[curbfeeler]

9272 Jeronimo Rd Ste 123
Irvine, CA , 92618-1914
Phone: 949-305-8800
email: jeff@cowonamerica.com
Website: COWON America

Let's all call and write Cowon to clue them into what their next products should feature. Be persistent.
I spoke with Jeff at 1300 PDT 12 MAR 2008 to offer my ideas for a better Cowon. He said he was interested in my input but thought that a chat session at Cowonamerica.com support might be more effective. Jeff might not be the most adept person at Customer Relations or Marketing and Development, but we have his ear for now. Send him email. He vows to forward it to the folks in the Korean office who might actually effect change.
There's not much danger of his reading this as he said employees are not "authorized" to participate in this or other non-Cowon forums.
I urged him to do so anyway.
Here's my short list:
Continue to support FLAC.
Line-out from the player without the need for a funky loose-fitting subpack. Line-out from the docking station, preferably RCA female.
Power from AC adapter or car should be usable when the line-out connection is in use and should not require a subpack.
Locking dock connector if a subpack is used.
Use a Type B female connector for USB on the docking station (and subpack if inflicted on us). See the Sendstation USB PocketDock for inspiration.
Larger HDD, like 160 GB or greater.
USB mass storage rather than tying the player to a software utility or the Microsoft scheme.
SDHC support.
Larger display and a choice of larger fonts for aging eyes.
Wireless remote control a la the Squeezebox Duet's when player is in docking station.
Digital out to external DAC (bypass the internal DAC) provision like the newest generation iPod HDD player (in concert with the
Wadia dock).
More power from the headphone amplifier, say > 40 mW into 16 ohms, or a circuit adequate to accomodate Sennheiser HD650 or similar.
To make it easier to manipulate one-handed use the hinge style form factor for the player like many digital cameras use.
WiFi, email and internet browsing would be plum as embellishments.
Internet streaming radio rather than FM radio.

The first three features are the most crucial to me. I would not consider buying any given player without these features.

 

[shigzeo]

flac is great but supporting it is one of the easiest things a company can do, same with ogg support. it is free. it is a great codec but cheap arse companies make it an excuse for being 'audiophile' when maybe that is true, but really, they are just saving 2$ or so per unit.

i wish they would support something like aac properly across their units, get rid of those awful bb bass settings and make the sound a little more natural. they can already handle 650 fairly well for a portable, they handle the low imp phones much worse than the senns.

line out would be good - if they would step up on truly audiophile settings like, getting rid of so many sq effects and making the soundstage properly wide, i would love them. that and not lying too much on battery spec. they are a cool company just not... good yet

 

[MCC]

Too late for me, my X5L has major problems with audio as of 2 days ago (distant sound, loud popping noise every 1/2 second) and I replaced it with a Zune today. I actually prefer the X5 since it's file/folder, which is the 1st thing I would look for in an X7. I wanted to buy a Cowon product but they have nothing for me.

I'd love it to have the same joystick as the X5 but only if it were reliable. A glass screen like on the Zune 80 would be nice since it's harder to scratch, although my X5 is fine since I've been using screen protectors.

 

[Sweet Spot]

Are Cowon actually still in the game, as far as a new line up of DAP's is concerned ? Every DAP company and their mother makes silly little low capacity flash players these days, but you rarely see the introduction of good high capacity HDD DAP's anymore. I'd be more than happy to campaign, or go to one of their chat rooms if I knew it was worth a damn. And I'm not opposed to the newer high(er) capacity flash drives, but 32 gigs just isn't enough to grab my attention I'm afraid.

But perhaps it's worth a try.

 

[Cowon_1]

Man if a new Cowon had all that you listed I'd pay a high price for it...and add ape support to that list.

I'm getting so tired of all these small capacity flash players, I have so many of them but none that can hold all my music. I'm so close to buying a zune....it's just so embarrassing for me to carry around a Zune or an ipod...kinda like your in with the stupid masses. Carrying around a Cowon...now that is style.

 

[shigzeo]

thanks for the kind encouragement - never outright been called stupid before on these forums

 

[Aevum]

i own a D2, i know how awefull cowon can be, a great player let down by a horrible firmware, cowon wont listen, so im hoping the iriver P10 or the archos 606 will provide some hope,

 

[StanRex]

A Large HD

Keep supporting FLAC

lineout without needing a dock

if possible, digital out without needing a dock

id3 tag browsing!

a good ui to browse your music by album (ideally something close to the
coverflow of iTunes, coverflow is already good in iPod but it s better in iTunes)

 

[Godfather08]

Removable batteries!!!!!!!!!

 

[LostPhil]

I might send them an email.

I would ask them to improve the handling of low impedance headphones, use gapless playback, support for AAC as well as the usual Cowon codecs and provide a good, dedicated line out. I don't use the line out myself but it would certainly help win over new customers.

At the same time I would ask them if instead of implementing extra features such as notepads that they concentrate on getting the ID3 browsing up to scratch since with the integration of the SD card they could be well ahead of other companies with SD expansion.

Obviously in the least condescending tone I can!

EDIT: and also ask them to consider a new audio HDD player...

 

[warrior05]

I've kind of given up on Cowon to support gapless playback. It is the ONLY thing that keeps me from buying their DAPs - especially the 16gb Iaudio 7. It was a little while ago but on their own forum one of their own Admins said they saw no need. That may be one person talking but since they have yet to offer it, apparently that person echoes the sentiment of the company. People on their forums have been asking for it for years. They apparently just won't listen.

 

[LostPhil]

If they don't start supporting it and Rockbox doesn't make it onto the D2 then I'm going to have to switch to a competitor. But then I'm using ogg vorbis so the likelyhood of someone doing gapless and supporting ogg (well) is small...

Oh well. The email is sent.

 

[miranon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by warrior05 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've kind of given up on Cowon to support gapless playback. It is the ONLY thing that keeps me from buying their DAPs - especially the 16gb Iaudio 7. It was a little while ago but on their own forum one of their own Admins said they saw no need. That may be one person talking but since they have yet to offer it, apparently that person echoes the sentiment of the company. People on their forums have been asking for it for years. They apparently just won't listen.

I agree. +1 for gapless playback.

 

[faichiu]

ask them why cowon product sound so digitalized and robotic.
ask them why cowon product play flac/wav has not much different than mp3.

 

[Shauntell47]

Quote:

Originally Posted by faichiu /img/forum/go_quote.gif ask them why cowon product sound so digitalized and robotic. ask them why cowon product play flac/wav has not much different than mp3.

ok, i think we've heard enough of you and your fellow cowonhaters... you might be right about cowons not having very good sq using flac... but the reason your iaudio u3 sounds digitalized or robotic is probably your headphones or your imagination... i have mostly warm, dynamic headphones and do not perceive any robotic voices singing to me... unless you can find proof of alien invasion, i suggest you give up this idea...