opinions on mp3 players

[playa1 10+ year member]

Have you searched the internet for reviews on the iriver? I did about 2 or 3 months research and i was going to pick the iriver and all of a sudden came up on the cowon. I heard alot of problems with the irivier, like hdd failing outa box, the glide touch thing screwing up and a couple of other things. IMO not worth the hassle when you cant find a negative thing abou tthe cowon, well maybe 1 or 2 but its very minimal. And you will LOVE the organization, its not no BS ID3 tags, its a file tree. So if you download a shit load of music(like me) you wont have to change around the tags to display the right info. All you gotta do is use windows explorer and drag and drop, no third party programs like itunes and what not. The firmware upgrade you will like also, all you have to do it download the newest firmware upload it to the player in the firmware folder and it will update itself when you power it up normally. SO if your PC freezes like mine did when i updated my DVD burner you cant screw anything up like i did //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif(thats a for instance). I cannot say one thing negative about the player at all, i can vouch for the 30+ hours becaus ei use it for about 9-11 hours a day and don thave to recharge after 3 days or so. Anyways i know youll be happy with the cowon no doubt about it and if you need any help hit me up on aim.

Mike

Edit, i forgot to mention this player is a cenet must have... thought i would throw that in there

 

[tommyk90 5,000+ posts]

Have you searched the internet for reviews on the iriver? I did about 2 or 3 months research and i was going to pick the iriver and all of a sudden came up on the cowon. I heard alot of problems with the irivier, like hdd failing outa box, the glide touch thing screwing up and a couple of other things. IMO not worth the hassle when you cant find a negative thing abou tthe cowon, well maybe 1 or 2 but its very minimal. And you will LOVE the organization, its not no BS ID3 tags, its a file tree. So if you download a shit load of music(like me) you wont have to change around the tags to display the right info. All you gotta do is use windows explorer and drag and drop, no third party programs like itunes and what not. The firmware upgrade you will like also, all you have to do it download the newest firmware upload it to the player in the firmware folder and it will update itself when you power it up normally. SO if your PC freezes like mine did when i updated my DVD burner you cant screw anything up like i did //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/frown.gif.a3531fa0534503350665a1e957861287.gif(thats a for instance). I cannot say one thing negative about the player at all, i can vouch for the 30+ hours becaus ei use it for about 9-11 hours a day and don thave to recharge after 3 days or so. Anyways i know youll be happy with the cowon no doubt about it and if you need any help hit me up on aim.
Mike

Edit, i forgot to mention this player is a cenet must have... thought i would throw that in there

Thanks for the choice selection man. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

On a side note, any place i should get it from? I saw that newegg had a good price, though they are out of stock at the moment. I'd like to get an extended warranty (just in case) so should i just wait for them to get em back in stock?

 

[playa1 10+ year member]

i got it from newegg...

 

[sumone 10+ year member]

I've owned:

- iPod 2nd Gen (10GB) June '03 -> Nov. '03

- (3) Rio Karmas (20GB) spanning Nov. '03 -> Present

- iRiver PMP-140 (40GB) Sept/Oct. '05 (never used it though)

- Cowon X5 (60GB) for the past month or so.

I bought my dad a 30GB Video iPod for Christmas, so a little experience with that.

I hated the iPod, but it was one the first things on the affordable consumer market at the time. The bass distorts, and to me it seemed "scratchy" in the midrange. When I got my dad the iPod last month, I wanted to see if the new ones still had the problem. Yup.

Rio Karma = best DAP in terms of features, specs, configurability, ease & power of usage, and all in all, likeability. If only they made a 20GB+ version. Rio is out of business (or should I say was purchased by SigmaTel).

I currently only use the Cowon X5, but I hate it. It's mainly because I'm so used to the Rio Karma, whose hard drives are very delicate. There's so much the Karma does that the X5 can't.

Why I hate the X5:

- Limit of 9,999 files. You can fill up the hard drive but you'll only be able to play 9,999 of them. You browse for files/subfolders & they'll just be "missing". I've contact Cowon about it and their exact response was that they "do not plan on fixing the limitation".

