iAudio X5 20 GB Portable Multimedia Player with FM Tuner & Voice Recorder (Black)
By: Cowon Average Rating: 4.0 Total Reviews: 68
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 On: 2008-07-03
I bought my X5 over a year ago, and Im totally SATISFIED with it.
You know, this player has everything youll ever need in a MP3 Player.
I was scared to buy it, because it was not a popular brand, but now I wouldnt trade it for anything. Easy to set-up, easy to operate.
Shows up as a drive letter, in my computer.
No software to install, just copy and paste.
And its built like a tank. The earbuds that came with it are OK, but I bought a set of Sony High Performance earbuds, and this thing Rocks.
Well: after about a year, the battery life started to fail after about 9 hours of play time, but Cowon replaced the battery, and now Im back in business. I never really considered buying a new one, or another brand.
One of my Co-workers, bought one for her 15 year old doughter, and I never see her without it.
Believe me, you wont go wrong with this MP3 Player.
 On: 2007-12-05
Ive owned this unit for 2 years now. I am not a heavy user. I maybe charged this unit for about 20~25 times in the past 2 years but the battery is already dead. Battery is not user-replaceable.
I am waiting to see how much it will cost to replace the battery. I read in one of the forums that it will cost $35. Still havent heard back from Cowon support on this.
The headphone was crappy, so I bought Shure for $99 or so.
Overall, I liked the unit but too expensive for a 2 year life.
One of the main reasons I like it was because of the folder based navigation. Plus it had FM Radio, voice recorder etc. I liked the Sound Quality
I am switching to Archos 605. So goodbye Cowon and hello Archos.
 On: 2007-10-01
I have owned this really neat player for 2 years. I am very happy with the sound, the controls and the the directory structure. Battery life is acceptable. Even with all that, I need to buy something else.
The reason? The "subpack" that plugs into the bottom of the player, which allows the device to charge, is so poorly designed that I have resorted to a team of rubber bands to keep the charger attached. That worked for a couple of months until the weird "subpack" cracked in half. No more ability to charge the device until I find a new adapter. Here is a link to the currently non-in-stock replacement part on Amazon. [...]
Bottom line? Dont buy this player.
On: 2007-07-29
Ive had this mp3 player for over a year, and Im really pleased with it. Very good sound quality, and its been very reliable. The battery life is long, too. The interface is a bit strange, but easy to navigate once you get used to it. A couple of things that make this stand out from other players: its basically an external filesystem, and it works in Linux as well as Windows, which was essential for me. It plays a wide range of file formats. It can even act as a USB host, and I havent seen another mp3 player with that feature. When I filled up my cameras memory on a long trip, I uploaded my pictures to my mp3 player, and stored them there for the remainder of the trip. A nice feature to have in a pinch!
On: 2007-07-12
Pros
-Great sound quality.
-Very small, smaller than ipod or zune.
-Aluminum casing looks good, but it will scatch.
-Controls are decent, but I like the ipods and zune controls better.
-Supports all the mp3 formats I downloaded, even ogg files.
-Has a voice recorder builtin, may be useful for college students taking notes in class.
-Works with any computer with usb, no need for drivers because it works like an external hdd. Battery will drain if you hook it up thru a usb cable. Only charges if you put it in the USB cradle.
Cons
-Small screen, is good for displaying info about songs but not good for video.
-The control wand has some troubles going thru a mp3 library. Its small, flimsy, and not accurate.
-No automatic way to organize your mp3s, I had to organize my mp3 thru folders which took a long time. Also the iaudio would give me errors if I copied too many mp3s to one folder
-Settings and controls are the most complex out of all the mp3 players I have used. I was still able to understand the controls after a few mins of fooling around with it.
-Not good for video, screen resolution is low and the screen is tiny. You even have to convert your videos before you can play them on your iaudio.
This was the first mp3 player I owned and I really liked it at first. My biggest problem with the iaudio are the controls and the way mp3s are organized on it. The other mp3 players are for more advanced in these two areas. Dont buy this mp3 player unless you try it out along with the other brands.
 On: 2007-07-07
Im very happy with X5. Very good sound quality, a lot of functions, sleek desing.
On: 2007-05-25
Nice to see a US quality made player. I actually took this player apart and it is put together with quality craftsmanship. I was impressed. The user manual was not very helpful, I didnt care because i usually dont look at them anyway. After I loaded the software into my PC and connected the USB cable everything made sense. Nice video converter program, easy to use.
Drag & drop uploading just like moving files around in Windows. You can drag files from any PC in the network.
On: 2007-05-24
Im glad I bought this product last year July. So far, ive had no problems at all with it... Actually, once i had to use the "reset" feature because it froze up while trying to play a video file. I guess its cause this thing has a hard drive in it? Other than that i use it to watch full length movies during Southwest flights which i go on a weekly basis.
Ive had no issues with battery life... I charge it about once a week. But if I ever do have an issue with the battery, I hope i get the excellent customer service that Cowon is known for.
The sound quality on this player is awesome. However I did replace the earphones with the Bose ones a few months ago... they fit better and sound better in my ears.
I took a small gamble purchasing this brand over the better known ones.. and its paid off so far. I figure, if i get one or two years of good use out of any new technology product, its worth it. So far its been worth every penny.
On: 2007-03-13
Positive Points:
- Excellent sound
- Lots of features
- Good interface
- File managment is just like in windows
- Radio reception is very good
- Works great as a tape recorder
I would have given 5 stars if it werent for the following negative points:
- PC sometimes doesnt recognize the device
- Connectivity to PC and other devices is somewhat of pain beacuse of the adapter (have to carry it around everywhere)
- Screen resolution isnt good enough for playing movies, but heck, I was never interested in its mpeg4 feature.
Bottom line - Im Happy.
On: 2007-01-18
V good quality picture and sound, easy to use, the only problem I have is to download music from computer, it uses its own program and it takes too much time to transfer music to apropriate format. I like the way it is build v.solid looks nice. Yes I would buy it again.
On: 2006-12-30
Bought this product refurbished from Cowon for around $190 in July 2006 (about 6 months ago). Ive had a lot of success with the X5. The sound quality is absolutely superb, and it plays just about any music file you can throw at it out of the box. One of the major reasons I bought this player is that I use Linux, and I didnt want to *have* to use any fancy software to put music on the player. The X5 acts just like a removable hard drive, so you just plug it in, and you can access it (just a simple mount in Linux).
6 months in, and with it already being refurbished in the first place, Id expect quite a dip in battery life; this is not the fault of the X5, just the fault of the Li-ion batteries themselves. However, I still get, easily, over 12 hours of music play. In my experience, people who have Li-ion batteries often dont know how to really take care of them and leave them in the heat or cold (they should really be kept at lower temperatures, but thermal shock is a problem, so room temperature is best), drain them down all the way (thats bad) or keep the recharger plugged in while the battery is already all full (also bad). They should really be kept between 20-80% full to maximize battery life. I managed to squeeze out an extra 30% (at least, probably more) of battery life by installing an open-source firmware called Rockbox, which also allows me to play a bunch of games on my X5, including a tetris-clone, a "bust a move"/"puzzle bobble" clone and even Doom (really).
Other highlights: the case is very rugged, it has been dropped from upwards of five feet onto surfaces including concrete on accident at times; the included ear buds are actually pretty decent; it can get very loud with no noticeable distortion until at least -3 or even -2 dB (typically listen around -40 to -35 dB, can get up to +3 dB, but notice some distortion, as to be expected).
My main complaint is the awful joystick interface. This is a place where iPod really has them beat. The joystick takes longer to scroll with and can stick at times (scroll times have been greatly decreased for me by using Rockbox). Additionally, just in the last couple days, the joystick has seemed to actually break: I have to push hard to get the joystick to register a "left"; all the other directions are fine. Of course, this could have been expedited by all the tetris-clone gaming.
 On: 2006-12-22
If you read most of the reviews on this site or on the web you will see that the battery life sucks and you can count on spending $70+ to replace it by sending it to Cowon. The player itself is good, but thats about it. Dont waste your money
On: 2006-12-08
Ive had my X5 for about 15 months now. In that time, I have used it mostly around the house and at the gym. I charge it regularly and use it gently. I chose the X5 because I like the way I have my music organized in folders, and I dont like the way itunes organizes my music. I found the X5 to be very intuitive and user friendly.
However, at about 12 months old (just after the warranty expired), my battery life went from 10-15 hours to 2-3 hours (and sometimes less). The unit hasnt been through any trauma to warrant this drop in battery life, and now I am faced with the decision to spend 80 or more dollars to replace it, or to just put that money towards another player.
