Is the Cowon j3 really worth it?

If you intend on listening to music alone, not watching videos, J3 would be the logical choice, as those new iPod EQ apps help but don't really match the built-in Cowon EQ. And you don't need to have Apple software cluttering your computer.

The 4th gen iPod Touch is an amazing piece of engineering.  So is the J3.  The J3 and Touch are VERY different beasts though, with the Touch adding WiFi and all that entails.  Personally I take my Touch with me when leaving the house, since the assorted apps can keep me distracted in any line or waiting room I'm stuck in.  The J3 is a sweet entertainer only, and not the lowest price device that can provide great entertainment. Between just those two, get the Touch.

Depending on the price you are going to pay, if same price, J3 is not worth at all. I have one (paid $300) based on SQ hearsay, IMO its SQ is not as good as what some people in this forum claim, if you are EQ fan, J3 can be spiced up by numerous EQ combinations . I have old gen touch, it has decent SQ plus doing many more things. if J3 is half price of touch, yes it is worth.

I'd suggest getting an iPod touch as well. With the added EQu & Equalizer apps the SQ is pretty equal to a Cowon DAP now, and the screen looks great as well. Plus, as mentioned, those extra apps it can play will come in handy to kill boredom when you least expect it. 

Honestly, the touch has come a long way,...

J3 for me, many features make it stand out such as battery life, expandable memory and not to mention tactile buttons. I was walking through rain today and I was able to reach into my pocket and change tracks without bringing it out and potentially spoiling it. Little things that make the difference for me. Nothing wrong with the touch at all, but I prefer the little things that make the J3 overall a better package. EQ is awesome in the J3, I don't know how good the touch is because when I was using the touch it didn't have eq apps.

Btw to make my J3 32 gb it only took $270 total, if you keep an eye out you can always get deals on micro sd cards. Who knows cowon might put out a firmware that makes the J3 micro sdxc compatible someday so you can expand your player to 1 tb! Actually I'm not even sure if that is possible but just a thought 

A simple in-line remote can be purchased from Amazon.com for the iPod's to control them without taking them out of a pocket, so that's a moot issue. I use it w/my iPhone 4, classic, and Nano 5G: http://www.amazon.com/iLuv-iEA15BLK-Third-party-Headphones-VoiceOver/dp/B002RL9WDQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299811758&sr=8-1

As for capacity - the touch 4G @32gb is $274.99 on Amazon, and the 64gb model is $364.95. I've also seen them for less, depending on sales & such. The J3 will still cost almost the same price - so it's all about features in the end,...SQ is subjective nowadays.

I use the Iphone 4g and the Cowon J3. The Cowon J3 completely blows away the Iphone 4g in terms of equalization adjustments. It has a fantastic equalizer that I haven't found anything else to rival so far (My previous Samsung P2 was close but the quality was much worse). The Iphone/ipod sounds great still so you can't really go wrong. The Cowon will sound great with almost any EQ settings you give it because there is rather little phasing problems compared to other EQs. If you do a lot of EQing due to your mood or your headphones, then it would be a good investment. The Ipod, well has a lot of other stuff as you should know. XD I prefer to have both hehe...

Quote:

Originally Posted by wind016 

XD I prefer to have both hehe...

PERFECT ANSWER!!! 

Quote:

Originally Posted by nywytboy68 

A simple in-line remote can be purchased from Amazon.com for the iPod's to control them without taking them out of a pocket, so that's a moot issue. I use it w/my iPhone 4, classic, and Nano 5G: http://www.amazon.com/iLuv-iEA15BLK-Third-party-Headphones-VoiceOver/dp/B002RL9WDQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1299811758&sr=8-1

 

As for capacity - the touch 4G @32gb is $274.99 on Amazon, and the 64gb model is $364.95. I've also seen them for less, depending on sales & such. The J3 will still cost almost the same price - so it's all about features in the end,...SQ is subjective nowadays.

I have a hard enough time controlling my IEM wire on the move, adding more in there doesn't solve the issue for me, so if someone were in a similar situation I could see them preferring tactile buttons on the player itself.

And there is no way I can get that price in Canada, amazon.ca price for that is $350+, best price I found was on best buy for $300+.  Amazon.com doesn't deliver the ipod touch 4g to Canada. Agreed about SQ, no way to determine that unless you try the player. So the J3 for me was $50+ cheaper even with the additional memory cards. 

imo, without EQ, J3 is unlistenable with any headphone or earphone, yes, it is that bad. J3 is designed for EQ fan boys. I am in principle against using EQ in any music equipment for serious listening, EQ distorts SQ.

Quote:

Originally Posted by nywytboy68 

I'd suggest getting an iPod touch as well. With the added EQu & Equalizer apps the SQ is pretty equal to a Cowon DAP now, and the screen looks great as well. Plus, as mentioned, those extra apps it can play will come in handy to kill boredom when you least expect it. 

 

Honestly, the touch has come a long way,...

+1.

Quote:

Originally Posted by sz1999 

imo, without EQ, J3 is unlistenable with any headphone or earphone, yes, it is that bad. J3 is designed for EQ fan boys. I am in principle against using EQ in any music equipment for serious listening, EQ distorts SQ.

Clearly yours is an isolated opinion because I've never heard anyone say that the J3 is unlistenable

Jailbreaking the iPod touch can give you tactile buttons for playback too. Look for glovepod in Cydia.