Neuros II HD - Digital player / radio - HDD 40 GB - WMA, Ogg, MP3 - display: 2"
By: Neuros Technology International Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 9
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 On: 2005-06-10
I bought the 40 Gb Audio pc for ethnographic fieldwork. It cant be beat for its abilty to record directly to mp3 format (among others), which makes downloading and archiving interviews incredibly easy. Its also great for storing computer files, but its a little too bulky as a personal mp3 player (I have an iPod Mini for that). It is, however, great for listening to your music files in the car, as it has a built in FM transceiver that automatically looks for an inactive frequency. You can also record directly off the transciever, which is kind of silly for songs but great for radio interviews that you may want to use as data.
There is one drawback to recording--the built-in microphone is sensitive, but it also picks up the sound of the hardrive, giving you this quiet hum in the background (not horrible in mp3 format, but much worse in WAV format). And if you use a digital line-in microphone, it needs to be both self-powered and have a pre-amp to be heard, which can be a little pricey($100 and up for each).
Otherwise, given the reasons behind my purchase, I am very pleased. Ive even used the line-in directly from my DVD player to record my favorite soundbites from Family Guy.
 On: 2005-02-10
Great features on paper...But when you try to use it, you get an error message - Check out the review on the 80 GB unit. Looks like someone else had the same issue. Straight out of the box the unit will not power up properly.
Customer service has been very responsive, but I am on my second replacement unit. I am having no luck with getting an actual working player ( even the guy I talked to in customer service said they were having many problems with this issue and my replacement unit would take a while to come out since they were waiting for a good batch from the factory). I live in a large city also so the FM transmit thing will probably not work well since most station frequencies are taken - Again refer to the review on the 80 GB model. Save your money . I am just glad I didnt shell out what the poor guy who bought the 80 gb unit did.
 On: 2004-08-29
I bought this player for two reasons
A. It syncs with linux - and this is no hack the kernel to get it to work thing either. Set up Java on your computer and download NDBM, mount your Neuros and it works.
B. It plays ogg vorbis. (http://www.xiph.org/ogg/vorbis/) For those of you that havent heard yet, this is a codec similar to mp3 but completely open and free. Also in many listening tests, people say it sounds better. Hear for yourself at (http://www.xiph.org/ogg/vorbis/listen.html) My entire music collection is in ogg vorbis.
On top of those two things, it can record to mp3 or wav. It has a built in FM transmitter. It has a built in FM tuner. For any other music player, those would all be accessories with an additional cost. Not only is it a wonderful player, its a great deal.
On: 2004-08-13
Ive used my 20G Neuros with linux since day one. First with the Positron tool released by DI, then with NDBM written by an enthusiast (thx Starkey).
The neuros meets my expectations as a music player and portable hard drive. With windows your neuros is simply seen as a mass storage device.
I am currently working through some issues with FM reception, but I have confidence that either DI or the forum community will help with that.
On: 2004-08-08
I have had this player since july. After a lot of research I decided on the neuros because of the features it offers for the price. you get 20gb, fm tuner, fm modulater built in,direct encoding from tuner or other source,great support on there web page,upgradeable firmware and software and there is some open source software for the unit as well. It sounds great and is pretty easy to use. No other player can do all that for the price of 250 dollars.
On: 2004-08-08
This is quite honestly the perfect mp3 player for those of you who arent interested in paying way to much for an iPod. It has more features than every other player on the market and is cheaper too. Its great having the the FM broadcaster right on the unit so you dont have to buy something extra like the iTrip for the iPod. It comes in flavors up to 80 gigs, has line in support, has a surpisingly cool design and great battery life.
Now I must admit, this player is definitely not for everyone. If you are looking for an ultra sleek small player like the iPod this isnt for you, its a little bit bigger, and a bit heavier too, so it may not be for you. My only other complaint about it is that it doesnt have the iPod style scroll wheel, but the interface the Neuros guys have implemented is honestly wonderful once you get used to it so dont let this be a big factor in your decision.