Iaudio states on their website that the battery should be at about 80% at 2 years old. I made my decision based on this information, and I might have gone with another player if I had known my unit would be fairly useless in a year.
On: 2006-12-01
This is the first review Ive ever made, but Im taking the time simply because this product is so terrible others must be warned. Ive had my Iaudio X5 for a hear and a half now, but after 6 months the headphone jack went out. Apparently this is not an uncommon problem, as I did a search on the web and found several message boards related to this topic. One person writes:
"From what I read on other forums, headphone jack problems are not uncommon. I think putting the jack on the side of the unit was not the best design decision, particularly if your headphones have a straight plug and you tote your player around with you. I outfitted my X5L with a right-angle headphone adaptor for any straight plug cans I might use.
From what I understand, the headphone jack attached directly to a circuit board with just a few solder joints holding it in place. All you need is a few solder joints that are imperfect, and you have a flaw waiting to happen. Some users have opened their units and made repairs, while most send their players back to Cowon for repair. I would definitely have your headphone jack repaired under warranty. Also, consider getting a right-angle adapter to help take some pressure off the jack."
Ive learned a valuable lesson: If its an electronic product and it is expensive, go with the name brand...theyre called the "name brand" for a reason. Ive never had an IPOD, but if I could do it all over again I wouldnt hesitate to spend a couple extra bucks to be able to HAVE SOUND FROM THE HEADPHONE JACK.
Best of luck if you order this product. Definitely send the warranty card in!!!
On: 2006-11-21
This was everything I looked for in an mp3 player, but only for about first 6 months. About half a year from getting it the headphone input went, making the audio staticy and constantly going mono. Had to send it in for repairs. After another 5-6 months of light use (mostly in the car, so its not like it was bumped around in bags and pockets) the problem reoccurred. Had to send it for repairs again. A couple of months later, after the 1 year warranty expired, I noticed that the battery life started to decrease. In a few weeks it got to a point of lasting for only about an hour after being fully charged. I nevertheless continued using the unit, being extra careful with that damn headphone jack and making sure that I charge it every night. So a couple of weeks ago (about 15 months after purchase) it stopped working completely. When turned on it gives "HDD Error" message . Resetting does not work. The computer no longer "sees" it when its plugged in. I emailed tech support and got and they said that it looks like the hard drive needs to be replaced and the possible cost for that is $195. Needless to say that I wont be investing two hundred bucks into the clearly faulty unit. I really liked it before the problems started and was eventually planning to upgrade to 60GB model, but I doubt Ill trust this manufacturer again.
On: 2006-11-10
I had an iPod for about a year, and had a lot of problems with it, having to get it replaced twice before my warranty expired. After the third time, I sold it to a friend and invested in the iAudio instead. This is a great product, as it can record sound, play movies, radio, and play tons of file formats.
I highly reccomend this product, especially over the iPod...they are crap compared to this. The only minor downside is that you will have to download a program that converts m4p files (songs from iTunes if you purchase music from them) as the iAudio cant read m4a or m4p. Its easy enough to get a converter, just might cost you a little more money.
Outstanding use of my money though....thumbs up!
On: 2006-11-03
I bought this player in December 2005,since then , this beautiful piece of technology has been working extremely well.
I have no complaint about it, because Im extremely dependent of this player, so that means that i use it, around 5 hours in my days off,and 2 hours in a regular day.Another example of how durable this player is, because I like to exercise(running) with the music as my main power¡¡, therefore with the really hard to find function(anti-shock) in portable hard drives, the iaudio x5 is one the most functional PMP on the market.
About the sound is just incredible clear with the right earphones.the unique complaint is about the non-sync with WMP,so Im still waiting the right firmware...
As a conclusion cowon almost has my complete faith in their products.
On: 2006-10-03
I bought my X5 in early October of 2005 and after about 6 months its been nothing but problems. In under a year I have sent it back to them twice and I am about to do so for a third time. The problem is with the volume, it goes from low to loud randomly. The volume problem appears to be a defect with the X5 itself. I know this because two of my friends deceided to buy it when they saw mine and they have both had the same problem. The difference is that they got tired of sending it back and to be honest with you if they cant fix it this time I wont either. I think Ill be done with this company. When you read all the things the X5 can do it sounds great on paper and it would be a great MP3 Player but it rarely works.
On: 2006-09-10
When I started looking for an mp3 player my main concern was the ability to play songs at a very high quality level. The ipod was a consideration, as was another top rated Sony mp3 player. However, I didnt want to get what everyone else had and after a bad experience with an unnamed sony game console, I thought I would try something new. If you asked ten people who Cowon was, I would say probably nine of the ten couldnt tell you. It is very sturdy and has the same general shape/dimensions as the ipod. Clearly designed to compete with Apple, the iAudio X5 has some very valuable aspects:
-Superb sound quality, especially from something that weighs under 8 oz. (I am currently using full size stereo headphones because they are more comfortable)
-Rugged all metal construction and overall great feel
-Simple design and intuitive joystick/buttons (I found the joystick to be quite easy to use after about 10 minutes; converts from the iPod may take some getting used to)
-A plethera of options: mach3 bass, surround sound, pan, wallpaper, 5 band equalizer, fm radio, voice recorder, surround sound and MP enhance
-The ability to play video
-A 14 hour battery with a 3 hour charge time
-Very powerful, I normally listen at level 20 or less of the 40 volume levels on it
-Priced about the same as equal or lesser mp3 players
-Extremely easy program to use for transferring ANY type of file to the iAudio. It is a drag and drop system; it took me about seven minutes to transfer all of my 3.5 gigs of music.
-Everything you need is included in the box - earphones, usb 2.0 transfer cable, another cable, a 4 port attachment for the bottom of the player, charger and jetshell software
-Great storage space (20 GB) which can be used to store much more than mp3s
There are some negative attributes to the iAudio X5 however:
-The most glaring problem I had was with the in-ear headphones; they did not fit all the way in and were more than uncomfortable. They also have an assymetrical length cord. I consider myself to have average size ear canals so I imagine this is a major problem for other users. I suggest Cowon completely redesigns these.
-Because the brand is widely unknown, the price may scare some away even with all the features and reviews.
-No place online to buy mp3s particulary for this player (however I read somewhere that there would soon be one just like iTunes.)
This being my first mp3 player I am extremely happy with the purchase even for the price, because I would rather pay more for the quality. The iAudio X5 is an all around outstanding media player and I believe will start to make a name for itself once the word gets out. If I were to rate everything that came in the box I would give it a 9.5 out of 10 because of the earphones. Other than that this mp3 player is close to perfect.
On: 2006-09-04
i bought my x5 the same time video ipod came out and i should have waited for the ipod. the x5 is a great mp3 player but the screen is smaller then ipod. if you want to use the software that came with x5 then you need a PC. i have a imac and none of the software is compatible. the only advantage that x5 has is the built in fm tuner and ability to download pictures directly from digital camera to x5 which i never tried. if i had to choose between ipod and x5 i pick ipod because there is more support and more accesories to choose from.
On: 2006-09-03
Ive had this MP3 since Xmas 05. It gave me trouble initially then the problem went away. Since July it hasnt worked for more than a few hours, despite Cowons several attempts to fix it. This is the third, or maybe now its the 4th?, time that the sound on my 20 GB iAudio X5 has cut out. Cowon just returned it to me again a couple of weeks or so ago. The screen shows that the song is playing - its just that no sound comes out. Besides this problem it also has an annoying problem of repeating songs when the setting is set not to repeat. This is a quibble, however, that one can live with. Given the problems Im having with it I considered rating it a 1 star except that when the sound does work it is really good.
On: 2006-08-03
After doing a fair amount of Internet research about MP3 players and their features I was under the impression that I would go with an iPod. Having been in the computer industry for almost 15 years I have never been fond of the Mac and have always been a little biased towards PCs. This added to my reticence to own a Mac product and the growing complaints about service on the iPod being a bit over priced I forged on.
I started reading through all of the reviews I could find on the Internet and as always, found a wealth of them here on Amazon. To my dismay all the reviews I could find on product names I knew absolutely trashed the products they were reviewing which scared me immensely. Thats is, until I got to the iAudio line. The reviews were almost all positive and the complaints that were present were things I could easily overlook. I love the control, I am big guy with big hands and I have rarely, if ever, pushed the control and not had the result I was intending.
I have had my iAudio X5 for over a month and I have nothing bad to say in the least. I am an avid Linux user and it works flawlessly with Linux, the sound quality is phenomenal, except the ear buds that came with mine have a lot of static in them so get rid of those. The FM tuner is great (you wont get that on an iPod). I travel a lot and I pipe my X5 through my car stereo using a cassette tape converter plugged into the stereo out port.
