sere83

Ramos RM970 - The Sere83 Review:

Introduction:

Although probably unfamiliar to many westerners ‘Ramos’ are one of China’s largest DAP manufactures. In recent years the companies dedication to the manufacture of portable media players has even come to the attention of a rather well known Redmond based software company you may have heard of, that goes by the name of Microsoft. Last year Microsoft collaborated with Ramos in the creation of its V80 model, a device based on the sixth major release of Microsoft’s Windows Embedded Operating System, Win CE 6.0. The player features ‘Wind touch’ technology a new touch screen data input system developed through the collaboration.

Another highly anticipated model that Ramos recently introduced into the Chinese Market is the RM970. The RM970 again gets a helping hand from Redmond as it features Microsoft’s PlayFx technology, which offers the user, advanced audio playback manipulation options such as 3D sound effects, automatic volume adjustment and pure bass enhancement. This is the model which I will be reviewing here today. The specification list is as follows:

Features:

Interface: USB 2.0
Displayed ID3 Tags: ID3 V1.0, ID3 V2.0
Supported Audio Codecs: MP3, WAV, WMA, FLAC, APE, OGG, RA, ACC
Supported Video Codecs: AVI (800*480) 30fps (MP3 128Kbps), MPG, MPEG, RM, RMVB (720*576), FLV (Available through upgrade to Firmware V2.10)
Frequency Response: 30HZ~18KHZ , 0dB± 3dB
Max output: L (10mw) + R (10mw) (32)
File Viewing: JPEG, TXT, PNG, GIF
Lyrics: LRC
Voice Recording: (WAV) Sampling Rate: 8kHz, 16kHz
USB Storage Function
Firmware Upgradeable
Built in Speaker

Specifications:

Chipset: Rockchip RK2706 DSP core + ARM7 core (up to 400 MHz Clock Speed)
Input and Output: 5PIN USB, 3.5mm stereo earphone output
Screen: 3" (16:9 Aspect Ratio) 16 million Colour, WQVGA (Resolution: 400*240)
Language Support: Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, English
Battery: 3.7v 900mAh built in rechargeable Li-On battery (12 hours music, 3/4 hours video)
Weight: 45g
Unit Dimensions: 87 x 49 x 10 mm (W*H*D)
Expansion Slot: Micro SD (TF) Card (Max 2GB)
Flash Memory Capacities Available: 2GB, 4GB (tested here) & 8GB
Firmware Version: V2.10

Accessories Included:

USB cable
Headphones
User Manual (Chinese language)

Components/Aesthetics:

As with many of these Chinese digital audio players the spec list seems impressive on paper. But as anyone who is familiar with these types of devices will tell you they do not always deliver on all of their promises. It is worth noting that the RM970 is the first player released to utilise Rockchip’s new RK2706 chipset. This is a dual core chipset which couples a 200 MHz Rockchip Core with a 200MHz ARM7 core and it is claimed by the manufacturer to be capable of running at speeds of up to 400 MHz. Both audio and video playback support and functionality are said to exceed the capabilities of older Rockchip Chipsets such as the R2608A.

Arriving in Ramos’ trademark understated and smart packaging, the box gives off the impression of a quality product. After removing the outer layer of packaging and unfolding the internal cardboard cushioning, the first thing that immediately strikes you about this device is its very compact form factor. The front of the player is dominated by a 3 inch WQVGA 400x240 resolution screen with only a slightly reflective thin black border to compliment what would other wise be a full face display. Measuring in at only 87mm (W) x 49mm (H) x 10mm (D) it is surprisingly small considering the screen size and it’s 16:9 true widescreen aspect. It is worth mentioning that although beautifully finished it does have a tendency to attract unsightly fingerprints, a cleaning cloth would have been a welcome accessory. The back of the device has a clean metallic matt finish with only 2 visible open grooves situated at the top, functioning as a sound outlet for the internal speaker. I did notice at one corner the casing was not entirely flush and there was a small gap where the front and back panels had not aligned correctly, not very noticeable at all but worth noting anyway.

Embedded within one of the smaller (49mm) top edges we find a mini USB 2.0 port, a standard 3.5mm headphone jack and a micro SD card slot capable of supporting up to 2GB’s worth of additional flash memory (however some Chinese forums have listed support for micro SDHC). Across the main top (87mm) edge we find 5 plastic navigation buttons in the following configuration: Esc, Vol, <<, M, >>. The left corner of the bottom edge houses a single bi-directional slide switch used for navigation and powering up the device. The configuration is as follows: hold, on/off, Power/Play. (See pictures for further detail). Media files are loaded onto the device via USB cable through the mini USB 2.0 port, with the card slot showing up as a separate drive. From my tests I did not find the transfer speeds to be particularly fast, with speeds being significantly slower than using my 7200rpm Maxtor external hard drive. The player also starts charging once connected to the computer. You cannot access the menu on the player itself while it is connected. However after you perform ‘safely remove hardware’ on your PC (but leave the player connected), the player will still charge but also enable you to access its menu (obviously you will not be able to access the player through your PC).

