Archos 5 vs Cowon O2?

Nov 7, 2008 at 3:02 PM Post #17 of 39
Quote:

Originally Posted by Ricey20 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Now, if only we had more reports on SQ compared to cowon, i'd be sold
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I can't compare directly to Cowon but I can say that the Archos 5 SQ is good. More output than the previous 605 model, and good s/n even with my SE530. I was a little disappointed in the custom EQ implementation which didn't seem to work very well, but if left flat no problems. And with FLAC (gapless) and SPDIF out, what's not to like? (not very portable in that configuration though.) And with 250gb on tap FLAC is actually practical, if you must have lossless.

Re: the FM tuner, Archos has announced an FM tuner/remote accessory but has not said when it will be available. Until then just use Internet radio via Wifi.
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And the included touch-screen Opera web browser works very well, and the 800x600 5" screen provides video playback quality that is unmatched by anything else out there right now.

Negatives? One is that USB charging is very slow and you must buy the accessory charging dock for practical use IMO. Another is that like all new Archos products there are a few stability bugs yet to be worked out (although Archos is being fast and furious with new firmware releases and this issue decreases with each one.) Archos firmware releases are like a box of chocolates... you never know what you're going to get. For example FLAC and OGG just appeared, without any prior fanfare...

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Nov 7, 2008 at 7:51 PM Post #18 of 39
Quote:

Originally Posted by GreatDane /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I was recently drooling over the Archos 5. Very tempting


Yes, it is. That screen is simply amazing, and the codec support is nice. I'm just wondering if the battery life is whats claimed. There are too many saying that Archos jazzed up the battery life specs, and it's nowhere near what's advertised. Hope a fellow Head-Fi'er will shed some light on the matter.
 
Nov 7, 2008 at 10:10 PM Post #19 of 39
Quote:

There are too many saying that Archos jazzed up the battery life specs,


They definitely did on the 605 (previous model) but the 5 series seems much better. I haven't timed it but I'm pretty happy with battery life even when watching movies and of course audio-only should be a lot better (but still isn't going to come close to a flash-based player of course.) And observe the caveat I mentioned earlier and consider the charging dock as a mandatory purchase. You can also purchase what they call a 'battery dock', which is a charging dock with an internal battery (clips on the bottom.) This will add about 50% to the already decent battery life, but I would consider this only if you do a lot of movies/web surfing. For music I would think the internal battery would suffice just fine.
 
Nov 7, 2008 at 11:49 PM Post #20 of 39
Also one needs to keep in mind that the Archos 5 is a HD player, and the 605s had build quality issues. Hell mine keeps doing bizarre things like shutting off on it's own when loading files and crashing a whole lot.
 
Nov 8, 2008 at 7:03 AM Post #22 of 39
Quote:

Originally Posted by PeterDLai /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I'll make it even more tempting:

1) Around the same price from J&R, but with free shipping.
2) Live Search cashback* of 7% (first store listed on this page)

*if you didn't know, the cashback is not instant, it comes around 60 days later


Very nice! I'd still love to have one but I would have needed to sell my 5.5G and put funds from new 7G into it...I decided to have 2 iPods instead.
 
Dec 6, 2008 at 5:22 PM Post #23 of 39
Hi everyone!

I also have been debating between archos 5 and cowon o2 (32GB).... I am actually trying to get one of these for my wife so she can drag-n-drop her video files, pics and music onto the player.......

I like the way both of the players look... The main dilemma is the small price difference....

On newegg.com O2 (32GB) sells for $300..... while Archos 5 (60GB) sells gor $350............ so a $50 difference.....

Is it possible to just dragndrop files onto the archos 5? I have seen that archos 5 does support a good amount of file types but is the list of file types on the O2 larger?

To add to my weirdness I also thought that at about $350 I could get her a nice little asus eee PC 904HA....... I'm probably going crazy with all of this!

All in all, for the price which is the better (user friendly as well..... for the wife) player! Thanks guys!
 
Dec 6, 2008 at 11:10 PM Post #24 of 39
Quote:

Originally Posted by zeppy /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Hi everyone!

I also have been debating between archos 5 and cowon o2 (32GB).... I am actually trying to get one of these for my wife so she can drag-n-drop her video files, pics and music onto the player.......

I like the way both of the players look... The main dilemma is the small price difference....

On newegg.com O2 (32GB) sells for $300..... while Archos 5 (60GB) sells gor $350............ so a $50 difference.....

Is it possible to just dragndrop files onto the archos 5? I have seen that archos 5 does support a good amount of file types but is the list of file types on the O2 larger?

To add to my weirdness I also thought that at about $350 I could get her a nice little asus eee PC 904HA....... I'm probably going crazy with all of this!

All in all, for the price which is the better (user friendly as well..... for the wife) player! Thanks guys!


Unless your wife is very tech savvy, I'd get her the Cowon. For the average user, it seems like a better deal.
 
Dec 7, 2008 at 8:12 AM Post #25 of 39
Quote:

Originally Posted by zeppy /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Is it possible to just dragndrop files onto the archos 5? I have seen that archos 5 does support a good amount of file types but is the list of file types on the O2 larger?


The Archos 5 can dragndrop and use the MTP so you can sync with Windows Media Player / Media Monkey / Winamp etc. The Cowon O2 can only dragndrop and you can't browse by tags, only through folders.

I myself got the O2, it broke a few days ago though (suddenly stopped responding to anything, screen stays black
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) but have now requested an exchange for an Archos 5 because I really can't manage my music easily without playlists. And the only advantage of the Cowon for me was better soundquality and flash storage. It does support more codecs out of the box but I won't need them.
 
Dec 8, 2008 at 11:15 AM Post #26 of 39
Don't want to threadjack, but has anyone considered the Cowon Q5W? It has an excellent screen, superb SQ, supports masses of codecs, photo viewer, FM radio, WiFi & Bluetooth as well as Windows Mobile. Everything is drag and drop, and you can pick up the 80Gb version with a free case for $389 now...
 
Dec 8, 2008 at 7:04 PM Post #27 of 39
I believe the Windows Mobile isn't a plus point on this player. From what I've read the interface is clunky and not very good. The hardware and player itself are good, the firmware not so good.
 
Dec 8, 2008 at 9:02 PM Post #28 of 39
Any reallife numbers on the battery? Does it go 22hours on audio?


Also can you feel and hear the harddrive spinning like on ipods?
 
Dec 8, 2008 at 11:39 PM Post #29 of 39
I can't speak to the 60 gig units (which have a different drive), but you can most definitely feel the drive spinning on my A5 250 gigger. Doesn't really feel much different than the 80gig ipod video that it replaced. I still haven't given the battery a proper lifespan test, I keep using it for mixed medium...
 
Jan 19, 2009 at 7:06 AM Post #30 of 39
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