My latest gadget purchase arrived yesterday. It's my very first proper digital audio player; a Cowon iAudio 7.
The i7 is a small media player, using flash memory as storage. It's available in 4GB or 8GB models, with a 16GB model due for release. The unit is small, measuring a mere 76mm x 36mm x 19mm. That makes it's width and height less than that of a credit card, although it's depth is maybe slightly more than a matchbox. In short though, this unit is small. It not only plays MP3 files as you'd expect, but will happily play WMA, ASF, OGG, WAV and FLAC files. It can also view JPG images files and MPEG4 video files.
I bought the 8GB model, which cost about £50 more than the model with the smaller memory. My CD collection is stored on PC in FLAC format which is an excellent free lossless audio codec, meaning my music remains in CD quality but has a smaller file size than the standard WAV file. Even so, a single track can take up 20-30MB of memory therefore the extra space of the 8GB model seemed a worthwhile extra expense. I understand though that the 4GB model is exactly the same in all other respects and should be fine for just storing MP3 or OGG files.
First Impressions
When I ordered the device, I was expecting something along the lines of my Nokia 6230 in size. Pictures on the internet tend to be quite large and it's hard to judge the actual size. So when it arrived, I was pleasantly suprised. The unit is small, reflective black in colour with a silver band running all around it (models with a red band are also available). It's uncluttered with 3 touch sensitive controls on the front and four buttons on the top. The left edge contains two 3.5mm sockets; the right edge contains a flap which conseals the USB socket and reset button. I should say at this point, that the device is designed to be held in landscape orientation.
On switching on, the screen comes to life and the touch sensitive controls light up in very pleasing blue and red colours. The display immediately looks crisp, clear and bright
Looking through the rest of the package, there is a USB cable, in-ear headphones, documentation and a CD-ROM. Note that there is no mains adaptor supplied. Charging is done via the USB cable. Personally I like this idea, but it might not be to everyone's taste.
Audio
On to the most important aspect of this player then. To me, audio quality is very important. I've already said my CD collection is stored in a lossless format, so I wanted a player that could do my music justice.
I'll get straight to the point. This player is capable of very good audio, although the supplied headphones simply do not provide it. That's not to say that they are bad to listen to, but the difference is staggering when using even modestly priced headphones. Whilst writing this, I am listening to the player through a pair of Technics RP-F350's and while I can't say these are the best headphones I've ever heard, they beat the supplied iAudio headphones hands down. The Technics would be a bit bulky to use out in public though, but investment in a decent pair of in-ear or over ear headphones should do wonders for the audio.
Going back to what the player can do, there is a five band equaliser which allows the listener to tailor the sound to his personal preference. Personally I like to start with a flat sound, and the just enhance the bass and treble slightly. This gives a bright, clean sound with crisp, but not overpowering, bass. The player also has a few other settings which allow the user to enhance the sound quality further. I was suprised to notice an option to adjust the pan, or balance, of the sound which could be useful to those suffering from hearing difficulties in one ear. There is even the option to speed up or slow down the music, although I can't really see the benefit in this.
Although obvious, it's probably worth pointing out that audio quality is hugely dependant on the quality of the audio file. Those who encode all their music at low bitrates in the quest to fit thousands of songs on to their player will not experience the full ability of this player. Store your music in high quality MP3, OGG, FLAC of WAV files and the music will be a delight to listen to.
Formats
Being able to play MP3, WMA, OGG, ASF, FLAC and WAV files means it will play pretty much any modern audio format thrown at it. However, it cannot read common playlist formats such as M3U or PLS. This is not a big drawback though.
There are two modes of browsing the music on the system. Files mode works like a file browser and shows files in alphabetical order only. Music mode works slightly differently though and uses tags in music files (e.g. ID3 tags in MP3) to order music. As an example of how useful this is, the user can list all artists on the player and choose which one to listen to. Next the unit will list all albums stored on the device by that artist. The user can choose to listen to all music by that artist, or proceed to choose an album. The player will then list all tracks in that album. Play the first track, and the unit will continue through only those tracks in the album. Assuming the tags are correct, it will order them correctly too.
As a small caveat to this, I have heard that this doesn't currently work correctly for OGG files. There are no problems however with MP3 or FLAC, both of which I have tested.
Controls and Interface
The i7 has a mixture of touch sensitive controls on the front panel, and real buttons on the top edge.
