An upgrade over the Y2 but still has major problems
The "Too long, didn't read" for the Innioasis Y2 is that I don't recommend it. It is better than the Y1 in my opinion, but there are deal-breaking issues.
Pros vs the original Y1:
Sound quality issues from the lack of a dedicated DAC on the Y1 were mostly solved; there is much less bass roll off now (this was my main issue with the Y1)
The Y2 has dedicated power and volume buttons now
The Y2 has an SD card slot where the Y1 required some surgery to access
Plenty of power for my uses (I don't have any particularly inefficient headphones or anything)
Other Pros:
Nice size and form factor
Nice battery life
Very iPod-like controls
Cons: (in order from most serious to least)
Absolute minimum volume is louder than my normal listening level. This is the key deal-breaker for me. With most of the in ear monitor earphones I've tried the lowest volume level that actually presents any sound is too loud for me. That's pretty crazy. Hopefully they can fix this with a firmware update but as it is, I would strongly advise no one use this unless they're using Bluetooth or a really inefficient set of headphones that demand a lot of power. In addition to that there are very few volume steps, so the ability to fine-tune volume level is pretty much zero.
The next biggest con is that the wired headphone jack has a high output impedance. For most people this is not going to be an issue but for some people it could be a dealbreaker. A high output impedance can alter the sound of some headphones and in ear monitors. The change is unpredictable and very seldomly preferred. In my case, the IEMs I tried that have a single driver per side were fine, but the ones I tried that have multiple drivers per side and crossovers became unlistenably bad. Not a negligible change, a huge one. The sound became a boomy and muddy mess. This is also not something they could fix in a firmware update; it requires hardware changes.
Overall I would not recommend this player. Hopefully the Y3 will fix these issues, if there is a Y3. If you're looking for an mp3 player in this price range I'd personally recommend the Hiby R1.
P
PartyOnTheEdge
★★★★★
Unbelievable
I can’t say enough about this. Honestly I wish I could give it 10 stars!
The sound quality is perfect and the battery life… you would never know it’s not the former brand name before it was discontinued. There are a couple of differences but the layout is the one we are already familiar with. The screen quality is perfect being nice and clean with no missing pixels, working perfectly straight out of the box.
Mine came charged up and ready to add music.
The package comes with not just a charger cable (no brick) but also a 64gb mini memory chip that inserts into the side. Easy to use and the instructions to walk you through everything.
As for functionality, the controls are both a click wheel as well as being touch sensitive to scroll playlists or songs. It’s everything we are used to but with some great improvements.
The storage capacity is plenty for music with the included chip. And if something happened to the chip for some reason, it’s easy and affordable to replace. The whole music player is an amazing value and brings back something that we genuinely need and miss. Except this time with Bluetooth!
Like I said, I would give this 10 stars if I could.
This has my highest recommendation.
Drewcandraw
★★★★★
Brings me back to the early 2000s
I like the size and portability of the player overall.
I didnt realize it had a built in speaker until I hit play and music started going.
So far it meets my expectations for the gym, garage work or being outdoors.
Connects easily to all my devices and holds all my music with no issue.
Highly recommend it for people who dont want to pod a previous ipod.
Falon F. Fantos
★★★★★
Great dependable audio player even when you don't have internet.
I have the original Y1 model and this has many improvements on it.
The 1st major improvement is the addition of expanded expansion storage via MicroSD/TF card.
The 2nd Improvement is dedicated power and volume buttons. The interface is nice, but I do hope they will allow Roxbox to be installed like they did Y1 as I prefer the Roxbox interface and software. The size is slightly bigger than the Y1 model but not by much still pocketable and light weight. Seems to be just as reliable as the original Y1 model also. I like this new Y2 model. Plays most known/popular audio formats with out issues and clearly.
Dave and Anne
★★★★★
Really cool retro MP3 (& lots of other formats) media player - works GREAT!
I've been having an absolute blast with this MP3 player. If you miss the days of carrying your entire music library in your pocket without distractions from notifications, apps, and social media, this really scratches that itch. It has the classic iPod-inspired look and click wheel that immediately feels familiar, but underneath it's a much more modern device.
The sound quality is excellent, whether I'm listening to MP3s or lossless FLAC files, and Bluetooth works well when I want to use wireless headphones. I also like that it includes a 64GB microSD card right in the box, and if that's not enough, you can easily upgrade the storage with a much larger card. For most people, the included card will already hold thousands of songs, podcasts, or audiobooks.
One of my favorite improvements is the addition of dedicated power and volume buttons. Those simple changes make the player much easier to use day to day, and I haven't had any accidental button presses while carrying it around. The interface is intuitive, and loading music is straightforward whether you're using a computer or transferring files from another device.
The customization options are another huge plus. There are countless downloadable themes available, so you can make the player look almost any way you want, and if you're the tinkering type, there's even support for alternative firmware like Rockbox. It's nice to have that flexibility while still keeping the original software if that's your preference.
The player itself is lightweight, feels well made, and the battery lasts for days instead of hours. It's small enough to slip into a pocket and has become my favorite way to listen while working outside or when I simply want to enjoy music without reaching for my phone every few minutes.
For anyone feeling a little nostalgic—or anyone who simply wants a dedicated music player that's modern, expandable, customizable, and surprisingly affordable—this is a fantastic little device. It reminds me why dedicated MP3 players were so enjoyable in the first place.