- Minimalist ID3 tag support. Yeah, browsing is based on file structure, I prefer tag-based browsing. Also, the only tag fields it reads are artist, title, and album. Nothing else.

- The "mini-dock". In order to charge the device, connect it the computer, get line-in & line-out, you have to plug in this "mini-dock" subpack thing:

- Synchronization with the PC. No support whatsoever. You just use Windows Explorer.

I realize on the iPod, you have to plug in that cable to connect USB and/or the AC adapter, but this thing does not have a locking mechanism when connected, in other words, it falls out pretty easily. And it's big. I've got connectors connected to it to connect to my HU & already the thing has a short in it & I only get audio out of both channels if I jiggle it around.

I hate the interface also. Playlisting abilities are horrible. Only supports a dynamic playlist of about 250 entries I think.

Sound quality is pretty good (good sub-bass) & it supports the file formats I mainly listen to (OGG & FLAC). But I guess it all depends on what you need out of it. I don't need a color screen just to play music. Haven't played videos on it. I don't even have videos to play (except the Dave Chapelle DVDs).

So my main gripe is the 9,999 file limit. A 60GB DAP with a 9,999 file limit is useless.

 

[sumone 10+ year member]

FYI, I got the 60GB X5 from eCost.com for $375 shipped.

 

[tommyk90 5,000+ posts]

FYI, I got the 60GB X5 from eCost.com for $375 shipped.

I'm looking for experience on the X5L, the new one. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

But thanks for your insight. It seems that every player has it's ups and downs.

 

[sumone 10+ year member]

I'm looking for experience on the X5L, the new one. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif
But thanks for your insight. It seems that every player has it's ups and downs.

The only difference between the X5 and the X5L is the battery. Battery is thicker in the X5L & has longer battery life (obviously). That's the ONLY difference.

 

[playa1 10+ year member]

ditto ^

 

[adio 5,000+ posts]

i vote for the sandisk 2 or 4Gb flash player. i want the 4gb one though with the new shure e3g earbuds.

 

[playa1 10+ year member]

not enough room!! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[playa1 10+ year member]

hey, i dunno if you cowon guys know of any cases for your mp3 player but i will be buying this one to protect mine.

http://www.zcover.com/store/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=30_31&products_id=117

thought i would help you out

Mike

 

[playa1 10+ year member]

Why I hate the X5:
- Limit of 9,999 files. You can fill up the hard drive but you'll only be able to play 9,999 of them. You browse for files/subfolders & they'll just be "missing". I've contact Cowon about it and their exact response was that they "do not plan on fixing the limitation".

i dunno about this cause i dont have over 10,000 files on my mp3 player, so no comment...

- Minimalist ID3 tag support. Yeah, browsing is based on file structure, I prefer tag-based browsing. Also, the only tag fields it reads are artist, title, and album. Nothing else.

The No ID3 support is a blessing, i would rather manage my files my way than the way the MP3 players way. If you want to have this file over here and in this order then so be it i can have it that way, with id3 tags nope...

- The "mini-dock". In order to charge the device, connect it the computer, get line-in & line-out, you have to plug in this "mini-dock" subpack thing:

I don't seem to mind, when do you really use the line in and out? How often do you go somehwere where you need to access files on your mp3 player through a computer? And when your charging, your not using it so what does it matter?

- Synchronization with the PC. No support whatsoever. You just use Windows Explorer.

What do you mean by no support? You need NO SOFTWARE to use this player, you could use cowon audios software if you want though. But using internet explorer is the easiest thing to use and most novice people can operate it without learning a new program to put files in folders.

I realize on the iPod, you have to plug in that cable to connect USB and/or the AC adapter, but this thing does not have a locking mechanism when connected, in other words, it falls out pretty easily. And it's big. I've got connectors connected to it to connect to my HU & already the thing has a short in it & I only get audio out of both channels if I jiggle it around.

i dont get why you are using the sub pack in your car so no comment....

