ALBA MP3256D10 Review

Overall Rating

Nice design
Slot for SD card up to 1GB
Small
Light
Clear display
Nice extras for the price
Reasonable battery life
LOUD!

Supplied headphone cable is too short
Cannot play DRM tracks

This is my second MP3 player since the Matsunichi one I bought suddenly stopped working after about 3 months of solid performance. As a frequent Gym user, I found my MP3 player to be an invaluable piece of equipment when faced with the prospect of working out while listening to the Gym owner's abysmal CD collection.

So off I went looking for a cheap MP3 player.

Imagine my surprise when I saw this ALBA model for £19.99! Yes, 20 quid for a 256Mb MP3 player. Without trying to compare it to any other MP3 players available from more prestigious manufacturers, the MP3256D10 is an outstanding piece of kit for the price. The memory size is more than big enough to hold 120-odd tracks, and the simple LCD display keeps battery drain down to a minimum, hence the 8 hours of continuous play if you use a decent cell like an Energiser or Duracell.

The design of the unit is sleek, and stylish and the minimal no fuss functions, such as random track selection and track repeat are great. There are also a number of in-built equaliser presets that change the tone of the music you are listening to, such as 'pop,' 'rock,' 'classical' and so on.

What really impressed me though, was that this £20 MP3 player came not only with a couple of extras such as a belt clip, a carry case and a USB cable, but it also has a slot for an SD Memory card so you can theoretically increase the storage capacity to a maximum of 1GB - nearly as much storage space as an iPod Nano for a fraction of the price. Incredible.

The supplied manual does warn that power consumption may radically increase if an SD card is used, but just having the option is very commendable.

So the perfect MP3 player? Nearly, but not quite.

There are a few things that potential buyers should be aware of. Firstly, and least importantly - the headphones. While they are white and therefore quite similar to the ones you get with an iPod (ergo upping your 'street cred' instantly if you use them), the wire is frustratingly short. This means you can't have the unit in your pocket when using the supplied phones as they won't reach - you have to just let the thing dangle just above your belly button! Was this MP3 player QA-ed by a dwarf?!
It's not a massive hindrance though, as any stereo headphones can be used - I'd recommend some decent Sony ones to get the most out of the ALBA though - the sound quality is frankly amazing with a decent pair of 'phones - and LOUD!

Now for the biggy though. The ALBA MP3256D10 is not compatible with DRM (Digital Rights Management) tracks. For the uninitiated, the majority of internet based download websites use DRM protected tracks that will only play on legal copies of Media Player, and only on some of the more expensive MP3 players. If you paid more than £50 for your player, you should be fine, but most cheapo ones aren't compatible. I only discovered this after buying a load of Arctic Monkeys tracks and then discovering I couldn't play them on my new bit of kit. I wasn't pleased.

Apart from that gripe, there isn't a lot wrong with this ALBA player. It plays CD ripped WMA tracks fine, and also MP3 files. Couple this with the price and the expandable memory, and you've got a hell of a deal for under 20 notes.

Members' Comments onTOMLEECEE's Review

• brilldave on 12th Feb 2007

  I would completely agree with the above. I received mine as a Christmas gift from my techno-ignorant mother. I admit I cringed a little, because I know that she doesn't know what she is buying and I hoped that she hadn't wasted much money. But I looked at the specs then tried it out and I was astounded. Then I found out she'd only 'wasted' £20 on the thing and I was ecstatic!
  
  The DRM thing is what lead me to this review actually. I was searching desperately for a way to circumvent the fact that it can't play DRM media. The only thing to do is to convert it with conversion software to MP3. An easy way I've found though is to burn a CD with the files then rip it again in Media Player. You will have an unprotected copy then to do with as you please. So I recommend you do that with your Arctic Monkeys album, my friend!

• Hevski on 23rd Feb 2007

  I totally agree - I have only had mine for a few days (now down to £12.99 in Argos) - I bought a Ministry of Sound Clip Stix, which was brilliant for the gym, and the earphones rocked, but the internal battery had a severe fault (wouldn't charge properly and lasted about an hour), and when I rang them they said it was a common fault! Pssh. So anyway, I bought the ALBA MP3256D10 MP3 player, as it was recommended to me, and it is fabulous! I use it in my car, plugged into the cassette player, and at the gym. It's fabulous, but I agree, the earphone cable is ridiculously short. I had to take it off my waistband and clip it to my collar!!! *sigh*. But, as the only downfall, it's not bad! I do like the way the earphones have the bit round your neck too, so that if they did fall out of your ears you wouldn't trip over them!