Have a look at this site here:
http://www.everythingusb.com/usb2/faq.htm. It explains the different USB versions.
So basically you have USB 1.1 which is at a much slower speed than USB 2.0.
Unforutnately some players can still have USB 1.1, mainly because the manufacturer probably gets it cheaper than USB 2.0 and that may be why the use that instead of USB 2.0. It's painfully slow that's for sure.
There is a possibility that changing the USB cable might help so I would suggest that. If not, then unfortunately you're stuck with USB 1.1 which has a slower transfer rate.
Hope that helps.