Cowon iAudio M3 user reviews (silver, 20GB, with cradle)

4.0 stars

"Great little player, lot's of features, too much cabling." on March 11, 2005 by tracksuit

Pros: Compact, Easy to use, FM radio, Line In, Updatable Firmware, Stylish, Remote (sometimes a pro, sometimes a con)

Cons: No screen on body, Excessive amount of cabling, USB and other plug jacks (without using cradle) are only available on an adapter that must be plugged in.

Summary: I picked up this unit over Christmas and have enjoyed it nearly every day since doing so. The biggest "issue" I have with it is that it doesn't have a screen on the main unit which can become a little cumbersome at times when you are operating it in hand. However, 75% of the time the player is in my pocket or resting nearby, making the remote actually quite handy. My problem is not so much with the remote interface either, but rather the excessive length of cabling used to attach the remote. Chances are you'll end up bundling at least half of the cable up into a loop as I have, and the bulk created by this basically counters the benefits of the units small size.
Other than the minor remote issues, this player is a standout in every other area. It's features (FM radio, Line in recording, Mic recording, upgradeable firware, disk space, price, etc...) are all useful and unmatched by the competition. In fact, the extra features and low price are what sold me on this over the IPOD.

After using both the iaudio and IPOD, I would say that the IPOD is unmatched in it's quality and design, and would actually be a better choice for most music enthusiasts. But if you want a more versatile, less expensive, high quality MP3 player, this is a great choice.

2.0 stars

"Nice body, no brains" on March 4, 2005 by otisboyNY

Pros: great case, good price, great extra functions, nice onboard recording

Cons: crashes all the time, complicated User Interface, useless random functions, hard to find specific songs, laughable playlist function, quizical firmware updates

Summary: The body of this little tiger is brilliant, sleek and silver. I bought it because it appeared to have a lot of bang for the buck. I think they made some sacrifices in making it smaller than the ipod. While I like the external controls, the postage size screen is quite hard to use. In addition, not being able to plug in the power or usb hook up without an adapter or cradle was a big mistake. I've saved the worst for last, the software for this is abysmal, it crashes all the time, the firmware is hard to update (and it once stopped working when i tried to update it). The playlist is useless. The random play resets and repeats itself (I have 3,000 songs on this, why do I keep hearing the same songs over and over again?). The user interface is beyond confusing, I’m a pretty technically literate guy and every time I pick this up, it's like the first time. Frankly, I wouldn't buy this again.

4.5 stars

"Ultimate 'Mobile' HDD player" on April 13, 2005 by torps

Pros: Inline remote, Size, Sound Quality, Ease of file transfers, Quality build.

Cons: Navigation not intuitive, jog dials not up to par with rest of unit

Summary: With the main body stored away and the remote at your fingertips this is the BEST HDD player available for ppl on the go. The remote is an absolute necessity for on-the-fly volume adjustments and song selections. If you commute on the train, bus or walk the streets, you understand the need for adjusting the volume more than a few times per trip. With the remote, you don't need to constantly remove your player to change your settings. The sound quality is excellent (esp. with Sony MDREX71). Highs are clear and bass is crisp and thumping. Setup is super easy. If your files are well organized on your computer, you could fill up the M3 in five minutes and be ready to go. The only cons are the initial learning of the navigation, and the jog dials(on the remote) which dont feel up to par with the quality of the rest of the player. I've used an iPod on several occasions and the navigation is definetly tops in every category of mp3 player. The click wheel is ingenious. If your the type of person who predominately listens to their player at the office or home, then the iPod would probably be a better choice, at the expense of sound quality. Though, the iAudio M3 is hands down the best choice for the mobile listener.

4.0 stars

"the specs people, the SPECS" on October 1, 2004

Pros: looks nice, its light, small and has many features like fm radio. Also gives you alot of controll over how it sounds. im tired of reading reviews that say it sucks compared to ipod becuase of the lack of screen, none of that matters to me, its how it sou

Cons: maybe the screen like everybody says, but i have owned 6 different portable players, and when a remote controll is suplyed i always use that instead of onboard screen, its just easier and faster- thats the whole point of a controll.