Cowon iAudio X5 60GB: game on!
by Barb Dybwad 
posted Jul 23rd 2005 at 6:32AM
Wow, that was fast. Apparently there was so much buzz surrounding Cowon's scrapping of the 60GB iAudio X5 that the company has issued a statement saying they will, in fact, release a 60GB version of the X5. It's sort of unclear whether they're actually changing their mind in response to public outcry, or whether the initial email from Cowon was the result of misinformation — but either way, the company has plans to roll out the 60GB version in the "near future." Please re-commence waiting.
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
James @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
I don't care about price just give me good features. 60gig will be so sweet with great features
Connected @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Is this available in the UK? I need a min 60Gb replacement for my iPod http://www.connectedinternet.co.uk/blog/_archives/2005/7/18/1045650.html and I would like to buck the trend and get a non iPod. Is it better, worse or comparable to a iPod?
David @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
I'd say it's better than the iPod to me, but it's personal perferance. I perfer not having to deal with software, and don't really like buying extra accessories for players, so a player with what I need built-in to it, format support is better for me, and I like the design of it more
the X5 is the first player I've seen that could possibly be better than my iRiver H120
Bilgin @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
I've used my x5 for about 2 weeks now. Forget all the other features, the only reason why you'd want such a player is the sound quality. I think you would be hard pressed to find a better, or even similar sounding mp3 player. I can say iRiver ranks up there, but the ipod does not even come close in the sound department.
The x5 is just an excellent audio player although I never have and never will use the "picture and video" capabilities of it.
If the ipod is only about the "MUSIC", trust me the X5 is more about it.
Excellent FM tuner and recording, USB-On-the-Go are just some of the icing on the cake.
In short, the ipod is completely out of its league if you start comparing it to the X5.
Look at me the fanboy!
Fuzz @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
looks sweet, I would get one bc the interface on my H320 is so goddamn awaful but im not gonna messa reound with moving 10 gigs of music on usb 1.1 again.
Hows the interface on these?
jg @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
thank you i've been wanting to ditch my ipod, this will be my replacement for sure. well maybe that one video creative mp3 player would be up there as well.
Hassan @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Well the ipod has better sound quality if you like to here music the way that it was recorded. Clean, clear and crisp. You of you guys are idiots, just becasue a device can pump lots of base your brains think that that it good sound. The truth that it isn't, good sound is about reproducing the sound the way it was recorded and neither creative, iAudio, nor iRiver has provided a device with such reproduction. Therefor I bought the ipod which today is the best device for playing and organising music.
Bilgin @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
#7 umm... you might want to double check your facts about that statement. the ipod is known to have a faulty headphone jack and to have lesser quality circuitry. If you intend to listen to music the way it was recorded, you just turn off the equalizer and other audio settings on the iaudio or irivers.
I mean, talk about say, ease of use and brand recognition, but don't make yourself look like an idiot by calling others an idiot on a subject you obviously have not looked in to.
Hassan @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
8. I'm very objective and don't care about the brand of my mp3 player. The only thing i care about is the sound quality, ease of use and style. I aqtually tested lots of mp3 players with koss porta pro and no brand offered the pure sound ipods offers. Many of the normals users might not notice it like i do. But I have very good ears. It is all up to the user do you want lots of base buy iRiver or iAudio. Do you want cristal clear sound buy an ipod.
Nobuyuki Idei @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Hassan, if you really cared about quality, you wouldn't be listening to MP3. Your ears can't be very good, if you think MP3 sounds like the original.
Daryl @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
I like the ipod better, hell the sound quality on the ipod will blow this away, also Bilgin only the original ipods and original ipod minis had issues with the head phone jacks. The 3rd and 4th and now 5th gen ipod fixes that issue. Also mp3 is crap, I like using AAC or Apple Lossless. And with iTunes it blows away drag and drop...
David @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
there are no 5th gen iPods... the "new" ipods are just 4G photo's still, just with the
photo" dropped from the name...
iPod's still have distorted EQ presets, lack bass, have bass roll off, and some are still affected by that audio defect bug
um yeah @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
bilgin-
i think you should check YOUR facts-the ipod does have better sound reproduction. hassen put it well- "do you want lots of base buy iRiver or iAudio. Do you want cristal clear sound buy an ipod." yes, a FEW ipods had trouble with faulty headphone jacks-it was not a widespread problem.
"but don't make yourself look like an idiot by calling others an idiot on a subject you obviously have not looked in to." likewise pal (no, you didnt call him an idiot, but you were disputing him without knowing what you were talking about).
Morwan @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Hassan, stop pushing total crap. You're testing with Koss Porta Pros, which while they're decent headphones, they're definitely not top-tier, or even entry-level audiophile phones. I'm not much better off (Grado SR60's), but it's pretty much a well-known fact (Cnet, Head-Fi, Consumer Reports, pretty much any moderately unbiased news source) that the iPod (and especially the iPod Photo) have weak sound quality. They are awesomely easy to use and the iPod -> iTunes integration is excellent, though. Your average person isn't all that interested in sound quality. Things like ease-of-use and compatibilty with music stores are more important, and the X5 lags on both accounts.
