QJ Review: Cowon iAudio 6
Retailing at around $250, the 4GB hard drive player Cowon iAudio 6 is in competition with some other prime major market models like the iPod nano and the Sansa e260. The iAudio’s elaborate array of features, very extensible options, minuscule size, and “PlaysForSure” support (includes audio, download, and subscription) make it a feasible option. The only hindrance of the player is that it’s hard-drive based; thus making for a thick and easily damaged piece of machinery. For those that aren’t put off by all the gratifying extra features and interface options, than the iAudio will be a very rewarding player for you. Extremely comprehensive playback options make this an excellent choice for language learners or even musicians.
The 1.3 inch OLED screen is only 160 by 128 pixels. making it a bit tinier than its major competition. Although the screen might be a little smaller, it can display as many as 260,000 plus colors. The player’s size measures in at 3 by 1.4 by .75 inches being that it’s a hard-drive based player. The line-in port and headphones jack are just on the top of the player, with the touch strip and touch-sensitive record and play/pause buttons on the front of the player. The menu and volume control buttons along with the power/hold switch are on the right side of the player and conveniently right next to the built in mic (for voice recording). The USB port and reset Buttons are below a flap on the button. The back has a bold aluminum look to it while the rest of the player is composed of mainly black and silver plastic. Earbuds, a stereo mini jack line-in cable, lanyard, USB cable, USB host cable, and a CD with JetAudio and JetShell software are also shipped standard with the iAudio.
The iAudio’s touch-sensitive controls make take a while to expertly maneuver, but respond accurately. Scrolling through long lists is a breeze with the touch strip. Leaving your finger on one end zooms through a list, and tapping one end moves one item up or down. Button layout and labeling is particularly confusing at first, but most owners should be able to grasp the concept in time. The interface in itself is adequately definite and easy to use icons are very relieving to see.
Upon wanting to transfer music to your player, you are presented with a wide array of options. You can choose either the media transfer protocol or USB mass storage, depending on if you are prepared to sync your music with Windows Media Player. If not, you can always drag and drop files using Windows Explorer. It’s “PlayForSure” certified, and the player does exactly what it was certified to do with no hassle.
Using WMP 10 takes around 12 minutes per GB to transfer music. Supported file formats include mp3, wma, ogg, flac, and wav. The player doesn’t support audiobooks but the iAudio does in fact work with lyric files (ldb extension). Photo support is limited to only JPEG images and videos are stored in MPEG-4 format. Photos and videos need to be converted and transferred using the JetAudio software that was shipped free with the player. The iAudio is also capable of displaying txt files and reading on the screen isn’t that bad, because of the very well lit brightness.
The iAudio lets users create only a single dynamic playlist and offers very comprehensive playback features like A-B repeat, variable-speed playback, adjustable skip length, and adjustable scan speed. The menu and record buttons are also customizable and you can change their behavior so they can perform a multitude of functions depending on if you hold down or tap a button. Other impressive and useful features are customizable wallpaper, alarm and sleep modes, on-screen lyric files and the FM tuner, although it is fairly week in itself, it still supports up to 24 presets.
The sound quality of the iAudio and the included earbuds get the job done if you just want to listen to music, but not the most impressive sound quality out there. Swapping for better headphones is recommended and helps especially, although there is some static noise upon loading tracks, but soon fade into nothing as the song plays out. Some nifty sound enhancement options include 3D surround sound and basic BBE which corrects and enhances sound, along with a custom equalizer.
Audio recording on the iAudio is pain free and simple. You can adjust recording levels, monitor them on the OLED and record stuff on the radio using the FM tuner. The built in mic is fairly basic, and isn’t the clearest of things, as there is background hiss and the mic isn’t sensitive at all. One good thing is that there is no hard-drive whining at all.
JPEG’s look fairly clear and have good color about them, even if the screen is a little too small to properly and effectively show pictures. Panning in and zooming images is a nice addition and the USB host lets you connect a camera or other USB compatible device and transfer pictures via USB cable which is very nice.
Video playback is fairly decent on the iAudio but the 15 fps killed it. On this small of a screen, it’s doubtful that you will watch anything as big as movies or even music videos. Short clips of music or trailers is enough for the little player.
The built in lithium ion battery is allegedly supposed to allow for 20 hours of music but even toned down settings on the lowest they could go would only allow for 17 hours. The time is average for something like the iAudio and you will get more playback without any sound enhancement features.
The touch sensitive controls work surprisingly well on the player and overall the “Wait” screen before playback can get frustrating at sometimes, it will grow on you after getting used to the interface and controls. The features are so flexible and extensive that users buying this for their first player and not as tech-savvy will more than likely feel overwhelmed and not enjoy reading a manual for long. At the same time, new player buyers will more than likely stick their noses up at the price, while more gadget lovers will be more than happy to pay for the player and the extra features that come with it as they make up for the less than sleek appearance of the iAudio. The company often updates their firmware with tweaks and bug fixes and if you can’t get help with them, there are more than enough Cowon community sites on the net that can help.
If you feel like you can handle the stuff the iAudio 6 has to offer, go for it.