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I bought this as an update to the Cowon D2 8gb I currently own. Neither does 2.57, the most recent firmware from the Cowon website. I listen almost entirely to audiobooks, half from Audible, half as mp3 files from groups such as librivox. Unfortunately, the firmware for this player (version 2.54, if memory serves) does not display the titles of Audible files in the music list. I installed 2.51, the version running on my 8gb player, and it does display the titles of Audible files -- but unfortunately, it only recognizes 8gb of space, rendering this 16gb player a rather poor upgrade. If you listen to audio books, my advice remains the same: get the 8gb version and install version 2.51 of the Cowon firmware.
Probably best-in-class.4. I have also purchased a 60GB Toshiba Gigabeat and a 16GB Creative Zen and this beats them both.2. I have been using it hard since then and I am TOTALLY satisfied.1. My Gigabeat had stopped working within months of purchase.5.
There are almost infinite options for tweeking it just to your liking. I did tons of research before purchasing this unit in August 2008 and based upon the reviews and comparisons I read my choice was easy. Reliability: Great. Screen: Video playback is quite good for a screen this size.This Unit goes with me on my runs. Earbuds: I don't know if I got the last good pair of COWON earbuds but I actually like the ones that came supplied with the unit.
Has never skipped a beat. A few miles 3 times a week. Sound Quality: You must be tired hearing it by now but the sound quality on this thing is awesome. Touch screen User Interface: After a very short learning curve it becomes second nature & intuitive.6. They give better sound reproduction than my Sennheiser MX500s that I bought when I had my Gigabeat.3.
Battery Life: Great. Screen: Photo reproduction is great and pictures can be manipulated via the touch screen and can be set as your wallpaper.7. I also use the Sony Mdr-As20J Active Style Headphones with Soft Loop Hangers (Black)and the Cowon D2 JAVOSkin - Soft Low-Profile Case (Black)and together, these 3 represent the best piece of excercise equipment I ever bought.
- This is a very solidly built product. I fired up the OCD while researching the replacement, as I tend to do, and settled on the D2 for a few reasons: - Ridiculous battery life- Non-proprietary connector: can charge via wall outlet, can connect to any computer- Appears as a USB drive on any machine and can have music loaded and offloaded at will (I'm a Mac user, which limits mp3 player options somewhat)- A bunch of extras like voice recording, FM radio, etc. Cowon has clearly put a lot of thought into its design.- The battery life was, as expected, ridiculous. After a couple of months of using it, I sold it on CraigsList. Very intuitive and easy to figure out. The D2 unfortunately did not meet this basic requirement. For instance, if you have a track playing and want to browse around for something else, unless you actually select that track, as soon as the screen turns off it will boot you back to the root folder of the current track with no way to go back to where you just were.
It (my model, anyway) seems to have some sort of bizarre allergy to id3 tags: everything has to be absolutely perfect or it won't read the track order correctly. I realized that my main reason for owning an mp3 player at all is to play mp3 files and other audio files with minimal hassle, in the right order, with track names and album art and all that intact. I have a large and very well-organized music collection and don't like listening to my favorite albums with everything out of order. If you're picky about the way your music is organized and want a player that will maintain tags, track order, and other details, you might be better off with an iPod or something else.
I made the move to Cowon from a 30 GB video iPod that was on its last legs. Sounds like a small matter, but it could be pretty maddening sometimes. There may be a lot of anti-iPod sentiment out there, but Apple has their UI stuff pretty well nailed down. What's with my 4-star rating, then. There are work-arounds out there but most of them seem to be quite a hassle to figure out. There are solutions to all the problems I mentioned, but I frankly didn't feel like putting in the time to figure them out. Why. I charged it once in the first month I owned it, and that after relatively heavy daily use.
