iPod Touch 4G or Cowon S9?

I have a s9 cowon and i like it alot. The ipods are all bells and whistles with a great Graphic User Interface but mediocre sound quality. The ipods also need a amp for better sound quailty.The S9 is not recommended to be amped because it does not have a line out just a headphone out and the graphic interface is OK but i think the sound makes up for it.

If you plan to use the apps for the Touch, you'd find it worthwhile. The Touch would also be handy as a mobile browser and email reader.

I use the iPhone 4, which is about the same thing. I find it to power IEMs very well and I love the extremely crisp display.

There is no reason that the S9 can't be used w/an amp, as the HP out sounds just as good as a line out. Saying otherwise is a fallacy.

I have a iPod touch 4g 64gb and It has amazing sound

My recomendation is to get the S9.  The aps on the ipod touch make it enticing but the outstanding sound quality of the S9 more than makes up for it, not to mention the beautiful AMOLED screen with its bright and vibrant colors.  And if that doesn't covince you then how about 55 hours of music playback time, 11 hours for video, radio(which you can record from), bluetooth conectivity, large file support and the ease of simple drag and drop no proprietary software needed cough*itunes*cough.  Not to sound like a Cowon sales rep but I have one and I cannot say enough good things about it.  So go ahead and buy one you won't be disappointed!

Edited by Digital-Pride - 11/7/10 at 10:34am

It really depends on what you want from a DAP. Personally, I adore Cowon players for their incredible myriad EQ settings and attention to detail. Usually their build is pretty good too, plus they're nice and light (my J3 with a case is about half the weight of an iPod Touch). If you plan to listen to FLAC, Cowon is definitely the way to go. If you ask me, iPods are flashy mainstream junk. Sure, they're nifty for doing everything, but if you're like me, you'll want something simple and elegant. The AMOLED screen on the S9 is great, and it can outclass any iPod display.

On a different note, is there any specific reason you would want the S9 over the J3? I own both and the J3 has superior form factor and uses improved technology. It could be me, but the display looks more vivid also. 

http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/

Actually the new iPod has a new display, I'm typing this on my iPhone 4 right now, and can say that no display I've ever seen or heard of is as nice as this one. At least in the portable market. It has a front, and a rear facing camera, one which shoots 720p video. A microphone, a gyroscope, and the biggest developer backing in the mobile industry for apps.

It depends. Do you need a mobile entertainment device? Or do you want true sound quality. The iPod won't sound bad unless you compared it side by side to the cowon. If you have wifi at your home I would suggest the iPod, its like having a laptop in your pocket.

I considered myself to be a Cowon fan since owning the D2 (now own the S9) and I never be tempted by apple offering before, despite trying them now and then. Plus I hate the restrictions attached to using Apple products. 

Anyway,  after owning Sansa, Sony and Cowon I thought I should give a go so got the new Touch. I hate to say it but I prefer the sound (particularly the depth of the soundstage) of the Touch, the ease of building playlists on the fly and the so far flawless integration with iTunes (particularly podcasts). The silly games and apps to waste time are a bonus. 

The main reason I got the Touch was to use Spotify premium service but now the S9 is up for sale. The s9 has a much better battery life, better support for audio and video codecs and can be customised to you heart content and a fantastic EQ.

 

PS: My only annoyance so far with the Touch has been the lack of scrolling for album and song titles!!!