What else can I say, this is a great product with great features and it looks good too! I also bought a case from zCover which fits the purpose but I think that as time goes on some better more versatile cases will come to market.
A Satisfied Customer
On: 2006-08-03
I, like many other people that have written reviews here, researched the purchase of an MP3 player in great detail. Other members of my family own iPods, and that is the direction that I was heading until I did a massive amount of research. If you want to rip the thousands of songs that you already own on CD, this is the unit that you want. iPod will not let you download your own songs, I did not know that until after I purchased this player (thankfully). This unit was the highest rated unit by far that I was able to scour the internet for. If this is your first purchase of an MP3 player (like mine) buy this one, no questions asked. Do not worry about trying to buy $80 ear buds the sound from the ear buds that come with the player is unreal. Crisp, clear, awsome base and I have only turned up the player to 23 on the volume it goes up to 40. I cannot hear the home stereo that my wife is listening to or my kids that are running around the house playing. I received this player in the mail today at 5:30 when I got home from work and by 6:35 I have transfered the 114 artists folders (about 4,000+ songs) that I had ripped on my computer last week (about 35 to 40 minutes to transfer the music to the staging folder and then to the player).
I would recomend buying the cradle, it helps in standing it up on the desk or over the stereo, which I plan to do to play all my music on my outdoor speakers by the pool.
Absolutley buy this unit. I have only messed wit it for a couple of hours and I have a high performance expectation and it has met it.
On: 2006-07-27
I am not going to rehash what the other comments have said. Most that mention pros and cons are accurate. Here is my addition. Joystick is not as good as the Ipod. On the other hand, the Ipod was designed by Apple and therefore needs extra software to use it with a PC. I have not even installed any software to use my iAudio! I use it as a hard drive, Mp3 player, and sometimes I record radio shows to listen to later. I got the 30gb for extra storage. The iAudio seems to be quality made and doesnt scratch as bad as my sons iPod. I would buy this product if I had to do it all over again!
On: 2006-05-20
I must say that as a totally blind user of this device I have had a great time with it. Switching between modes for a blind user is very easy. The ability to just copy files from your computer over to the player is great. Apples Itunes is not an easy software package at all for the blind to use. Iaudio x5 is truly the best in hard disk based mp3 players! Forget the iPod!!
On: 2006-04-20
I first learned of this player while researching for players that support lossless audio files.After checking out the companys website (COWON), I instantly fell in love with the look of the player, so, after I read up on some reviews (which were very positive) I went to J and R Music in New York. I was expecting to spend about $249.00 for the M5 (Audio player)and found that they had the X5 Audio and Video for the same price so I grabbed it. Since opening and learning how to use this player, I never put it down. Though this player isnt as user friendly as its rival ((IPOD) this player far surpasses IPOD in built (Aluminum shell),player features(supports FLAC,OGG,WAV,WMA,MP3,MPEG4 for video), has FM radio,supports digital pictures,voice recording,variable equalizers, and text files. The software that come with this player is jetshell that supports music playback,CD ripping,and audio/video converting. The one thing that IPOD has that Iaudio CURRENTLY doesnt have is, "To Go" music support (I tunes for IPOD),but this will change. I read that Play For Sure will be launched in July for I audio and a free upgrade will be available for this service.
The biggest negative about this player is the use of the joystick.
It can be very tedeous to navigate from file to file, but once you get used to it, you will have no problems. Another small problem that I have is, sometimes I forget to use the lock feature and accidently press the record button and it stops my music and immediately begins to record. Though this is avoidable, it is a nuisance. Another minor nuisance is the USB connector. Since I use a rubber protective cover (made by Z Cover) for my player, the connector tends to disconnect easily while Im charging my battery or loading music. What I love most about this player is that it allows you to transfer music to it by highlighting the song file selected ,copying them and pasting them to the I audio drive.
The 20 gig player can hold up to 5000 song in MP3 format @(4 MB), however if you choose to use FLAC or WAV only about 1000 song will fit.
The battery life after a full charge is about 15 hours for straighy through music playing but less for video playback.
I would recommend this player anyone looking to purchase an IPOD and has the patience to learn how to use this player.
On: 2006-04-06
Dont think of anything else. This is the king.
iPods are the worst ever released in the world.
Buy this and you are finished.
On: 2006-03-15
I ordered this MP3 player because I wanted something to listen to while riding my motorcycle and I am extremely happy with the buy. One rater stated that their finger got sore from using the toggle. Must be from thin skin. No problem there. Jet Shell is OK for downloading but I prefer to use Mediamonkey. It copies the info from the disc IE. title, author, time etc and displays it on the Iaudio screen. I dont use the supplied earphones either. I use Shure E2C and boy does the music sound great. The reception on the FM radio is also outstanding and easy to program. I used to have an MP3 player from Samsung and could never figure out how to use the presets but this is idiot proff, trust me, I am the pefect idiot to try it.
I am extremely happy with this purchase and would recommed it to others. I did go to IAudio web site and ordered the neoprene style cover for the player and love that also. It comes with a plexiglass insert to cover the screen so it dosent get scratched. I highly recommend this also.
On: 2006-03-13
OK I thought Id write a review on this little beauty which I purchased only 2 days ago.
Id read about dificulties in navigation of the menus, that the controls were "not as good as ipods wheel" and a few other comparisons some in and some not in the X5s favour.
Well I dont want to keep the cat in the bag any longer my new x5 rocks!
In 2 days which really only amounts to about 6 hours of playing around Ive managed to update the firmware so it will download pictures directly from my Canon 350D. Ive put music onto it, recorded fm radio and played it back and Ive used the voice recorder and was most impressed with its clarity considering I was outside at the time. (would be rather useful for recording lectures)
So if I can manage all this with never having owned such a device before then I reckon your average person should have no problems at all.
The joystick is actually very easy to use after a few minutes and I quite like it.
Yeah the docking station is not perfect but hey what if you lost the power cable for any rechargeable device youd be stuffed right?
I also love the fact that its plug and play and I can just stick into any PC and down or upload without requiring software unlike the ipod. Plus it looks like its built of pretty tough stuff its a metal casing I believe and doesnt look likely to scratch easily.
Being able to download pics directly off my 350D is a huge bonus as I will be on a round the world trip in a few weeks and not being tied to a PC to do this is fantastic.
Finally I must give a big thumbs up to the equaliser and sound quality of the X5 it is fantastic.
So all in all the X5 surely packs plenty of bangs for your buck into a quality little unit.
On: 2006-03-13
Basically this product has an amazing amount of features but it is not especially beneficial for any of them. I was mainly interested in the music aspect and may occasionally store pictures on it. However, when the music was not organized for me by ID3 tags, I thought it was basically useless. It is nice you can plug up a camera right up to it, but I can just store my pictures on cd or my computer... So I returned this product and went for a Creative Zen Sleek Photo instead which I love!
On: 2006-03-09
First of all, I give AAPL props for the iPod but it is an overpriced device compared with the excellent iAudio. The iAudio supports more CODECS than most of the other players, including the excellent Ogg Vorbis which in my opinion is much better than MP3 and WMA. I am converting my whole MP3 library to OGG with the excellent Jet Audio player that comes included. Battery life is good, I use the iAudio in the car and lasts for about 2-3 weeks before I need to recharge it.
My only complain is the built in interface for the player itself but I am used to it now. Other than that, this is an extremely capable audio player that does more than iPods and competing players. The metal casing is also great. I feel like I made a good investment. Oh, and BTW you can use it as a portable hard drive since any PC will see it as an external USB device without any complicated setup routine. Saved $40 right there by not having to buy a USB key.
On: 2006-03-03
Super easy to use, reliable, tiny. Everything you want. The screen is crisp and easy to read. Setting your own wallpaper is great. Converting movies to play on this could be easier, but works well. Sounds great, and is easy to manage. Iterface is well designed, though control stick is clunky, it does work.
First bought the Iriver, could not get song lists to play correctly, hated the screen, and while you could view pictures, you could not set one as your wallpaper.
Neighbor has the Ipod Nano, for the same amount of money, the Iaudio is only slightly larger, and holds 20gb as opposed to 4gb, and again you cant view pictures and set your own wallpaper.
Iaudio has easier management of songs as well.
Of available mp3 players this one is the biggest bang for your buck. Trust me.
On: 2006-02-24
Great sound ,very well done player.It is better then iPod Video. Buy it.
On: 2006-02-14
This is one of the best players on the market right now, I highly recommend it!
