Please help me decide which Cowon model to purchase. I want either a 32gb or a 16gb. I have never heard about the Cowon brand but I am impressed with all the reviews compared to other MP3 players. This will be my own personal portable jukebox. I am planning on using it to listen to music most of the time and most other features don't matter to me. Color isn't that important. Quality of sound is important. All the reviews on these players are 4 1/2 stars. Has anyone done any comparisons to see which is the best choice and why? Or can you tell me where I can research this product for myself? Any help is greatly appreciated as I am ready to buy if I can decide which one to buy. I really like that the product works with Windows Media Player. This company seems to put out a lot of updates also. Are they free? Please help me decide which Cowon model to purchase. I want either a 32gb or a 16gb. I have never heard about the Cowon brand but I am impressed with all the reviews compared to other MP3 players.... » Read More Please help me decide which Cowon model to purchase. I want either a 32gb or a 16gb. I have never heard about the Cowon brand but I am impressed with all the reviews compared to other MP3 players. This will be my own personal portable jukebox. I am planning on using it to listen to music most of the time and most other features don't matter to me. Color isn't that important. Quality of sound is important. All the reviews on these players are 4 1/2 stars. Has anyone done any comparisons to see which is the best choice and why? Or can you tell me where I can research this product for myself? Any help is greatly appreciated as I am ready to buy if I can decide which one to buy. I really like that the product works with Windows Media Player. This company seems to put out a lot of updates also. Are they free? « Show Less
1041505
Protip: No player (as far as I am aware of) requires proprietary software.Proof? I have an iPod nano sitting on my bed, now, that has music loaded onto it, none of which was loaded using iTunes. I used MediaMonkey. If your proprietary software forces you to buy new versions of songs you already have, then scrap the software, because chances are, it's not actually proprietary.
1041506
I would agree with the recommendation to use a Clip+. You seem completely uninterested in anything other than just loading your songs onto the device and pressing "play," and for this, I would also suggest you get a Sansa Clip+. It is small, cheap (relatively) and from what I have read, sounds excellent. (If you are, indeed, and old lady and you were not saying that with tongue-in-cheek, then I doubt your ears would be able to discern the incredibly minor difference between the sound quality of almost ANY medium or upper tier player, regardless of the quality of headphones you are using)Just get the Clip+ at Wal-Mart or something, or here at Amazon, and I doubt that you will be disappointed. I would agree with the recommendation to use a Clip+. You seem completely uninterested in anything other than just loading your songs onto the device and pressing "play," and for this, I would also suggest you get a Sansa Clip+. It is small, cheap (relatively) and from what I have read, sounds excellent. (If you are, indeed, and old lady and you were not saying that with tongue-in-cheek, then I doubt your ears would be able to discern the incredibly minor difference between the sound quality of almost ANY medium or upper tier player, regardless of the quality of headphones you are... » Read More I would agree with the recommendation to use a Clip+. You seem completely uninterested in anything other than just loading your songs onto the device and pressing "play," and for this, I would also suggest you get a Sansa Clip+. It is small, cheap (relatively) and from what I have read, sounds excellent. (If you are, indeed, and old lady and you were not saying that with tongue-in-cheek, then I doubt your ears would be able to discern the incredibly minor difference between the sound quality of almost ANY medium or upper tier player, regardless of the quality of headphones you are using)Just get the Clip+ at Wal-Mart or something, or here at Amazon, and I doubt that you will be disappointed. « Show Less
1041507
Thank you for the information. Since the 32 gb is only $50 more, it would make more sense to me to go with that one and then I can add whatever music I want, whenever I want and whatever genres I want and have an incredible personal jukebox. But I'll keep in mind what you said and I can always change my mind and drop down to the 16 gb. And no, I don't care about the video. If the 16 gb does not have the video function, that might be the way I would go then. Why don't these places just make music players at a less expensive price for those customers who don't want every electronic function that is available at the higher prices? Thank you for the information. Since the 32 gb is only $50 more, it would make more sense to me to go with that one and then I can add whatever music I want, whenever I want and whatever genres I want and have an incredible personal jukebox. But I'll keep in mind what you said and I can always change my mind and drop down to the 16 gb. And no, I don't care about the video. If the 16 gb does not have the video function, that might be the way I would go then. Why don't these places just make music players at a less expensive price for those customers who don't want every electronic function... » Read More Thank you for the information. Since the 32 gb is only $50 more, it would make more sense to me to go with that one and then I can add whatever music I want, whenever I want and whatever genres I want and have an incredible personal jukebox. But I'll keep in mind what you said and I can always change my mind and drop down to the 16 gb. And no, I don't care about the video. If the 16 gb does not have the video function, that might be the way I would go then. Why don't these places just make music players at a less expensive price for those customers who don't want every electronic function that is available at the higher prices? « Show Less
1041508
I'm going to ask you one more question if you don't mind. If I just want the best player I can find to listen to music and don't care about lists, album art, interfaces or anything else. I just want to put my songs on the player and listen to them in the order they come up, which do you recommend? (Can you tell I'm an old lady and just love to listen to music? LOL!) All that matters to me is good sound, ease of putting songs on the player, number of songs I can add to the player and how long it will play music on one charge. Even the Cowan 160 GB player sounds interesting to me.
