is enhanced or corrected by it), the player does not play the files in proper order. In Windows, looking at the player as a removable drive, the files are in numeric or alpha-numeric order, but in the player, they do not all show up that way. Most are, but then one or two will be out of order, like 1-01, 1-02, 1-04, 1-5, 1-06, 1-03. I have listened to two books, and each time I had to shuffle around more than once to get back to where I should be in the proper order.
One minor thing - I dislike it when the LCD screen goes blank - if you look at it real hard you can see the words displayed on the screen, but it is so dark that you wonder why you can see it at all. I know it blanks to save battery power, but it is irritating to only see a dark screen. At night the display is nice to be able to see in the dark. If it was always-displayed and a normal non-color, non-backlit LCD, would that be better? Well, I suppose not. After all, hit the toggle and you can see the bright color display again. I guess I'd like color and lit up display for night, but instead of going black, it would display like a regular mono LCD!
The sound is very good. The radio works very nice. If they correct the file play order problem or if my having to rename all files to simpler versions corrects it, I will be happy. I just don't think I should have to rename them all if I have already sorted them correctly.
I bought it for $199 at Best Buy, but did not take out the $30 warranty. I figure I'd just buy a newer unit if it bombed out in a year or two.
Alex Potter @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
I have purchased this product but it wont play the music i downloaded from napster. i dragged and dropped the music files straight to the music studio you recieve with the player. The music is on the player but it wont play the songs!!! please help me!!!! i dont want to send it back
Mirna @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
there's one big reason to dislike this player: it's windows only
i won this thing but now i can't get files on it because itneeds this music studio thing. Gosh ... what a pain in the ass ! (i have Mac OSX and i never missed windows at all)
Crystal @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
how's the recorder works? I'd like to record my lecture using this. Also, comparing to sony E507, which one is better?
Zombeezy @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
OK, I've had mine for a few weeks now. I think I figured out why the files appeared out of order a few times.
Hooking the mp3 player to a PC USB port, the player shows up as a removable drive in the Windows File Explorer. After dragging and dropping the folders with the audiobooks onto the removable drive, they copy over so quickly that I then figured I'd move around the folders and rename them WHILE ON THE MP3 PLAYER. I did this to either number the folders in the order I wanted them to play, or shortened the names.
Every time I did this, some files played out of numeric sequence within a folder.
What I have been doing now is to have the folders already named or numbered how I want them BEFORE I copy them to the player.
As long as I don't monkey with the files once I have transfered them, they play in the correct order.
I have been very pleased with this player, but may consider a AAA-powered unit again next time so I don't have to wait for recharging. Luckily most of the time I just bring it in from the car and recharge it via USB port at work.
I have dropped or banged this player accidently probably 10 times - no problems.
It is so nice to finally have a unit start up exactly where you left off instead start at the beginning of a track!
Vinci @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
This product is very nice, but I have a problem. Sometimes the system did not work very well !!! During radio recorder it doesn't respond the command and it's necessary to reset it and you lost all file recorded
kv @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
Hi!
I am about to buy a Samsung MP3 player, but I can't really decide which one to buy: YP T6 or T7.
T7 has more functions, easier to read LCD (bigger), can record at 192kbps, read jpg and TXT, programmed FM (but I don't really need these last 2 functions). T6 is (very) small, can only record with max 128kbps (am I right?), but works with AAA batteries.
2 main questions: What can you tell about the T7's battery? Is it worth the T6's AAA?
Are the common functions the same or the T7 is better? (radio, recording from all sources at good quality and of course sound quality and durability!) I've read an article about the T5's sound problem. Is it the same with T6 and T7? (http://maksee.narod.ru/sound/t5/t5snd_e.htm)
Thanks!
Justin @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
#42, How long do you plan to be using the MP3 player in question between charges? I have the T7 and it generally lasts for quite a while but I normally only use it for a little while. I use the T7 as a drive during the day so by the time I use it for music after work, it's fully charged (slow charges through USB port).
As far as sound quality, I really love how this little guy pumps out sound. There are quite a few equilizer options and the player sounds great with my Sony MDR-EX71 earbuds.
SouthPimp @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
I recently bought this player and just want to say it's awesome. I almost bought an ipod shuffle, but the shuffle feature is useless to me because I don't want to listen to songs randomly, if I did I would listen to the radio. The other thing that got me is the no screen. I could never remember the order of 100 songs, I could see myself wanting to listen to a paticular song and getting pissed that I had no real way of finding it. Samsung wins in my book. P.S. If you are going to cry over it being $50 more then maybe you don't need to be buying novelty items like this.
kv @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
I just realized that there is no radio in T6. According to some sources, there should be...
I think the T7 will win...
Is the T7 a general mass storage device or driver is needed in Win XP?
JohnMudd @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
I got the YP-MT6 instead. May return it for the T7.
The MT6 uses AA (not AAA) but, even with a new battery, any recording (at 128 Kbps) stops in as little as 1.5 hours due to "Low Battery!". I'm interested in using the T7's A/C adapter.
The MT6 also doesn't have a clock so I have to be present to start recording a favorite radio show.
The MT6 also doesn't have a clip. It fits in my pocket but a clip would be a nice option.
JohnMudd @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
I have another theory why the Samsung MP3 players don't support AM radio. Just turn one on and set it near an AM radio and hear the static. It apparently transmits it's own signal.
But you CAN use it to record AM. It comes with a patch cord so you can record from any device (including AM radios) that has an earphone jack.
JohnMudd @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
Maybe I'm making a bad assumption about the T7. Can it play or record FM while connected to the A/C adaptor or USB port?
Brad @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
Guys I'm looking for a player to use while at the gym and I don't want to mess with the itunes crap, I like the idea of dropping and dragging my .mp3s over and go.
My question is have you guys seen any cases or arm bands or anything?
Thx
Joey @ Dec 19th 2005 12:12AM
Hi. I just purchased the player but it seems it's not DRM10 compatible. I can't use napster-to-go or yahoo's unlimited music transfer service.
Any ideas why?