[bungle]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrflip69 /img/forum/go_quote.gif How would you guys rank the build quality of the G3 and the V100?

Mine seems to be very solid. The only thing I worried about was the joystick, but a user on iAudiophile.net forums said his has lasted a long time. I think it is how you treat it. I had a cheapo mp3 player from iRock for over 4 years and used it at the gym 2-4 times a week during that time and it still worked. Parts of the display stopped working at somepoint, probably from weights hitting it, but other than that it was fine (as long as I had the button sequence memorized to play stuff).

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrflip69 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Cowon / iaudio looks to be a great brand when it comes to best bang for buck, but sketchy firmware, piss-poor US customer support, and less than favorable quality control keeps me away.

Look on iAudiophile.net forums for some support reviews. I've sent in a few bugs about the firmware and gotten okay response. There are a few G3 firmware choices. They actually just released a newer version for it recently after a long layoff (overseas only so far). I'd rather have a more mature product than a buggier new product, I guess. The problems with the G3's firmware at the moment are minor.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrflip69 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Can you guys recommend any other flash based players with good sq (Better than SANSA) and drag/drop support (UMS) with either a AA/AAA or some other sort of user replaceable battery, and the durability to keep running?

Try the dapdb search I linked earlier to narrow your search for UMS and battery, then try to find out about the SQ. I think a lot of the top contenders are listed here already, but there are a lot more in the search results than I would have expected.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrflip69 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Also--could anybody point me to some user reviews of the G3 or V100? I've already searched, and the minimum char is 3 so "G3" is out. I haven't found much on the V100 here at all, except for maybe 2 or 3 people that actually own it.

Google will search for "G3". Use a search string like this:
"g3 review site:head-fi.org"
Also, iAudiophile.net has a lot of info.

I like my G3. It sounds great, is very customizable, and has UMS and takes a standard battery, which were requirements for me. I don't know how ampable it is since I've never tried or (nor do I own an amp yet), and I mainly use it at the gym with EP630s, FX33s, or iM616s. It shows ID3 information but you can only browse by file-system, and there's a 250/50 file/folder limit, but neither are big deals to me. I've said more about it in the past if you search for my posts.

 

[mrflip69]

Good info.. thanks guys. I'm feeling better about the G3 and V100 now!

And kramer, I'm in the SoCal area, so a bit of a long way from you but I'll take your word on the V100's durability.

I'm truly hoping it IS how you take care of the product, in terms of how long it will last.

appophylite: I was just looking at that Sony model series. To my knowledge it isn't UMS compliant... too bad, as I absolutely love Sony battery life, build quality, and sound quality.

bungle: Yep, I eventually tried the google search and got some good hits. that dapdb search was great! Bookmarked right away

Thanks again..

 

[uraflit]

i also bought the v100... partially cuz i had an old MuVo NX and it lasted the 3 years of abuse in my backpack, and partially cuz kramer told me to

it works awesome in almost every way, except the transfer speeds are like USB 1.0 speeds. built-in EQ works for me, and so does the bass boost, but i dont usually turn it on. hehehe