- Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 35 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
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26 out of 27 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"The Future of Most MP3 Players"
Pros: Screen, value, codec support; file structure,
Cons: Relatively small hard disk size; currently only availabile from Cowon;
Summary: I have purchased nearly all of the major hard drive based MP3 players, iAudio, iPod, iRiver, Dell, Creative Zen. Without question the best of the bunch is the iAudio X5. I liked them so much I purchased 28 of them for Christmas presents for my staff.
So I am clearly biased in favor of iAudio products. I am really surprised and shocked as I believe the Cowon A2 is one of the best gadgets of 2005, but no major periodical has picked up on it. There was no mention of this in the best of articles by, PC Magazine, Wired, Popular Science or Time Magazine.
My guess it that the product was released too late to publication deadlines. Most unfortunate as there are many people who would have loved this for Christmas. I review two dozen gadget RSS feeds and knew this was coming and it was loaded with buzz. Unfortunately the only way you can currently purchase this is through Cowon directly. I purchase six of them from Cowon but without question it was the WORST nightmare online buying experience I ever had.
Their store usability is in the lower 5% of all websites. It will NOT let you purchase more than two of these units and their customer support staff is close to worthless in their ability to facilitate the purchase. The only option I had was to use my PayPal account. However, the A2 is so good it is worth overlooking the terrible Cowon US division. The Korean based Cowon company is a master of product design but has a LONG way to go to improve their US website.
But why did I purchase half a dozen A2s? After all that is why you are reading this. Well this is the way MP3 players should be. The 4 inch 480 X 272 screen is absolutely stunning with virtually no motion artifact and it has a relatively speedy 480 Mps file transfer rate over USB 2.0.
There really are currently only two other serious portable media competitors out there now Archos and Creative Vision. The Vision however can not record audio or video so it is not a serious candidate. I don't own the Archos, but the A2 sure looks better and the sound quality and sound effects on their MP3 players and the A2 is generally considered the best in the industry, they have an amazing 3-D sound effect, so I think the decision is a no brainer.
I personally do not use MP3 players much for music though as I listen to educational content so I can continue my education while I work out. This is one of the reasons why I find the iAudio products so wonderful. All you do is plug the USB connection into any Windows XP operating system and they are instantly recognized as a portable hard drive (no software uploads required) and you can easily transfer files into folders and create as many subfolders as you need to so your content is logically organized. Try doing that on an iPod.
But what about recording lectures? The X5 and the A2 have excellent internal microphones and can also record from line in jacks. They allow you to EASILY record seminars that you attend which is much more convenient than the Sony mini disc players. The iRiver also does a good job at this though. The other MP3 players I have used are dismal failures, and the iPod is the worst of the bunch. Not only do you have to purchase an optional accessory, but the sound quality is absolutely terrible.
Recordings made on the A2' or X5's excellent internal microphone are absolutely amazing and on par with mini disc recordings. I attend many seminars where recordings are prohibited, but this device easily allows you to record as long as you batter lasts. Since the screen goes blank no one knows that the device is recording.
The 10 hour video playback is ten hours and 18 hours on the audio make it convenient to watch two movies on a flight. But even if you run out of power you don't have to lug a charger with you, just a USB cable that you plug into any current notebook or desktop and it will charge your A2 right up. Doesn't get much sweeter than that.
Another surprise about the A2 is its size. While it is a hefty 10 ounces, it is very dense and easily fits into your pocket. Although it weighs two ounces more than my first MP3 player, the Creative Zen Nomad, it is far slimmer and does not seem like a brick that the Nomad did.
I never listen to FM broadcasts but the A2 does have an FM tuner installed. There is also a clock feature that lets you set alarms and schedule video recordings. The A2, unlike the Creative Vision, can record video from your TV, VCR and even your camcorder. Just connect to the device with the included cable and you are off to the races. No need to purchase video content like you do with the G5 iPod.
I believe the current firmware is buggy though as I loaded about 25 gigs of MP3 files on it and it the player would not boot up until I removed some of the files. I suspect that will be fixed with an easy firmware upload in the near future.
I read two dozen gadget blogs a day and go through over 1200 posts a week. I would have to vote the A2 the gadget of the year for 2005.
Is it perfect? No way. I would love to see a 100 gigabyte hard drive, the store on their US based web site is one of the worst web and it is currently the only place to buy it in the US.
However, if you can tolerate the imperfections the qualities I have identified above, in my view, far outweigh the downsides and make the iAudio A2 the gadget of the year. You will be the envy of your neighborhood and office once you purchase this puppy.
- 3 replies to this review
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I purchase the A2 based on GizmoDoc's opinion. I've had it one entire day and haven't been able to download anything on it yet. I am a novice at this sort of thing but can usually catch on. However, this is proving to be a tough sale. The instruction booklet is useless as is the website. They don't have a way to contact tech support direct. you have to leave your question on an open forum and wait for a response. I'm sure it'll get better but not before my trip in the morning.
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Hi, I don't know much about the pvp, and I wanted to know if the A2 can connect to a tv, dvd player, or vcr and play on your tv. Or can it only play through it's internal screen. If it doesn't have an AV output, is there a portable device that does? Thanks!
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I was considering the Zen Vision until I read your nicely done review. My main concern is the battery, though. If you could answer this, that would be great. Thanks!
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