- Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 67 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
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43 out of 45 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"All inclusive media manager"
Pros: awesome sound quality, video, price
Cons: no significant marketing to topple the i-pod
Summary: Well, I'd like to keep this as brief as possible, mainly because I am currently engrossed by the player itself (listening to some Thievery Corporation with my Sennheiser HD270 headphones on this amazing gadget), and would prefer just to sit back and enjoy the quality sounds from the x5L 30GB.
I bought my wife an IPOD 40GB for XMAS - having listened to it, after putting down big bills and glaring at the monochrome, uninspiring screen, I decided to wait until something better came around for myself. I am a regular subscriber to the Engadget and Gizmodo forums, and for months (felt like minthes), I languished as I read the hype about the I-pod and all of the coat-tail riding enthusiasts. "There must be something better," I reiterated for time - seemed eternal. Finally, I saw a little blurb about the iaudio-X5. It seemed to fill that void that playing with the Creative Zen Micro couldn't fill... (please read on, it gets somewhat better...)
With my nature of investigation my lifeblood (as a physician), and my spendthrift desire leading me, I Google'd A9'd all the data I could sequester about the X5. It all looked just too good to be true. I e-mailed the company for more data - specifically about the remote control - LCD & sweet like my old Sony MD player that I still think looks so Akihabara in these grungy NYC streets - they were very helpful. I still wasn't convinced until early June and a Tsunami of a bonus lead me to search out European web sites. Babelfishing through all available info, I found out about the X5L - 30GB w/ 35 hr battery life - perfect for those marathon OR sessions (I'm an anesthesiologist- a miniscule part of my job is to supply a sometimes stimulating, sometimes relaxing, sometimes conversational stream of sound while saving lives). I had to get it.
Well, here, at long last, is the review. If you have been searching all forums, all reviews, etc., etc., trying to decide whether or not to invest in this potential underdog - my answer is, resoundingly, YES!
Sound quality - 10/10 - depending on your headphones (do you really expect packaged headphones to sound good?)
Interface - User friendly and colorful
Screen Quality - Fascinating - I can easily watch a full length feature (May I suggest a TAkashi Miike film such as "Ichi the Killer--" completely bizzare, or "Wild Zero," headed by Guitar Wolf - We'll see what kind of audiophiles we have...) on the little screen - my wife is jealous currently - she's threatening to "drop" her I-pod as I remind her of the extended warranty I purchased for her (btw Apple's customer service sucks, if you haven't experienced it yet - think different, right).
FM Radio - you can change the feed when you visit Europe and drop mad cash on necessities
Voice recorder - great to catch your chairman making the un-pc remark... great quality...
text visualization - I use it to carry my current patient lab data - avoids the necessity of carrying my Clie around
Photo viewing - cheaper than I-pod photo, I can see my beautiful wife's glaring jealous Japanese visage (and corpus) at any time that I may get lonely. She's so sexy when angry...
Settings - very easy to configure...
I wish that I could come up with some nasty, undercutting, thing to say. Maybe its because I've travelled a bit and sampled technology, or maybe its because some of my best friends agree with me, or maybe its because this thing looks just so damn good (and runs nice and cool), but I can't find anything wrong with it.
"Why not a 10?" you may ask. Well, a "10" would denote perfection, and of course nothing is perfect, just as no player should deserve a "1," as some potentially entry - level slob has rated this item based on his/her mistaken purchase of an I-river. COWON could always improve this item beyond firmware (ie. OLED screen with projector and smartphone capabilities built in), but, as we haven't quite reached that stage yet, I am totally satisfied with the investment that I've made in the X5L!
To reiterate, I've bought and tried most of the other devices on the market, and I am SO VERY happy to have bought this lovely player!!!
CHEERS!
popemello.net
- 11 replies to this review
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It was your review I read almost 2 years ago that has helped me decide to buy COWON 5XL. Happy owner of 5XL 30G.
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Very good overview,however would like some opinions on specific items. Heard file management and access not too good. Finding songs by artist or album, or specific song. How costly is to to reolace internal battery. Why not easily replacable battery?
Never mention easily drag and drop of MP3 files, no special software needed. -
" she's threatening to "drop" her I-pod as I remind her of the extended warranty I purchased for her (btw Apple's customer service sucks, if you haven't experienced it yet - think different, right)."
I run six schools and have had no problem what so ever with Apple care. I would have to say once a month there might be a problem with a computer and either I send the computer in or a technician shows up and fixes the problem. It may be a logic board or monitor problems. Laptops are sent in and with-in three days they are back in my hands fixed and a great summery of what had been replaced.
As far as your experience I would have to put that on a person not a company.
I have an iPod video 60gb that I enjoy. I have just d/l "Weeds" talk about a twisted life. I have also d/l a few music videos. Like the iAudio I do not like the fact that I can?t replace the battery without getting out the special plastic tool the will not put abrasions on the case. Don't get me wrong I think that every manufacturer out there needs to have their five-ten minutes and then move aside and then maybe come back with something even greater.
Have a great day. -
Great review. I showed my daughter the reviews for this MP3 player and she finally decided that i-pod is not the way to go and wants this one, which is great as this is the one I would prefer to get her. Going to purchase it now. Once again thanks for the great review.
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can i get a pic of ur wife? <33
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I TOTALLY know what you've been experiencing with mp3 players. I too have owned a Creative Zen, and have returned it, flustered and dissappointed. Iriver as well, 2 models. For years I have refused to join the iPod hype. I also, as you did, caught little blurbs off foreign, usually asian sites, about the iAudio and couldn't believe my eyes. All I needed was a review like THIS to confirm the unthinkable. You have JUST made me purchase an X5. (I just confirmed the order on ecost.com). Thank you!
(By the way, if you like Thievery Corporation, try Mr. Scruff, The Quantic Soul Orchestra, Four Tet, and Lemon Jelly) -
i have also done a lot of research for my 1st mp3 player. lots of info and opinions out there, much of it , conflicting. thanks for a great review. looks like the iaudio is the way to go. i may wait for the new x5 60 gb to appear.
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I am returning the sony nw-hd5 tomorrow .....I have ordered the x5l , I hope its better than the mp3 players ive collected in the past
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I'm glad you know the concept of rating these things. I hate when people blindly hand out 1's and 10's.
I've been searching for the longest time now, and I thought I'd get an iPod with a few accessories for sound recording (I'd die if I found something that I could plug my guitar into). I have to say though, that I'm leaning towards the iAudio now. Preferably the X5L (as opposed to the X5) because crap battery life bugs the hell out of me.
I have to think about this and do a lot of research (trust me, I have) because I'm not loaded. This'll be my first Digital Audio Player, and I really want it to be worthwhile.
If you want radio, recording, pictures, and all of that good stuff, then you'll probably want this. Just don't be lazy, search and find the one right for you. -
Aw crap! It's summer vacation and I swore to myself I wouldn't read anything longer than 10 sentences...
THANKS ALOT!!! NOW I ACTUALLY READ SOMETHING MEANINGFUL DURING MY VACATION!!!
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A really admire your way of writing reviews. This comment of you really made me wanting to buy this product.
Thanks mate...
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