Pros:
- Nice solid feeling metal casing
- Best range of EQ options of any player
- Sound quality is awesome out of the box
- Multi-format support (OGG! FLAC!)
- No software needed to sync, just drag n drop (software required for DRM restricted files though)
- Nice bright screen, easily readable
- Shows up as a drive letter in WinXP
- Fast USB 2.0 transfers
- Plays movies if properly encoded
- Line-In recording! (One of the main features I was looking for, to record my DJ mixes. Works great for this.)
Cons:
- Joystick navigation is slightly limiting, you must look at the screen to navigate
- Joystick quality lacking, problems have been reported with joystick wearing out over time, but so far so good with mine. Treat it well and you wont have problems.
- Doesnt play very well with DRM files purchased from Yahoo, Napster, etc.. You should boycott DRM anyway, it does nobody any good except the companies making money.
- Have read reports of poor support from parent company Cowon, though Ive not had to deal with them.
- Subpack adapter must be used to record from line-in, to charge battery, and to sync. Subpack required for line-in connection to car stereo, it doesnt sound right through the headphone jack. 3rd party options abound to get around this, but they are fairly expensive.
- Movie support seems like an afterthought. Its not implemented very well. Files must be re-encoded to specific size and framerate in order to work. Still cool though :)
- No organization by ID3 tags, though this has been promised in a future firmware update. You are stuck with using a directory structure, organized by filename.
Conclusion: THE PLAYER for audiophiles, due to support for lossless codecs, and the wide EQ options. Wide range of features. If you use any of the mainstream online music stores, I would stay away however, until they work the kinks out. As far as Im concerned though, this is one of the best players out there right now!
On: 2006-01-24
Perhaps this is what Apple was trying to shoot for when they brought out the IPOD....tough luck, the IAUDIO is 10 times better than the IPOD. I not only have music on this thing, but I have also recorded my lectures with no problem and the playback is quite fine...all this done without an external attachment, which is great! The line in recording option makes recording podcast files without a problem and file transfers are no problem.
I cant forget to mention the Picture viewing option. The quality isnt too bad when you take into consideration the size of the screen. Perhaps a zoom option would have made this feature a bit more worthwhile.
Overall Im quite pleased with the purchase and would definitely recommend purchase of the product, especially when compared to the Apple counterpart.
On: 2006-01-11
I researched Mp3 players searching for "the one", it was difficult since creative seemed like the best chose and the philips, but then I came around to this one after reading excellent reviews just about everywhere. Even this one geek site had a full break down of every single function and I was impressed.
So when my boyfriend got it he loved it-- which in the end was the most important thing. I should mention he is now my finance. I am not saying it was because of iaudio but...
On: 2006-01-02
I just recently bound this Mp3 player after doing some research for about two months!!! I had a previous mp3 player (rio)which I lost. Anyway, the sound on this baby is a killer. I mean this thing sound like a miniature component system of about 100 watts per channel with the equilizer and surround sound on. However, to hear the best quality sound from this baby, you must get some new headphones. The head phones which come with are o.k., but to really get the best out of this system you would do better to change the headphones. I use the sennheiser 100, with this system and you definately can hear the difference between it and the iaudio brand.
It not only sound like a serious stereo system, but it is built like a compact tank!! It is made of some kind of metal composite which is scratch and dent free. In your hands it seems that it can last a very..... very long time. I have had the player for two months now and have not got around to using the video player, but I must say the music player is impressive. I record with the line in caple at 320kbs, and it is superb!!
My only reason for giving this player a four star is that it is not compatible with any of the subscription services. Anyway, I would recommend everyone to go out and buy this player,because it is the best sounding and built player out there, period!!
On: 2005-12-31
I received this item as a gift this past Christmas (2005) and I love it.
There is only one reason I did not give this item 5 stars.. the earbuds that come with it SUCK. Ive never been a fan of earbuds anywayz, but these have to be the worst. There are WAY too big for my ears. My ears were bothering me after less than 15 minutes. If you are considering buying this product, I definetly recommend it. But I suggest you dont use the included earbuds - youll thank me later :)
On: 2005-12-26
So, got this for Christmas yesterday. Id never seen one of these before; I read the reviews here, though, and decided to buy. Lemme tell you some things that havent been mentioned here (and a few that have):
The interface is good. It isnt perfect; but its pretty easy to use, and way it divides everything into folders - just like the pc - was something I liked (I had all my songs organized into CD-folders, which transferred with no problem)
The controls are pretty cool; I really like the joystick.
Song quality is phenomenal; people said it was good, and it is. Not familiar enough with the iPod to say if its better; but I can guarantee that this doesnt have *worse* sound quality than iPods, at least. Its damndably good.
The screen is not so good. The pictures are pixaly, and the movies are, too. However, this isnt so much a drawback as one might thing. The smallness of the screen, I imagine, contributes to the longness of the battery-life...of which I will discuss next. Anyways, the screen is fine for watching things that depend more on audio than video; I mean, watching the new Star Wars movies on this would probably be pretty unexciting; but, for instance, downloaded MST3Ks are perfect. I mean, you can see the movies clearly; its just, theyre noticeably pixaly. Anyways, fine for most purposes, I should imagine.
Battery life - wow, now this was amazing. I plugged the thing in for maybe two minutes when I first got it, and it was, after that time, fully 80% charged. And it holds a charge, even when watching movies. I cant say how long the battery lasts, at this point; but I can say it charges very quickly, and seems to last a very long time.
The microphone is surprisingly good; I havent really utilized this much, but it seems like itd be plenty sufficient for recording yourself, or, say, the conversation at a small table. Recording your professors lecture during class would probably require an external mic, which you can attach.
Radio is pretty good, too; it seems to get its signal using the headphone cord as an antenna. Quality is pretty cool, and its neat to be able to record right off the radio (I use this feature if I hear a song I want, to remember to download it later).
Some other features not really mentioned: this can record audio right off of other sources, like portable CD players. Also, you can download pictures to it from digital cameras, without using a computer. This is a particularly handy feature, if you take a lot of photos, and run out of disk space on your camera sometimes. I dont (I have a 512mb card); but for vacations and such, that feature should prove handy.
Anyways, overall seems like a great product, at this point.
-Steve
On: 2005-12-09
I bought this MP3 over the summer. First of all, I am fairly knowlegable on computers, but knew nothing about MP3s before buying this. I did a little research, mostly reading reviews, before buying, and decided that this model was my best choice.
This MP3 is GREAT! I dont know how I lived without it. I commute an hour each way to school and was getting tired of all my CD mixes. I wanted the MP3 so I could have access to all my music at once. I dont even have it half filled up and I have a lot of songs. The sound is GREAT, better than CDs, I think.
The only complaint I have is that the manual is not very clear and understandable, and I had to figure quite a few things out on my own. But I was able to figure everything out, its not too difficult.
You must convert videos using included jetaudio before you can put them on the iaudio. You also create playlists using jetaudio ("albums") and then export them to the iaudio playlist folder and save them as m3u files. This was not too clear in the manual.
This is great for use in the car. If you have a cassette player, just buy a cassette adapter for under $20, and plug it in the headphone jack. This gives great sound! Just dont turn the volume up too high on the unit, or sound will be distorted. I find leaving the volume at 27 on the iaudio gives the best sound. I either use one of my playlists, or just shuffle through all my files. Great for long drives! I dont get bored with my music anymore.
On: 2005-11-23
Im not going to write anything silly like I-Pod killer because Ive never had an I-Pod and wouldnt really know. I know I didnt want to own the same thing everybody else had and I also know most of my friends have I-pods and theyre all now jealous of my iaudio X5.
Cowon is very well known for its top audio quality, but in this player they went all out and threw in a ton of goodies. I often switch to an FM station when Im tired of listening to my mp3s and have recorded plenty of music right off the FM tuner. You can find better video quality elsewhere, but this is not a video player. It is a high end music player with video ability thrown it to boot.
Great battery life, very good firmware downloads, the best audio quality, video capabilities, FM tuner, voice and FM recorder, and all this in a cool package and awesome price made this decision a no brainer. Oh yeah, plus you dont need any silly program like Itunes or whatever to put in or take out mp3s or other files from the player, just hook it up and you can scroll through all your files using Windows Explorer! That right there did it for me!
[...]
On: 2005-11-15
Great unit with alot of features. I would go to [...] for the same unit. You can buy it new for $259.99 versus what Amazons best used/refurbished/new price is.
Lawerence
On: 2005-11-11
A lot of you might be saying that the ipod is the best, or any other mp3/video player is better than this. Well I cant say any thing about it because Ive only had one mp3 player before my iAudio X5 which was a cheap $40 one from eBay.