1041509
If you TRULY do not care about video I would go with the Cowon iAUDIO 9. You can get the 16 GB for about $150. I have the 8 GB iAUDIO 9, and it is a great player. The sound is amazing, it is small (smaller than a 5th gen iPod Nano), simple easy to use interface, it even have a place to attach a lanyard so I can wear it when I workout. It is prone to finger prints so get a UV screen protector to help with that.But if you think you might want video (or need 32 GB) then go with the Cowon S9, the 16 GB model is about $170 and the 32 GB for $220.
1880182
I gotta say that I know quite a bit about mp3 players and I have no idea what those extensions mean. The player is the YP_P2. Anything else is just manufacturers jargon. JA_ means 4GB whereas JC_ means 8GB. The letter after that is the color. Unlike the Sony Walkman series, Samsung doesn't have like five players that differ by one or two features. If you see a P2 and the price is right, just go for it. I would be surprised if XEU meant something different. Also did you have any questions on which one you should buy? :)
1263400
I think the "recommended" max is 16GB (and 8GB for certain kinds of music file formats), but I've seen posts from users who've exceeded the OEM "recommended" size with no problem. I use a 16GB card ... zero problems. However, if you're inclined to try a larger card, I'd stop at 64GB.
1942958
Hi John. The one I purchased was a 4 GB and that equates to about 3.75 GB of actual space to load music. There is programing in the drive so you lose a few MBs off that. I do like mine a lot and it is really so compact and easy to use; nothing to mess with, just load and play. I hope this helps. Mick
1864862
I have a 32 GB flash drive plugged into mine & I control everything from the unit itself. It just has to be set on source "USB". I've also had a 64 GB flash drive in it with NO problem. I've been using it like that for over 2 years. I've never tried it with an mp3 player as I can get everything I need from the flash drive!!!
1498351
Thanks, Alex. This is very helpful. I'm feeling like this might work for me, and even if it doesn't, I'll still have an awesome mp3 player.-Rick
325144
I have never sold one of my units on Amazon, but I did get some instructions with mine, but being a "man," I never looked at them. You did purchase the most advanced player that Sandisk ever turned out. It will take a 32 gig micro sd in the slot on the side. It will play music from anywhere you buy it. It has great features for audio books through your local library from Overdrive. It will play books from Audible without a problem. These players are getting more expensive because they are out of production and people are realizing their worth. There is one thing that I think I need to tell you. If the battery run out of juice you have to plug it in and just let it charge. Sometimes it doesn't want to come back in which case you have to play with it until it revives. Do throw it away. Hold the power button down for a long time. They sometimes if you just push the power button to "Unlock" it and then press the power button for 20 seconds it comes back. Remember these units are like Timex watches. You can kill it if you forget and go swimming in the ocean.
262070
Boris...I found your comments helpful. I got the 8GB Zen about a month ago. I really like it. My biggest qualm is the SD card. I find that the player freezes very often when I play from the SD card...especially when I play video. I've had no such issues when playing off the internal memory. I got a generic SD card brand. I noticed that the product page on the creative web site has a compatible list of memory cards... should i stick to them to minimize the 'freezing' incidents ? I am interested to know what brand you are using. thanks in advance.
1001852
I too have Windows Vista and am anxious to find out which- if any players are compatible with it. I have about decided on a Creative Zen V or plus and found one at SecureMart.com for $81.00. I hope someone can answer this for us. Ok- I kept searching and I think I will go with YES! Based on......the Vista Compatible site they listed the Creative M something or other that has 30 and 60 Gb for $299.00. I looked at the requirements and they are exactly the same as the Zen V plus. Does this make sense to anyone but me?
1015112
I use a 16gb flash drive but I always use random play--sometimes it freezes when loading--but if I switch to cd then back to usb-it seems to always work fine. I've had no problems with sony or Philips mp3 devices--just seems to lock up when first reading flash drives--it is a little slow at reading files before it begins playing--I'd say about a minute delay-not a problem. Display information depends on what is available on flash drive--ir title artist album are provided it will display them--though you have to turn on the display by using the remote 'display" button or it just gives numeric info
962352
The A2 is an amazing media player that I fell in love with, if your really that anxious, then just buy it then return it later, you may not get the full amount back you'll get what you wanted now and get the A3 later! Cowon isin't a company to release buggy products, so I wouldn't worry about that. As far as the A3 being better... we'll just have to wait and see! If I were you though, I take a look into the Cowon Q5.
