Samsung Digital Audio Player Roundup, New Models

Samsung is on a roll, with the recent unveiling (and rerelease) of a number of digital audio players. Some we’ve seen before, but most are new (or new enough!) to us to cover them all at once.

The first player was launched at the end of last month in Hong Kong (though had been announced previously): the new YP-T6 line of players (V and Z subseries). The 2.15″ x 0.87″ x 0.9″ sized and 1.05 oz T6V player is obviously the refresh in the T5 form factor, with the base model being 256MB (though there are also 128MB, 512MB, and 1G models).

The YP-T6V upgrades off the T5 line with full USB2.0 support for lightning-fast transfers (most important for the T6Z at 1GB), can play MP3, WMA, ASF, and Ogg Vorbis files, and runs up to 20 hours on a single AAA battery (though I’ve seen other pages refer to it as only 10 hours – confusion abounds!). Other standard features are FM tuner, voice recording, line-in and FM recording/encoding, and SRS WOW surround. The T6Z (the 1G player) seems to be priced around $310 US, while the T6V (the 256MB model) is around $235 US. Obviously, those are both translated prices.

The rest of the players following may be on sale in other areas already, but were just announced today in Japan (see the ), and you never know which units will ever make it to any particular country. All the are set to go on sale by November 24th in Japan if my translation went well.

The first, ‘not new’, model announced is the YP-60V. Also known as the Samsung Groove, the YP-60V is a 256MB digital audio player with SRS WOW enhancements targeted at the workout audience, and can handle MP3, WMA, and Ogg Vorbis music. Its design is very unique and streamlined for most flash players, and it has built in sports functions: a heart rate monitor, calorie counter, and stopwatch. Of course, as a sports player it also packs a great armband holder as well as good exercise-ready headphones – an alternate ‘finger clip’ can be used if you want to run with it in your hand.

Rounding out the feature list is an FM tuner, line-in, recording/encoding of line-in or radio, a rechargeable LiPoly battery that gives up to 15 hours play time, and a compact form of only 1.53″ x 3.66″ x 0.66″ and a minute 1.6 oz weight. The only downside I can see is it seems to be a USB1.1 device – but that only slows you down a little. I’ve seen the YP-60V as low as $150 through various Amazon merchants (click to see…  ), which while a tad overpriced for a 256MB player is decent given the tiny, sports-ready package, great interface, rechargeable battery, and wealth of functions.

A new model announced today (though again, it may have been announced previously in other territories) was the sleek silver YP-53V (and YP-53X) players – the V is 256MB, while the X is 512MB. The main feature of this player is that it is a USB2.0 flash drive, with the USB connector seemingly built into the player itself – it looks like it might slides in and out of the body of the unit.

The YP-53 series runs for 20 hours on AAA battery, comes with voice recording, FM tuner, line-in, and again direct recording/encoding from both line-in and radio, the usual SRS WOW features, playback of MP3, WMA, WAV, Ogg, and ASF files, and is manipulated as a standard mass storage device with files and folders. The YP-53V measures in at 3.4″ x 1.05″ x 0.83″ and 1.2 oz without a battery, and seems to be priced around $200 US (probably a little less, actually).

Next in line is the successor to the YP-T5V series, the new YP-ST5V (and X) mini players – which sound remarkably like the new T6 series, though even smaller and lighter (if you can imagine that!). The newest colorful teeny flash players come in 256MB (V) and 512MB (X) forms, now with full USB2.0 interface, and AAA battery life bumped from the previous 15 hours up to a longer 20 hour estimate. As usual, the unit packs SRS WOW, voice recording, FM tuner, line-in and radio encoding/recording to MP3, and is a mere 2.2″ x 0.94″ x 0.94″, and weighs only 0.85 oz without a battery.

The last player is another existing model, the YH-920 jukebox player, also known as the YH-920GS. The YH-920 player looks like it might be one of the first hard-drive models for the Japan market – not surprising, as the teeny flash players seem to be the big thing in Asian countries. Definitely a decent jukebox competitor, the YH-920GS comes with a 20GB or 30GB hard drive, worldwide FM tuner, 10 language user interface, USB2.0 interface (and mass storage compatible), voice recording (to WAV files), direct recording (line-in and radio, to MP3), and SRS WOW enhancements.

As with the other Samsung players, it can handle MP3, WMA, WAV, and Ogg Vorbis files, and additionally lists Audible audiobooks as well. The YH-920GS packs a rechargeable LiIon or LiPoly battery for about 10 hours of playback, has a wired remote control, and best of all it comes with a docking cradle for charging and copying. The YH-920 is decently sized at 4.2″ x 2.42″ x 0.65″, weighing around 150g.

One of the unique features of the YP-920 series is USB OTG or “On-The-Go”, which allows the player to act as a USB host for file transfers. With this capability, you could say plug your digital camera directly into the YP-920 and copy files off the camera, without need for a computer. Great for travelling backup. Lastly, the YP-920 models are branded as ‘Napster compatible’ in the US and UK.

The YH-920GS retails for about $300 US, though I’ve seen it on Amazon for as low as $240, which is very competitive given all the capabilities, the cradle and remote, and the USB OTG feature.