Navigation/ Interface:

After sliding, holding for a second then releasing the power switch you are greeted by a Ramos RM970 logo. The player takes around 7 seconds to power up fully and reach the main (split screen) menu. (See pictures for further detail). The WQVGA screen is clear, vibrant and very sharp, an obvious step up from some of the QVGA (320x240) resolution displays used in many Chinese players including the older Rockchip based models. The split screen menu is similar to that found in the new range of Ipods however rather less refined (see pictures). The right half serves no real useful function other than to display a picture representative of the categories on the left (Music, Video, Photo, E-book, Record, Otherfuc, MediaLib, Settings). As with many Chinese devices the type face used is rather jagged and ugly looking, a real pity as the first product renderings that surfaced, seem to show a very smooth edged, clean looking typeface synonymous with the devices of some of the larger western, Korean and Japanese brands.

Scrolling though the various categories is fairly straight forward, although people with smaller fingers may find it a little difficult to get used to, as the buttons are rather small and slim. They are also not particularly tactile and at times difficult to press, with a larger amount of force needed than you might expect or normally be accustomed to. The button layout can also be rather counter-intuitive at times and confusing, with certain buttons not performing the task you might expect them too, which again takes a little time to get accustomed to. I will discuss this further when we look at the menu categories individually. There is also an option in the settings menu to change the background to 1 of 4 included patterns, but your chosen pattern only becomes visible once you navigate away from the main menu screen. I will now go on to discuss the different menu options, functions and features of the RM970.

Functions. Features and Menu Options:

Music Menu:

After accessing the music option from the main menu you enter the music library screen. Unlike many Chinese devices Ramos have given the RM970 full ID3 tag display and browsing support (V1.0 & V.2.0). Music can be browsed alphabetically by artist, album or title. You also have the options to browse all your music alphabetically (numbers first) by file name (e.g. Artist - Name.mp3) or look through your whole music directory, which is not in alphabetical order (may be the order with which you put the files one the device, but I am not entirely sure). There is also a ‘currently playing’ option, favourites (on the go play list) option and a ‘record’ option for listening to audio recordings you have made. In addition there is an ‘update media library’ option which is automatically initiated when you try and access you music through the music menu, after adding new music files to the player. It can be initiated manually too.

The playback screen is rather minimalist with file name, bit rate, EQ mode, repeat mode and volume across the bottom and artist and title name scrolling in the bottom left hand corner. There is a small rotating icon of a CD on the left of the main controls buttons (Play, pause, <<. >> etc) which appears to serve no real function apart from to show you are playing a file. (See pictures for more detail). Unfortunately this playback screen appears to be pretty poorly designed in my opinion. Vital file and playback mode information is tucked away in the bottom left hand corner on 2 small scrolling bars (that stops for no reason once the full name has scrolled) or in a very small sized font along the bottom. For some reason priority has been given in the centre and right hand areas of the display to a pointless frequency chart or optional lyric display, which when turned off (in the settings menu) leaves the majority of the space completely wasted. Pressing the ‘m’ button allows you to change the repeat mode, play mode, regular EQ presents (rock, jazz etc), Microsoft PlayFx EQ presets and user customisable 6 band EQ settings as well. You are also only able to create 1 single ‘favourite’ list (on the go play list) at a time which involves highlighting the song in any of the music sorting menus and holding the volume button.

The music menu does however suffer from poor button layout. When pressing the volume button and using the arrow buttons to turn the volume up or down, for some reason they have chosen to make up and down the other way round to what you would expect with the down button towards the outside edge of the player. Volume can also only be adjusted form the ‘current play’ window. There are a few other small problems too. Firstly you must have the repeat mode set to ‘all’ or the player will not automatically play the next track and simply stop. You must also use the ‘all music’ option to play your music if you want to shuffle all your music, otherwise it will only shuffle music but that specific artist or in that specific album. Also if you only have one song by an artist and you access it through the artist menu, you cannot skip to any next track buy simply using the >> button. If you try and press >> it will simply repeat the same song. You must leave the playback screen and go back to artist, title, album or ‘all music’ directory to choose your next song.

