Hey Everyone,
Well a couple days ago I dropped my mp3 player and broke it but I got a new one so I'll review both! A little history about my mp3 players, I had a RCA Lyra RD1021 (64mb) for about 6 months until I dropped it and then I tried to return. I took it to Walmart and they would accept it for exchange but they didn't have any of the same mp3 players so they said for $10 they would give me the newer model, the RCA Lyra RD1028 (128mb)! They are both quite different from each other. So here's where my review and comparison starts;
Pictures!
The RCA Lyra RD1021:

The RCA Lyra RD1028:

First Look!
The RCA Lyra RD1021:
This mp3 player is very small and light. It uses 1 AAA battery to power it and will get about 8 hours on a battery. The shell of it is silver with orange bezel/covers. Like the RCA Lyra RD1028, it has a SD/MMC slot but this mp3 player is only 64mb. This one though has the buttons on the front of it. It has the play, stop, prev and next on the front and then on the sides & top DSP (Digital Sound Preset), Mode (Repeat, Shuffle, Repeat Shuffle, program, etc), Hold switch (Lock) and volume up and down. The buttons on the front I have noticed can sometimes almost jam up and not work by pressing it down and you'll have to wiggle it out. When you turn it on it flashes RCA on the screen, says how much music you have and then it starts playing. It has 2 lines of display so it has track number and time elapse on the 1st one and then the 2nd one is the name of the song. Then the icons on it include: Battery, Hold/Lock, Play Mode, Volume and if there is a memory card in it. The headphones included are nice but they have one end of the cord shorter so it was a pain. BTW, the song that came with the mp3 player when it shipped was "At the Bottom of the Sea" .
The RCA Lyra RD1028:
Now, this mp3 player is my personal favourite. It uses a 1 AAA battery and can get a whopping 20 hours off of it. The shell of it is all blue with some silver on it (very nice, prefer this shell over the other one). This one of course has a SD/MMC slot (located on the top instead of the side). This slot I prefer more due to other mp3 player relied on a spring to eject which could break over time while this one just slides in some and then you can just pull it out, much better. The thing I really like about this one compared to the other one is that it is 128mb of memory, can hold around 30 songs on it while the 64 mb was about 15. This one has the buttons all on the side which I prefer. It has play/on, stop/off, prev, next, volume up and down, DSP and play mode. This buttons are more stable I find, they feel better it almost seems. The screen on this one appears to be smaller but it's around the same size (just different layout on the screen). The screen acts much like the first mp3 player except the icons are bigger. The headphones are the exact same as the other one except they are the right kind of headphones with the right amount of cord. BTW, nether of these have a screen that lights up .
What's In The Box?
The RCA Lyra RD1021:
- RD1021 mp3 player
- AAA Battery
- USB Cord (1.1, not USB 2.0)
- Case (is okay, though you have to pull mp3 player out to change song)
- Headphones (One side shorter )
- Drivers & Manual
The RCA Lyra RD1028:
- RD1028 mp3 player
- AAA Battery
- USB Cord (USB 2.0!!!)
- Case (actually have a good case! It has a hole on the front of the case to see what song it is and you can change the song cause the buttons are on the side. )
- Headphones (the right length! )
- Drivers & Manual
Inner Working/How It Does Playing!
The RCA Lyra RD1021:
Well music transfer seems to be okay. I have though had issues with sending the song to it and the title of the song not coming up (file name comes up). The first thing I did when I brought this home was upgraded the firmware. It turns out that it didn't have the playback option for "DRM WMAs" (bought music off music providers) and I needed this due to I use Telus Puretracks to buy my music. The startup/shutdown of this mp3 player is slower then my new one which is a pain. When playing music it sounds really good, I always have Bass Mode turned on, really makes the music sound good. Headphones can sure get a lot of bass, I took them off one day and they shake in your hand with lots of bass.
The RCA Lyra RD1028:
I was extremely happy to find out this mp3 player has no firmware downloads or any downloads really . It shipped with the option to play DRM WMAs with no problems (I've tested it and it works). The startup/shutdown is actually faster then the other one which is really good. The music sounds better on this one though when played, no clue what it is, I don't think it is the headphones due to I have a link for it to me Hi-fi Stereo and it does sound better played on that and the headphones. I also turn Bass Mode on here due to the music sounds better with more bass .
Final Comparison!
The RCA Lyra RD1021:
This mp3 player is really good for people who want a cheap mp3 player. It works well but 64mb is too small I believe. It's nice to have the SD/MMC slot. It looks too kid-ish though . What really made me not impressed by it had to install firmware as soon as I got it, I'm glad my new one didn't need that.
The RCA Lyra RD1028:
This mp3 player is the best I believe. The 128mb of storage is great plus a SD/MMC slot which is really good. This mp3 player looks more professional though which is nicer. Headphones and features on this mp3 player really set it ahead of the other one. There are no current downloads for this mp3 player which is good, no need to download to fix it as soon as you get it.
Final Grade!
The RCA Lyra RD1021:
3.5/5 due to the lack of USB 2.0, headphones and the firmware upgrade. Also, no light up screen.
The RCA Lyra RD1028:
4.5/5 due to the only beef I have with it is no light up screen but this is still my favourite mp3 player.

so any comments on my review?

wouldn't it make more sense to post something pertaining to "updates" to the mp3 player rather then a comparison, considering it's just a newer version of the player and it doesn't make sense to compare an older model with a newer one.

~just my 2 cents

well come on, it's like compairing generation 4 to generation 3 of the ipod. People do that

Haha, I have the 128MB model of the player you dropped, and I laughed at the comment about the headphone cord being shorter on one side, because that's the exact same way it came on mine and it annoys the hell out of me

i know, my friend has the exact same model as my old one and it came with the right headphones so I don't know cause his is less then 2 months old

yo guys, just an update: The RCA Lyra RD1028 is working perfectly, I'm really liking it. I've been using everyday since I got it to and from school and the orginal battery is still in it.

Great mp3 player!

Another Update: I have just changed the battery in it today (December 4). So that's amazing, got the mp3 player on October 17 and didn't change the battery until December 4 and I listen to music on it everyday!

Very impressive!
- Barret

i had the 1st and 2nd version of the 128 mb and i the screens both broke on them...

i prolly would get a new one, but im getting my car in afew months, and since i only use it on the way to and from the bus stop and on the bus, id rather save my money for a system in my car

everyone at my school has broken screens on their mp3 players. From RCA Lyra with 64mb to 256mb, a bunch of them all have cracked screens

I have the RD1070 128 MB. Got it a few years ago... pretty cool but I've outgrown it. Looking to get an iPod now!

Hehe, mine came with the "At the Bottom of the Sea" song also!

Mine came with a plastic case/screen protector/belt clip, so mine held up pretty well.

That's weird about the headphone cord. I don't like RCA headphones much... my RD1070 came with full size wrap-around neck headphones, but I think the wire inside got loose or something, because the sound died in one ear... after a few months of use too...

my friend has the 64mb version of that! lol