Looking for a new player to replace my dead Cowon X7

[Prognathous]

I enjoyed my X7 for several years, but after letting it run out of power it's now dead and won't wake up. I tried all suggestions found on forums but to not avail. This parrot is dead.
 
Which brings me to search for a new player, hopefully one that improves on some of the shortcomings of the Cowon.
 

1. Capacity and Budget: At least 120GB. I'm ok with using a 128 GB memory card, but that would reduce my budget for the player from $350 to around $250 (to accommodate the cost of the card).
2. Use: Music only. Mostly listening at home (and not always sitting, so some portability is needed), occasionally outside. I don't plan to use the player when commuting (I listen to Umano), or when working out (I have a Sansa Clip Zip for that). I don't care about video.
3. Type/Design: I don't care if it's DAP or PMP as long as sound quality and user interface are both very good. If the player has video capabilities which don't interfere with these aspects, it's fine.
4. Features:
   1. Must
      1. Very good sound quality. I'm not an audiophile, so the absolute best is not needed, but it needs to be at least as good as the X7.
      2. Folder support, preferably with an option to completely disable database and ID3 tag indexing (a complete waste of time when my library is already properly structured using Artist\Album folder hierarchy).
      3. No limit on the number of songs in the disk
      4. FLAC & OGG support
      5. EQ (preferably no more than 5 bands)
      6. If the player relies on memory cards, it needs to support 128 GB in a single partition and use a file system that Windows supports
   2. Highly desired
      1. Decent volume. I'd be happy to find another player that can drive my Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250 OHM without having to connect an amplifier (the X7 was doing an ok job, so I normally didn't have to connect my FiiO E11)
      2. Line out
      3. Gapless
      4. Mass storage support (MSC)
   3. Nice to have
      1. Built in speaker
      2. Sound enhancements
      3. Bluetooth
      4. FM radio tuner
   4. Don't need, don't care
      1. Small size. The Cowon X7 is huge compared to most players, and it's fine by my standards. As long as it can fit cargo pants or slacks pockets, it's fine.
      2. USB host
      3. Text reader
      4. Video
      5. Specific OS, games, apps
      6. Internet
      7. A built-in microphone
5. Display: A must, at least 3", preferably more than 4".
6. UI/Controls: Tactical buttons or in combination with touch. I want to be able to change volume, skip songs and pause/play while the player is in my pocket
7. Battery life: At least 15 hours. Preferably with support for replaceable batteries

 
I plan to order online and generally prefer Amazon.

Thanks for helping!

 

[drunkncrunkpunk]

Just in case, try replacing battery on X7 via http://www.advancedmp3players.co.uk/shop/info/Cowon_UK_Repair_Centre.57.html or in Cowon's service center around you.
it will cost about 50 pounds. But unless your Cowon is dead because of other reasons, you may give it a try. 

 

[Prognathous]

I already talked to them, but unfortunately they're not shipping to Israel.

 

[drunkncrunkpunk]

Then you can order battery from ebay, amazon and find someone around you with mad soldering skills. Otherwise, listen to other headfi members for any alternative. 

 

[Prognathous]

Unfortunately I can't even find this battery listed anywhere... 

 

[drunkncrunkpunk]

Sad news, the factory producing those batteries was closed, but i think any battery of that size, voltage and similar capacity should fit. I may be wrong but 7 inch chinese tablets have almost the same batteries.  

 

[Prognathous]

I guess it's time to disassemble the player to see what battery is inside...

 

[Prognathous]

I managed to get the X7 to work again by dissembling and shorting the power connectors while the player was connected to the charger. The bad news is the I broke the Volume Down micro-switch, so now I only consider it to be usabl when connected to an external amplifier that gives me volume control (FiiO E11). It's usable, but cumbersome which means an upgrade is unavoidable. So far the FiiO X3 2nd-gen seem to be the leading candidate. Here's how it fares against my requirements:
 

1. Capacity and Budget: At least 120GB. I'm ok with using a 128 GB memory card, but that would reduce my budget for the player from $350 to around $250 (to accommodate the cost of the card). X3-II is $200, a 128GB card is less than $100. Good value.
2. Use: Music only. Mostly listening at home (and not always sitting, so some portability is needed), occasionally outside. I don't plan to use the player when commuting (I listen to Umano), or when working out (I have a Sansa Clip Zip for that). I don't care about video. X3-II is all about music
3. Type/Design: I don't care if it's DAP or PMP as long as sound quality and user interface are both very good. If the player has video capabilities which don't interfere with these aspects, it's fine.
4. Features:
   1. Must
      1. Very good sound quality. I'm not an audiophile, so the absolute best is not needed, but it needs to be at least as good as the X7. X3-II is supposed to be better than the Cowon X7, not sure though if I'll miss the Cowon DSP (e.g. BBE)
      2. Folder support, preferably with an option to completely disable database and ID3 tag indexing (a complete waste of time when my library is already properly structured using Artist\Album folder hierarchy). X3-II allows disabling the index, which is a huge plus compared to, say, an otherwise capable player like the Hidizs AP100    
      3. No limit on the number of songs in the disk X3-II folders have no song limit, but the index does. Not an issue since I only use folders 
      4. FLAC & OGG support X3-II supports both formats and many others
      5. EQ (preferably no more than 5 bands) X3-II is 10 band. First con in my list.
      6. If the player relies on memory cards, it needs to support 128 GB in a single partition and use a file system that Windows supports X3-II supports this (by formatting in the player or usin third party tools)
   2. Highly desired
      1. Decent volume. I'd be happy to find another player that can drive my Beyerdynamic DT990 Pro 250 OHM without having to connect an amplifier (the X7 was doing an ok job, so I normally didn't have to connect my FiiO E11) X3-II reportedly works very well with high impedance headphones 
      2. Line out X3-II has a dedicated line out which supports both digital and analog output
      3. Gapless X3-II gapless works fine with some limitations which don't apply to formats I'm using
      4. Mass storage support (MSC) X3-II has this (called "Storage" USB mode)
   3. Nice to have None of the feature below exist on the X3-II. All in all, not a big issue.
      1. Built in speaker 
      2. Sound enhancements 
      3. Bluetooth
      4. FM radio tuner
   4. Don't need, don't care
      1. Small size. The Cowon X7 is huge compared to most players, and it's fine by my standards. As long as it can fit cargo pants or slacks pockets, it's fine.
      2. USB host
      3. Text reader
      4. Video
      5. Specific OS, games, apps
      6. Internet
      7. A built-in microphone
5. Display: A must, at least 3", preferably more than 4". The screen is 2" and resolution is only 320x240. Possibly less of an issue with an interface based on physical controls (including a wheel) than it is in the X7, where scrolling is done using a touch interface.
6. UI/Controls: Tactical buttons or in combination with touch. I want to be able to change volume, skip songs and pause/play while the player is in my pocket X3-II has physical buttons, but the wheel gets bad reviews for speed and feel
7. Battery life: At least 15 hours. Preferably with support for replaceable batteries X3-II battery is supposed to last 11 hours between charges, which falls significantly short of the Cowon X7

 
 

 
In short, the screen, wheel, EQ and battery are the main potential issues. Still, with nothing else that looks better and is within my budget, the X3-II is probably my next player. Am I missing something?