[g1981c]

as somebody who runs four rackmount digital sound processors in my home system i am a bit partial to gear with FUNCTIONAL equalizers in it.  which my iphone 3GS does not have.
 
i need a player with maximum ability to customize the frequency response, especially in the bass.  i need a unit with equalizer that lets you take basically any headphone and make it sound to your liking.  i also need an equalizer that doesn't clip or distort or sound like an echo from outer space.
 
of course i also want as much clean power as possible and as much memory as possible ( but no hard drives ).
 
now according to some preliminary research it seems Cowon J3 is my best option.  yes ? no ?
 
give me some reasons why J3 is not the best player for me !
 
some of the applications i envision for it:
 
1 - cardio as in biking and jogging ( primary application so far )
2 - bus & train 
3 - line at the DMV, doctor's office etc.
 
headphones i currently own:
 
1 - IE8 ( the ones i expect to use the most )
2 - Technics RP DJ 1200
3 - Senn HD 555
 
also i have to say that i am a fairly serious basshead.  i have built 3 subwoofers myself the last one using a 8,000 watt driver capable of 4 inches of excursion ( TC Sounds LMS 5400 ).  this subwoofer runs through three rackmount DSP processors ( the fourth one runs on speakers ).  the ability to customize bass response ( without clipping or distorting ) is THE most important consideration for me, it is primarily reason why iPhone is useless to me.
 
so once again - talk me out of J3 !
 

 

[kunalraiker]

get the most powerfull cowon player

 

[g1981c]

Quote:

get the most powerfull cowon player

hm ... would that be the J3 ?

 

[kunalraiker]

Cowon D2+

 

[g1981c]

Quote:

Cowon D2+

 
37 mw vs 29 mw is 1 decibel difference ( on the scale of 120 decibel hearing range ).  i don't believe that's a significant difference.
 
the fact that it has SDHC card slot versus micro SD slot i think is a serious plus, so is the price compared to J3.  the fact that out of the box it only comes with 16 gigs is a drawback.
 
what are the other differences between D2+ and J3 ?
 
 

 

 

[1audioz]

I'm a proud owner of a D2+.
 
The J3 has a capacitive display compared to the D2+'s resistive screen. Don't get me wrong, the resistive screen is quite sensitive and almost always registers my taps. While it's nothing like my HTC Desire's panel, it's certainly very good for a resistive display. You may find that the J3's GUI is better than D2+ as it's more suited for using on the go. I find the D2+ hard to use one handed and the screen (while good) is a bit small for touch gestures such as flick scrolling. Scrolling isn't kinetic but if you quickly flick your finger down/up the list will scroll. In terms of usability - I would opt for the J3; given that it's new and seemingly more durable too. The D2+ is made completely out of plastic. It's quite chunky. I don't mind it given I also own much thinner players. 
 
The BBE+ present on the J3/D2+ should give you the bass thump you want. I have the Mach3Bass option set to 10/10 for my k-pop songs and the result sound isn't muddy and overly bloated-sounding unlike a particular Samsung K3 I own ( which I think uses DNSe). Use M3Bass-10 with your IE8 and you should have enough bass to knock your socks off. However, actual results may vary. =)
 
I haven't tried it - but you can customise the buttons on the D2+ when the lock slider is in place. Say Vol.Up/Down for next/previous song and so on.

 

[g1981c]

Quote:

I'm a proud owner of a D2+.
 
The J3 has a capacitive display compared to the D2+'s resistive screen. Don't get me wrong, the resistive screen is quite sensitive and almost always registers my taps. While it's nothing like my HTC Desire's panel, it's certainly very good for a resistive display. You may find that the J3's GUI is better than D2+ as it's more suited for using on the go. I find the D2+ hard to use one handed and the screen (while good) is a bit small for touch gestures such as flick scrolling. Scrolling isn't kinetic but if you quickly flick your finger down/up the list will scroll. In terms of usability - I would opt for the J3; given that it's new and seemingly more durable too. The D2+ is made completely out of plastic. It's quite chunky. I don't mind it given I also own much thinner players. 
 
The BBE+ present on the J3/D2+ should give you the bass thump you want. I have the Mach3Bass option set to 10/10 for my k-pop songs and the result sound isn't muddy and overly bloated-sounding unlike a particular Samsung K3 I own ( which I think uses DNSe). Use M3Bass-10 with your IE8 and you should have enough bass to knock your socks off. However, actual results may vary. =)
 
I haven't tried it - but you can customise the buttons on the D2+ when the lock slider is in place. Say Vol.Up/Down for next/previous song and so on.

so is the BBE processing in addition to the equalizer ?  or is equalizer part of it ?  can you run M3Bass and the EQ at the same time ?

 

[Hero Kid]

J3 is win... I wouldn't be one to try and talk you out of buying one

 

[g1981c]

Quote:

Headphones > Source Material > Source > Amplification >>> Cabling.

i would say:
 
Quote:

Source Material > EQ > Headphones > Source > Amplification > Cabling.

 

 

[4DThinker]

If you really want an EQ with more precision, the player in my collection that stands out is the MintPass MintPad. It also sounds great. 12 bands. 3 user EQ settings, 12 presets. I reviewed it last year.  MicroSD slot. No gapless playback, but does play MP3, WMA, OGG, WAV, APE, and FLAC files.

 

[g1981c]

Quote:

If you really want an EQ with more precision, the player in my collection that stands out is the MintPass MintPad. It also sounds great. 12 bands. 3 user EQ settings, 12 presets. I reviewed it last year.  MicroSD slot. No gapless playback, but does play MP3, WMA, OGG, WAV, APE, and FLAC files.

well then i might as well just put my macbook pro in my backpack
 
too much functionality i don't need.  i already have *the internet* on the iPhone which i will have to be carrying with me anyway.
 
maybe its a good product for somebody who doesn't already have a smartphone.

 

[1audioz]

@op
 
You can run the BBE+ with the EQ.

 

[chicagojammer]

Does it play AAC files?  Seems like a popular format to ignore.

 

[4DThinker]

Yes, my J3 plays AAC files. It play the few M4A files I have too.
 
As for the MintPad, all the functions you don't need are easily ignored, same as with any other media player.  What stands out is it's music playing and EQ ability, which is stunning. I thought that was the point of this thread?

 

[tds101]

Go w/the J3 - it's superb. The only reason I didn't get 1 as of yet is that I'm PRAYING that Cowon will implement "Replay Gain" in the J3.
 
I shuffle my tracks all the time, so the volume discrepancy between tracks can be quite startling/ear ache inducing. I mean, it could be turned on or off in the settings, so it's not something that would ruin the musical enjoyment for a person who doesn't need the feature.
 
Give me replay gain, and I'm back on the Cowon bandwagon. The gapless & mega battery life, plus the outstanding AMOLED screen rocking videos would be gravy for me.