The other deal-breaker was lack of.aac support: I have quite a few iTunes-purchased albums in my collection and had no way to play any of it with the D2. The interface and menu system are both serviceable, albeit a little obtuse and potentially frustrating. - I would liken the D2 to older versions of Linux: if you're into browsing forums and figuring things out on your own, those aspects of the player that I found frustrating probably wouldn't bother you much. If you tend to listen to things more haphazardly or just throw playlists together for the car, you'd probably be fine with the D2.
I have been using the player for about 2 months.Unlike the new S9, which costs about 33% more, everything you need to charge and begin using the D2 is included in the box.The size of the player is to me ideal. The flexibility to adjust the sound using EQ, BBE, and some other tweaks is a great addition and allows one great flexibility to match one's individual listening preference. With the Cowon, I have noticed increased detail in much of the music I've played so far as compared with prior devices I have used and am enjoying the music much more. Ex, 1) a random album that plays in the correct order on other players will not play in the same correct order on the D2. Music clarity and enjoyment is great at what I would consider low volume, though I have noticed no deterioration in quality when I've pushed the player to much higher volumes.
2) Songs that seem on my desktop or other players to be properly identified by song title may be listed as only "Track xx" ("xx" = a number) on the D2. 5) No ability to set up playlists other than the Dynamic Playlist (DPL) on the player (that's one playlist). The DPL function works fine but many people might miss the ability to set up their own multiple playlists.The desktop SW, except for video file conversion, is not useful to me.A final plus is that the device is easily recognized as an external storage device by my PC. The screen wipes clean easily when necessary.No freezes, reboots, or other firmware malfunctions have occurred.Sound quality is, as advertised, extremely good.
The feel is relatively substantial, not cheap or "plastic." A stylus is included for the touch screen but it's been easy to just use my finger. Video and other functionality is secondary. 3) The player won't play an album such as "Dark Side of the Moon" where tracks blend into each other without a space between the tracks (my prior player could handle that easily). My priorities are quality audio and stable firmware. There are also some weird quirks that I have not solved. I use Bose noise-cancelling headphones nearly all the time, even when the noise cancellation is not required, because I enjoy the sound quality.
This also allows perhaps a way around the playlist issue by allowing one to create a folder of songs which can then be selected on the player.I recommend a protective cover. The included desktop software will allow conversion of video files you do have to a format playable on the D2 and is very easy to use.The interface is a little clunky and one has to learn it by trial and error as there is no real helpful manual (there are a couple of forum sites available where you can find tips). The Cowon D2 16G is a pleasant surprise, not without some small negatives, depending on what is important to you in a music/video player.To put my review in proper context: I use the player mostly in one place, so I am not concerned with "mobility" issues such as being able to control the player by touch while walking, running, etc. Upon playing the song the proper info, album art, etc. is visible.
4) If you have navigated to a track you don't seem to be able to get detail on that track without playing it.
This is a negative, small for me but possibly more meaningful to others.
I purchased the form-fitting leather cover for around $20 from Cowon (JetAudio).
I feared it would be too small but it fits nicely in the palm of the hand - too large to misplace easily, not too large to just keep in a pocket.
I am a fan of these types of cases for electronic devices and it offers excellent protection and access to all features.I would buy this player again as it delivered what I had hoped for - great audio quality and (despite the minor issues I noted) fairly trouble-free use.
In short the audio quality and features are worth the price of this player.The video quality is outstanding and the screen is surprisingly easy to watch, but there does not seem to be too much in the way of Cowon-ready legal video available.
Navigation is not too difficult but frankly was easier on a prior player I had used which was several years old.
This allows drag and drop functionality through Windows Explorer.
At $160-$170 on Amazon it's a great value.
This is a fantastic MP3 player. Amazing battery life, drag and drop loading, no software required, nearly every codec supported, unbelievable sound quality. If you buy an IPOD instead of the Cowon, you're probably an idiot or you just didn't research it well enough. The only issue with the Cowon is that it's not easy to find, but you won't be disappointed if you get one.
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