[romesaz]

Alright, I'm having a really tough time deciding between thse two players. The good thing bout the g3 is the longer battery life, plus I've already got some many rechargeable AA, that i'd rather not spend more money on AAAs
The benefit to the 5 is the much larger screen which I would also like....
WHY CANT THESE TWO PLAYERS we combined in 1.... argh!

HElp!?

also, where could a canadian resident actually be able to acquire either/or?

 

[gn925106ng]

I personnally own the iaudio 5, but comparing the 2, i would say that the i5 is still the better player. It has all the features of the G3, as well as a larger screen, colored backlighting, and the size difference. The only plus for getting the G4 is the battery life. AND, the i5 is much more cooler looking

I am from canada as u are, and purchased mine at Suntec. They offer a 10 discount also. Just speak with stephanie about that. The shipping isnt that brutal either. 20 smackers for Fedex priority. Make that 10 when u recieve the discount. And free armband.

 

[ZimbuTheMonkey]

I had the same dilemma. In my eyes, both players are equal. So either way, you'll be happy, but at the same time you'll be regretting not getting the OTHER player.

The jog wheels turned out to be much better than I expected on my i5, and they're much more precise and useable than the jog sticks on the g3. It's super easy to navigate the menus. Then again, the G3 is not just a tad bigger and has a battery life of 30-40 hours versus 15-20 of the i5. From what I'm reading on forums, more users are having trouble with the g3 in terms of bugs, lock-ups, etc.

I do encounter a weird glitch on the i5. Sometimes, when FFing through the song, the track slider won't update and stays in the beginning, same with the track time. It *** just fine, but you won't know it from the display. It happens rarely, and I believe with only a few of the files (perhaps due to the encoding?). Firmware updates will fix those things. I haven't yet encountered another bug, thankfully, though others are reporting them with their i5s.

As for looks, it's really nice. The backlights change colour, and you can set a different colour for every mode. I have green for music, blue for FM, gray-ish for menu and red for recording.

When I first got it, I decreased the intensity of the backlights and turned off the JetAudio effects, to conserve battery life.

Anyway, if I were you I would get the G3, it is, as I said, just as good. You already have rechargeable AAs, so no need to waste more money on batteries. The audio quality, menu system and all that is the same.

 

[IpaqMan]

There are a lot of posts on the Jetaudio.com forums and the Iaudiophile.net forums with this exact question.

I looked over the issue of G3, I5, or U2. However, since I have had good experiences with the CW200 and its battery and jogwheels, I opted for the Iaudio 5 for its larger screen and the jogwheels.

BTW, more and more portable stuff is using AAAs now. My own usage has moved from AAs to AAAs over the past couple of years.

Here are some pros/cons:

G3:
Pros:
1) Long 50 hour battery life with a replaceable AA battery
2) Similar size volume to I5
3) Joystick for those who like a 5 way control
4) Same functionality as the I5, U2
Cons:
1) Smaller screen than I5
2) Joystick for those who hate them
3) Microphone holes are mislocated resulting in some muffling of sounds
4) Somewhat plain look

I5
Pros:
1) Double the screen size
2) Multicolored, very bright screen
3) Jogwheels
4) 20 hour life with AAA battery
5) Similar size volume to G3
6) Flashes to music
7) Very cool styling and looks
Cons:
1) Thin USB door hinge
2) Somewhat large for an AAA battery operated player

U2:
Pros:
1) 20 hour battery life with rechargeable battery; charges via USB
2) Smaller size than G3 or I5
3) Joystick
Cons:
1) Battery not user replaceable
2) Smaller screen than I5
3) Unusual looking carry case

 

[romesaz]

Lol see, that just cancels each other out.
lol want combined features into 1. The really huge plus is the size of screen.... argh... and the colours are D-mn cool!

gn925106ng; how did you reach this Stephanie? and is this 10% discount available only to canadians? lol

Thanks for the replies guys!