One of the greatest things about the Neuros is that the guys at the company are SO responsive to users. We request new features, updates, all kinds of things and they listen. I garuntee you wont be unhappy with your purchase if you get the Neuros.
On: 2004-08-07
This is quite honestly the perfect mp3 player for those of you who arent interested in paying way to much for an iPod. It has more features than every other player on the market and is cheaper too. Its great having the the FM broadcaster right on the unit so you dont have to buy something extra like the iTrip for the iPod. It comes in flavors up to 80 gigs, has line in support, has a surpisingly cool design and great battery life.
Now I must admit, this player is definitely not for everyone. If you are looking for an ultra sleek small player like the iPod this isnt for you, its a little bit bigger, and a bit heavier too, so it may not be for you. My only other complaint about it is that it doesnt have the iPod style scroll wheel, but the interface the Neuros guys have implemented is honestly wonderful once you get used to it so dont let this be a big factor in your decision.
One of the greatest things about the Neuros is that the guys at the company are SO responsive to users. We request new features, updates, all kinds of things and they listen. I garuntee you wont be unhappy with your purchase if you get the Neuros.
by: lisashea-dot-com On: 2004-08-06
The Neuros is a great product from a small and responsive company. I doubt theyve ever had an unhappy customer, because they make sure you are satisfied one way or the other.
If you cant handle a VCR, this product may be a bit complicated and/or quirky for you. On the other hand, if youre technically astute, there is no better product.
This thing transmits to your car stereo, and can be used as a portable USB 2.0 disk drive for your computer. It records from either the built-in microphone (voice messages, meetings, lectures), or at line level from a powered stereo microphone for higher quality (concerts, band practices, etc.) Its upgradable for software, continuing to support more formats over time. The battery life is excellent, especially with the intelligent caching algorithm to reduce hard disk accesses. Finally, there is management software available that works on Mac and Linux as well as the PC platform.
If I didnt buy this, I would have gone iRiver. That would have been a bit more expensive and without the FM transmitter. If you commute, or otherwise spend a lot of time in the car, the FM transmitter is invaluable. I plan on buying more of these for family members in the future!
On: 2004-08-06
I have owned a Neuros for about a year now and it has blown away my expectations in every way. The best thing about it is that it keeps getting better and better!
Even though they just released this new model, their constantly-upgraded firmware works for the old model too. They are always adding new features based on customer feedback.
The online forums for this device are wonderful; there are lots of friendly and knowledgeable users there, and the companys engineers drop by frequently too.
The only downside to this device is its size. It is a good deal larger than an iPod, but the fact that it supports so many music formats (Ogg, MP3, WAV, WMA), has outstanding sound, and lots of other features way more than makes up for its bigger size. The overpriced iPod is almost a cliche these days, and Im very happy to have gotten a much better player for a much better price!
On: 2004-08-06
And I love bread! Really, I do!
But the Neuros is just fantastic, and it keeps getting better through firmware updates.
If youve ever considered a portable audio player, look no further because the Neuros is technically superior to any other, and it has a unique look.
Perhaps the very best feature of the Neuros is the NeurosAudio.com forums where youll find an active community of like-minded individuals in pursuit of musical nirvana through their Neuros... Ill coin the phrase "Neurovana".
And if you use and adore Linux and Open Source software/methodologies, youll like the Neuros even more! All 4 softwares presently available to manage the Neuros onboard metadata structures are Free/Libre Open Source Software. Theres even talk about opening the firmware itself!
Yet another great thing about the Neuros is that it doesnt have any pesky / bothersome DRM to get in the way of enjoying the music you own! Take back your fair use rights: Say "NO" to DRM!
Its also easy to enjoy your music in your vehicle(s) with the built-in FM transmitter which allows you to transmit your audio to an empty frequency for reception within about 20 feet. It works really well and avoids messing with wires for cassette adapters, etc.
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