Does anyone have a Cowon J3?

Wightknight

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Would you recommend it? I want to replace my iPod Classic with a new player. I don't want another Classic and I don't like the look of the new Nano. I tried one of the 5th Gen Nanos, but was disappointed by the audio quality, even using replacement 'phones (CX 500s). I am looking for a player with really good audio, at least 16GB capacity and the ability to play videos would be a major plus. Any ideas?
 

Clare Newsome

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Erm. iPod Touch
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A

Anonymous

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I've got a similar dilemma right now and for no particular reason would probably prefer to avoid Apple but only if I can get a good alternative. Cowon is an option for me, J3 or the V5, but also the newest version of Archos 5 seems to get much better reviews now the firmware updates have sorted out teething problems, and there seems to be a straightforward hack into Android marketplace. Also some good prices on Amazon for that one, presumably since the new range is out soon. When that range comes out the Archos 43 might also be an option - with a 32Gb micro SD card to boost the 16Gb internal storage.

Decisions, decisions...!ÿ
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A

Anonymous

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A couple of months ago, I sold off my Classic because I wasn't happy with the sound quality, and I had had enough of iTunes and Apple trying to kill all my humanity off so they could replace me with a robot zombie clone iMe.

I got a 32gb J3 instead and couldn't have been happier. Great touch screen, easy UI, drag and drop file storage (I use MediaMonkey, which is ace), cool form factor, buttons on the sides for pocket access to volume, hold play and pause etc, flac compatibility, upgradeable memory with sd card, and - get this - actual user customisable EQ, with brilliant JetEffect 3.0 and BBE+ enhancements.

This ability to tweak the sound coming out of the J3 is a real clincher for me - Apple suck to the max for having such arsetastic presets and no custom eq, and Cowon give you so many options for pimping your choons its untrue. Now I have beautiful music playing every time I put my headphones (Etymotic HF5s - probably the best bang for pound iems on the market) in my ears.

I say break that Apple umbilical and make the adult choice of Cowon.
 

hammill

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bennyboy71:

A couple of months ago, I sold off my Classic because I wasn't happy with the sound quality, and I had had enough of iTunes and Apple trying to kill all my humanity off so they could replace me with a robot zombie clone iMe.

I got a 32gb J3 instead and couldn't have been happier. Great touch screen, easy UI, drag and drop file storage (I use MediaMonkey, which is ace), cool form factor, buttons on the sides for pocket access to volume, hold play and pause etc, flac compatibility, upgradeable memory with sd card, and - get this - actual user customisable EQ, with brilliant JetEffect 3.0 and BBE+ enhancements.

This ability to tweak the sound coming out of the J3 is a real clincher for me - Apple suck to the max for having such arsetastic presets and no custom eq, and Cowon give you so many options for pimping your choons its untrue. Now I have beautiful music playing every time I put my headphones (Etymotic HF5s - probably the best bang for pound iems on the market) in my ears.

I say break that Apple umbilical and make the adult choice of Cowon.

Sounds interesting. How would the J3 be for joggiing?
 
A

Anonymous

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hammill:bennyboy71:

A couple of months ago, I sold off my Classic because I wasn't happy with the sound quality, and I had had enough of iTunes and Apple trying to kill all my humanity off so they could replace me with a robot zombie clone iMe.

I got a 32gb J3 instead and couldn't have been happier. Great touch screen, easy UI, drag and drop file storage (I use MediaMonkey, which is ace), cool form factor, buttons on the sides for pocket access to volume, hold play and pause etc, flac compatibility, upgradeable memory with sd card, and - get this - actual user customisable EQ, with brilliant JetEffect 3.0 and BBE+ enhancements.

This ability to tweak the sound coming out of the J3 is a real clincher for me - Apple suck to the max for having such arsetastic presets and no custom eq, and Cowon give you so many options for pimping your choons its untrue. Now I have beautiful music playing every time I put my headphones (Etymotic HF5s - probably the best bang for pound iems on the market) in my ears.

I say break that Apple umbilical and make the adult choice of Cowon.

Sounds interesting. How would the J3 be for joggiing?

Depends where you want to keep it on your body! It's a very slim player, so perfect for pockets, and you can easily change tracks and volume etc when on the move without looking at the screen. Battery length is great too.
 

Wightknight

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I decided to take the plunge and buy the J3. I was pleased to get it on Amazon for £167 but the price has now gone up to £199. Here are my thoughts:

What do I like about the Cowon J3?

(1) The sound quality is excellent. It is every bit as good as all of the reviews I had read and even an improvement on my old iPod Classic.

(2) Video quality is very good. The Amoled screen is extremely good and watching movies on such a small screen works surprisingly well.

(3) The option of adding MicroSD cards is really useful. I have added a 16Gb card. I would have liked a 32Gb card, £80+ is just too much!

The downsides are:

(1) The bundled software is horrible. I hate to say it, but iTunes is much better. I have used MediaMonkey and got it working fine now, but even this is not software for the faint-hearted. It will work with WMP or just dragging and dropping files, but these options create other issues that are not always easily solved.

(2) The UI is OK but inconsistent. Compared to the relative simplicity of Apple products, the J3 feels clumsy.

(3) Managing podcasts is a pain. Listening to podcasts makes up almost half of the time I use my mp3 player and the J3/MediaMonkey combination is nowhere near as good as iPod/iTunes.

(4) Now that the Amazon price has gone up, the cost of the 16Gb J3 plus a 16Gb MicroSD card is much the same as a 32Gb iPod Touch.

One tip: Although the J3 can play AAC files, it will not use the tagged information properly. Before syncing the J3, convert any AAC files to MP3 and you will find it all works much better.

In conclusion, I love the J3 for its music and video capabilities and this allows me to forgive it its minor drawbacks.
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
Wightknight:
I decided to take the plunge and buy the J3. I was pleased to get it on Amazon for £167 but the price has now gone up to £199. Here are my thoughts:

What do I like about the Cowon J3?

(1) The sound quality is excellent. It is every bit as good as all of the reviews I had read and even an improvement on my old iPod Classic.

(2) Video quality is very good. The Amoled screen is extremely good and watching movies on such a small screen works surprisingly well.

(3) The option of adding MicroSD cards is really useful. I have added a 16Gb card. I would have liked a 32Gb card, £80+ is just too much!

The downsides are:

(1) The bundled software is horrible. I hate to say it, but iTunes is much better. I have used MediaMonkey and got it working fine now, but even this is not software for the faint-hearted. It will work with WMP or just dragging and dropping files, but these options create other issues that are not always easily solved.

(2) The UI is OK but inconsistent. Compared to the relative simplicity of Apple products, the J3 feels clumsy.

(3) Managing podcasts is a pain. Listening to podcasts makes up almost half of the time I use my mp3 player and the J3/MediaMonkey combination is nowhere near as good as iPod/iTunes.

(4) Now that the Amazon price has gone up, the cost of the 16Gb J3 plus a 16Gb MicroSD card is much the same as a 32Gb iPod Touch.

One tip: Although the J3 can play AAC files, it will not use the tagged information properly. Before syncing the J3, convert any AAC files to MP3 and you will find it all works much better.

In conclusion, I love the J3 for its music and video capabilities and this allows me to forgive it its minor drawbacks.

Good stuff. Surprised you have issues with the UI or Media Monkey - both seem pretty simple to me.

[EDITED BY MODS - HOUSE RULES]
 

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