There is no stop button either and the only way to stop a song is by sliding the power switch at the bottom which actually only pauses it (when you return to ‘current play’ it is still paused), which seems very odd. Otherwise the song keeps playing once you exit the music menu (although this can be used for multi tasking e.g. viewing pictures at the same time). Also the auto shut down timer does not seem apply itself when a file is paused. There is also no resume function or support for cover art.

Sound Quality:

While the navigation on the RM970 definitely needs improvement, the sound is one department where Ramos have really excelled. This has to be one of the best sounding players I have used. Being accustomed to the above average sound of my Sony NW-HD5, my expectations were not too high. Nevertheless the RM970 really blew me away. Unfortunately I did not have any high end ear buds at hand, so the testing was conducted using a standard pair of Sony buds, and some Sony MDR-V300 Dj headphones, both fairly unremarkable headphones. Regardless, the RM970 still performed well and the high quality of the sound reproduction was still evident. While I was unable to test the complete list of supported codecs I was able to test CBR and VBR MP3, WMA, FLAC and OGG at a selection of varying bit rates.

From the very first file I played which was a 320kbps mp3 of lounge/jazz singer Julie London, the clarity and cleanness of the sound output became evident. While I am in no way an audiophile, I was able to pinpoint a few of the sound outputs prominent characteristics. What struck me first was the complete absence of background noise, even when testing more modern records such as another 320kbps mp3 encoding of the hip-hop track ‘killing me softly’ by The Fugees. Throughout playback I was unable to distinguish any notable background hiss or fuzz. Microsoft’s PlayFx technology really begins to shine through though when you turn on the options in the Mseq preset EQ menu. Using the 3D option with a lossless FLAC encoding of a samba jazz track by Ike Quebec, your really do get an amazing sense of space and depth to the sound, something which is often lacking in the sound output of many digital audio players. I also tried some of the other preset EQ settings. The ‘Jazz’ setting actually complimented the tune very well and really pronounced the high’s, bringing out the tone of the saxophone beautifully and with great clarity.

Bass heavy songs were also a treat to the ears. Using a 192kbps MP3 encoding of the Hip hop track ‘Runnin’ by The Pharcyde as a test, I found the bass to be very rich, full and pronounced yet also well balanced within the context of the rest of the tune. I also tested a VBR MP3 encoding of the Jackson 5 tune ‘darling dear’. I used this tune as it has a particularly complex bass line. Again the RM970 performed very well, relaying the intricacies of the bass line with great clarity. Even with the 2 low end channels turned right up on the custom EQ it still responded very well. It must be noted that the Sony MDR-V300 headphones I used for the majority of the testing are very bass intensive. Also, due to the clarity of the playback I was also able to identify very slight digitisation within low quality (128kbps and below) mp3 files, however this may have been due to poor quality recording/encoding.

I did attempt to test OGG but unfortunately the player could not recognise any of my OGG files (even after a media library update) in the music menu. I did try to access it them through the file browser, where they could be seen however would still not play. This leads me to ask the question whether the player actually supports the format. The 128Kbps WMA files I tested performed well again, however tag handling seemed to prove a bit a of a problem, as no information was listed when it should have been. All the ID3 tags on all the MP3’s tested worked fine. FLAC tag handling I was not sure about as the FLAC files I used may not have actually had any tag information embedded within them. WAV Files played well too. I could not test the other formats as I did not have any of the file types at hand. It is also worth noting that I was unable to detect any notable distortion in sound even when the player was played at the highest level, which would be far too loud for most ears anyway.

Further tests using high quality head phones or ear buds may identify further shortcomings or advantages within the sound output however when used with low end headphones or ear buds the RM970 was a real pleasure to listen to. I would definitely say it was on par with the likes of the Meizu M6, however I did not have an M6 on hand to make a proper comparison.

Video Playback:

Although the sound output of the RM970 had proved to be quite a revelation the video play back would, on the other hand, prove to be a bit of a mixed bag. For this part of the testing process I used a number of XviD files encoded at different frame rates, video data rates, audio bit rates and resolutions. I was also able to test DivX, MPEG, recently added FLV (Firmware V2.10) format and RMVB playback. When initially playing around with the complimentary files included by Ramos, what is abundantly clear is the quality of the display. The WQVGA resolution is really a huge step up from older VGA displays. The colours look extremely vibrant and the sharpness and clarity of the video playback is quite remarkable to, by far and away the best I have ever seen on a Chinese media player.

