rio keeps on rolling - Riovolution

dsh21

2008-09-07, 16:40 #1

Member since Sep 2006 · 4 posts · Location: Central Cali
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Subject: rio keeps on rolling

my karma was down to about 1.5hrs on a charge of the battery. ordered up one of the ebay special batteries. took about 1.5 weeks to get it from hong kong. tore my karma apart. got a new soldering gun as i couldn't find my old one. soldered in the new battery. charged her up. went for about a 3hr bike ride today. got home and the fuel gage still showed about 4/5 battery left. i am still impressed with the karma. that is all.

hackeron 2010-08-20, 06:28 #2

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That is awesome

- I just fired mine up after not using it since around 2006. It sounds so sweet with my Sennheiser HD600 and ah, my 3000 song music collection from 4 years ago

Wish my iphone4 has this kind of sound quality

You still using yours?

schofiel 2010-08-22, 15:40 #3

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Subject: Yup

... I keep coming back to it from my Vibez, as I still think it has a slightly better feature set and definitely better sound.

Long live the Karma!

benjaoming 2010-10-17, 05:01 #4

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Here's some more appraisal! I used my Rio Karma for 3 years. During this time I replaced both the hard drive, battery and display. I was never upset about the quality, because spare parts were easy to track down and install. After three good years I decided that it was time I tried something new - back then I was still able to be thrilled by new tech products, so I felt a strong urge to try something else. I bought an iRiver Clix. It was pretty cool, but the "clix" system (the four sides of the casing being actual buttons) was smart in a silly way and it broke on one of my friend's players. Mine was stolen (also a critical point of brand new tech products). I moved on to a Sansa Clip+ at the end of 2009, and it has lasted me until recently, when the mini jack went loose.

I opened the Sansa Clip+ like I would have opened my Karma back in the days. But the fucker needed to be carefully scratched around its plastic joints for like 15 minutes before the glue would let go. Then there were like 8 little clips (hence "clip+") inside holding the two parts of the casing together. This was sparsely documented online, but I managed to get it apart. Soldering on it was a nightmare, since it was made by Asian robots, and when I finally had it pieced together it was working for a couple of days until it broke again.

So I got out my old Karma, and it's still playing!! I immediately went to "Rio DJ" and made it play two hours of the music I loved 3 years ago.. that I still love, but not as much as Rio Karma.

More players like this should be on the market. But I see none.

Winnowill 2010-10-18, 14:48 #5

Member since Oct 2006 · 17 posts · Location: Phoenix, AZ
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I bought my current Karma new sometime in 2006 (this one is my third). It's still going. The battery doesn't keep a charge quite as well as it used to, and the case is cracked in a way that sometimes affects the sound going to the headphone jack, but I haven't replaced any of its parts, and I use it in the car on a fairly regular basis - it remains the only player I own. I know I'm on borrowed time with it, but I just can't give it up.

I may start buying parts for it, just to have in case.

jaw2ek 2010-10-19, 08:39 #6

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Subject: Karma is King

Bought mine used in 2005. Replaced the mainboard and the battery (used) a few years ago (07 or 08). When the hard drive began failing I finally gave in when I was given a 6th gen ipod classic. Btw, that lasted only 13 months and i broke the classic's mainboard trying to fix it myself. I currently own a 4th gen nano and a 5th gen classic, which I rockboxed (rockbox.org).

I recently got the bug to use the Karma, with dock, line out, and amp, as a bedside rig. It works great, but the hard drive issues cause random skipping and freezing. Worse, I cannot update the songs. I can usually hook it up and transfer maybe 1 or 2 songs before it freezes and won't allow more. Very frustrating as I don't really want to be stuck with what I put on there years ago.

I contacted member firehouse777, who still has Karma parts, and obtained a CF adapter and put in a 32gb CF card last night. I also got a newer case from him, since mine is falling apart. I would highly recommend contacting him and seeing what he still has.

Anyway, I like the sound of this set up way more than my collection of ipods. I plan to use this more often.

If I had a signature, think I'd share it with YOU?

John30_06 2010-10-31, 15:05 #7

Member since Nov 2006 · 394 posts · Location: Heartland U.S.
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I've still got my 4 units that I've remodeled, 3 excellent in shape. 2 60 gig, 1 40, and a 30. I can take vigorous walks with the 3 bigger ones, but I have to admit the Hdd in the 30 is getting flaky, so I'm thinking about replacing it with a 64g Kingspec solidstate. That will allow both the standard Karma body with the big battery.

I recently brought my 2 60's with me on a drive to Indy for a 6 weeks stay, then back home. They were very much appreciated. The one I dock in my car, I put the smaller ipod battery in so I could use the standard body and dock. (the ones I modded and then cut the dock away kept falling out while driving 8-(

)
I'm listening to Dead Can Dance on one of them now docked to my vintage power stereo ( all-black) setup.....and via an audio timer it also gets me up in the morning. :-D

It's a trick to set him up to do that, since you have to tell it to Play a tune or CD or list, then power it down. It then remembers its last task next time it is powered up.... I just hope that isn't too destructive.