Anyways.. If iAudio would add an ID3 database and gapless playback, I'd be completely sold. But... That's not likely, unfortunately.
Ivan @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
I won't go into why my hearing is the best, but I will say that it's very hard to say which DAP has the best sound because everyone has different preferences. If you quantify it with numbers and technical specs, then many people will say that the Cowon and iRiver players are just a notch above the iPod, hence why they are the players of choice for most audiophiles. And it is also true that both the iRiver and Cowon players are better at driving a pair of nice headphones than the iPod (which is why Etymotic Research had to make a special ER-6i model earphone to appease iPod owners who complained about the bass response in the ER-6 model).
But the human ear is like a fingerprint, each one is different and each person may respond differently to the sound quality of various DAPs. Therefore, the two things that usually factor greatest with sound quality are the quality of your headphones and the encoding of your digital music. Now, if your entire collection was encoded using iTunes and ripped entirely from original CDs, then the normal equalizer-free sound of the iPod will probably sound the best. But I doubt any of us can say our collection is entirely comprised of this material. Many of you (like me) have thousands of files taken from different sources (friends, burned CDs, P2P and legal downloads) that all vary in their encoding and sound quality. For this reason, I prefer the iRivers EQ, since it allows me to compensate for the limitations of some of my MP3s better than the iPod can. Dont get me wrong, I love the iPod and recommend it to most people looking for a DAP (ease of use, design and quality are all excellent), but it just doesnt give me all the features I need, and sound quality (at least as it pertains to my preferences) is one of them.
BTW, #5 why do you have to transfer your music on your H320 via USB 1.1? You should only need to do that for DRM files synched through WMP 10.
shiftis @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
"Is it better, worse or comparable to a iPod?"
Way better. I'm unsure as to how a sane person could even consider owning an iPod. Pretty much every and any DAP out there is better than an iPod.
geekfrom213 @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
I believe that regardless of sound quality, the iPod is the most overpriced, overhyped, useless piece on the DAP market right now. The sound quality is subpar and the price is so high that I can't see why anybody would purchase one. And don't hit me with the "I like the clickwheel" defense because Creative has manufactured some very capable Zen-series players that use a clickwheel similar to the iPod's.
pableu @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Well, the only thing that really makes me dislike the iPod are all those iPod-fanboys who don't see that there are other equally as good players around.
Someone put it quite interesting in a recent Zen Sleek discussion: It's just a harddisc with a headphone out. Nothing to make so much fuss about ;)
boogie_doggie @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
In response to Morwan: there's a firmware update on the way that adds ID3 databasing... and I'm not sure, but I think the X5 has gapless playback out of the box.
PS. Everyone just ignore the iPod trolls.
boogie_doggie @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
...and that reminds me: Cowon listened to it's prospective customers and first added the ID3 support and now the 60GB version. I owned a 2G iPod (way before all the zombies, trendoids and trolls hopped on the wagon), and we BEGGED Apple for on-the-go playlists to be added in a firmware upgrade... no dice. They released the 3G and basically told us to buy it, no software upgrades were coming. Apple only releases firmware upgrade when they want to lock out a hack friendly feature.
I'm pointing this out to contrast the two companies' (Apple & Cowon) treatment of it's customers... I'll go where my needs are taken care of, anytime.
David @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
no, the X5 doesn't have gapless playback (neither does the ipod or most other players)
Fuzz @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Ivan my pc is old and doesnt have a usb 2.0 slot, forcing me to use 1.1, bc this pc is just untill i get a new laptop for school
Jeff @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
I thought I'd add my two cents on this ipod debate. Here's a quote from a PC Magazine, mp3 player comparison article:
"...the ipod distorts, sometimes heavily, when you use the EQ settings. Harmonic distortion is minimal with no EQ, but at higher volume levels, most of the EQ settings showed audible distortion. When we couldn't hear it, we could see it plainly on our audio spectrum analyzer. As long as you don't use the EQ settings, you will have a fine listening experience."
Fuzz @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
I have an ipod, an h320, and a zen micro in my home and heres how i see it:
iPod- sound quality is fine its just playlist on the go and ease is great, my ipod is faulty thou and shorts out randmly, sent it to apple and they did nuttin.
H320-sounds great, love watchin videos and is great to use with windows, but it has the most gawd awaful controlls and interface known to man. Plus no playlist on the go.
zen micro- sounds good but it ends there, the controlls suck, the interface is old, and the touch pad is way to sensative and i find it even harder to use than my h320
Stevos @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
I've recently bought the X5 and have tested both the IPod and X5 with Shure e3c headphones. In my opinion the X5 has superior quality especially if you encode using FLAC.