However, while video looked very sharp the question still remained as to whether video would play fluidly without any audio or video desynching or dropped frame rates, 2 traits which unfortunately have come to characterise video playback on many Chinese media players. Just a few things worth mentioning before I present the test results. On all the videos tested that were encoded at resolutions above the screens native resolution (400x240), the downscaling was excellent. There was no sign of poor edge rendering with all files looking equally crisp and sometimes sharper than those encoded at the screens native resolution or at resolutions below 400x240. In terms of the menu, the videos are presented as a simple list in no particular order. They are not grouped in any way (e.g. alphabetically or by file type etc). The attached table represents the results of my tests, with the column on the far right giving comments on the quality of the playback. All video with a resolution width measurement of 400 pixels have been re-encoded using Mediacoder.

RAMOS2.jpg (169.53 KB) Viewed 446 times

As you can see from the table, the video results were rather mixed. It appears that the RM970 has a few issues playing back certain XviD files with Variable Bit rate audio. Another issue I did not mention is that with all the videos tested, diagonal choppy lines did appear across the screen in at scene change intervals. While I would not say it was a major issue or anything and does not detract too much from the viewing experience, it is definitely worth mentioning. I found this problem was still noticeable yet rather less prevalent with cartoons. The slight staggering was also not a major issue but was clear in quite a few of the higher resolution files when panning, it is not clear whether this is due to lack of processing power or some other issue.

I was happy to see that there was not much A/V desynching in any of the files I tested apart from one of the You Tube FLV’s. It must also be noted that while I did let the videos play for around 5 or 10 minutes at a time I did not allow the videos to play all the way through, so could not test whether the A/V drifted out of sync over a longer time period. I did quickly test another Family Guy episode that did have slight desynching but was resolved after scrolling forward slightly. There have however been some forum reports of A/V desynching. RMVB files also fast forwarded and rewound quicker than the XviD’s I tested. I did attempt to test some MPEG files also but unfortunately the player did not even recognise them, again leading me to ask if they are actually supported. In addition I tried to re-encode another Kitchen Nightmares episode using Xillisoft Media Encoder, but the RM970 would not play it back.

There are also a few features I would have liked to see which unfortunately were not included are. These include a zoom/aspect ratio change option. As with the audio playback there was also no bookmaking feature. Also, although the screen is usually well balanced, I did find some of the dark colours a bit too dark at times, a brightness/contrast adjustment feature would have been beneficial too. The screen is also very reflective which can be irritating at times and while I did not conduct any out door tests I think it would not fair well at all in direct sunlight.

Photos:

Not a lot to report here. Photos are listed alphabetically in the main menu. There is no option to view by thumbnails unfortunately. Sliding the power switch offers options to zoom (only 2X) or rotate. There is also a slideshow function that can be set to 5, 10 or 15 second intervals. It must be said photos do look very sharp, crisp and the colours are very vibrant. Only tested JPEG files up to a size of 2048x1536 but it had no problems with any of them, not sure about GIF or PNG files.

E-Book:

Again pretty straight forward. Supports *.TXT files only. Offers options to bookmark, change font size and colour and page jump

Voice Recording:

This function works pretty well too, recording is activated by the slide switch at the bottom again. There are 2 settings, high and low quality and recorded audio can be accessed through the file browser (in its own folder) or through the music menu.

Other Fuc (yes that’s fuc not func):

Within the ‘Other Fuc’ setting, apart from a funny typing error you also get a stop watch and calendar facility. Both are very basic.

Media Library:

Straight forward file explorer. Lists all your files together in no particular order. Does support folder browsing. You can also delete files from the player using this menu by holding down the volume button.

Settings:

The settings menu allows you to change all the usual options you would expect on the player. Apart from language (English & Simplified Chinese) and system and SD card capacity info you also get your display and time settings. In the display option you can change the backlight time and brightness. The desktop option lets you choose from 4 different backgrounds (not used on the main split screen menu). You also have the settings for the internal clock which is displayed in the top right of your screen and options for your auto shut timer too.

Transfer Speeds:

The transfer speeds were not amazingly impressive but ok nevertheless. A 71.3Mb Mp3 album took 25.4 seconds to transfer to the internal flash memory. A 174Mb XviD episode of The Simpsons took 56.5 seconds. Finally a 701Mb DVD Rip took 3 Minutes 57 Seconds.

Firmware Update:

The firmware updating process is actually far easier and less convoluted than for older Rockchip based players. You simply copy the *.RFW firmware file to the players root directory then disconnect the player from the computer. You then power up the player and access the ‘Settings’ option in the main menu followed by "System Settings" and finally ‘Upgrade’. A screen will then appear asking you if you want to upgrade. After you select ‘Yes’ the player will then reboot itself and you will see a screen appear with a series of filenames scrolling past. After 30-40 seconds or so the player will start as normal, the changes will then have been applied.

