Samsung Yepp YP-E32 Specifications
Memory Capacity	Built-in 32MB
Power	3V
Battery	2 AAA size batteries 10 hours or longer playing time (with alkaline batteries)
LCD	HTN-type LCD Up to 12 numbers, 9 English characters can be displayed
Case	Aluminium, Plastic
File Transmission Speed	Up to 1.3Mbps
Memory Socket	yepp card socket
Voice Recording	ADPCM format / Up to 125 tracks / 128 min.
Earphone Power Output	5mW
Output Frequency Range	20 Hz - 20 kHz
Size	65 x 87 x 17.2 mm

 

The YP-E32 looks quite different from the original Yepp. Although I did not have the opportunity to play with the original Yepp, I have played with the Creative Nomad and these 2 are the same since Creative actually OEM'd the player from Samsung. The YP-E32 sports a pretty clean look with a four direction control button for playback control. It also has a rectangular LCD display that is capable of displaying more lines of text as well as the ability to display Simplified Chinese and Traditional Chinese characters. It is probably the one and only player in the world that supports bilingual language display. Unfortunately the display is not backlit, so it is difficult to read the display under low lighting conditions.

The E32 also has a microphone built-in for recording audio. The unit that we have sports 32MB of built-in flash memory which explains the model number E32. The other model E64 sports 64MB of flash memory built-in. A single slot for SmartMedia memory card is available for increasing the player's capacity. The E32 has a slimline I/O interface connector for moving data between the player and the PC. Unfortunately the E32 utilises the parallel port as in the previous generation as the primary interface for moving data. Samsung does sell a USB accessory for use with the SmartMedia card. The E32 only requires 2 AAA for operation.

 

The Yepp is an audio device and reviewing audio quality is a difficult and subjective matter. It is also difficult to make a comparison without a baseline set of equipment. In this case, the quality of the headphones will affect the quality of the audio and hence the outcome of the review. In my test, I will use my trusted Sennheiser HD575 as the baseline to compare the audio quality between the headphone supplied and to compare the quality of the audio between the Yepp and an audio CD player. I will also use the same soundtrack on both the CD player and the Yepp. The Yepp version of the audio was ripped from the CD using the Xing MPEG encoder.

The Yepp also has a few DSP modes to enhance the listening experience but in my case since I am doing the review, I will not bring these modes into the equation. I left the DSP setting to normal (meaning unadulterated audio). In the test, I played 3 types of music; rock, new age and vocals. Using the heaphones supplied by Samsung, the audio sounded quite flat and particularly bright with all 3 types of music. The clarity is good for new age and vocals but my ears felt tired after listening to it for awhile. Mid-range and bass was clearly lacking. With the Sennheiser, the music became more alive with the soundstage taking a different shape introducing more depth. The Sennheiser being more difficult to drive, reduced the brightness in the music. This is also evident when using the Sennheiser on the CD player. Mid-range and bass was still lacking but it sounded better compared to the Samsung heaphones.

The next round of test was needed as a control. In this test, the Sennheiser is clearly the better headphone but the purpose of this test is to show the consistency of the first test. The result of the test proved that the Samsung headphones performed similarly when used with a CD player. The audio did not sound as flat as on the Yepp but I think this is the characteristics of MP3 audio. The brightness is still evident but does not seem to sound as harsh as it was on the Yepp. Conclusion, the headphones supplied doesn't do justice to the Yepp. Being small and easier to drive, smaller headphones usually exhibit brighter and harsher sounding audio at high volume. I would certainly recommend getting a good pair of headphones to your liking. Then again, this is subjective and some users actually like the clarity and the brightness of the sound.

The software installer, installs the software called Yepp Explorer. The Yepp Explorer is a pretty basic piece of software and is easy to use. The parallel port needs to be set to ECP mode in the BIOS to ensure that the connection will work as the software uses ECP mode to perform data transfers. Transfer rate isn't great compared to USB transfer rates. Transfer rate I achieved averaged around 140Kbytes/second. With the Yepp Exporer, you can load MP3 files to the built-in flash memory or the SmartMedia card if you have one in the device (Samsung calls it the Yepp card). You can also store phone numbers into the Yepp using the Yepp Explorer. Up to 350 entries can be stored in the Yepp. Unfortunately the Yepp Explorer does not allow the user to rip WAV files or audio CDs directly to Yepp.

The Yepp has a built-in audio encoder which allows the user to make quick audio notes with the device. This feature is great for those users who frequently makes audio notes. Up to 128 minutes of audio can be stored this way so it is excellent for taking those lecture notes.

The built-in EQ feature gives the user several audio effects such as rock, jazz, classical as well as 3D effect versions that gives the user the effect of a wider sound field. Samsung claims that with 2 AAA batteries, up to 10 hours of playback time can be achieved, longer with alkaline batteries.

The Yepp comes complete with batteries, a pair of headphones, a parallel port interface cable, a screw-on belt-clip, a user manual and a CD ROM containing the Yepp Explorer software and some MP3 audio tracks for tryouts.

The yepp Explorer.

 

The Yepp is a very basic and simple player. It is great for those users who do not want the frills and just want a straight playback device. It doesn't have an FM tuner like its predecessor but I don't think it should put users off. I didn't miss it and I don't think you should. How many users actually have a portable CD player with an FM tuner? Although it is nice to have, it is a feature that might not be fully utilized. In addition to that, the cost increase to the consumer doesn't justify having the tuner. I guess Samsung just didn't want that to happen. Overall the Samsung is a neat little device. It is simple to use and for that price and feature it is hard to beat. At a retail price of S$299, it is probably the cheapest of the name brand MP3 players around.