cyanbomb
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2007
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My Cowon D2 wasn't satisfying me, especially in terms of capacity, so I decided to buy something new.
Contributing factors to my decision:
I really don't like iPods (the principle of not being able to do whatever I want with MY own files irritates me, not to mention the famished, skeletal featureset); Archos wanted me to pay for plug-ins to enable features that were advertised, which I think is bullcrap. And Creative's wonderful Zen Vision:M is getting on in years (and has no FLAC support). Thus, I chose the Cowon A3.
Look & Feel:
The A3 is quite a substantial player in your hands. It won't fit into a regular pants pocket, unless you're wearing cargoes, or using a coat pocket. I am always acutely conscious that it's a HDD player, because of the size, and it's never going to look as sleek as an iPod either! The styling is very modern and functional, but not breathtaking in any way. In fact, it really is quite plain. It feels solid, and the fact that the screen is not recessed is a HUGE plus--no dust gets trapped along the sides and corners of the screen. Build quality is good. Better than Creative, less seamless than Apple. Uber style-conscious individuals need not apply!
The Screen: (Shown below are 2 ways of displaying the menu. With large or small icons)
This deserves its own section! It's not sex, but it will raise your blood pressure looking at it.
The resolution is 800x480 (yes, that's right, better than some EEPCs out there!), and the display is very sharp. Once you've gotten used to it, 320x240 just doesn't cut it anymore--be warned! When I'm watching a movie on the A3 while en route to work, heads turn, because the screen is better than any portable I've seen. One review said it's like looking at a photograph. That's an exaggeration--you can still see very fine pixels if you look closely, but that really is nitpicking.
Interface & Ergonomics:
I'll get the negatives out of the way first: The joystick is rubbish. I'm surprised that the product testers didn't shoot themselves in the head after the first 5 minutes of using it. How it made it into production is beyond me. Imagine having to press down on an old arcade machine's joystick. You'd more likely push it in a certain direction, right? Exactly how it is on the A3. Thankfully, there is a workaround that not a lot of people seem to know about. When in a menu, push the joystick this way -> to select, and this way <- to go back. Solved!
The use of multifunction A, B, and C buttons (depending on the mode you're in) may take some getting used to, but once you use them a few times, you begin to realise how functional they really are. Brilliant idea on a device that has so many features.
On the interface side, menus are intuitive, fast, and clear. Even if you choose a really stupid background, selected titles and such are highlighted in a neutral-coloured interface bar, and hence are very easy to read. Album art is supported, and software like JRiver's excellent Media Jukebox will sync it into the A3 without a hitch.
Sound Quality & Features:
I expected the A3 to sound good, but not great. I expected to hear hints of HDD noise with very sensitive IEMs too. I was wrong on all counts--the A3 is a sonically astonishing player. I normally listen to my music with all audio effects off, except for their BBE on the lowest setting sometimes (the boost in dynamic range is really very pleasant!)
The A3 does everything you'd want a good audio player to do. The highs, mids, and lows are ALL competent. But the thing that really wows is the soundstage. I've let 6 different people audition it so far, both audiophiles and normal people alike, and they unanimously agree that the soundstage is both deep and wide, making live performances a real treat to listen to!
On Arne Domnérus' famous 1976 recording, Jazz At The Pawnshop, the placement of the instruments is focused and defined; with a good pair of cans or IEMs, you're drawn into an intimate space on the stage. The illusion is uncanny; this is one live recording you don't long to be at, like so many others, because you are there. Many other DAPs fail to reproduce the subtle decays that hint at the recording space--not the A3. It's spot on.
EQ Freaks (Freqs?
) will undoubtedly love the A3 for its ultra-customizable 10-band EQ. Just see the picture below, and nothing more needs to be said.
The A3 has an A/V out. It outputs video in component (R/G/B), component (Yellow plug), and S-Video; you can use a 3.5mm mini-phono for audio; however, note that the A/V out for audio is still amplified. I would not have considered this player if the headphone out was not so good. Thankfully, the headphone output is excellent.
Battery Life:
Cowon claims a 9-hour battery life for music, and a 7-hour battery life for video. Of course, these are highly dependant on the quality of the music and video you use. I've gotten more than 10 hours playing FLAC (don't ask me why...), and about 5-6 hours for video (using 2Mbps Nero Recode .MP4 files). Needless to say, this is no D2. You're going to have to charge it every 2-3 days with mixed music and video use. I use the A3 in an ambient temperature of about 28-30 degrees celsius (82-86 degrees fahrenheit), so if you're in a colder climate, battery life should be shorter.
Conclusion:
I haven't even talked about the quality of video playback, and the sheer amount of codecs this player supports. The Video-In, Video-Out (both tested, and both work great! Composite-Out! S-Video Input! Component-In! This player does it ALL), Line-In FLAC Recording <---- No, you're not dreaming., FM Radio, and other features. On the basis of SQ alone, even unamped, considering the current lack of high-capacity non-iPod players out there, it's the logical choice.
I'm not one of those who writes a good review because I've already invested money buying it. If it's crap, I'll tell you it's crap. But no, the A3 is a quality product. Creative, amongst several other companies, needs to take a long, hard look at Cowon, and learn.