The touch sensitive controls comprise of a record/back button; a long control known as the Swing Touch system allowing the user to skip/scan forward and backward and to browse lists of music; and a play/pause/select button. These controls are very responsive. Some might say a little too responsive but once you get used to it, they're not too bad.
The Swing Touch system works well. The user can drag his finger along the ridge, tap at either end, or hold at either end to move up and down a list, or proceed forward and back through a song or track listing.
On the top edge, the hold/power button prevents accidental use of the touch sensitive buttons whilst the device is in a pocket. With upgraded firmware, the volume buttons on the top edge can continue to function whilst the hold switch is activated.
The interface is fairly basic and intuitive, and can be worked without referring to the instruction manual.
Build Quality
I find it very difficult to judge the build quality of a player simply by photographs, so I thought it worthwhile just to put in a few comments.
Although it is made out of plastic, the player does feel solid. I've only had the player a day, but in that time I have been using it a fair bit and have thrown it into a car glove compartment. At the moment there are no obvious scratches.
It is worth noting though that there is no case of any form supplied with this unit so I would speculate that it wouldn't take too long for it to get a few marks. This is a portable player though and is designed to be taken out and about. A few scratches here and there are to be expected over time. I didn't find it very easy to come about a case for the i7, but a search for cases for the iAudio 6 (the previous model) yealded better results. The i6 is cosmetically identical to the i7, so the accessories are interchangable.
The cable on the supplied headphones is fairly thin, as is usual with portable earphones. As long as care is taken not to put too much tension on the cord, this shouldn't present too many problems though.
Extra Features
I've only been focusing on the audio side of this player. However it is also capable of player MPEG4 video files. I haven't attempted video playback, other than with the supplied demo files. Personally I don't think it's a feature I will use particularly often as the screen is simply to small at 1.3" for extended viewing. Saying that, the videos I did watch were sharp and as clear as could be expected. The colours were also nice and vibrant. It would probably be okay for the occasional music video, but not for television content and definately not for films. If you do want to view your own video content on this player, files have to be converted using the supplied software to ensure the file is compatible (there is a limit on the resolution and frame rate).
Besides video, the unit can also be used to view JPG photographs. Again I'd say the screen is a bit small for this but it's a nice little extra. Selection of an image is made by choosing from a 3x3 thumbnail grid. Trying to see what picture is selected can be awkward depending on what colours are near the edge of the image.
Should the user be so inclined, text files can also be displayed on the screen although I see very little need for this other than perhaps having short notes easily accessible. Nothing sensitive should be stored here though since there is no password option to prevent others reading them should the player become lost.
On to the more useful extras, an FM radio is provided along with 24 presets to store favourite stations. Reception seemed reasonable with the supplied headphones although I haven't tested it whilst on the move. It will be interesting to see how this unit performs when I get the bus to work, when compared to my Sony SRF-M35 walkman radio. I don't expect it to perform nearly as well but this is purely speculation at the moment.
Back at the beginning of the review I mentioned this unit has 2 3.5mm sockets. One of these is obviously for headphones. The other is a line-in socket allowing the user to connect the device to the analogue output of another audio device such as a CD player, or in my case a digital piano. The i7 can then record from this device. Quality of the recording is reasonable but it is limited to 128kbps WMA format, so could be better. There is no option to use MP3, OGG or WAV for the recording format which did seem a bit odd. Again, it's a nice extra which I can see a use for but it's no replacement for dedicated recording equipment.
Staying with recording, the unit also has a built in microphone allowing it to be used as a dictaphone. As before, the only recording format is WMA at a maximum of 128kbps but for this purpose, that should be more than adequate.
The unit can also record from the FM radio, again with the above limitations on file format. There is also a timer which will wake up the device and start recording if there is something playing overnight for example.
Finally, the i7 features a sleep timer (up to 60 minutes) and an alarm clock feature which will either start playing digital files or switch on the FM radio at the pre-defined time. This is obviously useful but since the player does not have a built in speaker, the user will need to connect the device to one for it to work.
Power
The manufacturers of the iAudio 7 state that it's battery will last for a very impressive 60 hours. I can't test that, but according to other reviews it does seem to last for a long time. Obviously keeping the screen switched on and listening at high volumes will have an effect on this time but even so, it should last a fair while between charges.
Usefully the player will charge each time it's connected to a PC via USB. In fact this is the only way to charge it since there is no mains adaptopr included. If you do want to charge this unit from a wall socket, USB mains chargers are available.
