If not the Cowon D2, then what??

[malkekoen]

Hi!

I'm about to make a drastic move..... that is, replacing my Creative Muvo N200 with something else .

I've been looking into the Cowon D2 and Creative Zen. Both has its pros and cons. I'm leaning towards Cowon, but........ If

- Money isn't an issue (within reasonable limits)
- Audio quality is a priority
- Design is a minor priority (but still a priority)
- Video playback is a must
- Size matters - smaller is better (in this case )
- My IEM are the UE super.fi 5 pro

Is there any other players I should take a look at? What I don't like about the Cowon is its menus and navigation.

All inputs are appreciated!
Malke

[faichiu]

if money not the problem, go for kenwood player.

[alitomr]

COWON D2 FTW!

[dura]

Sony! A81x or A82x.
Great buildquality, stylish and compact, long batterylife (not as long as the D2 but still very long) no Sonic Stage anymore, absolutely great sound quality

[lewislink]

I own the D2 and although the audio quality is high, it is a major hassle navigating the interface and it hates OGG files, though it plays them.

If you want great audio quality and video playback, look at a Meizu miniPlayer or an iriver Clix. If you don't need video, look at a Sansa Clip 4GB. It will do OGG files buttery smooth as though it was designed for them.

The Zen is great for video playback but leaves a little to be desired for audio quality. The D2 is a horrible video player, it tends to have a/V sync issues on long...like 1 to 2 hour...videos.

The Meizu isn't the best video player but, with the right converter, will do fine. Its main thing is the quality of audio and there it shines.

The Clix is an outstanding player but can also have A/V sync issues. I just bought one of the new LPlayers and am loving it. It needs to have a firmware upgrade because of OGG playback issues and the battery life isn't very good but it does do video very well.

Other than these, you might consider aa Zune 80. It's an excellent video player and will play MP4 audio files. The audio quality is great.

The D2 interface is one of the worst I've ever experienced because of all the button presses necessary to get anywhere. It doesn't integrate the memory card slot into the main menu system...much like the Zen, but is worse than the Zen.

Here's my suggestions for an A/V player based on audio quality being primary:

1. Meizu miniPlayer 8GB (with the viDrop video converter - default settings except 18FPS instead of 22)
2. iriver Clix2 Red Line
3. iriver LPlayer
4. Zune 80
5. Creative Zen

[geekchic]

Originally Posted by lewislink

It doesn't integrate the memory card slot into the main menu system...much like the Zen, but is worse than the Zen.

Are you sure about that? In my experience the d2 memory card integrates seamlessly whereas the creative zen still does not. My friend has a creative zen and the card has to be read from a separate menu. The d2 integrates my 1 GB card into the main menu without problem.

Malkekoen, I looked at (and heard) both the D2 and the Creative Zen. On the points you raised, my two bits are
1. Money - D2 is more expensive but for me it was worth it for the better SQ and battery life
2. Audio quality - D2 won hands down on this for me. It was miles ahead of the Zen though the Zen itself is not bad sounding. And the numerous tweaks possible on the D2 help to make it even better.
3. Design - if you mean aesthetics, both players are appealing in their own way though I think the D2 is more geeky. In terms of usability, I initially had concerns with the touchscreen interface and navigability, but I picked it up pretty quickly. I like it a lot now and find it easy to use with one hand too. YMMV so see if you can try it out at a shop before buying.
4. Video - I don't have too much experience as I use it for pure audio, but here its a tie for me. Both have external memory slots, the Zen goes upto 32 GB + mem card. D2 now goes upto 16 GB + mem card. Slightly in favor of the Zen if you plan to load/ carry a lot of movies. Slightly in favor of the Cowon if you consider the long battery life.
5. Size - both are compact but it came as a surprise to me that the Zen is not 'credit-card sized' as mentioned somewhere. its fairly flattish and thick. The D2 fits in an altoid case. I would tend to say the Cowon is more compact of the two.
6. 5 Pro. I actually got a chance to listen to these with the D2 and thought they had great synergy. I almost bought them Then i listened to the Triple Fi 10 and I was doomed.