Hope this has been useful to someone!
-cyanbomb
Contributing factors to my decision:
I really don't like iPods (the principle of not being able to do whatever I want with MY own files irritates me, not to mention the famished, skeletal featureset); Archos wanted me to pay for plug-ins to enable features that were advertised, which I think is bullcrap. And Creative's wonderful Zen Vision:M is getting on in years (and has no FLAC support). Thus, I chose the Cowon A3.
Look & Feel:
The A3 is quite a substantial player in your hands. It won't fit into a regular pants pocket, unless you're wearing cargoes, or using a coat pocket. I am always acutely conscious that it's a HDD player, because of the size, and it's never going to look as sleek as an iPod either! The styling is very modern and functional, but not breathtaking in any way. In fact, it really is quite plain. It feels solid, and the fact that the screen is not recessed is a HUGE plus--no dust gets trapped along the sides and corners of the screen. Build quality is good. Better than Creative, less seamless than Apple. Uber style-conscious individuals need not apply!
The Screen: (Shown below are 2 ways of displaying the menu. With large or small icons)
This deserves its own section! It's not sex, but it will raise your blood pressure looking at it.
The resolution is 800x480 (yes, that's right, better than some EEPCs out there!), and the display is very sharp. Once you've gotten used to it, 320x240 just doesn't cut it anymore--be warned! When I'm watching a movie on the A3 while en route to work, heads turn, because the screen is better than any portable I've seen. One review said it's like looking at a photograph. That's an exaggeration--you can still see very fine pixels if you look closely, but that really is nitpicking.Interface & Ergonomics:
I'll get the negatives out of the way first: The joystick is rubbish. I'm surprised that the product testers didn't shoot themselves in the head after the first 5 minutes of using it. How it made it into production is beyond me. Imagine having to press down on an old arcade machine's joystick. You'd more likely push it in a certain direction, right? Exactly how it is on the A3. Thankfully, there is a workaround that not a lot of people seem to know about. When in a menu, push the joystick this way -> to select, and this way <- to go back. Solved!
The use of multifunction A, B, and C buttons (depending on the mode you're in) may take some getting used to, but once you use them a few times, you begin to realise how functional they really are. Brilliant idea on a device that has so many features.
On the interface side, menus are intuitive, fast, and clear. Even if you choose a really stupid background, selected titles and such are highlighted in a neutral-coloured interface bar, and hence are very easy to read. Album art is supported, and software like JRiver's excellent Media Jukebox will sync it into the A3 without a hitch.
Sound Quality & Features:
I expected the A3 to sound good, but not great. I expected to hear hints of HDD noise with very sensitive IEMs too. I was wrong on all counts--the A3 is a sonically astonishing player. I normally listen to my music with all audio effects off, except for their BBE on the lowest setting sometimes (the boost in dynamic range is really very pleasant!)
The A3 does everything you'd want a good audio player to do. The highs, mids, and lows are ALL competent. But the thing that really wows is the soundstage. I've let 6 different people audition it so far, both audiophiles and normal people alike, and they unanimously agree that the soundstage is both deep and wide, making live performances a real treat to listen to!
On Arne Domnérus' famous 1976 recording, Jazz At The Pawnshop, the placement of the instruments is focused and defined; with a good pair of cans or IEMs, you're drawn into an intimate space on the stage. The illusion is uncanny; this is one live recording you don't long to be at, like so many others, because you are there. Many other DAPs fail to reproduce the subtle decays that hint at the recording space--not the A3. It's spot on.
EQ Freaks (Freqs?
The A3 has an A/V out. It outputs video in component (R/G/B), component (Yellow plug), and S-Video; you can use a 3.5mm mini-phono for audio; however, note that the A/V out for audio is still amplified. I would not have considered this player if the headphone out was not so good. Thankfully, the headphone output is excellent.
Battery Life:
Cowon claims a 9-hour battery life for music, and a 7-hour battery life for video. Of course, these are highly dependant on the quality of the music and video you use. I've gotten more than 10 hours playing FLAC (don't ask me why...), and about 5-6 hours for video (using 2Mbps Nero Recode .MP4 files). Needless to say, this is no D2. You're going to have to charge it every 2-3 days with mixed music and video use. I use the A3 in an ambient temperature of about 28-30 degrees celsius (82-86 degrees fahrenheit), so if you're in a colder climate, battery life should be shorter.
Conclusion:
I haven't even talked about the quality of video playback, and the sheer amount of codecs this player supports. The Video-In, Video-Out (both tested, and both work great! Composite-Out! S-Video Input! Component-In! This player does it ALL), Line-In FLAC Recording <---- No, you're not dreaming., FM Radio, and other features. On the basis of SQ alone, even unamped, considering the current lack of high-capacity non-iPod players out there, it's the logical choice.
I'm not one of those who writes a good review because I've already invested money buying it. If it's crap, I'll tell you it's crap. But no, the A3 is a quality product. Creative, amongst several other companies, needs to take a long, hard look at Cowon, and learn.
Hope this has been useful to someone!
-cyanbomb
