The WV-430C supports voice, line-in, and FM recording. You can encode line-in and FM recordings as MP3s at bit rates from 48Kbps to 192Kbps, while voice recordings support 16Kbps or 32Kbps. The AutoSync recording function is a bit of a misnomer, as it doesn't automatically begin recording when the source audio begins. Instead, it automatically inserts track breaks from line-in recordings, which makes it much easier to encode an entire CD. The player also features an internal clock and alarm that you can use to schedule FM recordings. Recordings sounded clean with no distortion. You can set up to 20 FM presets either manually or with the Auto Frequency Store function, although the AutoScan feature did a poor job of detecting local stations.
Playback quality is very good, if a little bass heavy, thanks to a clean 95dB signal-to-noise ratio. (Most players in this category top out at 90dB.) Although the headphone output of 12mW per channel doesn't seem impressive, we found that the player could crank music at a pretty high volume on a set of full-size Koss UR-40 headphones.
In CNET Labs' tests, the player transferred tracks at a speedy 2.29MB per second over a USB 2.0 connection. Battery life was an unimpressive 10.5 hours, well short of the company's rating of 15 hours of playback on a single charge.
Editor's note: We have changed the rating in this review to reflect recent changes in our rating scale. Click here to find out more.
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