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i am new to all of this but can I use a headphone amplifier with the Z2?
i am new to all of this but can I use a headphone amplifier with the Z2?
UPDATE: Weaves, I don't know if this is a problem with your solution, but the mic recorder application does not show it is running when I go to manage applications. So, I can't be certain it is running in the background when I open it in step 2. Also, the vocals aren't that much better on the stock player so do you think this a Poweramp or Cowon issue? Thanks.
Does anyone know where I can purchase a Cowon z2 in Los Angeles other then from the net as I'm flying off on Sunday
This may sound strange but for many songs, it seems the singing is not as loud as the music when I listen through Poweramp on my cowon z2 player. It's as if the music is enhanced (which I love BTW) but the singing is dampened. When I listen to the songs (all wav files) through my computer (through earphones of course) or on my old mp3 player, the voices sound clearer or at least louder. I'm not sure that this is a player issue or Poweramp issue but I thought I would ask here to see if anyone else has noticed this. I've even increased the middle and upper frequencies on the equalizer where I believe most voices would come through at. Has anyone else detected this or is it just me? Thanks.
This was a known bug on the D3. Try this:
1) Close all the apps.
2) Open the Mic App
3) Go back to home page while leaving mic app running in background.
4) Open up Poweramp and play.
See if the music has become back to the original volume you noticed with the Z2 music app.
Post results back here
Weaves,
Wow! Your suggestion worked perfectly. The vocals were clear and loud. I also noticed the rest of the music was less intense. I actually had to turn up the bass and pre-amp along with some increase of the higher frequencies to get a richer, fuller sound. But it was great.
But later it stopped working!! I had put the Cowon to sleep and when I turned it back on, I opened neutron player. The vocals were low again. I opened Poweramp and the vocals were low again. Also, the music had returned to high volume and intensity. I went through your 4 steps and it didn't help. I rebooted and tried the 4 steps, and still no good. I'm so disappointed. If I can't get this fixed, I'd just as soon send the cowon back. This is ridiculous to have a bug that seriously affects the quality of the music when you pay so much for the device.
I want to thank you weaves for your suggestion, because I at least know this wasn't something I was imagining and I know how good the z2 and poweramp can sound. I sure hope you or someone else has a answer for this.
Well, I want to update what I finally decided to do. I sent the z2 back and bought a J3 on ebay. Fantastic sound from J3. Vocals are clear. The stock player doesn't have as versatile equalizer as the Poweramp or Neutron player, but it is quite capable with many settings and options available. Battery life is fantastic, too. And it is much smaller and lighter. The J3 is a great player just like everyone has said in this and other forums. I am very happy. I don't know if I had a bad z2 device or what but I wanted to put this out there for any z2 owners or potential owners. They can listen to songs on other players or a computer and compare with a z2 if they are interested or concerned. Thanks to everyone for their responses and suggestions.
Thanks to all contributing folks so far!
I purchased the Z2 recently.
This is my short review on the Cowon Z2 Portable Media Player (PMP). I was using Cowon's J3 player and was pretty enthusiastic with it. The only drawback was that the J3 could not handle HD video files thus forcing me to convert most of my videos. This was the reason for me to check out the Cowon Z2.
(01) Android
The Cowon Z2 runs under Android 2.3 "Gingerbread", which is a quite outdated version. No indications of OS upgrades in the future.
Was the switch to Android a good choice? I don't think so. It makes the operating system vulnerable while depending solely on Google's platform. Yes, I do know that Android offers a quite popular interface for A/V streaming/downloading, and wifi connectivity is a convenient gate to music/video transfer. But if the issue is audio/video quality - and that's what Cowon is known for! - it appears to me that trying to compete with smart phone facilities is just a lost race. Why then? In fact, I do NOT use any of these facilities/features, since I use them on my smart phone instead. Thus, my power savings provide me with longer play times (I read recently that Cowon's next player generation will NOT use Android any longer).
(02) Design
I purchased the white model. It is quite handy, not too heavy-weight. The display is good to very good, however I am using a display protection shield. Thus, color brilliance and brightness may be compromised a bit, but that does not matter a lot. Of note (I did not find a manual's description on it): If you want to adjust video size or dimension ratio, you have to place a finger's tip onto the screen and let it rest there for a moment. Now, the screen resolution is depicted, and you may now browse the options by trying your choices.
(03) Usability
The menu's are pretty clear and self-explanatory. However: I did NOT find an option for gapless playing. And I do miss a display of the bit rates in kbps of the respective audio files. It is recommended to clear the audio/video storage cache befor shutting down the player!
(04) Formats
There isn't hardly to be found a file format that is NOT supported by the Z2. This is a great feature! Even some (not all!) flash videos could be played.
(05) Audio Quality
Superb and breath-taking! This is Cowon's Uniqueness!
However: I had several unforeseeable system crashes ("unknown error") while playing music files using JetEffect settings. The system did not crash in total, however it changed the audible setting while still displaying the chosen one. For instance: I chose user setting #1, the file played for some seconds, then the crash happened. Resuming the file play still displayed setting #1, while audio was set to "normal" (which, of course, can be heard!). So, the JetEffect settings had to be adjusted again by chosing a different one, and then going back to the (wanted) setting #1. Cowon's folks should work on that...
Below are my personal adjustments. Audio File is "Reckoning Plan" by Austin Plaine (www.austinplainemusic.com).
Cowon Z2 32GB
JETEFFECT 5
Settings
Earphones: Creative EP 630 In-Ear-Earphones
EarBuds: Comply T-500 big/black
EQ
80 Hz (WIDE): 12
220 Hz (WIDE): 5
1.4 KHz (WIDE): 0
30 KHz (WIDE): 12
13.0 KHz (WIDE): 12
BBE+
BBE: 10
Mach3Bass: 8
3D Surround: 0
MP Enhance: On
SE
Stereo Enhance: 6
Reverb Level: 0
Reverb Mode: Hall
HTH,
Holger (mwebnet)