Sony A865 or Cowon j3?

I've only listened to some of the lower E/S-series Sony players, and was not impressed with the SQ -- applying any type of EQ immediately (to my ear) made the music start to sound synthesized. 

The EQ options on the J3 are extremely good, are subtle (many step options rather than just 1-5) but very effective and clean.  I don't even need a portable amp to get a fantastic sound to my flat-ish Ety ER4P.

I've got a Cowon S9, the predecessor of the J3, and it took me a long time to get the sound to my liking. To my ears, some parts of the Jeteffects, such as 3Dsurround bring an artificial tinge to the music. So I have turned that effect off and kept other things to a minimum.

My wife's got a Sony A856, and while I haven't done any close comparing to my S9, it sounds very good. It sounds good flat, and if you need some bass, you just add some Clearbass.

The good thing about the J3 is that you can add up to 32GB with a MicroSD card. Also you can for less money than the A86x.

J3 sounds good with ER4P:)

Sony Walkmans has a thick warm sound signature. European players are not too loud and powerful with a lot of earphones.

Cowons are loud and powerful. BBE+ is a very good Eqing system, but totally with a good pair of IEMs EQ should be off.

If you like melodical warm sound Sony will be great. Also you need sensitive earphones.

Walkmans EQ sucks, btw. Maybe some dsee, clear sound, clear bass is not too bad, but parametric EQ is not a good friend.

I've not heard of many J3 units being faulty. Not saying you're 'wrong' about that, just saying it's news to me. I've had my J3 for exactly a year now and it's been great.

Also see:

http://www.head-fi.org/t/567770/my-thoughts-of-the-new-sony-walkman-a865/120#post_7972917

Quote:

Originally Posted by Themo 

I heard hardware (dac,amp  etc.) of Cowon players is bad compared to the other brands. Sony should be much better at those? I heard there are so many faulty Cowon j3 units maybe that`s because bad hardware quality.

I haven't had the J3 for a long time yet, but so far I couldn't disagree more with that, honestly. The J3 has been faultless for me from minute one, and I enjoy every bit of music I'm listening with it. I also find the UI competent for what it has to do, the battery life is miles better than most competition, and it does seem well built, there's nothing flimsy about it (apart from the USB cache). 

I also cant make up my mind. Here is what i like and dislike of both players.

Cowon j3- pros- speaker, micro sd card, amoled screen, great battery, more compatible files
Cons- a year and a half old, bad touch screen boring ui

Sony -a865- sexy looking, different, never had a Sony mp3 player, new product,
Cons - 16 Gb, less compatible files, battery life not that great, smaller screen

Please help me pick

judging from your pros/cons , i think it's J3 hands down

if you put as pros ''sexy looking'' , ''new'' , ''different'' it looks like you are shopping for a girlfriend not a DAP

just my 2 cents.

and i have a J3 for 1 year and i have no problems whatsoever - best 240$ i have spent in a long time
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by djphaze 

I also cant make up my mind. Here is what i like and dislike of both players.

 

Cowon j3- pros- speaker, micro sd card, amoled screen, great battery, more compatible files
Cons- a year and a half old, bad touch screen boring ui

Sony -a865- sexy looking, different, never had a Sony mp3 player, new product,
Cons - 16 Gb, less compatible files, battery life not that great, smaller screen

 

Please help me pick

Just the topic I'm pondering about myself.

But I haven't really seen the original question answered yet... So, I need to know the same thing as the original poster:

Is it possible to have equally good bass (clear, deep and powerful) from the Cowon J3 as from the Sony through the settings? Can I get enough bass "kick" from the J3?

My trusty old Sony A829's battery is getting old and weak and I'm trying to decide if I should get the A86x (or the X-series) or a Cowon J3. I like the Clearbass on the Sony and I never use the EQ. I often have to heavily boost the bass to counter backround noise interference or just because bass is poorly produced on the recording. So a good, strong bass enhancement is a must for me.

sorry to bump this thread but iam not sure why most people say cowon is cheaper?. iam from nz and cowon j3 16gb is $390> Sony a865 $299. Iam looking at retail price quoted on their website. Or is there somewhere online i could buy cowon cheaper?:D

I got mine from advancedmp3players.com its a company in Unite Kingdom. Really fast shipping. Check them out

Quote:

Originally Posted by smimu 

sorry to bump this thread but iam not sure why most people say cowon is cheaper?. iam from nz and cowon j3 16gb is $390> Sony a865 $299. Iam looking at retail price quoted on their website. Or is there somewhere online i could buy cowon cheaper?:D

Tried minidisc.com.au? I got mine from there. AUD$299 delivered for the 32GB version.