So, I do reccomend the D2 to you of the two you mentioned. And do take the 16 GB if money is not an issue. No experience with other players to comment on. Hope this helps!

[Scott549]

I have always found iPods to have excellent sound quality, even using the headphone out into an NAD amplifier on a home stereo system. Is this not the prevailing view among Head-Fiers?

[western120]

get a sony A818, I think with cowon you can change the way menus are shown but for that you will have to install firmware with flash on it.

[lewislink]

Originally Posted by geekchic

Are you sure about that? In my experience the d2 memory card integrates seamlessly whereas the creative zen still does not. My friend has a creative zen and the card has to be read from a separate menu. The d2 integrates my 1 GB card into the main menu without problem.

Yes, you are correct, I double checked it because I mostly use the browser to access music and have to select the card in order to access it. However, going straight to the contents on the card from the main menu is, indeed, seamless.

[lewislink]

Originally Posted by western120

get a sony A818, I think with cowon you can change the way menus are shown but for that you will have to install firmware with flash on it.

This is also an excellent player. And the new ones, the 72x through the 82x are even better. But they do everything very well and seem very high quality.

[geekchic]

Yes, if I had the opportunity, I too would have liked to audition the Sony 8x/7x series. Unfortunately not yet available in India.

[Jimbo3b]

I don't have the experience with the other players, so I can only speak regarding the D2.

I bought it for the audio quality, the SD card slot, and the fact that it is flash memory rather than a hard disk player. I was pleasantly surprised that the clarity and detail of the audio was as good as was advertised. I play mp3, flac, and ogg vorbis with no problems. (The ogg file issue is a problem if you are try to browse via tags--it's not a problem if you are browsing with folders and files.)

The menus are not the problem I'd thought they would be, except when I'm driving. Like everyone else in the community I wish you could turn it back on with the on/off switch rather than needing several screen clicks.

I like the size. The long playback (up to 52 hours) is fantastic. I like the drag-and-drop access from Windows. I use the video more than I thought I would, and I carry family photos on it. I use it to record meetings.

All-in-all the D2 has been a great player for my needs.

[V3lier]

Originally Posted by Jimbo3b

I don't have the experience with the other players, so I can only speak regarding the D2.

I bought it for the audio quality, the SD card slot, and the fact that it is flash memory rather than a hard disk player. I was pleasantly surprised that the clarity and detail of the audio was as good as was advertised. I play mp3, flac, and ogg vorbis with no problems. (The ogg file issue is a problem if you are try to browse via tags--it's not a problem if you are browsing with folders and files.)

The menus are not the problem I'd thought they would be, except when I'm driving. Like everyone else in the community I wish you could turn it back on with the on/off switch rather than needing several screen clicks.

I like the size. The long playback (up to 52 hours) is fantastic. I like the drag-and-drop access from Windows. I use the video more than I thought I would, and I carry family photos on it. I use it to record meetings.

All-in-all the D2 has been a great player for my needs.

X2

I have the D2...and the sound quality is great, the video is surprisingly very great for watching video anytime and truly, I prefer the interference of the D2 over any other mp3/ipod I have tried . It all depends on what you like, but the D2 is also getting cheaper. The 16gb is the same price as the 8gb I bought way back.

[Jev@head-fi]

hi, this is my first after having (only) read lots of threads here for the past few months...

anyway, can't resist to ask, why nobody suggest the kenwood mediakeg? is cowon d2 have better sound quality or something?

[scytheavatar]

Originally Posted by Scott549

I have always found iPods to have excellent sound quality, even using the headphone out into an NAD amplifier on a home stereo system. Is this not the prevailing view among Head-Fiers?

Haha........ it's a known fact that the sound quality of all ipods are **** without any portable amp...... with a good amp the sound quality can be good, but without it's ****.

And back to the topic, do consider the Sansa Fuze too. Another top of the line MP3 player.