Micro SD Card:

You can access individual file types stored on the micro SD card through the video, photo, or music (only dir list option) menus. Or through the ‘MediaLib’ browser on the main menu. Unfortunately all files stored on the SD card are listed separately to those on the internal flash memory. When you access the video or photo menu you are given either internal flash or SD Card as options. Within the music menu you can only access music on your SD card through the ‘Dir List’ option. This is a real shame as you cannot browse music on the SD card by artist, album etc despite the fact that when you load the SD card a media directory update is still necessary. Would have been far better to group all music files in the main music menus. Transfer speeds were similar to the internal flash. You also cannot add music files stored on the SD card to your ‘favourites’ (on the go play list).

Internal speaker:

The internal speaker is nothing special but not bad either, very similar to the speakers you would find on modern mobile phones. Volume is average.

Battery Life:

Unfortunately I was unable to test the battery life properly. It did stand up fairly well during testing however Ramos lists it at only 12hrs for music and 3-4 for video. If this is any indication I would not expect too much in terms of battery. I will update this section with further information once more in depth testing has been carried out.

Accessories:

Again no surprises here. Complimentary USB 2.0 cable, Chinese manual and Ramos ear buds are all included. As you would expect these buds aren’t great but I have definitely seen worse. Would have been nice for Ramos to have included some kind of carry case and cleaning cloth, in particular to protect and clean the easily scratchable display.

Conclusion:

Although the Ramos RM970 is far from perfect, it definitely represents a big step up for Ramos and other Chinese manufacturers, specifically in the hardware department. But as is often the problem with so many Chinese media playing devices, it is the firmware that lets it down. There is however still a lot to like abut the RM970. In particular the beautiful screen, compact form factor, great sound quality, nice sound output customisability options and well rendered video playback.

I do however get the impression that Ramos may have rushed the RM970 to market without rectifying many of the firmware problems in an attempt to beat the competition. Nevertheless we must remember it is still early days for the RM970. Ramos have themselves said they will be focussed and committed to releasing frequent firmware updates to help smooth out the firmware issues and also add new features. This will definitely bring hope to the early adopters. Another Chinese manufactured device I own, the Smart-Q T5, has really come into it’s own after some useful firmware updates and is a far better player now than it was when I first received it. Let’s hope Ramos can bring the much needed improvements and allow this player to perform to its full potential.

Err0r

Cool! Detailed and well thought out review.

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Mark Larson

I read through the review multiple times. So would you actually recommend this model for someone who wants a cool-looking player? Does the firmware limit its functionality (crashes, bugs etc) or is it just unpolished?

I've been looking at some of the newer Chinese DAPs and they look interesting, albeit low-capacity. I'll want at least 8GB.

DimaMP4

Great review.

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MUSE <3

sere83

thanks guys glad you enjoyed it! Basically I thought this player was decent, however it could have been so much more. The screen is really nice, very sharp and clear (best i've seen on a chinese dap by miles) and the sound is amazing too (microsoft playfx really helps). Unfortunately Ramos have not released any firmware updates yet and are being very slow about it. As I said in the review I don't feel the firmware has been very well thought out (playback screen is poorly designed) and I think this player was rushed to market as well, although the hardware seems good and has great potential, particularly at handling (and downscaling) video above QVGA an VGA resolutions. Personally I would not choose this player myself as I feel the firmware needs a lot of work and I see no guarentees that ramos will deliver it, although I am quite pedantic. I think that with the new chipset used, it needs time for firmware programmers to get a proper grasp of it before we start seeing well thought out interfaces using this chipset. If I had to buy a chinese player now (as an all round media player) I would go for Smart Q's T5 II.

SmartQ ÖÇÆ÷--T5-II MP4²¥·ÅÆ÷
SmartQ ÖÇÆ÷--[ ÐÂÎÅ ]¡¡ÖÇÆ÷T5-II 2ÔÂ26ÈÕÕýʽÉÏÊÐ Ç¿´ó½çÃæÇÀÏÈÌåÑé

I own the original T5 and I presume this will be even better. While it only has a QVGA res screen (320x240), (which is not wide screen either) and the downscaling will not be as good as the Ramos, what you do get with SmartQ is solid firmware, frequent updates, video/audio formats that actually play properly, emulators and most important of all, good battery life. The T5/T5 II are definitely not as beautiful as the Ramos RM970, but they function a lot better.

kakelugn

Ramos has now released Firmware 2.20. It would be interesting to hear your thoughts about the player with the latest Firmware.

As you said in your review, the update process is painless.