 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home >> Handheld & PDA Reviews: Cowon iAUDIO 7 Portable 8 GB MP3 Player (Red) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
 |
User Submitted Cowon iAUDIO 7 Portable 8 GB MP3 Player (Red) Reviews (cont...)Date: 2008-02-12 Great FLAC player I bought this because I wanted a flash-based digital audio player that would play FLAC files natively. (I have a 4G iPod with the Rockbox software installed, but Rockbox is frustratingly sluggish on my iPod and my iPod has occasional battery and disk issues anyway.) My observations are generally in line with what others have reported. It is smaller than I expected, and the screen is indeed tiny; it really looks like it's the size of a postage stamp, but fortunately it's clear and bright. I don't think this would be as good as, say, the iPod Shuffle for those looking for something for workout sessions based on the screen size and sensitive controls. The battery life is excellent; I haven't had to recharge mine even after several weeks of occasional use. The controls are indeed extremely sensitive, and there is a learning curve to using them (I accidentally kept setting an A-B repeat in the middle of a song instead of browsing the menu as I intended to do). If you are dissatisfied with the sound, there are several options to make it fit your taste (customizable equalizer settings, crossfade, MP3 enhancement, etc.). The capacity is of course nowhere close to a hard-drive-based player, but that's the price you pay for lossless audio. With a pair of ear canal headphones, this makes a very compact travel audio system. Date: 2008-02-09 Great Sound, OK Usability I've had the 8GB iAudio 7 for a few weeks. First, the good: - The sound quality is excellent, with lots of adjustments to tweak the sound to personal taste. I have used several players before, and this one is the most flexible. You can equalize (of course), bass-enhance, set the soundstage for varying 3d effect, etc. The only caution I'd give is that it's tempting to layer too many enhancements just because you can, and it is possible to overdo it. - Rated battery life is outstanding. I have not tested to the 50-60hr rated limit (I've read both), but in playing for many hours I haven't been able to budge the battery level meter. - Support for file types: Having FLAC and OGG support is not common, and allows the player to reach quality levels not possible by those only supporting AAC, MP3 and compressed WMA. - In MSC mode, can automatically execute a program when plugged into USB port. This is handy for easily starting a podcast download program when it's connected. I have had trouble setting this on other players. Needs Improvement: - The FF/REV slider is a cool concept that works ok, but it needs improvement. Others have commented that it's overly sensitive despite having three levels, and that's true. However, at any of the levels the performance is inconsistent. For example, I listen to long podcasts, and when fast-forwarding through commercials the player will sometimes revert to the start of the file. This is quite frustrating, since it can take over a minute to get back to the right point in the file, and of course it can happen repeatedly. Interestingly, it hasn't happened in the reverse direction. I returned one player due to this problem, but the replacement isn't much better. In summary, if you want top quality sound, there's no better player than this one (to be fair, other Cowons have similar features with less battery life). To maximize quality you'll need to buy top of the line earphones...I use Ultimate Ears and they're fantastic. I no longer carry around my bulky noise-cancelling headphones since they were bigger with inferior sound. If you want to store FLAC files, buy the 16GB unit or else you'll be limited to a couple hundred songs. Happy listening. Date: 2008-02-08 Every bit as good as advertised This product was everything it was advertised to be. The primary reason I bought the Cowon iAudio 7 was because of how much Cowon stressed it would be completely simple to use with Linux, and that is totally the case. Yeah, it is a little thicker than an iPod nano, but when it's still this small does it matter? And that extra thickness sure serves is purpose. Packed in the little device is an FM tuner and an outstanding battery. I've had mine now for 3 or 4 weeks, I take it to the gym and to work, and I've only had to charge it three times. The headphones that come with it are pretty cheap. I got a nicer pair and the sound is even better! Date: 2008-02-05 hearing in believeing I currently own a Sandisk e280 and this Iaudio 7 mp3 player. Sound quality on the I7 is by far much much better than the e280. The equalizer on the I7 is far superior also. Not only do you have presets but you can also create your own. It also has an advanced EQ settings