Non Windows System Compatibilty
An important consideration for me when I chose this player was that it must be able to funtion under a Linux operating system. This one does that.
The device supports UMS (USB Mass Storage) which means when it's plugged into a computer, it is shown as an extra drive. There is no extra software required. For me, this is a big plus over players such as the Apply iPod which requires iTunes, or the Sony Walkman which requires SonicStage. Neither of these manufacturers provide Linux software so that ruled them out of my consideration straight away.
Another plus of the player using UMS is that it can be used as a portable storage device, holding any file at all. A USB cable is always needed to connect the device to a computer so it's not as convenient as a USB pen drive, but it's certainly handy.
Firmware
The iAudio 7 is shipped with firmware version 1.10. Apparently there are a few bugs in this version which I can't say I noticed, although I upgraded it soon after getting the unit.
At the time of writing, firmware version 1.15 is available which irons out bugs in previous versions, and increases the limits on the number of files to about 5000, as opposed to 2000 in version 1.10.
Upgrading the firmware is a very simple process although with version 1.15, it did completely clear the device including all files stored on it, radio presets and configuration. It is therefore worth performing this upgrade before starting to seriously use the player.
Summary
The Cowon iAudio 7 is described on the box as a Digital Multimedia Player, and although true, I would not buy this product to view video files. This is a music player first and foremost and this is what it excels at.
Audio quality is excellent, although replacement headphones are strongly recommended, and battery life is enough to not need to worry about where the unit can be charged if the listener is away from a computer for a while.
The i7 sports a range of extras, some of which are more useful than others. They are nice to have though, especially the FM radio. Just don't expect these extras to have the quality or capability of the players main function.
There are drawbacks. The 2000 file limit on the supplied firmware is too small, although this is fixed by an easy firmware upgrade. The touch sensitive controls take some getting used to, there is no support for M3U or PLS playlist files and the screen is just too small for video content. Tagged browsing of OGG files doesn't function correctly either. These drawbacks are small though and do not detract from the quality of the audio player.
In short, if it's a music player that it being looked for, you can't go wrong with the iAudio 7. If video playback is very important though, it may be worth looking at something with a larger screen.
The i7 is a small media player, using flash memory as storage. It's available in 4GB or 8GB models, with a 16GB model due for release. The unit is small, measuring a mere 76mm x 36mm x 19mm. That makes it's width and height less than that of a credit card, although it's depth is maybe slightly more than a matchbox. In short though, this unit is small. It not only plays MP3 files as you'd expect, but will happily play WMA, ASF, OGG, WAV and FLAC files. It can also view JPG images files and MPEG4 video files.
I bought the 8GB model, which cost about £50 more than the model with the smaller memory. My CD collection is stored on PC in FLAC format which is an excellent free lossless audio codec, meaning my music remains in CD quality but has a smaller file size than the standard WAV file. Even so, a single track can take up 20-30MB of memory therefore the extra space of the 8GB model seemed a worthwhile extra expense. I understand though that the 4GB model is exactly the same in all other respects and should be fine for just storing MP3 or OGG files.
First Impressions
When I ordered the device, I was expecting something along the lines of my Nokia 6230 in size. Pictures on the internet tend to be quite large and it's hard to judge the actual size. So when it arrived, I was pleasantly suprised. The unit is small, reflective black in colour with a silver band running all around it (models with a red band are also available). It's uncluttered with 3 touch sensitive controls on the front and four buttons on the top. The left edge contains two 3.5mm sockets; the right edge contains a flap which conseals the USB socket and reset button. I should say at this point, that the device is designed to be held in landscape orientation.
On switching on, the screen comes to life and the touch sensitive controls light up in very pleasing blue and red colours. The display immediately looks crisp, clear and bright
Looking through the rest of the package, there is a USB cable, in-ear headphones, documentation and a CD-ROM. Note that there is no mains adaptor supplied. Charging is done via the USB cable. Personally I like this idea, but it might not be to everyone's taste.
Audio
On to the most important aspect of this player then. To me, audio quality is very important. I've already said my CD collection is stored in a lossless format, so I wanted a player that could do my music justice.