Soooo...... you guys be sure and let me know if I ever get a bit OCD :nuts:

about it, I'd hate to overdo a good thing!

M0tah 2010-11-01, 00:55 #8

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On the timer front, I suppose you could also make a couple-hour long silent low bitrate file and put that at the front of the playlist (or a hour-long file, and insert it multiple times), then just leave the Karma playing overnight.

jaw2ek 2010-11-01, 11:09 #9

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Good idea, since i keep it docked bedside. In my case I would get speakers. Wouldn't spend all night with phones in!

If I had a signature, think I'd share it with YOU?

Winnowill 2011-06-27, 22:25 #10

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Well, I took the plunge and did my first hardware change. I was going to do it in one of my two non-working Karmas, but my working one could no longer keep a charge, so, after successfully disassembling one of the others and figuring it out, I changed the battery (I know - baby steps, and, actually, my husband did the soldering for me). I put it back together, charged it up, and am pleased to say that it works and I didn't even break the lock switch (on either of them!)*

I've ordered two CF card adapters from eBay. They were very inexpensive, coming from Taipei (the specs were the same as the others that have been recommended). I've got some old 1GB CF cards lying around from an old digital camera that I'll test and, if they work, I'll get bigger ones. I haven't decided yet whether I'm going to try to take the leap into SSD.

I have to keep these puppies working. I have no interest in any other player. I want a DAP that plays music. I don't need or want apps on it. I don't need or want a color display. I want music, and I want it to sound right. And I want it to be gapless. I just wish the GraceNote software still working on the Karma database - it's a pain using RMM now when I want to use FLAC. Is there another application that can identify track names and whatnot AND code to FLAC?

Even with my newfound modifying confidence, I am tempted to buy every Karma I see on eBay. I've bid on several, and I regret deeply taking a nap the day the one DIDN'T sell at $99.07 a week or so ago and missing out on it.

*You must understand. This is a Big Deal, as I am only marginally technically inclined.

straycat 2011-06-28, 08:27 #11

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I haven't decided yet whether I'm going to try to take the leap into SSD.

firehouse777 advises cf over ssd: http://www.riovolution.org/thread/1175,2

I have to keep these puppies working. I have no interest in any other player. I want a DAP that plays music. I don't need or want apps on it. I don't need or want a color display. I want music, and I want it to sound right. And I want it to be gapless.

bless your heart for that.

I just wish the GraceNote software still working on the Karma database - it's a pain using RMM now when I want to use FLAC. Is there another application that can identify track names and whatnot AND code to FLAC?

you can use eac to rip and rmm to transfer or sveta portable audio/media monkey to rip and transfer.

eac: http://www.exactaudiocopy.de/
sveta: http://www.dbpoweramp.com/sveta-portable-audio.htm
media monkey: http://www.mediamonkey.com/

note: media monkey doesn't show rio as a supported device brand but i know it used to. maybe someone else can point out the last version on which it did...
http://www.mediamonkey.com/wiki/index.php/Compatible_Devices

Winnowill 2011-06-28, 14:40 #12

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Thanks! I'll look into those. I'm just glad Windows 7 is willing to play nicely with it. I tried it with Vista and never got it to work - I was about to set up a whole system on XP just for the Karma!

straycat 2011-07-05, 04:57 #13

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firehouse777 advises cf over ssd: http://www.riovolution.org/thread/1175,2

then again, for ~£250, you can get a 128gb sd or a 64gb cf + adapter. the few 128gb cf around are still too expensive.
some people are settling for 8/16gb cf cards but if the karma has a 20gb standard, going lower on the storage limit can't be an upgrade, really, just for the sake of no moving parts and no disk clicks (and better battery life, ok).

sd
http://www.memoryc.co.uk/products/description/128GB_KingSp…

cf
http://linitx.com/viewproduct.php?prodid=11521
http://www.memorycow.co.uk/cf-compact-flash-memory-cards/t…

This post was edited on 2011-07-05, 05:13 by straycat.

Winnowill 2011-07-06, 09:17 #14

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Well, I got the CF adapter boards and got one hooked up. I just need to find the hardware to get the display attached firmly, do some Dremeling around the volume buttons, and I should be good to go (oh - I need to get my husband to do another battery solder job, too). I've found some 32GB cards for about $40 that look promising, and, someday, I'll upgrade to 64 when the price comes down some more. 250 pounds is a little spendy for me right now.

So, right now, I have a standard Karma with upgraded battery and original hard drive, a CF-modded Karma with upgraded battery that's almost ready to go (and its original hard drive, which may or may not still work), and another broken Karma that I cannot seem to find that I intend to do a CF mod and battery upgrade on when it does turn up. That one will live in a dock, because its power button is broken.

I think I'm set for a while. I can even have an entire Karma just for Christmas music! (I have a lot of Christmas music...)

straycat 2011-07-06, 09:34 #15

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and another broken Karma that I cannot seem to find that I intend to do a CF mod and battery upgrade on when it does turn up. That one will live in a dock, because its power button is broken.

if you plan to use it always docked, you can use it as a mini stereo system. just plug in some powered speakers and save some money on the battery upgrade part. a docked karma works without a battery installed.