Archos Gmini XS 200 Review

Overall Rating

-Smallest MP3 player around
-Large 2" screen
-USB 2.0
-Linux based OS
-Very Affordable
-Attractive
-Customizable EQ
-Create multiple playlists
-Although there is no set battery time, Mine lasted 3 hours+ with the HD spinning (loading music) and it seems to charge quickly

-LCD Is not color, also LCD has cheap looking green backlight
-Scrolling tends to be slow
-Unable to browse other songs while listening

Although having only bought this today, I am quite fond of it.
When I was going to the store to purchase a 4th gen iPod (Had two more, I have several mp3 players) I saw this, and noticing the price was better decided upon buying it (Note: The price difference may not be so obvious outside of Canada)

Based on first glance, this is a rather attractive mp3 player.
It's capacity is 20gig, yet it looks more like a 512mb player (going by physical dimensions). The size of this gadget is remarkable. Not only is it small but it is designed to be useful: With the button to power-up directly labelled, and a menu button to allow easily putting a current song in a playlist etc...

The player has three LED's on the top right corner (one power, one HDD activity, one Charging). There are two nice blue LEDs and a third red one, making for a nice effect and clearly displaying when the hardrive is spinning. The buttons are placed nicely.

My only complaint is that I cannot browse between songs while listening to one. Although you can resume where you left off, I still see this as a hassle.

As for the benchmark (iPod) some things you may miss are the internal clock and the scrollwheel. The scrolling in this is controlled by a small "dot" in the bottom center of the appliance, which does not nearly scroll as fast as the iPod Scroll-wheel.

I personally am very happy to see how easily I can load songs in it without any applications. Not only can I put songs where I wish, but I can put into folders, and playlists are easy to create with a text file.

Upon opening the package you may notice no manual or cd. The folks at Archos cleverely put their in-depth pdf manual inside the mp3 player, which must be open from the computer.

Several features in the SX220 that are not in the iPod include a L/R stereo monitor in the "now playing" screen, a 5 channel customizable eq (with several genre-based presets included) and a "virtual keyboard" allowing you to name folders, songs, and playlists. The screen included with the SX220 is also larger than any iPod to date, and displays more information at the play screen (Stereo/Mono, format, bitrate, total length, time remaining, time elapsed along with all track info all at once) the greyscale screen is nice, and you can work in a "windowed" mode with two lists open simultaneously.
Along with this package came a DC adapter (US standard, but inside the package were UK and Europe socket adapters) the USB cable is also included, along with a set of headphones. Though the headphones are not fancy, they have a good sound, I have yet to hear them crackle on full volume. The headphones have a cheap-looking volume adapter, which although not very aesthetically pleasing, functions properly.
Overall I am very impressed with this player. It's size is remarkable, along with this is it's reliable battery, (note, The SX220 looks to be easy to open so I hope replacing the battery won't be a hassle). For it's price it is definitely worth considering over an iPod.

For the record I am on a Mac, I'm a loyal Mac fan, But I love this thing.

Members' Comments onAudiophreak's Review

• clusterm2 on 14th Mar 2005

  You can actually 'browse' whilst listening. Press the power on button this opens a drop down then select browse...simple.