Cowon iAudio X5 (20GB)

At first glance, the Cowon iAudio X5 looks very cool. It's textured black outer shell, small profile, and minimal controls make it look even better. Actually, the iAudio X5 is very similar to the Apple iPod in terms of sound quality, usability and features. It would also make an excellent stocking stuffer for all you holiday shoppers out there.

To start, the Cowon iAudio X5 is just about the same size and weight as the 20GB Apple iPod. In all, the device measures 4 x 2.5 x 0.5 inches and weighs just over 5 ounces, which is very small and lightweight for a MP3 player. On the front of the iAudio X5 there is a small silver navigational joystick like controller that also doubles as a menu selector when you push the joystick in. Also on the front is a 1.8-inch color LCD that is good for viewing song information, but when viewing photos and video, it can be a little blurry.

There is an adapter that plugs into the bottom of the X5 provides a USB 2.0 port, 3.5-mm line-in and line-out jacks and a DC power jack. This means that if you lose this adapter, the device is useless, which is a huge downside. The iAudio X5's software is only compatible with a Windows PC, which is another downside for Mac OS and Linux users.

To add music to the X5, simply plug it into a USB port and drag files to the device using a Windows Explorer window. Also, you can use the full-featured, but sort of confusing, JetShell bundled application to rip, manage, and transfer your music. Audio file format support is pretty good, including MP3, OGG, WMA (unprotected), WAV, FLAC, and ASF. Video is supported only in a special 15-frames-per-second AVI format that requires conversion via the bundled JetAudio software.
The video looks very pixilated and distorted, with a lot of compression artifacts. JPEG photos are supported, but only up to 2.5MB in size. The photos don't look very clear, but you can at least you can zoom and pan. The device also supports TXT files, but Audible audio books are not supported.

Audio quality is overall pretty good and it does sound very similar to that of the Apple iPod. There was a little distortion with high or low pitches and high or low volumes, but not too bad. There is one problem with the earbud headphones that come with the X5, they are simply too big to fit sometimes. There are some audio modifiers included with the iAudio X5, like bass and vocal enhancers, but turn them up too much and sound gets quite distorted. Battery performance with the X5 was longer than the iPod, but not longer than some other mainstream MP3 players. The X5 lasted just short of 15 hour with audio playback. The included FM tuner can only pick up strong FM radio signals and it almost forgets about weaker signals. You can record from an FM radio in MP3 format at up to 320kbps.

In conclusion, the iAudio X5 is a pretty good MP3 player, but it does have some flaws. You can almost forget about using the X5 for photo and video viewing because of the huge amounts of distortion. If you are looking for good audio quality, then the iAudio X5 will fit you nicely. This MP3 player is also perfect for anyone who cannot afford or get an Apple iPod or for a smaller child.

Pros: Easy to use, lots of features, good sound quality, no drivers required, lots of audio formats supported
Cons: Requires an adapter for charging and USB support, joystick navigation can get a little frustrating
Editors' Rating:

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