New Lexar MP3 Player Reviewed

If there was a "no frills" section in the Wal-Mart electronics section, this should be there. Than again, with the strange problem, it probably would end up in returns.

Overall, the Lexar LDP-200 player has one major thing going for it- price. For $49, plus the cost of a memory card, there really is nothing else out there. I’ve recently seen 1 GB memory cards on sale in the $60 range, so for just over one hundred bucks total, you can have a 1 GB MP3 player, with a screen. I don’t know of anything else with that kind of capacity in that low price range. The nice blue screen, included quality earbuds, and standard AAA battery power sweeten the deal.

For a low price, I would be very willing to live without a carrying case, no included software, and limited equalizer options. I didn’t even miss a built in microphone, or FM radio. I can even live with only two supported music formats (MP3 and WMA) as these are the only two I really use anyway.

Unfortunately, there are significant shortcomings. The spontaneous shut off has me concerned about the overall quality of Lexar’s unit. Also, the audio, on playback over quality speakers in the car or the Altec-Lansing setup, reveals a lack of bass and depth despite the equalizer.

In short, unless I was very cash strapped, I would rather spend a few more dollars, and get a higher quality product. Lexar’s LDP-600, while more money, has a lot more features and offers significantly more “bang for the buck.” While the LDP-200 has great potential, it appears to end up on the cheap side of inexpensive.

This review was linked to by Technudge, and Gizmodo.

The LDP-200 was also reviewed by CNET.

Make no mistake: The Lexar LDP-200 is intended for digital music newcomers or those who want a low-cost, no-frills, lightweight secondary device to use while working out. You can tell just from looking at the device that it's designed for simplicity. The only controls on the front are a power button, a playback/volume joystick, and a menu button. The left side features the SD card slot and a hold switch, while the right side sports the headphone and USB ports. The blue backlit screen is easy to read, and the menus are easy to navigate, largely because there are so few features to wade through.

At least CNET's unit didn't have the spontaneous shut off "feature."