I'll get straight to the point. This player is capable of very good audio, although the supplied headphones simply do not provide it. That's not to say that they are bad to listen to, but the difference is staggering when using even modestly priced headphones. Whilst writing this, I am listening to the player through a pair of Technics RP-F350's and while I can't say these are the best headphones I've ever heard, they beat the supplied iAudio headphones hands down. The Technics would be a bit bulky to use out in public though, but investment in a decent pair of in-ear or over ear headphones should do wonders for the audio.
Going back to what the player can do, there is a five band equaliser which allows the listener to tailor the sound to his personal preference. Personally I like to start with a flat sound, and the just enhance the bass and treble slightly. This gives a bright, clean sound with crisp, but not overpowering, bass. The player also has a few other settings which allow the user to enhance the sound quality further. I was suprised to notice an option to adjust the pan, or balance, of the sound which could be useful to those suffering from hearing difficulties in one ear. There is even the option to speed up or slow down the music, although I can't really see the benefit in this.
Although obvious, it's probably worth pointing out that audio quality is hugely dependant on the quality of the audio file. Those who encode all their music at low bitrates in the quest to fit thousands of songs on to their player will not experience the full ability of this player. Store your music in high quality MP3, OGG, FLAC of WAV files and the music will be a delight to listen to.
Formats
Being able to play MP3, WMA, OGG, ASF, FLAC and WAV files means it will play pretty much any modern audio format thrown at it. However, it cannot read common playlist formats such as M3U or PLS. This is not a big drawback though.
There are two modes of browsing the music on the system. Files mode works like a file browser and shows files in alphabetical order only. Music mode works slightly differently though and uses tags in music files (e.g. ID3 tags in MP3) to order music. As an example of how useful this is, the user can list all artists on the player and choose which one to listen to. Next the unit will list all albums stored on the device by that artist. The user can choose to listen to all music by that artist, or proceed to choose an album. The player will then list all tracks in that album. Play the first track, and the unit will continue through only those tracks in the album. Assuming the tags are correct, it will order them correctly too.
As a small caveat to this, I have heard that this doesn't currently work correctly for OGG files. There are no problems however with MP3 or FLAC, both of which I have tested.
Controls and Interface
The i7 has a mixture of touch sensitive controls on the front panel, and real buttons on the top edge.
The touch sensitive controls comprise of a record/back button; a long control known as the Swing Touch system allowing the user to skip/scan forward and backward and to browse lists of music; and a play/pause/select button. These controls are very responsive. Some might say a little too responsive but once you get used to it, they're not too bad.
The Swing Touch system works well. The user can drag his finger along the ridge, tap at either end, or hold at either end to move up and down a list, or proceed forward and back through a song or track listing.
On the top edge, the hold/power button prevents accidental use of the touch sensitive buttons whilst the device is in a pocket. With upgraded firmware, the volume buttons on the top edge can continue to function whilst the hold switch is activated.
The interface is fairly basic and intuitive, and can be worked without referring to the instruction manual.
Build Quality
I find it very difficult to judge the build quality of a player simply by photographs, so I thought it worthwhile just to put in a few comments.
Although it is made out of plastic, the player does feel solid. I've only had the player a day, but in that time I have been using it a fair bit and have thrown it into a car glove compartment. At the moment there are no obvious scratches.
It is worth noting though that there is no case of any form supplied with this unit so I would speculate that it wouldn't take too long for it to get a few marks. This is a portable player though and is designed to be taken out and about. A few scratches here and there are to be expected over time. I didn't find it very easy to come about a case for the i7, but a search for cases for the iAudio 6 (the previous model) yealded better results. The i6 is cosmetically identical to the i7, so the accessories are interchangable.
The cable on the supplied headphones is fairly thin, as is usual with portable earphones. As long as care is taken not to put too much tension on the cord, this shouldn't present too many problems though.
Extra Features
I've only been focusing on the audio side of this player. However it is also capable of player MPEG4 video files. I haven't attempted video playback, other than with the supplied demo files. Personally I don't think it's a feature I will use particularly often as the screen is simply to small at 1.3" for extended viewing. Saying that, the videos I did watch were sharp and as clear as could be expected. The colours were also nice and vibrant. It would probably be okay for the occasional music video, but not for television content and definately not for films. If you do want to view your own video content on this player, files have to be converted using the supplied software to ensure the file is compatible (there is a limit on the resolution and frame rate).
