Gear Eye: iAudio M3 20GB digital audio player
posted Oct 8th 2004 2:30PM
This last spring no-name Korean manufacturer iAudio made major waves by doing something no one had done before: release a digital audio player with the same capacity as Apple's iPod, but that was thinner and lighter. The M3 had a slick design and affordable price, but the icing on the cake was the all of the features it had that even the iPod could't beat, like line-in encoding, FM radio, and a voice recorder. But there's a catch: the screen. There isn't one on the player itself, instead there's just an LCD screen on the remote.
Since then Apple has released the 4th generation iPod, and the M3 still does all those things the iPod doesn't, and so on. But in all reality, the choice of an M3 is still very much the same; more than anything else, you're choosing whether or not you like the remote.
So yeah, we know it's not a new device. But with the holidays just around the corner and iAudio's forthcoming (and
seemingly-illegitimate) successor, the M5, on the horizon, we think giving the M3 another look is a good idea. While
the technology is changing rapidly for portable digital audio, the fact of the matter is right now there are only a
handful of contenders to consider when it comes to 1.8-inch drive based digital audio players: the iPod, the Rio Karma,
the Gmini400, the iRiver iHP-120, and the iAudio M3.
What you get
- M3 player
- In-line remote
- Cresyn AXE2 cans
- USB cable
- 1/8th-inch audio cable
- Screen protectors
- Documentation, software
- Dock (optional)
- Sub-pack
- Adapter
- Dock plug protectors
- Carrying case
Note: the unit is sold in packages both with or without the cradle/dock.
The unit
Make no mistake about it. You're signing up for a sturdy, robust MP3 player with simple (though not necessarily
Jobs/Ive-minimalist), attractive design. Though not as much as with the Gmini400, per se, I was immediately surprised
at the size of the M3 even knowing full well that it was going to be only slightly smaller than the iPod.
Before using the M3 my impression was that offloading the screen onto the remote was a bit of a cop out, something
along the lines of: the iPod could fit in a screen at that size, so why couldn't the M3? But it's actually rather
brilliant; after growing used to the way the M3 works, you'll soon come to think of the remote as just a rather tiny
MP3 player. One that happens to have a nice looking 20GB external hard drive attached via cable.
Features
Let's face it, the M3 did not skimp on the features. Unlike many of the competitors in its class (I'm not going to
mention any names...), the design of the M3 did not forego an FM tuner, line-in encoding, a wide variety of audio tuning
settings, and a voice recorder—features that are only now becoming standard in digital audio players. We're not going
to open the video-playback can of worms, but for a straight audio player it's got about everything you're going to
need. The M3 also comes in a thicker 40GB version (again, comparable to the iPod's 40GB model), and the M3L variant of
the 20GB unit, which has a 35-hour lithium-ion battery and is the same size as the 40GB model.
Use and usability
This MP3 player is made in the remote, no doubt about it, so using the M3 can be a mixed bag. The controls are unusual
for a digital audio player, and may take a bit of getting used to. For instance, scrolling down requires a
counterclockwise turn of the wheel, instead of the expected clockwise direction. Once you learn the ropes of the
device, it's not exactly going to perplex. But with the interface all jammed into a tiny 1.25-inch, 128 X 96 display,
you'd better be pretty content peering into a really dense screen. Yeah, we're talking to you Mr/s.
I've-got-a-laptop-with-a-14.1-inch-screen-running-at-1600x1200-resolution.
The hugest interface drawback with the M3, however, is the complete lack of track sorting. Believe it or not, no, you
can't sort by artist, album, song, or otherwise. You're left to navigate your thousands-large collection of audio files
entirely by filename (yeah right), folder, or user-created playlist (m3u or dynamically created). This is a huge
problem for any player with as much storage capacity as the M3, and is perhaps its greatest issue. It's only partly
made up for by its USB mass storage device compatibility. No file indexing, no software, just drag and drop your
files—if only every manufacturer one was so kind as to do this, but unfortunately few do.
Otherwise, if you're fine with setting the thing on random and letting it rip, the battery performance is very decent,
easily getting about 10-12 hours of playback on a full charge. The unit can even recharge (albeit slowly) via USB, a
sly feature that is very well appreciated (although music can't be played while it's connected via USB, even while in
the dock).
So it's too bad they managed to sort of snatch those little bonuses away by pushing the unit's USB port onto a
"subpack" device as they call it, a small port replicator of sorts for power, USB 2.0, line-in and line-out (think
along the lines of the SendStation
PocketDocks). That means if you want to use your M3 as a drive, take it to a friend's house and swap, er, legal
copies of music, or charge it via USB or adapter, better make sure you brought your sub-pack. This part is rather
crap.