The navigation is pretty easy, but takes a while to get used to, then again every new thing does. And mine came with the ID3 tag thing that a lot of people have been putting the "con" on the X5.
A great thing about it is it is drag-and-drop. No itunes, no napster, no special audio/video format that will only work on one brand of player.
The sound is so great that it is the better than my $250 speakers on my computer. The only thing that is a little bit of a hassle is to adjust the levels of the Jet Effect, which is no big deal if you dont want to hear the song better.
The video is also good, along with the pictures. It can also hold any kind of file (since it is an HDD), so I could put a bittorrent file on there, and an installation progam on it and a lot of other things.
The only thing I see wrong with it is the lagging on the video after it plays for about 15 minutes. After a while of it doing that it does it annoying, but what you could also do is skip about 30 seconds foward or back, and that works fine for me.
The other great thing about this media player is the size. To best describe it, its about the size of a 52 deck of cards. Its lighter than it looks. Dispite of what everyone else says the joy stick is hard to use, it really isnt. It does take time to get it down, but once done so then its fairly easy. The sub port is no problem at all, I agree if you lose it then you do you have a problem. But if you dont want to lose it then keep it connected to your power cord and close to your computer.
The video did take me a little time to figure out. You have to convert the video with jetAudio, not drag-and-drop. It does convert quickly if you dont have any programs that use a lot of RAM.
I recommend this to anyone who doesnt want to follow the over rated ipod and want more for their money (do research before buying from anywhere), then get this.
On: 2005-10-20
This little device is just great. I have had no problems with it for 5 months now. It runs perfect, it has gotten droped and it barely even scratches but continues to run perfectly. I put southpark episodes and pictures and they are flawless. I have had some formating issues with itunes. Apparently itunes uses a file tipe that only works on an ipod. This can be corected by burning your music to a CD and ripping it on to your computer again, this is fairly annoying but it is really worth it in the long run. I have also had some formating issues with movies. [...] and the iaudio comes with programs to reformat everything you can ever do on the iaudio. I love this thing and i would say it is absolutly beder than ipod and iriver combine. It even has enough memory to put a FULL MOVIE on it. You cant say iriver can do that.
On: 2005-10-12
I bought the iAudio to replace my iPod. While my iPod still works I was constantly frustrated by having to use iTunes. I hate iTunes but I hate not having full control more than that. The iAudio gave me exactly that and so much more.
Pros-
The video was better than I expected and the sound is better than my iPod. Another feature that I really like was being able to book-mark files, so that you can go back to the same spot in long audio files quickly if you want too switch to something else for a moment. There are a lot of settings that you can tweak so you can customize a lot of the buttons and sound. The USB host feature is nice, I transfer file to and from my USB flash drive when it runs out of space.
Cons-
They are few and rather petty ones at that. The controls took a little while to learn and tweak to where the worked well for me. I was hoping that I could use it to record my lectures but the mic doesnt pick up the professor well unless you are close to the person talking. This could probably be overcome by buying a directional mic and using that.
Over all it is a great player with lots of features and very customizable.
On: 2005-10-10
Compré este reproductor hace un par de semanas basado en las revisones de otros usuarios. Antes tenÃa un reprodutor Creative y este lo supera en un 100%.
Todo lo que promete el fabricante se cumple. La duración de la baterÃa es de alrededor de 11 a 14 horas. El fabricante constantemente actualiza el firmware del equipo.
Entre la cosas negativas que encuentro de este modelo esta el control con una especie de Joystick que es un poco complicado de usar al principio. Lo segundo negativo es la poca facilidad de pasar videos al formato exigido. A pesar de que el equipo viene con el software Jetaudio y permite el traspaso de video, esta operación a mi no me ha resultado. Lo tercero es que no trae un estuche para guardarlo.. (se vende por separado)
En conclusión, comparado con otras marcas es mucho mejor. Si tuviera que comprarlo de nuevo.... lo harÃa.
On: 2005-10-01
I havent owned an IPOD or any of the other (creative) players. X5 is the best I have ever seen or owned. Or atleast I think.
Pros:
Video is crisp and clear.
MP3s never sounded better than this.(Lots of Audio controls).
No software reqd to transfer music/files over. (So acts as the best back up USB hard disc based device). when ur windows gets corrupted.
Sounds awesome on the Home theater system.
Jet Audio is another awesome player(Sound quality) much much better than the Windows media/Apple Quicktime/or any other players.
Cons.
The joy stiick controls are 3difficult to get used to.. Took us two weeks atleast to get to use it fluently. But makes sense if you start to understand about the way Cowon have designed it.
Head phone even though it sounds great and has a unique design, feels really unconfortable in the ears..
IPOD killer i am not sure if it is going to be one. Even with the NANO out I still think this player would be the best in the sound.
Why I love this player?
This player gives me more options to control the sounds I like to hear. More sound control options. FM radio, Voice/Line in recorder/ Picture viewer/ text reader. Nothing better than this.
On: 2005-09-29
Ive bought this device in the US and brought it back to France (220v).
Contrary to what is written on the power adaptor (110v), it takes also 220v without any problem !
Good to know for travel !!
On: 2005-09-22
Good first impressions are important, and while I just got this player last night, this Iaudio x5 player has given just that. I wont go into details, others have done a great job at that, but I will add a few opinions. First, it has all the features you would want from a quality digital audio player. The build is solid and oh, so stylish. Now I know audiophiles would compromise style for fine audio playback but that wouldnt be the case here. You get the best of both worlds (unlike other players; wont mention any names but they know who they are). In addition to the features that make this a magnificent DAP are video and photo playback capabilitles, fm tuner, voice recording and the list goes on. Some consider this additional stuff unecessary in a DAP, but I say if you can get a hold of a reasonably priced player of high audio playback quality with a few extra "bells and whistles" then I say bring it on.
Before you choose a DAP consider this one. I have owned three prior to this purchase and this is by far the best sounding. Way to go Cowon/Jetaudio.
On: 2005-09-21
This little gadget is the best. It has everything you can ever want and works abosolutely perfect. Its very solid and the surface is truly scratch resistant. I accidentally put it in my purse with a set of keys and after 2 hours of bumbing and scratching against each other the device didnt suffer any damages at all.
The display quality for momvies and videos is absolutely amazing. The recording feature has also a very good quality, ive done some voice recording as well as recordidngs directly from the radio and the quality is superb.
On: 2005-09-10
This little unit performs most functions flawlessly. The unit is the same size and approximately the same price, but, performs more functions.
The sound is awesome, the ease of use and the ability to accept different formats makes this the palyer for me. I am very pleased with the quality of the photos stored and access very easy to program. I have not been able to upload video clips and need to check for firmware updates, but, this was low on my list of priorities when I purchased the unit.
Overall, the construction, fit and finish of the unit is good. The sound and photo abilities are awesome. I would highly recommend this to any friend.
On: 2005-09-01
cool, and have two more function after upgrade the firmware.
1) the latest firmware do support Canon digital camera now
2) can use single line to connect to USB host port and transfer file, no necessary to bring the extend box with me everywhere
cons.
the power adaptor is only 110v, not 110~240v
On: 2005-08-26
Recently purchased this product.. its pretty decent and nicely packeged with powerful features.. the sound is great and the voice (upto 320bit mp3) and line recording (has only upto 128bit mp3 :( ).. has very high quality. the mic is pretty sensitive enough, and not all that bad on noise level. however, on the voice activated set to greater than level 0, your recording has little hiccups I guess when it senses the voice after a break, just like someone clicked or pressed a key.
unfortunately, it does not have digital audio out and video out, and preferrably i would love to have external mic input.
one small irritation i had while testing usb, when i copied folders full of subfolders with mp3 albums, into "playlist" would no show up for playing. the customer support was pathetic and their website would not register me .. though they said they sent me an email with uid/pwd. i am still waiting a response from [...]....[!].. I did resolve this by moving the folders to the "music" folder. mmm.. who would know this [my visual search on the manual did not reveal this information, may be i missed something]? I also failed to play all mp3 files from a folder or sub folder as an album (may be i need to do more rtfm].
another hardware feedback, is that the powersupply, usb2.0, and line in & out are from a flimsy unit (adaptor). this looks like it would break any time.. it has a cover (when shipped) that protects the slot, but the rubber material is not attached to the unit, and you could lose it anytime.. normally, units like this have an attached string that hangs on while the adaptor is in place. this is annoying after paying big bucks for this puppy.
what would have made this piece awesome?
1. built in or adapter for fm transmitter to atleast 20 feet/all possible range.
