Here are my first week impressions of the D3
I got the C2 a month ago as replacement for my broken J3. Soundwise it was ok but what a hassle to navigate. Really made me regret i bought it. Bang, then it broke. I panicked a week ago and spent even more money on the D3 - what i was actually trying to save with the C2.
Before (almost) even starting the device i upgraded to newest fw. Then i thought i was home. I hassled around filling sd cards and tried them on the D3 and was about to cry. Another mistake i made buying this device i thought. It was impossible to play music so i tried every android player i could find. Still not satisfied. Music hardly loaded and starting play was very slow and mostly i didn't know if i had hit play or what. Most important use i have for it is on big systems but the output volume was very low and even if turned the system to max i could hardly hear the music. Bummer
Then i played around installing some programs and learned it actually handled them well and got the idea that the D3 might actually work. After a few days i thought it ran better so i removed the alternative players, Rockplayer, Winamp and Xing since they didn't really improve anything. And it played (almost) evrything smooth - just as i hoped from the start. I switched to another EQ setting and the output volume worked as i had expected. Good sq and perfect for big system
Usually i play .wav files but they seem to load a little slow so i converted to .flac and there is no delay. mp3 is smooth also. Yay, it works, somewhat
It's not perfect but now it does what i expected from the start and like i expected. I also use a Nexus S and Galaxy Tab (both android) and they are faster loading programs and smoother in program use. But i knew the D3 was a little lower in cpu so it was expected. Since i "only" use it for music it's ok but it's a bonus it actually does other android tasks
Only thing it lacks to outbeat the J3 and S9 totally is gapless playback. I always thought the J3 and S9 very amazingly crazy to navigate even if lightyears ahead of the C2 but the D3 is very logic and easy to navigate. Android doesn't suck on the D3 but it is a little slower than current Android phones. Getting though menues is fast and perfect - no sluggishness. Display is responsive and sharp as a knife even compared to the Nexus S
First impression was "throw it out from a building". After a week i feel good with it. Except for gapless, battery time and weight it's in every way an improvement from J3 and S9 even if both the two old players are very (very) good
I better stop here and will let you know if the D3 is improved or breaks like my C2 and J3. Also recommending the C2 compared to S9, J3 or D3 is meaningless imo. The C2 is a cheap and hard to navigate toy even if it has sd and good sound. The C2 is definately a budget decision and a mistake i will not repeat
Pros
Navigation is good. (If not perfect). I enjoy Android on the D3 and wish it had been on the J3
All the usual Cowon good things got better exept for a few i mentioned
Cons
Lack gapless (but i hope/think it will come)
Lacks meaningful timeshift/pitch. the 10% is useless imo. Fix this with gapless and Cowon is way ahead of competition
Battery life (but easy to live with even if we vere spoiled with the J3 and S9)
Not current hardware but that is always an issue when a device is a few months old
Doesn't load .wav files perfecly