And so...
The M3 is still a very strong contender. It's still cheaper than an iPod, and despite being on the market as long as
it has, it's still very sleek, compact, easily carried player. The near-microscopic screen, lack of ports without the
subpack, and total absence of song sorting features notwithstanding, it's a real pleasure to use. However, be warned:
it is certainly due to be eclipsed by a new round of players very soon. While it currently stands up very well against
the iPod (in my opinion even winning out against it) and is just shy of the Rio Karma (which ultimately stays my pick
with its sorting and jukebox features), the M3 will have a hard time fending itself off against the likes of the
Gmini400, and other such overachieving next-generation digital audio players that are due out in droves tomorrow or the
day after. So let's put it this way. Right now it's still a great player, but I can't say that we're not expecting
(read: greatly anticipating) iAudio's proper follow-up to the M3.
P.S. We all know how much you love pictures, so continue below for more:
It's got lots of indicator LEDs, never a bad thing.
Stacks up well against the iPod and the brickish Rio Karma, eh?
The M3 in its carrying case.
No clip, but a discreet belt loop. How nice.
The Cresyn AXE2 cans it comes bundled with.
We're not terribly fond of the M3 while wearing a subpack.
Though the cradle is rather nice.
Naked!
I was looking forward to the M5 when I read it is apparently a "seemingly-illegitimate successor." What does this mean? You've broken my heart.
Looks hideous compared to the iPod. And yes, even the 1st generation iPod!
Replace the cable from the hard drive and remote with a Bluetooth link and put the MP3 decoding hardware in the remote and I'll be in heaven. The only stumbling block I see then would be putting an appropriate battery in the remote.
The m3's okay... but its really hard to navigate around, the screen is tiny!
I have one and i use it more like a hard drive instead of listening to music with it due to its usability. i like my creative zen better.
I missed it... what file formats does this thing play? And what software does it use to load songs? And... works with both Macs & PC's?
Not a very detailed review, even though hardware info is good.
Come on guys. It's Ive, not Ives. You have the best tech blog out, so please get it right.
Oh. And now I want one of these instead of my iPod!
Ryan:
The M5, while looking to be a very decent player, does not at all follow the trail blazed by the M3. They've gone and added the screen to the main unit--wonderful--but at the expense of a relatively huge protrusion in order to fit it in. Very unsleek when compared to the iPod, and especially so when compared to the video-playing Gmini400.
Curt:
Our Gear Eye reviews are not specs-centric. If you're into specs and heights in milimeters, etc., do go check out the M3 website, it's got all that in droves. Engadget Gear Eye reviews are more about the experience of using (and having) a product, something we feel is often lacking in reviews. If the format's not working for you, or you have any changes you'd like to see, please do let me know: ryan at engadget dot com. We're always trying to improve our content. That said, it plays MP3, WMA, OGG, WAV, FLAC, all the same formats as the Rio Karma; it also works on both PC and Mac platforms.
Charlie:
Correction noted.
Thanks for reading!
Ryan
I have one of these, and think it's brilliant. Certainly better than the buggy Philips HDD100 I had previously. I travel a lot by Tube in London, and having all the navigation bits and bobs on the remote is very handy when crammed into the cariiages in the usual 'illegal to move livestock in these conditions' manner that every London commuter is familiar with. While initially the navigation seems counter-intuitive, I quickly got to grips with it, and find it very easy to use now. The UI is at least 'consistent', which is the holy grail for UI designers in my view.
File sorting isn;t a problem for me -- I've used a geat piece of software called 'Tag & Rename' to properly ID3 tag all my files. T&R then is able to rename all the files using the ID3 tags. Thus I now have them sorted by genre, then artist, then album. I actually prefer this to the iPod database method -- I always browsed via genre etc. anyway on my old HDD100. DJ mix albums always caused problems here -- I never want to list a song artist as 'various'. Another nice feature is you can play by folder, or all subfolders (including shuffle). That way, I can listen to all my 'drum & bass' tracks for instance, or shuffle through 'hip-hop'.
I never actually tried the headphones until I needed some for my laptop. They're crap. For a start, you need ears bigger than Batfink. Replace them straight away with some Sony Fontopia EX71s. That said, the iPod, Philips, and Creative 'phones are all rubbish in my experience too (it's interesting how the explosion of white earphones after christmas has died down now -- the Sony EX71s seem most popular on the commute now).
