Archos Gmini XS 200 Review

Overall Rating

Small, Loud, Good Features, 20GB HD, Clear Display, Good music playback, Create Playlists on unit without need of computer, Resonable Battery Life, Can be used for storing PC files as a portable hard disk. Well priced.

Blue Power LED is far too bright, Navigation joystick could be better, Current Firmware (0.101) has some minor problems. No soft case.
Player does not automaticcally register new songs, needs to be manually updated by user.

I have been wanting to get hold of an MP3 player for some time but I was always concerned with the lack of memory that these devices provided.

It all started after the popularity of MP3's fired the imagination of the public.

Diamond Multimedia released the controversial RIO and all hell was let loose as the music industry tried to contain the inevitable slide towards a more free music society. As with IBM and the PC, Apple released the sexy iPod and the scene was set for something of a revolution in personal music.

Nowadays the music industry is riding the wave of larger music sales and everyone seems to be jumping on the iPod bandwagon creating new and interesting ways to store more and more music for personal consumption.

Personal opinion.
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I have had a number of personal music players in the past but all of them have had a variety of limitations that prompted me to hold back until I'd found something that was both small enough and had a decent battery life for a days constant listening. The Archos was priced right and also was about the correct size for my needs. It has so far been very good at its primary function, which is too play music and its secondary function which is to store files as a backup.

Size and design.
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The iPod design aside, the Gmini XS 200 is both neat and pleasing on the eye. Everyone who sees it wants to know what it is, and it has caught the eye of more than one person who saw it from a distance.
The item fits easily into the palm of my hand and has a solid and high quality look to it. The metal exterior feels as though it was made to withstand everyday use without giving problems anytime soon. The display is well sized for the device and does not need to be any larger for the purposes. Buttons are about the right size, although the joystick on the front does make for some interesting navigation on the unit, it can sometimes be too easy to push it down instead of in one of the other direction desired.

Size is something of a double edged sword in that the smaller the item gets the smaller the functions and various buttons have to be to be compressed into the footprint. I feel they have the right balance in terms of size and functionality within the design.

Functions.
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This device is similar to a lot of the other devices out there and they include the normal music selection by Browsing the Hard disk, Artist, Album, Title, Genre and Year. Additionally it is possible to make Playlists on the device without having to use a computer or third party software package. A playlist can be made on the PC manually but no software is provided with the player to allow this and so it is cumbersome and not for the faint hearted.

One nice function of the product is that it is possible to do basic file Management within the unit, again without the need for a computer. It is possible to create, delete and rename folders as well as Move, Copy, Delete, rename files. To accomplish this, the player has the ability to provide a split screen browser allowing you to see where you are copying/Moving from and to. When you get the hang of it, navigation is not so much of problem.

Firmware upgrades are very easy, copy the firmware file to the hard disk and turn it off and then back on. The unit detects the file and performs the upgrade. Any problems and it aborts without doing any damage.

It is possible to also modify Power settings, Playmode and sound with a basic graphic equaliser.

Sound Quality.
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With a good set of speakers this sounds as good as any of the others. A lot of the problems with MP3 and WMA is that they use compression methods that inherently loose some of the quality, so sound reproduction is largely academic and based on the original song and how it was encoded.

With a good encoded song and a good output device, like my car stereo amp, the sound is indistinguishable from a CD player, and is far more versatile than my Multi-changer CD unit.

Criticisms.
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The only real problem I have with the unit are as follows
1)When it comes to using it in dark environments the Blue Power LED might look cool from a distance, but it does overpower the backlit display. So I have taken to putting my thumb over the LED when navigating for songs.
2)The navigation joystick does not do itself any favours as it is. I have pressed it down when I meant to push it up on a few occasions, but as I get used to its quirks I will find new ways to get around this problem.
3) The current version of the firmware is not completely without problems. Some include powering off when I start a song either on the mains or not (Minor). Incorrect reporting of the encoded bit rate and playing time of some songs(Minor).
4) The player uses a function called ARCLibrary to track all songs on the hard disk. If the user changes any file on the hard disk then they need to manually update this database. Simple to do, but could have been automatic or performed at startup.

Hopefully the firmware problems should be sorted by a release shortly.

Conclusions.
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All in all and despite the short comings listed at the end of the review, I find that this is a very well made product and nicely doubles as a hard disk backup and car stereo library.

Members' Comments onRobert Dowell's Review

• Bertie on 28th Nov 2004

  That's what I call a REVIEW! Great stuff - can't fault it and a real pleasure to read.

• mtbab on 14th Jul 2005

  Hey this was a great review, i would just like to know what you think of it now 7 months down the line? thanks
  
  Martin :)

• Robert Dowell on 14th Jul 2005

  Review update:
  
  I have been using the Archos Gmini XS200 for the better part of 7 months now and have found it to be without fault. I use the player almost daily and have found that the average overnight charge is more than enough to cover the whole days use, so yes you can get about 7 to 8 hours use out of it on optimum settings.
  
  To use the well worn cliche, "it does exactly what it says on the tin."
  
  Additional information : I have been able to confirm that you can browse the music on the hard disk even when you are playing something. Infact you have complete control of all functions by pressing the right (Power on) Button.
  
  The drag and drop function of the player is the best idea yet devised, none of this proprietary software nonsense that is common with other players.
  
  With prices dropping all the time it has never been a better time to investigate the MP3 player market.