Samsung YEPP YP-90S

CNET editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 7.0 (3.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  David Carnoy
• Reviewed on: 10/28/2002
• Updated on: 11/06/2002

Samsung's 64MB YEPP YP-90S has many of the qualities that we like to see in a flash-based MP3 player. First, it's small, which makes it ideal for jogging and gym use. Second, the YP-90S has a built-in FM radio and the ability to record voice memos. Finally, it supports playback of both MP3 and WMA files. But since the player has an asking price of $180, we feel that it should include more onboard memory or a slot for adding storage.Samsung's 64MB YEPP YP-90S has many of the qualities that we like to see in a flash-based MP3 player. First, it's small, which makes it ideal for jogging and gym use. Second, the YP-90S has a built-in FM radio and the ability to record voice memos. Finally, it supports playback of both MP3 and WMA files. But since the player has an asking price of $180, we feel that it should include more onboard memory or a slot for adding storage.

Design
Weighing only 1.9 ounces with two AAA batteries installed, the YP-90S has an attractive, teardrop-shaped design that measures 1.97 by 3.07 by 0.86 inches. Sans batteries, the unit feels a little chintzy, but after they are installed, this YEPP seems more substantial. The player doesn't appear to be superdurable, but a nice, neoprene, protective case attaches to your belt and keeps the player from getting dinged up. An armband attachment is included for runners.

The YP-90S is simple to use, though we did have to take a quick glance at the manual to figure out how to access all the player's features. A convenient rock/scroll wheel handles song and menu navigation--a great way to pack an easy-to-use interface onto a tiny player.

While the backlit, monochrome LCD is small, it displays all pertinent song information, including the track title and the bit rate. You can customize the start-up graphic with the help of a free software download, but we didn't bother, as the bundled logo was just fine with us.

Features
As noted, the YP-90S has a few extras beyond the basics. Most notably, you get a voice recorder and a built-in FM radio that can store 10 stations. There's also the standard repeat and random modes, as well as a hold feature that locks the player's buttons. A basic equalizer for tweaking the bass and the treble levels is also onboard.

The included software is a version of RioPort Audio Manager, which allows you to organize your tunes and turn your CDs into MP3 or WMA files. With 64MB of built-in memory, you'll probably want to use WMA files encoded at 64Kbps to maximize storage capacity. (WMAs are more compressed than MP3s but sound about the same.)

Files transfer via a USB 1.1 connection, which is the standard protocol for the current crop of flash-based MP3 players. Unfortunately, the YEPP is not compatible with Macs; when we plugged the player into our G4 desktop, iTunes didn't recognize it, although Samsung claims that it does work.

Performance
The included earbuds are fairly decent but may be a little big for some ears; runners might want to opt for more secure headband-style headphones.

When you hit the power button, the unit turns on fairly quickly though not instantaneously--no complaints there. This YEPP has a very clean 90dB signal-to-noise ratio, resulting in minimal hiss during playback. We were satisfied with the unit's sound quality and loudness once we made a few adjustments to the equalizer.

Using a Dell P4 1.8GHz desktop running Windows XP, we transferred six songs--or 19MB of files--from the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack in 52 seconds, which translates to a very fast file-transfer speed of 0.37MB per second. That's not bad for USB 1.1, although Samsung says that you can get up to 5MB per second.

With minimal use of the backlight, we managed to match the rated battery life of 14 hours, which is slightly above average. No rechargeable cells are included, but you do get two no-name, alkaline AAAs to get you started.

As far as the FM radio goes, it did fine picking up powerful stations such as New York's Z100, but it didn't do as well with smaller stations.

In the final analysis, the YP-90S certainly has its appealing qualities, most notably compact size, attractive styling, and a decent feature set.

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