2. the adaptor could also house external mic, digital audio in/out, video in/out (min), or it could be separate adaptors for each function., as long as these adaptors have strong physical connectors [current one is not well engineered]
3. direct video recording to mpeg4
With these additions, at this price range, hopefully they can comeout with adaptors for the above, plus additional firware updates for the bugs, it can beat ipod hands down!..
but first, i would like their customer support and their website to respond in time! may be thats were ipod customers are happy.
little disappointed, since i dont want to return this product as the ipods dont have recording features, and iriver products dont have playbacks of ogg formats etc.
on a different note, i feel the iriver would have been a better choice [may be a green pastuer feeling]
On: 2005-08-26
This product is great!
The Screen is great! It is very crisp, colorful, clear, and very nice. The sound quality is excellent, and Jeteffect (EQ and much more) work wonders on your songs. The picture quality is very good, but you cant listen to songs while you look at pictures. This thing plays movies too! The quality is VERY high, and i was quite surprised. I tested it out and watched 30 minutes of Bruce almighty and Apollo 13 (30 minutes for each movie) and the quality is very good. The battery life is good, you can make playlists, oh and USB-OTG. very nice feature. I can put my CF card reader and download pictures, without a computer! also, this thing is drag and drop, very nice. With all the formats it supports, you shouldnt need to convert anything! great great great! I recommend it 100%!! A+!
On: 2005-08-17
Having recently purchased the cowon iaudio X5 (30 GB) I would not be so fast as many others to give it the label of "ipod killer".
Let me first tell you why I bought it: The X5 has slightly better sound quality than the ipod, which provides (according to many people who have used both, which I have not) for a noticeable difference when listening to the two players on comparable sound systems. It also supports far more file formats than the ipod, which means for me that I would be able to rip my CDs with either lossless sound (FLAC) or with better sound than MP3s for about the same bitrate (OGG). All the various audio enhancements (BBE, Mach 3 bass etc...) add to the overall sound that the X5 gives you leading, in the end, to the X5 being a better sounding player than the ipod.
The features are also great extras, but as Im sure you know about them already, I will not go into detail about them. I will however, tell you that the voice recording (the feature I most anticipated) gives a great deal of feedback, although it is a lot of fun to use. (If you need good sound recording, you can always buy an external mic anyways).
The X5 is also a slightly smaller and (in my opinion) better looking player than the ipod and is scratch resistant instead of scratch prone. However, the X5s small size means that it requires an adapter for charging, USB, line in and line out. If this adapter is lost, your player is useless. Getting a replacement is especially difficult if, like me, you live in Canada, and Cowon America will not deliver one to you.
The fact that the X5 is also plug and play is great, allowing you to download files off computers without installing any software or partitioning the hard drive (which the ipod requires you to do in order to use it as a portable hard drive).
Now for why Im not satisfied: Far from having "solid controls" and "a 5-way joystick, which is as good as Ipod", the iaudios physical controls are one of its biggest problems. The joystick is tiny and hard to manoeuvre, and even from my short use of the player I can tell that using it for long periods of time would be cause for annoyance and even border on causing mild physical pain. Although I have not heard of anyone else having this next problem, mine also shipped with a broken joystick, which would stick while moving it to the left. The play, record and power buttons are also on the side, which is slightly less convenient than the ipod (although I didnt find this to be much of a problem). Compared to the ipod and its click wheel (which also gives faster scrolling speed), the X5s controls are inadequate.
The iaudios other largest problem (the killer for me) is its interface. It is hard to navigate and cannot be searched by artist or album (this is a problem that cowon said they would change early August but hasnt) so you have to organize everything into folders on your computer by hand. Ideally, it would be good to do this anyway if you really respect your music collection, but if you have a lot of music on your computer this can be EXTREMELY time consuming. I have also heard it can be done with third party software but havent looked into this yet. It also displays the file name (eg. 02harvest.mp3) instead of the song name (Harvest) which can be a real inconvenience if your songs have messed up or inconsistent filenames (as many of mine do).
The last thing that I will say is that some of the MP3s on my X5 skipped. This was very odd and likely the result of corruption in the MP3s themselves (though an ipod played the same MP3s fine, though they were loaded onto the ipod earlier and may have been corrupted since then).
I have other things that I could write about the X5 vs. ipod debate, but I think that Ive been fairly thorough.
I think it really comes down to one thing: Take the X5 if you want a player that will perform better; giving you better sound and features. Take the ipod if you want something that is easier to use; giving you better physical controls and simpler software.
On: 2005-08-16
Having recently purchased the cowon iaudio X5 (30 GB) I would not be so fast as many others to give it the label of "ipod killer".
Let me first tell you why I bought it: The X5 has slightly better sound quality than the ipod, which provides (according to many people who have used both, which I have not) for a noticeable difference when listening to the two players on comparable sound systems. It also supports far more file formats than the ipod, which means for me that I would be able to rip my CDs with either lossless sound (FLAC) or with better sound than MP3s for about the same bitrate (OGG). All the various audio enhancements (BBE, Mach 3 bass etc...) add to the overall sound that the X5 gives you leading, in the end, to the X5 being a better sounding player than the ipod.
The features are also great extras, but as Im sure you know about them already, I will not go into detail about them. I will however, tell you that the voice recording (the feature I most anticipated) gives a great deal of feedback, although it is a lot of fun to use. (If you need good sound recording, you can always buy an external mic anyways).
The X5 is also a slightly smaller and (in my opinion) better looking player than the ipod and is scratch resistant instead of scratch prone. However, the X5s small size means that it requires an adapter for charging, USB, line in and line out. If this adapter is lost, your player is useless. Getting a replacement is especially difficult if, like me, you live in Canada, and Cowon America will not deliver one to you.
The fact that the X5 is also plug and play is great, allowing you to download files off computers without installing any software or partitioning the hard drive (which the ipod requires you to do in order to use it as a portable hard drive).
Now for why Im not satisfied: Far from having "solid controls" and "a 5-way joystick, which is as good as Ipod", the iaudios physical controls are one of its biggest problems. The joystick is tiny and hard to manoeuvre, and even from my short use of the player I can tell that using it for long periods of time would be cause for annoyance and even border on causing mild physical pain. Although I have not heard of anyone else having this next problem, mine also shipped with a broken joystick, which would stick while moving it to the left. The play, record and power buttons are also on the side, which is slightly less convenient than the ipod (although I didnt find this to be much of a problem). Compared to the ipod and its click wheel (which also gives faster scrolling speed), the X5s controls are inadequate.
The iaudios other largest problem (the killer for me) is its interface. It is hard to navigate and cannot be searched by artist or album (this is a problem that cowon said they would change early August but hasnt) so you have to organize everything into folders on your computer by hand. Ideally, it would be good to do this anyway if you really respect your music collection, but if you have a lot of music on your computer this can be EXTREMELY time consuming. I have also heard it can be done with third party software but havent looked into this yet. It also displays the file name (eg. 02harvest.mp3) instead of the song name (Harvest) which can be a real inconvenience if your songs have messed up or inconsistent filenames (as many of mine do).
The last thing that I will say is that some of the MP3s on my X5 skipped. This was very odd and likely the result of corruption in the MP3s themselves (though an ipod played the same MP3s fine, though they were loaded onto the ipod earlier and may have been corrupted since then).
I have other things that I could write about the X5 vs. ipod debate, but I think that Ive been fairly thorough.
I think it really comes down to one thing: Take the X5 if you want a player that will perform better; giving you better sound and features. Take the ipod if you want something that is easier to use; giving you better physical controls and simpler software.
On: 2005-08-14
Having owned two of the best hard disk-based MP3 players (in my opinion); Apples iPod and Cowons iAudio M3L, one of the them has provided me with a whole lot more functionality than the other - yes, the iAudio.
As a travelling musician and producer, the M3L has performed to abilities that iPod or any other DAP could simply not do. On-the-go stereo encoding in various bitrates, direct radio encoding.. just having a radio player helps when you dont want to listen to 20 gigs of music! The battery too, oh yes, now that is brilliant.
Cowon had to build on their success of the M3/L models and they sure have, the X5 has got everything and MORE. Beautiful colour screen with MPEG video playback is brilliant for encoding music videos and possibly movies too. USB on-the-go which again is brilliant from Cowon.
I have to finish off with two things, the sound and the overall satisfaction that the X5 provides.
As a music producer, I have a very good ear for sounds and output quality from sound sources. Compared to the iPod, the iAudio X5 provides a very rich sound, clear and full. If anyone has both players, youll know what im talking about.
Finally, overall satisfaction. The M3/L needed an onboard screen so that it could be compared to the norm of most MP3 players. The remote was slightly fiddly, but worked great and was easy to get around. The X5 has been upgraded in this department, it is you could say complete.