So far im leaning more towards the i5

 

[IpaqMan]

I got my Iaudio 5 1GB from PCMall for $169 plus $10 shipping for which there was a shipping rebate. Plus when I discovered the I5 was defective, PCMall sent me a Fedex return form for a free return and cross-shipped a new replacement I5 to me via two day Fedex. It actually arrived in one day on the same day, I shipped the defective one back.

My new I5 has been solid.

 

[cerbie]

I chose the I5 over the G3 simply because the I5 has a handy USB a->A adapter with a hole for attaching it to a keyring. The U2 also comes with one, but not the G3.

If that isn't enough...toss a coin. There have been bad ones let out (so QC isn't perfect), but Cowon seems to be good about replacing them, and based on jetaudio.com and iaudiophile.net (I'm notguilty, BTW) forums, the G3 and I5 both have had a batch or two of bad players.

 

[gn925106ng]

Quote:

Originally Posted by romesaz gn925106ng; how did you reach this Stephanie? and is this 10% discount available only to canadians? lol

I talked with her on msn messenger. mroe info here: http://www.suntecint.com/page.php?ep=48&cat=48

jsut ask her about the 10 dollar discount and she will give u a code.

dont count on making any sort of price match with suntec though, i spammed them for a week trying to make the match, and no luck. She said that she would do it, then another second she says no... weird.

she told me this:

price match with PC MALL = no free armband because PCMALL doesnt give it out for free

no price match = free armband

lol the armband doesnt seem all that free anymore. but suntec does offer some pretty shweet costumer service. Highly recommended.

and the 10 dollar discount could be given to absolutely anyone, regardless of location

enjoy the player!!

 

[romesaz]

Nice! Thanks for the Info. Now to file taxes and get a return.... but in the meantime... CREDIT CARD!

Alright, gonna order it probably as soon as I can. Cant wait.
Thanks for the response guys!

 

[gn925106ng]

grats on your decision!!

you will definately love the player no doubt.

anyways, for all you who have the little usb converter keychain, do you hook it to your keychain? im afraid that it will ruin the poor thing if it crashes and scratches against my keys.

 

[ZimbuTheMonkey]

That's the reason I DON'T have it on my keychain. I'm a bit paranoid like that, even concerning a 50 cent usb thingy.

 

[Pinny]

Yeah, about ordering from SunTec, I don't know if it was their fault or USPS's, but I ordered my iAUDIO 5 from them 6 business days ago and it still hasn't come. They advertise 1-3 days and it's been close to a week. What's especially strange is that I'm in RI - a place that's usually second day at lastest when shipping priority mail from VA.

Hopefully it will come today.

 

[ZimbuTheMonkey]

I got the player from Suntec in about a day and a half (not counting the week-end).

Speaking of the which, the weekend screws me again, as I'm having to wait 8+ days for my E3s... grr...

 

[Pinny]

Bleh, it didn't come today. However I got a new email from them saying they shipped out TODAY. I called them up asking when they actually shipped it and told me they ran out of stock by the time I ordered 8 days ago and they just got more in. And that they would send it today.

I explained to them how upset I was and after a not so fun conversation, she agreed to ship it to me overnight - a week after schedule but overall I am happy for the effort.

Although I am upset that it took so long, I do believe this was an honest mistake and I guess I'm ok with what happened.

Anyhow, if it actually comes tommorow, I promise you guys a nice review by the end of the week.

 

[floatingcastle]

I'm thinking about purchasing the IAudio I5 with the SONY Fontopia Series MDREX71SL's together at www.chiefvalue.com.

IpaqMan and ZimbuTheMonkey's posts on other forums have convinced me that the I5 is the way to go. One thing I've heard from other reviews is that the included headphones with the I5 are just mediocre. If I could pick up the above mentioned Sony's for around $34, do you guys think it's worth doing?

Getting both items in 1 purchase from a company a few hours from my house (Los Angeles), all at a good price with cheap shipping is sounding pretty good to me. Let me know what you guys think about (a) the need for better headphones and (b) those headphones in particular for that price.

Thanks!