A
Ashe
★★★★★
Great upgrade! Works with airpods under certain conditions
I'm not an audiophile by any means, but I've had the previous generation of this device (the y1), and this was definitely the upgrade I was waiting for Innioasis to make. There are many issues the y1 had that the y2 solved!
BUILD QUALITY
Generally it is around the same size as the y1, but as someone that has both, the y2 is definitely slightly larger and thicker, which is a bit more ergonomic while still very portable and pocketable. The screen is still the same plastic-y material that the old one had, which I would say is kind of prone to marks just like the original. But it isn't noticeable once it's on. I hope Innioasis makes a hard shell TPU case in the future that goes over the screen to mitigate this, instead of just the back like they did for the y1. As for the controls, the buttons are still loud-ish and clicky like the y1, but definitely feels more durable.
It definitely looks beautiful, but most importantly the sound made a huge upgrade too since they seem to have added a proper chip inside. The bass definitely improved, and while not perfect, it's noticeably less stingy when loud like the original.
In the past, airpods didn't work properly (some would connect but not play), but at least for my airpods 4 they work now! I don't blame Innioasis for the lack of compatibility, but there were still a couple glitches with my airpods where they'd work once I connect it the first time but when i put it back in the case and try to connect it again it wouldn't play sound. And it would only work again if i completely reset my airpods.
So after resetting the airpods, forgetting the device, and some other back and forth to troubleshoot, I somehow managed to fix the issue by myself and it no longer bugs or stops working when I use the y2-- however, it only doesnt bug once it's been initialized with my iphone, and with the default settings (in other words, when i reset the airpods, connect it to my phone first to recognize it as mine, leave the settings as-is, and THEN connect it to the y2. I learned that if it doesn't get initialized, it will work for some time but once the airpods turn off and you try to use it again it won't play music).
Sound wise, the airpods w/ the y2 sound just like my airpods does with my phone. It even supports some gesture controls by pressing the stem of the airpod to pause and have noise cancelation, which was a pleasant surprise.
I'm glad the airpods work now, even with the troubleshooting, but I really hope Innioasis can push a software update to get rid of those bugs entirely. Please do keep in mind I own the airpods 4, so I don't know how the troubleshooting works on other bluetooth devices/airpod versions
TLDR:
For the price point, I would highly recommend this device. For the average listener this is nearly perfect for less than $100. They made a lot of additions like the new chip, bluetooth upgrade, and sd card slot while also making the price just slightly higher than the original. There is still room for improvement such as the screen being prone to marks and the airpods being buggy upon first connecting them, but I hope that it will be fixed with future software updates. Overall the upgrade is worth it and I'm very happy with the music quality I'm getting out of it!
I'll update this in the future to see how the airpods hold up when i switch between using them for my phone vs the y2. But for now I'm loving this thing.
S
Spencer Hargiss
★★★★★
I dropped mine and it still works fine.
I had a very good experience with this Mp3 player.
DURABILITY
Soon after getting this I dropped it on a hardwood floor from chest height by accident. It still works, which makes me think it's durable.
AUDIO QUALITY
Excellent. There's something about listening to songs through this player that makes it seem different than played through a phone. I think that thing is simple nostalgia but I'm not sure. In any case, the audio quality is great.
FILE FORMATS
I tried .mp3 and .flac, and they both worked great.
Interface / Features
I almost made of the fact that it's an iPod design. But under the hood it's got bluetooth, visual themes you can mod, and most importantly a slot for an SD card.
SD CARD
It probably needs a relatively fresh SD card. I tried some larger ones which also had stuff on them and it rejected them. Then I tried a little one with a simpler file structure and it worked great.
CONCLUSION
Personally, I found listening to music through this device to be a pleasure. There's the nostalgia factor, but also it means you have to truly own the music you listen to. It's made me consider ditching streaming services in favor of having a dedicated device like this and buying through bandcamp so that I can get the .flac files.
Veronika Starr
★★★★★
The best, most customizable mp3 player available
There aren’t enough words to describe how much I love this mp3 player and what an upgrade this model is from the 61. Innioasis took all of their customers’ requests to heart and put it all in this new model.
The original model came in different options for storage size, with no way to change it yourself. However this model has a dedicated port on the side for micro sd card slots so you can change it very easily. It comes with a 64gb micro sd card, which will hold thousands of songs alone. But you can enter up to 1tb of storage now, making it very hard to ever run out of space if you choose to upgrade. Personally, I think 64gb is great for the average mp3 player beginner.
There are also now dedicated volume and power buttons. On the y1, you have to navigate to settings and then find the system shutdown to turn the device off, whereas now there’s just a button on the side for that. Another plus is that the wheel buttons don’t work unless you wake the screen with the power button, so I’m not accidentally playing music in public anymore.
I believe they also updated the firmware to make it easier to move your playlists over from streaming services like Spotify. I haven’t tried this yet but it’s next on my list.
It’s insanely easy to update the y2 with the Innioasis Updater, which you can also use to transfer files and download things like RockBox. I prefer the native operating system myself, but it’s worth it to download the updater on your computer for easy maintenance and updating.
Perhaps my favorite part of this player is the fact that you can completely personalize the appearance with themes. There is a website with hundreds and hundreds of themes to choose from, or you can even make your own.
Quit paying for streaming services and put your entire music library in the palm of your hand with the Innioasis Y2. I truly can’t think of a better mp3 player available today. It rivals and exceeds the iPod of Yor. You will not be disappointed with this purchase and the price is phenomenal for what you get.