The only downside with the X5 so far is the inability to ffd/rwd when viewing videos :(
Hopefully they'll sort this in the next firmware upgrade.
stisev @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Anyone who spells crystal as "cristal" (e.g. Hassan) doesn't know what the hell they're talking about.
mrblah @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
I for one am very much looking forward to getting this sometime down the line. I currently have a 60GB iRiver (h140..er h160 now i guess) and have the rockbox firmware on there for gapless playback along with many other goodies. once they're done working out everything on the iriver it will be ported to the X5 which should make it even more amazing.
andrew @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
they need to hire some english speaking people over there at cowon, "color sound" isnt exactly the greatest thing to put on the front of your mp3 player....by now, the fact that a mp3 player offers sound playback, is harldy a surprise.
--andrew
Seraph Wing @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Err, am I the only person here that hates ID3 database structure? All my music is already perfectly organized in folders, and many times the tags on my music is messed up (lots of foreign music with messed up characters like *&^__@lO& as an artist name). Will the File Directory system still be usable after the firmware update?
David @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
I'm sure Cowon will add a option to switch between the two modes like iRiver's players do
and yeah, the color sound thing seems dumb, but it has something to do with there sound settings or something I think, still better than Apple's "music in color" thing
Jacko @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
What about a carrying case?
I find that this is a little awkward with no case or clip included. I am looking at the optional carrying case but it looks like it does not clip onto belts.
The sound and features are great, but I do not want to always hold this thing!
AhmadG @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
I have an iPod 20GB 4Gen, and I recently bought an iAudio X5 30GB. I can say that the sound quality is much improved and feels more dynamic and involving. The main reason I was fed up with the iPod was the lack of bass and the tinny and harsh sound when paired with certain headphones. The X5 has a little bass-rolloff but at the VERY low end with my Sony EX71SL, but I am thinking of upgrading to Koss PortaPros, but the look is holding me back. When the EQ and everything else is disabled, the flat sound is great and beats the iPod. When going back to the iPod, the distortion of the EQ, the lack of bass, the harsh highs, tinny feel, narrow soundstage and uninvolving response, makes it apparent to why people prefer the X5 and many other players that DONT have faulty headphone output ports or cheap circuitry/amplifiers. I still love the feel and interface of the iPod (not the ID3 Database, just the clickwheel's response and the build quality) The X5 is great but the controls aren't that great. Oh yeah, it cost about the same as my 20GB iPod and it is 30GB, and it also plays videos and has a TON of other features. Now I can watch family guy in class, lets see an iPod do that haha. This review is not biased even though it might seem that way, because I own BOTH the iPod and the X5. I'm thinking of selling the iPod now because it is useless. iPod has become too overhyped and is like the Bose of DAPs, if you know what I mean, and I'm goint to avoid them from now on. hahah one more thing PODCASTING IS THE STUPIDEST THING IN THE WORLD!!!! I'd rather listen to the built in FM tuner in the X5. I hate having to buy bulky accessories for the iPod to give it just a few more mediocre functions that are already intergrated with the X5 such as radio, usb-otg, mic, line-in, line-out etc. I hope you will avoid iPods unless you want that simplicity and don't care for sound quality or features. There are many people like this and that is why the iPod is selling. For us "techie" users, the iAudio X5 is no doubt the choice between the two. Some people say that the iAudio name was a copy of iPod, and for your kind information, the iAudio line was around long before the iPods. FLAME ON!!!! Lets see what you got you ignorant iPod fanboys>>BRING IT! I do give iPod props for neutral sound but its more like everything above 80hz (with 16-32 ohm phones) is flat, which is pretty stupid, since it should go down to 20hz FLAT like all other good DAPs. The roll off in bass is unacceptable, but could've been compensated for with a custom eq, which OH WAIT THE iPOD DOESN'T HAVE HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
Shyam @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
is the X5 60 gb going to roll out automatically with the extended battery or an extended extended battery? or will there be an ordinary x5 60gb and a X5l with 70 gb and 45 hours of battery life??
Anthony @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
When with the iAudio X5 60Gb ship? When will I be able to get my hands on one here in the UK?
That's the only important question.
Shyam: rumour has it that there will not be 60gb X5l, since the 60Gb model will be as thick as a 20Gb/30Gb XL anyway.
jobe @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Any ideas when this will be out (and available in the UK!) Cheers. Oh and it'll be a real shame if theres no L version.
Trev @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
Apparently 19/10/2005
http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/s_action/search/index.html?txtSearch1=iaudio&marcheID=15#
ducky @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
it's available here, do you reckon it's legit?
http://www.misco.co.uk/productinformation/~510304~/iAudio%20MP3%20PLAYER%20%26%20FM%20TUNER%20-%2060GB%20BLACK%20with%20LONGPLAY.htm
ducky @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
it's available here, do you reckon it's legit?
http://www.misco.co.uk/productinformation/~510304~/iAudio%20MP3%20PLAYER%20%26%20FM%20TUNER%20-%2060GB%20BLACK%20with%20LONGPLAY.htm
Dave @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
The 30GB X5 says 'limited to 2000 folders and 10000 files'. Does that apply to the 60GB version too?
strider @ Dec 19th 2005 1:24AM
My entire library is WMA Lossless. 22GB. Does anyone know:
Does the X5 support WMA Lossless? -
Does the X5 now support FLAC? -
Are there any WMA Lossless to FLAC conversion programs for the PC?