iAudio X5

iAudio X5 (60GB)

The iAudio X5 is an MP3 player from Cowon products. There are quite a few different versions of it in terms of capacity and features. The one I'm reviewing is the basic 60GB model.

I'm going to get down and dirty first, which of course I find to be more fun. There are, of course, going to be things I don't like. However I will say that none of these issues are going to break or ruin my experience with it.

My first complaint is the maximum amount of files that you're allowed to have. It's 9999. Why not 10,000? Why not something bigger? I have 60 fucking gigabytes of space here. That's right, 60 gigs that fuck. I understand that they assume some of that space will be used by video files - something which I won't use too much of.

My next complaint, perhaps an aspect that can't yet be overcome with current technology, is the battery life. About 10 - 12 hours of life is what you get out of this. I've heard the other models of the X5 (i.e. X5L) only last a few hours more. I personally just don't want to charge this thing every day. I use this a lot at work. I also find myself using this a lot at home. (Compared with other PMP's, the battery life is good. It's also on par with your average DAP.)

My final complaint is the functionality, how it's used, may not be intuitive for those who not very familiar with technology in general. You know, the average Joe. They'll immerse themselves in technology, but they never gain the inherent knowledge that a geek like myself would pick up on. There would be a lot to cover here, but suffice to say, this may take a little time for the plebeians to learn. (They have to start somewhere though, right?)

Now it's time to wash myself of the dirt that I've rolled around in. The features, the goodies, simply put, the stuff I like about this handy piece of technological media device.

The first thing that really stood out to me is how easy I was able to use this. All I needed was the picture to show me where the on button was, and from there I was going at it. (I know this may seem like a contradiction, but my earlier complaint about the functionality was more directed at potential people who may want to buy this. This is a review, after all.) The joystick that comes with it is very convenient to use. It's a d-pad (directional pad) and a button, all in one. It was very clear how to operate it as soon as I started using it.

Along with the functionality aspect, I also found the menu system to be very clear on where it was leading me. I didn't have to go through some frustrating process of menu-mazing my way around to find whatever it was that I needed.

The next thing that I liked is the good vibrations for my eardrums. The sound quality coming out of this is superb. The stock earphones that came with it are decent enough for average use at a decent sound level. If you want something better, buy higher quality headphones or speakers to go with this.

The randomizer function works beautifully. It does exactly what I want it to do; it will randomize what's in the folder, and anything in any sub folders along with it. Sort your files neatly and you'll have zero issues with how this works.

What It Supports: There is a range of things it supports. You can view this by clicking on this link. My audio collection is mostly in OGG, so this really made me happy when I found an MP3 player that supported a FREE codec (unlike mp3, which you have to pay royalties to use). Of course, it's just not the audio support, there's video support, text viewing support, picture support, and ID3 support. It should be noted that you can't browse by ID3 tags, but honestly, why would you want to? If you use ID3 to its fullest extent, you'd have the same exact information showing.

And of course all the different neat features it has, like FM radio support, built in sound recording, and more. The only added feature that I've used is the FM radio. The built in antenna gives you good reception depending on how you hold it.

There are some other things with this that I feel indifferent about:

The sub-pack, I could go either way with. I don't particularly enjoy the thought of proprietary hardware, but it really is a safer method for those that are prone to damaging stuff. The sub-pack is used to mainly charge your built in battery, but it's also a preferred method for file transferring. I thought that the mini USB (mini USB to the sub pack, normal USB to your PC) cable was a little ridiculous, but nothing that really bothered me. USB is... USB, it's just as simple as that. The only reason I can think of that they didn't go with normal USB to USB is because of space limitations.

The LCD screen I find to be a little small if you consider the physical size of this, but I really won't be using it to watch movies, so who cares?

The overall physical size is bigger than my cellphone. However this is mainly due to the HDD that's in it. Remember this isn't a flash drive it is a hard drive. (FYI: Flash drives tend to be made out a single IC or two in a TSOP package.)

For the price I bought this at ($265.95), I felt it was worth my money. There are cheaper MP3 players out there, but none of them give you the range of options like this. Or at least they're just starting to now, which means they were too slow to the punch. Screw the iPod, screw the Zune, and screw anything else out there. This is the MP3 player to buy.

Article originally written on March 17, 2007. Last updated on September 7, 2008 (for clarity purposes).