14754
500 CD's averaging 15 tracks per CD is a total of 7500 tracks. The iPod Touch 32 gig holds approximately 7,000 songs. A 40GB MP3 player will hold approximately 10,000 songs, but they are hard drive based and aren't designed for rough usage. 40 GB hard drive players are pretty hard to find these days so she might have to sacrifice some songs. She most likely doesn't actually listen to 500 CD's on a regular basis and you can always set iTunes to auto-rotate the songs for for fresh content. An alternative to the iPod Touch is the iPod Classic which packs 160 GB (around 40.000 songs) of storage. They are but around $250. The iPod Touch is also available in 64GB for a higher cost (around $300). An alternative to those two iPods is the Zune HD which packs 16, 32, or 64 gigabytes as well. These are considerably cheaper than the iPod equivilent. They also offered a 120 GB Zune (non-HD) but the price will vary as they are no longer manufactured. Sony also makes highly-regarded MP3 players that are comparable to MS and Apple. Besides These three companies, I can't really recommend buying anything else. I've owned all different types of MP3 players from Creative, Toshiba, Samsung, Sandisk, and the MS Zune but none of them come close to the tight integration that iTunes and iPod have. Every time I hit the sync button I'm confident the iPod will have exactly the songs I want on it. With Windows Media Player or the Zune software, a lot of the time it will end up partially syncing and some songs will duplicate. Album art is also a nightmare on these. As much as I don't like Apple's business model, their software and hardware are pretty hard to beat.
650962
I absolutely agree with the OP.This is the most advanced MP3 player on the planet, and to ship it with 16GB Flash instead of an 80 or 160GB microdrive, like the classic has, was stupid IMHO.It would have also been considerably cheaper with a 160GB drive instead of 16GB of Flash.I have a 2nd Gen iPod and a 1st gen 4GB Nano, both still in perfect condition. The Touch was to be my next purchase, but now I'm just not so sure any more.To be totally honest, the 160GB iPod Classic is a FAR better buy. It's cheaper, has 10 times the storage, has the same new interface and OS, and lasts 40 hours per charge.Apple has made my decision WAY too hard. I absolutely agree with the OP.This is the most advanced MP3 player on the planet, and to ship it with 16GB Flash instead of an 80 or 160GB microdrive, like the classic has, was stupid IMHO.It would have also been considerably cheaper with a 160GB drive instead of 16GB of Flash.I have a 2nd Gen iPod and a 1st gen 4GB Nano, both still in perfect condition. The Touch was to be my next purchase, but now I'm just not so sure any more.To be totally honest, the 160GB iPod Classic is a FAR better buy. It's cheaper, has 10 times the storage, has the... » Read More I absolutely agree with the OP.This is the most advanced MP3 player on the planet, and to ship it with 16GB Flash instead of an 80 or 160GB microdrive, like the classic has, was stupid IMHO.It would have also been considerably cheaper with a 160GB drive instead of 16GB of Flash.I have a 2nd Gen iPod and a 1st gen 4GB Nano, both still in perfect condition. The Touch was to be my next purchase, but now I'm just not so sure any more.To be totally honest, the 160GB iPod Classic is a FAR better buy. It's cheaper, has 10 times the storage, has the same new interface and OS, and lasts 40 hours per charge.Apple has made my decision WAY too hard. « Show Less
225619
Ok great thanks for your comments; was getting scared, thought that this version was coming out with problems. BTW, what do you think about the Zune or the Creative Zen? do they match with iPod?Thanks once again
541122
A little late , but, for what it is worth, I have had a Cowon A2 for 4 or 5 years now and it has worked for me flawlessly and I use it constantly. The first one I received did have a recording quirk, but Cowon quickly replaced it without any problems. For their current models they are constantly tweaking & updating the firmware to improve and enhance the product. The biggest drawback though is their official forum/support page; finding help there can be frustrating. iaudiophile.net is a decent fan page to get answers from other users though.
1847938
ok thanks, I was thinking about buying a sansa fuze 8gb mp3 player on black friday and I wanted to know if i could make it at least 16gb total with the mirco sd card and now that I know I can, I will be buying the mp3 player. thanks again.
2060206
Hey Deanna, I purchased this item on Sept 9th, and I am still using it. I am happy to share with you my experiences thru which you will find the answers to your questions. Firstly, I would care to let you know why I purchased this item. I love to listen to my favorites musics on the go. I had used transmitters of the other so-called brands, and ended up using a tape adapter, but I was not satisfied because they died earlier. So, I purchased this device. Secondly, I tell you the good things about it. Whatever channel you choose, the transmission is 100% clear with no intercession with the others. The transmission goes widely to a point that another car can stick on your musics with no interruption. It reads everything mentioned, and even a flash drive. It plays alphabetically, so you can choose what music must be played first by naming the music with an A...or a number 1..2..3... I can't tell about the MP4, because I don't have any file in that format. Overall, I would just suggest that you give it try...and then...tell me whether or not my answer was reasonable to you. Thanks!