[ricthaman]

so the Archos 5 has pretty decent SQ then.. according to that french guy...

I'm looking into these two players too.
Now the Archos looks very nice, has a great screen and a nice clean interface. But the cowon is smaller and has it's reputation regarding SQ going for it.

Now I really care about SQ. But the lack of ID3 Tag browsing on the cowon puts me off.

 

[SawaFish]

The Cowon O2 does sound significantly better than the Archos 5 (I owned an O2 an a friend ownes an Archos 5) However, the screen of the Archos is much, much better but the screen of the O2 will do fine for movies, just don't expect it to blow you away. Besides, the Archos offers much more storage space (up to 250gb), but you can feel and hear the HDD spinning a lot when browsing and it can be a bit slow. I'd choose the Archos over the Cowon based on tag browsing, playlists and screen quality. As said, the SQ is decent enough. For an on-the-go media player it's a bit too big for me though.

I'd recommend to also take a look at the Cowon S9 since the 32gb version is just released (in Korea so wait a 2-3 weeks for US/EU), it has good codec support, great SQ, supports playlists and tag browsing and it has a stunning screen, way better than the Archos 5. And it isn't that big so it'll fit easily in any pockets.

 

[Drag0n]

I thought About the Archos5....but reviews said its buggy, and it doesnt have an FM radio, it had wifi internet radio.

 

[spickerish]

Can you sync an Archos 5 via iTunes?

 

[GooWiz]

Have you considered the A3? I've read the O2 isn't that great of a video player. The A3 has a lot more capabilities, matches the archos' screen resolution. It doesn't have a touch screen though, if that's a necessity.. I have the A2 and has served me very well for the past 3-4 years. I don't think any of these players play HD content very smoothly so if that's a requirement, I'd just wait for a better player sometime in the future. If video is not a priority, I'd suggest something that focuses more on music with video capabilities.
Maybe the S9?

 

[Mr C]

There was also something a couple of months ago about archos putting android on their 5 and 7 series.
Idk if its still on its way, but I saw that on abi so its not just a wild rumor created by a fan.

 

[wwyjoe]

Guys, a no. of my video files in my PSP are encoded in AVC format. Does the Archos 5 support these AVC files? Thanks!

 

[AnAnalogSpirit]

Make me very tempted to get rid of my O2 when I get it back from RMA and go for the Archos 5. I've used FLAC on my Android G-1 via the CyanogenMOD ROM and would love to hear what Android can crank out of FLAC with this snazzier hardware. The COWON O2 Kit is just very... limiting. It's not a D2, it's not an A3, its not an S9... After loving the O2 for what it was and then having the thing FAIL on me to the point where it wouldn't read/write files. I may go to another device. And this Archos may be it.

 

[Mo Killah]

The Archos 5 is actually pretty darn good. I got mine (250 GB) refurb from Archos for $195, a very sweet deal. I am pleased with the SQ, better than I expected, even with the JH-13's. Great internet radio, easy sync'ing with my PC, good battery life, beautiful screen, TV, DVR, etc,etc. Yes, some hard drive noise at times and some small quirks, but they all do. Overall, a very good value. I would recommend this for many, except the most discerning of audiophiles who simply need the best possible sound only. A very pleasant surprise. Happy Listening!