I hate the interface also. Playlisting abilities are horrible. Only supports a dynamic playlist of about 250 entries I think.

Dont use playlists so its a no go....

Sound quality is pretty good (good sub-bass) & it supports the file formats I mainly listen to (OGG & FLAC). But I guess it all depends on what you need out of it. I don't need a color screen just to play music. Haven't played videos on it. I don't even have videos to play (except the Dave Chapelle DVDs).

Sound is good i agree //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Im not trying to pick on you personally but these are some of the main negatives i found in reviews about this player. Basically if your a picky person and want the " perfect" mp3 player, your never gonna find it cause something will always be of dislike. These are all negatives to the USER not to the player, i love my mp3 player and wouldnt down at any time. I just dont like seeing reviews about stuff like this and people get played off of a good unit cause of the user not looking at the feature list before they buy things and they dont like it.....i wonder why.

Mike

Edit: i do have to say though the 10k song thig isnt cool, didnt know about it.

 

[sumone 10+ year member]

i dunno about this cause i dont have over 10,000 files on my mp3 player, so no comment...

That's what I said too...until I surpassed 10k files.

The No ID3 support is a blessing, i would rather manage my files my way than the way the MP3 players way. If you want to have this file over here and in this order then so be it i can have it that way, with id3 tags nope...

It's not really managing files to me, but I see what you're saying. Both have their ups & downs. I just prefer ID3 browsing since I clean up all my tags religiously.

I don't seem to mind, when do you really use the line in and out? How often do you go somehwere where you need to access files on your mp3 player through a computer? And when your charging, your not using it so what does it matter?

I use the line out when using it for the car or with my headphone amp = 99% of the time. I guess the USB support only through the mini-dock isn't that bad, but the USB port that IS on the player I think would be better suited for both purposes. I listen to mine while charging...

What do you mean by no support? You need NO SOFTWARE to use this player, you could use cowon audios software if you want though. But using internet explorer is the easiest thing to use and most novice people can operate it without learning a new program to put files in folders.

Not needing any proprietary software is good across the board, but I'm talking about synchronization. Say you added some new files or changed some tags since you last put stuff on the player. The ability to automatically "sync" up is what I'm talking about. Also, Cowon's "Jet Shell" program is just a rundown version of Windows Explorer...you're better off with Explorer.

i dont get why you are using the sub pack in your car so no comment....

Read above.

Dont use playlists so its a no go....

I need playlists cause I can never listen to one artist at a time unless it's a new album I just got.

Basically if your a picky person and want the " perfect" mp3 player, your never gonna find it cause something will always be of dislike. These are all negatives to the USER not to the player, i love my mp3 player and wouldnt down at any time. I just dont like seeing reviews about stuff like this and people get played off of a good unit cause of the user not looking at the feature list before they buy things and they dont like it.....i wonder why.

I see, but not all things can be covered in an online review. Like I said before, my opinion is highly biased cause I think the Rio Karma was the best DAP to ever be on the market. Never said the X5 was a bad player, I just said I hated it. But it must be doing something since it's all I use (or there's no other product that would cut it).

 

[playa1 10+ year member]

gotcha!

 

[bikejunkie223 10+ year member]

I still love my Ipod, and I have found the sq of a player has a hell of a lot more to do with what is being played than the player- if you are serious about sq, you use an audio cd because no compressed file sounds as good, regardless of player. I have had 2 ipods and both my brothers have ipods (1 a first gen 30g) and nobody I know has had battery problems. I am not saying they don't exist, but I do believe they are overblown. I think itunes is a decent program and really haven't had any issues at all. I guess I am saying there is a reason that Apple sells 2x as many ipods as all it's competitors put together- it is the best on the market for usability. You are never more than 3 button clicks from any song. I know I'll likely get bashed for liking the ipod, but I have played with many others (iriver, creative) and they just don't measure up to the standard which is the ipod. Heck iriver even had to rip off apple's name!