why ipod?

[robolowski]

Considering most of us on this forum are aiming for sound quality , I have noticed that people on here are buying ipods mp3 players. I prefer cowon players simply because they are superior over ipod. So why would you buy ipod?
Your thoughts...

 

[Anonymous]

Super slick user interface that makes it easy to use and great athestics. Plus with decompression techniques like DMAX on my AVR it doesnt sound too bad either. And the simplicity of AirPlay helps too, even my 7 year old can use it to play music. My son also buys games from iTunes for his iPod touch that cost a lot less than on his 3DS, and uses FaceTime with his best mate. It's a multipurpose device IMO.

 

[John Duncan]

Because given £150 worth of headphones any difference in audio wouldn't be worth worrying about compared to app support, dock compatibility, AirPlay and UI. If you stick with the supplied apple phones, of course, you get what's coming to you...

 

[Paul.]

Is it that surprising that not many have the Cowan considering you cant see it in a shop? The whole philosophy of this board seems to be demo, demo, demo some more yet you have to take a leap of faith with this player.

 

[The_Lhc]

Why-ipod - the Geordie mp3 player...

 

[Lee H]

Why-ipod - the Geordie mp3 player...

 

[Lee H]

Best compromise between ease of use, portability, support and quality. I only want to carry one device with me. My iPhone does that.

 

[The_Lhc]

Why-ipod - the Geordie mp3 player...

Well if you liked that one:

Apparently Geordies are leaving showings of Warhorse upset because the film was not in fact about their horse. #shamelesslynickedfromtwitter

 

[nads]

Considering most of us on this forum are aiming for sound quality ,

thats what the Stereo if for.

the iPod is for when at work or shopping. Hardly the places for listening to sound quality.

 

[Anonymous]

If you take into account the amount of Apps you can now get and it's WiFi connectivity, the iPod's functionality is second-to-none.

All the music on my iPod is lossless anyway so the sound is pretty good.

 

[AlmaataKZ]

because ipod touch has internet, apps and itune store on it. also, as an option, it has a mobile phone on it. so, one box = lots of use.

 

[robolowski]

Because given £150 worth of headphones any difference in audio wouldn't be worth worrying about compared to app support, dock compatibility, AirPlay and UI. If you stick with the supplied apple phones, of course, you get what's coming to you...

I use senheinser ie7 and that's why i choose cowon over ipod. It's a massive difference between the two.

This happened when i wasted 100 odd pound on 4th gen ipod and two hours later i had given it to my brother... for free.

Worst experience in my 'hifi' portable journey.

 

[robolowski]

Is it that surprising that not many have the Cowan considering you cant see it in a shop? The whole philosophy of this board seems to be demo, demo, demo some more yet you have to take a leap of faith with this player.

I agree whit you Paul. For some reason it's hard to get hold of cowon's players in shops . That might as well be the case , that people go for ipod , when nothing else is on shelf ... as shiny.

But then , one can return a product purchased online when not happy with it . I read loads of reviews about almost anything , and when i came accross cowon i took plunge and i was left speechless when played it for the first time!

I used to use it with UE5vi pro and that was truly amazing experience. Now i've changed earphones to sennheiser IE7 and they are mind blowing quality!

One thing i've noticed with them , is the soundstage , similar to proper hifi and it's really wide!

 

[robolowski]

Considering most of us on this forum are aiming for sound quality ,

thats what the Stereo if for.

the iPod is for when at work or shopping. Hardly the places for listening to sound quality.

TBH i hate shopping but with cowon i can do it all day and yes mp3 can give you an impression of a real hifi.

Obviously when teamed up with great cans.

 

[chebby]

At least you're happy now.

I'm extremely happy with the quality of my iPhone (using iTunes and iPlayer and 'TuneIn Radio Pro' through Airplay and my M-CR603).

Even if i'd decided on a different phone, I would have bought an iPod Touch.

I'm afraid I can't comment on headphone performance as I detest using headphones, so all my comments relate to audio performance that bypasses the iPhone's internal DAC bits.

 

[robolowski]

At least you're happy now.

I'm extremely happy with the quality of my iPhone (using iTunes and iPlayer and 'TuneIn Radio Pro' through Airplay and my M-CR603).

Even if i'd decided on a different phone, I would have bought an iPod Touch.

Thanks chebby i am indeed :dance: !

I know where you are coming from . One do all for you, convinient and versetile. But in my opinion cowon is a much better when it comes to sound reprodution and details , clarity etc.

I find ipods not so good in that department , but like you said , it does a lot for you.

As for iphone i don't think that it last longer than 1 day when you listen to music on it and that would be a big no for me when it comes to charge mp3 so often.I prefer separate player.

Perhaps a bit more things in pockets but it's worth it ...at least for me.

It's another point for cowon! My player needs charging every 50 hrs of playback and that would be every 2 weeks for me , just perfect , charge and forget about it for long time!