Cowon - WELL DONE!
On: 2005-08-12
as a mac user, I cannot use mini discs for quality portable audio recording. the iAudio is one of the FEW mp3 recorders which will work with a mac. Thus, I purchased one hoping it would perform as a high quality recorder and player. The device is limited because it does not record in WAV format (uncompressed). Altho iPod plays WAV it wont do live recordings except in mono with very low bit rate.
The line in requires a mic amp as well as the adaptor. Too many connections for a delicate device. The controls are too difficult and the device is too complex for easy use. Would depend on hard drive mechanisms only thru warranty period. Non removable battery, thus, a throw away. I would say the same for many such devices.
On: 2005-08-10
I am very pleased with the performance of this product. Everything works perfect and sounds great. The video playback is Excellent. I use it to play family guy and stuff like that. It can play the radio and record off it. I was at a Tom Petty concert and recorded the whole thing, it doesnt sound that great but its still cool cuz i have the concert now. Everyone I show it to thinks its crazy and way better than an Ipod. It can also in line record from a cd player. Way Better than and Ipod no question.
On: 2005-08-07
I have been extremely pleased with the performance of my x5 over the past months.
As the head of music at a camp in ohio, I used my x5 and an external mic to record the kids singing, then imported the recording onto my computer to mix with my voice, a guitar, bass, drums, etc...
The quality of the sound was flawless.
So much better than an ipod....
On: 2005-08-01
I bought this unit to record microphone audio. Unfortunately, it does not do that. But, it ended up being so incredible for other uses I loved it and kept it anyway. I use it to transport Final CUt pro video projects between home and work. The sound this unit has is a knockout and it records line in signals cleanly and of professional quality. The video screen looks nice and it all fits easily into a pocket. Downside is that theres a plug-in usb/line port you have to use for tranfers, but I think I can get over it because of the positives. Watch out IPOD!
On: 2005-07-29
After buying, testing and returning many mp3 players from Creative, Panasonic, another iRiver, Ive found one that I dont need a return receipt for.
The staple mp3 player that I base all my comparisons to is the iRiver ihp-120. This is one of the best players to ever have been made. Complete with fm tuner, 20g drive, line in/out, recorder, case, remote...I could go on. It has been hard for me to find anything to put it to rest.
Enter the iAudio X5 by Cowon. It does everything my 120 does and more. I honestly dont care about video/photo playback. I look to an mp3 player to sound as much as the original recording as possible on the road. This one is hands down awesome. The internal power is a bit more as the 120 as I noticed I had to turn down the volume from where I normally listen. Sound reproduction is fantastically original (especially with a good set of headphones/earbuds). What I love best is my computer recognized it right away as an external hard drive and I just sent all my music folders right to it. Downloading files to it also ranks as the fastest for mp3 players Ive messed around with.
What dont I like about it? Well, I think color sound written on the side of the screen is cheesy. Thats just symantics though. I havent found anything I really dont like about it and I use it every day for commuting. Battery life is fantastic (even better, 35hrs, if you get the L version). I think the navigation could be a tad better but this is a company that loves their customers. They already put out a new firmware download and Ill bet you can expect a few more in the future.
There is still no reason to buy an Ipoo these days when something like this is around.
On: 2005-07-17
I did an extensive research before buying MP3 player in 20GB category. Every time I returned back at Iaudio X5. For US market the name is not much familiar but it is superior to its rivals at the same price.
First of all, I do not want it to compare with the Apple iPod but media has given so much attention to iPod that it has become inevitable. So, just compare it with newly launched Apple photo iPod 20GB, Besides all that apple offers (photo color screen and MP3 player), it is lighter, it has voice recording, in-line recording (i.e. record from your LPs, audio cassettes, from online resources etc.) excellent FM reception and FM recording, The special BBE and 3D sound effects are great for enhancing quality of music.
Video: Earlier, I was a thinking that video on such a small screen will not be of any use but it is more than sufficient for personal viewing. This feature catches eye of everyone around you.
USB Drive: One another best thing is you do not need to install any software to connect it to a computer as you have to do in recently lauched iPod and sony hd5. Thus, you can use it as a mini hard drive and can transfer data from one place to another without bothering that the another computer should have drivers installed by using mp3 player and subpack included.
Text Readability/Organizer: The text reading feature is very useful. You can put down important phone numbers, things to do this week, grocery list and much more to use it as some sort of organizer.
FM and FM/Voice Recording: The quality of FM reception is amazing. In fact, you can even set timer to record your favorite program when you are not there or working on something important. This even has alarm function which you can set to start your favorite FM or MP3. The recording quality is good and it starts recording instantaneously.
USB Host: If your camera is USB TO GO compatible, you can even download pictures directly from your camera to your iaudio and reuse your memory of camera again. No need to buy larger size memory card. If you do not have such camera, this function not of much use to you.
However, it will take couple of days to get used to joystick and its functions but I think with so many features on it, one can manage to spend only half an hour using its manual to get familiar to take full use of your player.
It identifies ID3 tag but it stores according to folder which I personally feel convenient to use as I can arrange music in different folder on my computer and then can transfer. However, those who use ID tag for structuring their music collection, can use software to convert music to folder structure. Also, Iaudio is very regular in giving updates of their firmware so may be this feature is on its way.
If you want only mp3 player feature you can buy other players available, but if you are looking for feature filled digital mp3 player, iaudio x5 would be your best bet.
On: 2005-07-11
So Im doing tons of research on MP3 players and portable media players because Im moving to Japan in a few weeks and I thought it would be easier to just put all of my music onto an MP3 player. Through all of the research I kept coming back to the iAudio X5. I have had it now for about one week and I love it. Ive already put over a thousand songs and three videos on it. Very easy to use and the sound is incredible. Far better than my friends Ipod. Plus, if you are an audiophile and you happen to use FLAC codec then this is one of only two players that will support it. For the price, this little machine can not be beat.
On: 2005-07-09
Pros:
-Excellent Sound
-Plentiful Features
-supported file formats (OGG, FLAC, etc.)
-BBE and equalizer
-FM Radio (with recording)
-Voice and Line-In Recording
-USB Host
-Video playback and picture viewer (on a nice color screen)
-Amazing battery life (I have the X5L, which the the version with the larger battery life, it is supposed to last up to 35 hours, I have yet to see the battery drop below 50%)
-Looks Nice, feels solid
-Simple Controls, easy to navigate menus
-Can be used as a USB Mass Storage Device
-Reasonable Price (especially when considering how many features it has and compared to the iPod, Why would you even consider an iPod now?)
Cons:
-Lack of ID3 music mangement (shows ID3 tags when playing song, but cannot sort by tags to view a single artist, album, etc like other mp3 players do. But this may be addressed in future firmware updates, and you can always organize your music the way you want it on the computer before then transfer it to the X5 and it will remain that way)
-Not sold in stores (only available on Amazon.com, direct from the manufacturer, and a few other internet sites. This may change in the future, but for now it is a minor inconvenience of not being able to physical see before you buy, and if there were ever any problems it would take longer to ship it back and wait for repair than to just take it into the local Best Buy).
Other notes about the X5:
-some people dont like the subpack (this is a little attachment that plugs into the X5, it is for audio in/out USB, and AC adaptor), but I do. It gives the X5 a cleaner look and as long as your careful like I am it will not get lost.
-While it does play video, you have to realize that it is an mp3 player, and that the video is just a neat feature. If you are planning to watch a lot of video, I would recommend spending an extra $100 or 2 and getting a portable media player (Cowon is actually coming out with one "soon" which should be very good, called the A2). The video quality and screen is decent, but for heavy viewing purposes the screen is a bit small.
Bottom Line: If you want a top quality hardrive mp3 player for a reasonable price, that happens to have a color screen, play video, support various file types, and has many more options than the ipod and other players, then consider the Cowon iAudio X5(L). I did. I read all of these reviews before choosing the X5, and I am very satified with my decision.
On: 2005-07-04
To be honest, this is my first MP3 player Ive ever really experienced. I never really got to use an iPod before, and now, will never intend to. Thanks to my iAudio X5, I can do stuff that an ordinary iPod will never do.
This baby is very powerful. Though the size of a regular iPod, it can do alot of stuff. Heres what it can do:
-Play MP3s, WMA, OGG, FLAC music files
-View Pictures
-View text files
-Change the background to any picture you want. With its auto-resizing feature, you can put an 1024x768 picture on there, and it will automatically shrink itself down to fit. No need to manually configure the picture.
-FM Radio Tuner
-Ability to actually PLAY movies!