where you can set the frenquencey of each band. Wide,normal and narrow waves are available for the EQ as well. You can delete a song as it is playing which is a great idea. The touch pads are not as sensitive after updateing the firmware. That by the way is really easy to do. Did an experiment on the battery life and got 36 hours out of it. Keep in mind though I kept the display on and had a set of speakers hooked up to it at the time. With normal use will get 50+ hours easy. The headphones used for sound quality testing were Sennheiser PX100,Grado SR 60, and AKG K 26 P. This little player was able to have punch on all three even the Grados. That is amazing from such a small unit. Only thing is I wish I had gotten the 16GB model. Update: 02/13/08. After normal use the battery life lasted 54 hours before it flashed red. This thing still gets a top vote to me. Date: 2008-02-03 Does what I want, and does it well! Pros 1. Phenomenal sound 2. No proprietary software 3. Excellent battery life Cons 1. Small screen 2. Thick First off, a little bit about myself and my mp3 player purchasing so you can properly evaluate whether this review will suffice your needs. I am a self-described audiophile who likes to listen to things with the best possible sound. I originally started out in the mp3 player market with a Creative Nomad Jukebox (had a 2.5" 6gb hard drive and ran on 4AA batteries for about 4 hours). I later upgraded to a Cowon iAudio G3 in 2004 or 2005. The play button no longer registers on the G3, so I started searching for a replacement. Design The device is similar in dimensions to a bic lighter, just a little wider and a little thicker (about as thick as a AA battery). I like the fact that the device has some dimension but weighs very little. The controls on the front of the device are touch sensitive. People have complained that it's too sensitive. I so far have not found this true, however when I keep it in my pocket, I use the hold button, which prevents accidentally skipping tracks. The cover over the USB port feels solid. As for the screen, it is small. Probably about the size of a postage stamp. I would not this device for video purposes. Also, the device is very glossy, which is very fingerprint prone. I have no case for the device, and I still have no scratches (although realize I have only been using for about 2-3 weeks at this point). User Interface This is the area where there are lots of differences between users. As mentioned above, the touch controls are sometimes rated to be too sensitive. However, one nice feature is that the user can adjust the hold button to permit the buttons on top of the player to continue to adjust volume as well as play/pause. As for file searching, I tend to use the folder mode, for two reasons: (1) I previously had the iAudio G3, and that device was only folder mode, so my music is organized in folders in a very easy to search way and (2) for whatever reason, Cowon does not have a way to use DPL (Dynamic Playlist - the ability to create a playlist on the fly) when using ID3 searching. Features This device has many features beyond just audio playback, but even with audio playback, it can playback more than just mp3 and wma. It also can playback ogg and flac. It can play video files (I hear that a conversion is required to put it on the device, but I have yet to use this for video). In addition, it can record both voice and line-in. I hear that the line-in recording (wire not included) will automatically start new tracks when there is a gap in the music. There is also a radio with decent reception and, if you are listening and hear a song you like, you can record. Performance Music Transfer is purely drag and drop. No need for any proprietary software. And all very good is that the device uses standard mini USB, not a proprietary software. First off, let's get this out right here - I have NEVER opened the earbuds that came with the device. I am listening to is using my Sennheiser PX100 (entry level portable headphones). One of the main reasons I purchased this device was my level of satisfaction with the G3. It sounds absolutely phenomenal. It's almost like having a portable stereo system. Between BBE, Mach3Bass, and customizable EQ, this device sounds amazing. As for other playback features this device has (video, pictures, text, etc.), I have not used tested this device. As mentioned earlier, the screen is very small, so it probably is not the greatest device for these other options. Summary If you are looking for a device for quality audio playback, look no further. This device sounds phenomenal, especially when paired with a good set of headphones.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Contact Us | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ©2004 SimplyHandhelds, All rights reserved. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