Oh, and it won't play DRMed WMAs.
On the other hand, it's been vaguely promised by iAudio for a future firmware release. The guys at iAudio seem to release a firmware upgrade each week -- constantly adding new features. This is great in my view -- as is their customer support. Very helpful and very prompt.
Anyway -- if you want a very slim MP3 player, that has good sound quality and plenty of features and a good battery life; I'd highly recommend the M3.
Formerly I had a Philips HDD60 jukebox. The M3 is much better, especially with all the features it has, including a good FM-radio. You really have to get used to the interface, but it gives you endless possibilities to manage the M3. The software that is included is very good and frequently updated. I don't regret buying it at all!
Seriously man, i have an FM radio watch that cost me a dollar on woot.com. An FM radio is not a feature.
Ive said it before and I'll say it again, this is an exaustive list of everything that counts in an mp3 player:
Capacity
Battery Life
Dimensions
Plays open source audio formats
Very high sound quality
Style
UI
Ease of doulbing as a portable HD
Apple iPODs meet like 3 of these on a good day. the m3 meets more, but when will they come out with one that meets ALL??
If this thing had an SD expansion slot (for on the go swaping) and bluetooth for use with cell phone in the car, and for swaping between PC I would by it in a heartbeat. these last two features are a must for HDD players that dont go beyond and into video players!
Capacity- you can say ipod and m3 are the same
Battery Life - m3
Dimensions - m3
Plays open source audio formats - m3 and ipod
Very high sound quality - m3 easily, dont even bother ipod owners...we all know m3 sounds better
Style - m3. the ipod reminds me of a kitchen appliance, all white, chrome and plastic...
UI - ipod, have to say they done good with the wheel...however the ipod doesnt allow for scrolling long music files, unlike the m3 which does.
Ease of doulbing as a portable HD - m3 no doubt, you have to use crappy software with the ipod, very lame.....m3 beats ipod in more than 3 i guess (",)
The m5 has been changed to the X5. it is the same size as the m3, but has a 1.8" color screen on it and the buttons are built on it as well. FANCY: it can take photos from a camera without a computer! it can also show those pics on the screen in vibrant and beautiful colour. The M3 is just fine though, and i highly reccomend it to anyone.
A couple advantages of the player is that it has an external screen, so you can keep the layer in you pocket and dont need to risk dropin or scratchin it. and if the screen breakes, you can replace it with another on for about 20 bucks, while when i broke my ipod, i had to send the whole thing in to be replaced and costed me about 90 dollars. that a huge amount. I also reccomend to you that getting the gunmetal or "Brown" color is cooler because it has a mor attractive color body, but when it comes down to it, you never really see it besides it beein in the cradle or somethin. it stays in your pocket most of the time. The other thing that plows the ipod away it the SOUND QUALITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! UNSURPASSED! I am a full audiophile, and i need a perfect sound. i record my music in a vbr mp3 or mp3 pro, and make sure that my files are click and jitter free. I hate noise in music. with the sound enhansements like the mach3bass and the 3d sound, you will feel like your in the studio or the concert. AMAZING, UNSURPASSED audio quality. P.s. i reccomend you use the supplied headphones or get 16 ohm headphones that can handle 40mW, because this thing pumps it out! i mean loud!. I have sony MDR-F1 headphones, which are a 12 ohm input. Thses are awesome with the m3 only with high volume, bacause the headphones are tested at 79 mW for each side. they can handle it. overall a wonderful item of audio, and a huge recomdation to all if wantin the ipod. and besides, the ipod cant support any kind of wma, and, lol, needs to change formats to acc or aac format or whatever there stupid format is. how dum is that.
OH yeah, m3 now supports flac with a firm update.
Well guys when inquiring about the USA release date of the M5 I received this reply on 02/02/05 from iAudio Tech Support :
Dear CUSTOMER,
Thanks for your interest in Jetaudio.
So I might just hold off buying that M3!!
M5 official release date is pushed back to May.
Please check back with us in the near future.
Thanks,
Regards,
Jetaudio Inc.
killa: ipod definitely doesn't play Ogg Vorbis or FLAC out of the box.. I'd support m3 over ipod any day for the sole reason that they're not trying to bind us to using proprietary file formats like Apple does
I've owned the M3 for a year. It's very flexible, handles many file formats, the remote is incredibly natural once you get used to it and it machined precisely from aluminum. Very little plastic and it can take abuse without being sent back to APPLE.