 

[robolowski]

If you take into account the amount of Apps you can now get and it's WiFi connectivity, the iPod's functionality is second-to-none.

All the music on my iPod is lossless anyway so the sound is pretty good.

Just play and listen to music...for the rest of duties it'll be my laptop or phone when on a go.

 

[chebby]

But in my opinion cowon is a much better when it comes to sound reprodution and details , clarity etc.

I find ipods not so good in that department...

In my case your point is moot.

I am only hearing AAC files transmitted (in digital) directly to a DAC housed outside of the iPhone, whereas you are commenting on the respective performances of the internal DACs and analogue output stages (for earphones).

If you were to bypass the DAC/analogue output stage in your Cowon and transmit the MP3 files straight into a DAC then there would be little or no difference.

The same goes if I were to plug my iPhone (or your Cowon) into the USB socket on the front of my Marantz. They would both be presenting an unconverted stream of digits and probably sound as identical as an AAC and MP3 file can. (Although whenever I have heard MP3 vs AAC I have preferred AAC especially when the BBC went over to AAC for all of their iPlayer radio material.)

However, I appreciate you are making the point about earphones on iPods/iPhones vs Cowons and so I will have to take your word for the Cowon's superiority in this respect.

 

[professorhat]

It seems WHF don't share your opinion of the superiority of Cowon players - clicky.

Have done a quick google and haven't found any other reviews with a greater than a 4/5 rating for the Cowon, suggesting you can do better (whether that's an iPod / iPhone is up for debate, though the reviewers seem to think so on the whole).

Even if you ignore the reviews though (I'm sure some people will naturally assume Apple has paid them all), a lack of demo facilties to actually try the players out means Cowon are hardly doing themselves any favours in refuting this...

 

[robolowski]

If you were to bypass the DAC/analogue output stage in your Cowon and transmit the MP3 files straight into a DAC then there would be little or no difference.

The same goes if I were to plug my iPhone (or your Cowon) into the USB socket on the front of my Marantz. They would both be presenting an unconverted stream of digits and probably sound as identical as an AAC and MP3 file can. (Although whenever I have heard MP3 vs AAC I have preferred AAC especially when the BBC went over to AAC for all of their iPlayer radio material.)

I agree with the above and must say in that case there will be next to none audible difference . And i use cowon through usb on my marantz cd as well :star:

 

[robolowski]

It seems WHF don't share your opinion of the superiority of Cowon players - clicky.

Have done a quick google and haven't found any other reviews with a greater than a 4/5 rating for the Cowon, suggesting you can do better (whether that's an iPod / iPhone is up for debate, though the reviewers seem to think so on the whole).

Even if you ignore the reviews though (I'm sure some people will naturally assume Apple has paid them all), a lack of demo facilties to actually try the players out means Cowon are hardly doing themselves any favours in refuting this...

That's another thing i was going to mention about WHF reviews . I appriacate that every or nearly every aspect is taken into consideration by WHF team when they review such product , but to me main criteria should be in following order :

1. Sound quality

2. Battery life

3. Easy of use

4. Functionality

5. Gadgets etc

For me only the first 2 come into the game , when SQ is outstanding the rest of them no matter anymore. And i think WHF takes it all into mix and that's why 3 or 4 stars max for cowon.

I must say cowon's UI isn't the easiest one compare to ipod , but i would still pick cowon .

 

[robolowski]

I wonder how many of you had a cowon player and would still claim that ipod sounds better ?

 

[Paul.]

I don't think anyone is trying to claim it sounds better than the Cowan. I think they are trying to tell you that a small loss in audio quality is worth it in exchange for a pretty decent camera, an Internet and email client, a pretty decent sat nav and a wireless media streamer amongst other things. I for one won't go back to carrying several devices with me.

 

[bigboss]

That's why there is a market for everything; depending on your preferences. When I buy an iPod, I know that there are mind boggling number of docks & other accessories which other mp3 players cannot boast of. I don't mind a slight drop in sound quality which is easily overcome by decent headphones or docks. If sound quality is my priority, I would go for the Sony.

 

[drichardb]

My mother was fortunate/unfortunate* to win an ipod touch recently and she was determined to keep it despite me encouraging her to flog it and use the funds to buy a PROPER mp3 player.

I work for a large supermarket chain and sold several ipod touch's over the christmas period. I asked every single customer what they were going to use it for and NOT ONE of them said listening to music first which says a hell of a lot about the way it is marketed and perceived by the "general" public.

Until Apple sort out the EQ settings i.e give me full control instead of forcing me to use presets, I will NEVER buy an Ipod. It could have the biggest storage capacity in history, a thought activated menu system or any number of dream features but if I can get superior sound quality with the control over the sound I desire then I know where my meagre wages will go.

* delete as appropriate