Besides video, the unit can also be used to view JPG photographs. Again I'd say the screen is a bit small for this but it's a nice little extra. Selection of an image is made by choosing from a 3x3 thumbnail grid. Trying to see what picture is selected can be awkward depending on what colours are near the edge of the image.
Should the user be so inclined, text files can also be displayed on the screen although I see very little need for this other than perhaps having short notes easily accessible. Nothing sensitive should be stored here though since there is no password option to prevent others reading them should the player become lost.
On to the more useful extras, an FM radio is provided along with 24 presets to store favourite stations. Reception seemed reasonable with the supplied headphones although I haven't tested it whilst on the move. It will be interesting to see how this unit performs when I get the bus to work, when compared to my Sony SRF-M35 walkman radio. I don't expect it to perform nearly as well but this is purely speculation at the moment.
Back at the beginning of the review I mentioned this unit has 2 3.5mm sockets. One of these is obviously for headphones. The other is a line-in socket allowing the user to connect the device to the analogue output of another audio device such as a CD player, or in my case a digital piano. The i7 can then record from this device. Quality of the recording is reasonable but it is limited to 128kbps WMA format, so could be better. There is no option to use MP3, OGG or WAV for the recording format which did seem a bit odd. Again, it's a nice extra which I can see a use for but it's no replacement for dedicated recording equipment.
Staying with recording, the unit also has a built in microphone allowing it to be used as a dictaphone. As before, the only recording format is WMA at a maximum of 128kbps but for this purpose, that should be more than adequate.
The unit can also record from the FM radio, again with the above limitations on file format. There is also a timer which will wake up the device and start recording if there is something playing overnight for example.
Finally, the i7 features a sleep timer (up to 60 minutes) and an alarm clock feature which will either start playing digital files or switch on the FM radio at the pre-defined time. This is obviously useful but since the player does not have a built in speaker, the user will need to connect the device to one for it to work.
Power
The manufacturers of the iAudio 7 state that it's battery will last for a very impressive 60 hours. I can't test that, but according to other reviews it does seem to last for a long time. Obviously keeping the screen switched on and listening at high volumes will have an effect on this time but even so, it should last a fair while between charges.
Usefully the player will charge each time it's connected to a PC via USB. In fact this is the only way to charge it since there is no mains adaptopr included. If you do want to charge this unit from a wall socket, USB mains chargers are available.
Non Windows System Compatibilty
An important consideration for me when I chose this player was that it must be able to funtion under a Linux operating system. This one does that.
The device supports UMS (USB Mass Storage) which means when it's plugged into a computer, it is shown as an extra drive. There is no extra software required. For me, this is a big plus over players such as the Apply iPod which requires iTunes, or the Sony Walkman which requires SonicStage. Neither of these manufacturers provide Linux software so that ruled them out of my consideration straight away.
Another plus of the player using UMS is that it can be used as a portable storage device, holding any file at all. A USB cable is always needed to connect the device to a computer so it's not as convenient as a USB pen drive, but it's certainly handy.
Firmware
The iAudio 7 is shipped with firmware version 1.10. Apparently there are a few bugs in this version which I can't say I noticed, although I upgraded it soon after getting the unit.
At the time of writing, firmware version 1.15 is available which irons out bugs in previous versions, and increases the limits on the number of files to about 5000, as opposed to 2000 in version 1.10.
Upgrading the firmware is a very simple process although with version 1.15, it did completely clear the device including all files stored on it, radio presets and configuration. It is therefore worth performing this upgrade before starting to seriously use the player.
Summary
The Cowon iAudio 7 is described on the box as a Digital Multimedia Player, and although true, I would not buy this product to view video files. This is a music player first and foremost and this is what it excels at.
Audio quality is excellent, although replacement headphones are strongly recommended, and battery life is enough to not need to worry about where the unit can be charged if the listener is away from a computer for a while.
The i7 sports a range of extras, some of which are more useful than others. They are nice to have though, especially the FM radio. Just don't expect these extras to have the quality or capability of the players main function.
There are drawbacks. The 2000 file limit on the supplied firmware is too small, although this is fixed by an easy firmware upgrade. The touch sensitive controls take some getting used to, there is no support for M3U or PLS playlist files and the screen is just too small for video content. Tagged browsing of OGG files doesn't function correctly either. These drawbacks are small though and do not detract from the quality of the audio player.
In short, if it's a music player that it being looked for, you can't go wrong with the iAudio 7. If video playback is very important though, it may be worth looking at something with a larger screen.