-Costs the same as an iPod (300 smackers), but can do a whole lot more
-Many features
-No need to download extra software in order to import your music files. Its all drag and drop!
-Customize your own equalizer for maximum sound playback
-Recording ability lets you record voices and radio playback!
-Ability to customize subtitles for your music
And the list goes on and on.
If you are a newbie to MP3 players and not really familiar with something this complicated or just dont have any common sence, this item is not for you.
Recommend this product?
Yes
Review taken from:
http://www.utterlyopinionated.com
On: 2005-07-01
I was real impressed when cowon first came out with this player. It seems like the best choice. Its got great sound, a color screen (smaller then perfect but good enough for the price tag), and does pretty much everything (inline recording, fm radio and recording, voice recording, movie playback, picture view) but in the time it took me to gather the money to buy this player the package has noticeably shrunk. No longer are the remote, cradle, and case free its another hundred bucks if you want all those items. I think that is a that ia low blow. What did we do iaudio to hurt you? If your not the first one to buy you get ripped off.. seems alittle shady. I just wanted everyone to take that into account before buying. Its a five star player but only with the accesories included thats why i give 3 stars.
just had to get that out there
On: 2005-06-17
Pros:
Great Screen, Sleek Design, Great video, picture display, FM Radio, Record voice, FM or Line-in, 30 gig capacity, extended 35 hour battery option, great sound, direct to some digital cameras
Cons:
Ergonomically inferior to IPOD, though some nice features
Full user opinion
At present there are two products that stand above all competitors - the X5 from iAudio and the Apple IPOD. I like them both, though personally use X5. The iAudio has the edge in everything but ergonomics, accesories. Its feature richness shames competition, especially Apple. But Apples ease of use may embarass them as well. Personally, I have the X5L 30gig, which is a bit thicker heavier, but offers 35 hour battery life.
Reasons to choose X5:
-If you like FM radio and the ability to record, buy this machine. I have found reception (in NYC) to be excellent. This was the biggest reason I didnt go IPOD.
-great screen, resistant to scratches as well
-Microphone record is handy and line in record will let you get other stuff
-Ability to play video (comes with simple conversion software to a 15 frame per second format that works nicely).
-good for displaying pictures
-Comes with good accesories
-high quality construction
-great value
-long battery life option
Weaknesses and reasons to think IPOD:
-not as well known as IPOD and Id check before buying as a gift for kids
-very high quality construction, but ergonomically it is not as well-designed and intuitive. Most of this you learn and get used and there are some advantages (ability to adjuct easily from pocket by feeling for pointer).
-hard to use buttons on sides during early stages of use (you will adjust over time - kinda like pointer vs. touchpad on laptops - but inferior a bit to IPOD)
-menu system pretty intuitive, but depending on how you start song,
-can customize skip setting, but to only one setting -either jump whole songs or 30 second increments (former is better for music, later is better for podcasts where you lose your spot or want to jump forward, also rock songs of 70s with overly long acoustic introducations)
-fewer accessories like direct docking into custom speakers that you can get with IPOD
Accessories to consider purchasing:
-spare adapter and cable so you can make full use of portable harddrive option
-car charger with FM transmitter is nice. It only transmits between like 106.7 and 107.9, but very simple to use and handy.
-headphones with volume adjustment on them. When going through menus you temporarily lose ability to adjust volume and buying a second set of headphones is handy to be able to directly turn down volume. It comes with very nice headphones by the way. (Note: Not an issue if you buy the remote).
-I am on the offense with the remote and would look at other reviews.
-docking port is nice, but normal adaptor does same and a spare is only $9.
Things to improve:
-leather case was very tight for x5l, which is thicker but as leather, it stretches over time. Minor quibble, but oddly case has no opening to connect to adapter while in leather case, so must take out to connect. I had my shoerepairmen cut a nice slot for it. Minor quibble, but Just dangerous to me as an accident could occur while out of sleeve.
-docking port or spare adapter to connect to computers is handy.
-ability to connect to TV to display pictures would be nice. slide show program for pictures would be nice (may have it and I missed it though).
On: 2005-06-09
For over the years, Since the Diamond Multimedia made its worlds first portable mp3 player the Diamond Rio(ancesterial DAPs are flash players, diamonds first one uses smartmedia), then comes its competitor, creative, samsung, and more. Later on after couple of years, Ipod Launched its Worlds First Hard Drive mp3 Player, soon Archos then made its first portable video player also plays audio. Over the years, many competitors Jumped into the DAP field to created the best Over many competitions, they created many different kind kinds and different style of player such as hard drive players we now also have the micro hardrive players (popular ones such as Apples Ipod Mini and Creatives Zen Micro) , flash players, mp3cd players, But recent years, Apple Ipod and Mini is the North Americas best selling Player across the country. Until Recently...... a quiet unsound company name Cowon has unleased popular outstanding mp3 players such as iaudio m3, iaudio U2, and now the most Outlandish, truely the DAP revolution in history.... The iAudio X5! This player Changed the way of peoples though, emotions, and ulitmately it will change the Worlds View about MP3!
Ever since the Diamonds first mp3 DAP came out, sonys worlds smallest MD player was still among the popularity until the ipods 4th generation and ipod mini came out, then Ipod sucessfully introduced the itself and mp3 to the world and made an new Great Leap Forward to the Next Geneartion of Portable Audio Player to popularity! (therefore MD is no longer popular) Other Popular Player such as Creative and iriver. but Cowon, the unsound undisputed King of mp3 DAP and its iAudio X5 has stepped into the New Realms and Break the Limited Boundary of DAP. iAudio can play not only mp3 and other iaudio player, but it can Plays Video too and additional feature such as View Photos, Text, mp3 Voice Recording, it supports multiple Language song title and names, as well as it has USB host for direct download such as pictures from digital camera, its also a Player that works tranfering music without using any softwares such as messy itunes, or something else. You can Also Use iAudio X5 as a Direct External Hardrive storing programs and loaded into your local PC with the USB Port, and best of all, iAudio X5 is the same size as the Regular Ipod 4th gen. and Ipod Photos.
Talk about the Sound, Iaudio has the Best sound and loudest Sound rarely ever any mp3 can now have. Voice Recording is set in mp3 and the voice radius is extraordinary wide. You can use that mp3 player as a business or college Lecture. Not just this player looks so Astounding cool, but You can do more with this little baby such as Stores important Files in your Player as Backup and Reloaded when needed. This Player is Durable, Small and Stellar but unsound. People who thinking of owning an ipod photo should reconsidering about iAudio X5! The Only think I dislike the iAudio X5 is if I ever needed a micro hard drive player or tinyier one. but The Size of this is already good enough, and playing the music has no skips!
Bottom Line, I give this 5 Stars. and You cant find any players as good as this one!
On: 2005-06-05
Im very impressed by the audio quality and how loud this player is. At the loudest level with my Sony EX71SL it is too loud for me which is very rare. It is also one of the few players out there that has a wide support of formats like lossless FLAC, APE, ogg Vorbis, WMA, MP3 high bitrate, and WAV.
This is not the player for the avg Joe, if you want to impress someone this player is it. If you are not a savvy user, you can get embarassed too by the amount of functionality such as alarm clock, wall-paper, JPG viewer, USB host function for transferring files with the Sony PSP!
No, its not Ipod. It doesnt use database feature which causes your regular freezes on Ipod and Tree file storage is the fastest and is the same storage system as your PC folders. Just drag and drop, no messy Itunes to use.
On: 2005-05-28
Cowon? You may not have heard of them (yet) but they make the best audio (iAudio U2) and audio/video (iAudio X5) players on the market. Their products put them in the same league as Sony and Apple.
Positives:
The first thing you notice about the iAudio X5 is the high-quality feel of its aluminum shell and how everything fits together perfectly, with solid controls.
The size is about the same as an Ipod Photo, but with the addition of a video display. The TFT type LCD is not the best you can get on a portable player, only 1.8 inches and 160x128 pixels, but the screen is bright and clear. Video playback at 15fps is good considering the display size.
Navigation is from a 5-way joystick, which is as good as Ipod and more comfortable than just about everything else.
FM reception and audio quality is excellent, close to gapless MP3 playback. Charges over both USB or AC adapter is a plus.
Negatives:
Does not support ID3-tag database.
Cannot view photos and hear music at the same time.
No video recording
No external volume controls
No video output!
Conclusion:
At its current price, the iAudio X5 has no direct competition.
I can only think of two reasons NOT to buy it:
1 - you want a TINY mp3 player (get a JetAudio iAudio U2)
2 - you want to output videos to a tv (still waiting)
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