[ceapy]

Has the update ' COWON D3 Firmware V x.53 - Gingerbread Upgrade' made any significant upgrades in speed? I have seen videos of the D3 before this update and response time is like 0.5 seconds while scrolling and is just really laggy.
 
I am considering buying the Cowon D3 but the slow speed and battery life is a put down for me. Has the firmware improved (significantly?) on these two? I might just buy the J3 instead if the D3 isn't improved. Feedback is appreciated. Thanks.

 

[ceapy]

Bump. I am seriously considering buying the D3. If anyone can give me information as to if it actually sped up the device, it would be greatly appreciated. Either that or the J3 if no one says anything. Thanks.

 

[Artmuzz]

I don't know what it is but every time I buy a new Cowon DAP the SQ seems to have improved. When I bought the X5 I thought the SQ was awesome then when I bought the D2 it was better. I then bought the J3 and the SQ was the best. Now that I have bought the D3 I can confirm that the SQ is even better than the other Cowon DAPs I have. THe SQ has more meat and depth and the sound stage seems a lot bigger. I was listening to some bass heavy music the other day and it was like listening to music from an expensive hi-fi or being actually at the concert as the bass was alive it was so scary lol. Android has improved since the upgrade to Gingerbread but The D3 kind of struggles running some apps like Equalizer if Bass, Reverb and Virtualizer are all selected due to the D3's not so big CPU and memory. There is a big snag though with the D3 that the battery life is poor.

 

[ceapy]

Thanks for your post ArtMuzz, very informative.
 
If you had to pick between the two, the J3 and D3, which would you choose? Do the pros outweight the cons on the D3 enough to pick it over the J3?
 
Also, can you tell me how much the D3 'struggles' in the current update? I would hate to have a slow MP3 player. Also, are you able to put in multiple playlists like the iPod nano?

 

[Artmuzz]

For awesome SQ and Android I would would go for the Cowon D3 even though the battery life isn't as good as the J3's. IMO the internet loads up quicker now with the new Gingerbread update. Unfortunately, the only way to get playlists on the go on the D3 is by using the Bookmark function. If you are wanting multiple playlists then you have to create them yourself on a computer then put on the D3 unless Cowon come up with an update which allows you to do this in the near future.

 

[Makiah S]

I'm also thinking seriously about the D3 [Amazon has a 32gb for $200 and a 16gb J3 for $200 as well so... I'll take newer and bigger for less :3]
 
But I've read a number of reviews saying that the newest firmware updates make a huge difference, it's not so laggy. Still it's good to hear the SQ gets better with Each one!

 

[seekadds]

I recently bought the D3 and so far I am loving it. I'm no expert, but here are my 2 cents.
 
Quote:

I don't know what it is but every time I buy a new Cowon DAP the SQ seems to have improved...I then bought the J3 and the SQ was the best. Now that I have bought the D3 I can confirm that the SQ is even better than the other Cowon DAPs I have. 

 
I have heard a J3 before, and all I can say from first hand experience is that the difference, if any, is too small for me to notice (at least with my current headphones). 
 
Prominent members of this forum and other audiophile forums argue that the J3 and D3 sound exactly the same, and any perceived difference is placebo. 
 
Quote:

If you are wanting multiple playlists then you have to create them yourself on a computer then put on the D3 unless Cowon come up with an update which allows you to do this in the near future.

 
Multiple, on-the-go playlists was one major reason I chose the D3 over the J3. This can be done by rooting the D3 then installing a third-party player like RockBox or PowerAmp. Personally, I am using PowerAMP.
 
Quote:

But I've read a number of reviews saying that the newest firmware updates make a huge difference, it's not so laggy. Still it's good to hear the SQ gets better with Each one!

 
The device is definitely slow, compared to other Android devices. However, I think the major reviews on the speed/bugs have been overly harsh. Everyone these days has dual-core Android phones, so they expect any device running Android to be that fast. It is a valid point, but if used purely for a music source (i.e. only player app running, wi-fi off, etc.) and maybe some video here and there, I find the device acceptable. Let's just say that even as little as 7 years ago, a device with the speed and reliability of the D3 would not warrant negative reviews.
 
Conclusion? If you want an Android device for multi-tasking, installing apps, browsing the web, and some music playing on the side, get a Galaxy S III. And as much as I would recommend the J3 over the D3 to about 98% of people, there is the 2% who take advantage of the D3's strengths over the J3: RockBox/PowerAMP and digital S/PDIF output. If those don't mean much to you, get the J3.
 
addendum: At the time of writing, my D3 (and others) has a bug where third party player apps have much lower volume than the stock player. There are a couple workarounds, one of them being using the S/PDIF output I mentioned. Just a warning though if you plan on rooting it without an amp.

 

[Makiah S]

Quote:

I recently bought the D3 and so far I am loving it. I'm no expert, but here are my 2 cents.
 
 
I have heard a J3 before, and all I can say from first hand experience is that the difference, if any, is too small for me to notice (at least with my current headphones). 
 
Prominent members of this forum and other audiophile forums argue that the J3 and D3 sound exactly the same, and any perceived difference is placebo. 
 
 
Multiple, on-the-go playlists was one major reason I chose the D3 over the J3. This can be done by rooting the D3 then installing a third-party player like RockBox or PowerAmp. Personally, I am using PowerAMP.
 
 
The device is definitely slow, compared to other Android devices. However, I think the major reviews on the speed/bugs have been overly harsh. Everyone these days has dual-core Android phones, so they expect any device running Android to be that fast. It is a valid point, but if used purely for a music source (i.e. only player app running, wi-fi off, etc.) and maybe some video here and there, I find the device acceptable. Let's just say that even as little as 7 years ago, a device with the speed and reliability of the D3 would not warrant negative reviews.
 
Conclusion? If you want an Android device for multi-tasking, installing apps, browsing the web, and some music playing on the side, get a Galaxy S III. And as much as I would recommend the J3 over the D3 to about 98% of people, there is the 2% who take advantage of the D3's strengths over the J3: RockBox/PowerAMP and digital S/PDIF output. If those don't mean much to you, get the J3.
 
addendum: At the time of writing, my D3 (and others) has a bug where third party player apps have much lower volume than the stock player. There are a couple workarounds, one of them being using the S/PDIF output I mentioned. Just a warning though if you plan on rooting it without an amp.

nice, I want to get the S/PDIF out, I've got a cable on hold. Just need to get the money to buy em both ^^