COWON iAudio X5 20GB Portable Media Player

Reviews: Multimedia

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Nicholas Hart
Kurtis
COWON
Sep. 5, 2005

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Features & Testing, Continued...

USB Host

This feature of the iAudio X5 has some huge potential, but is totally dependant on the needs of the end-user. The X5 can be used as a USB host for other devices such as digital cameras or even other media players. Connect your USB device to the X5's "USB Host' port, change mode to "USB Host' and the attached device will start a connection just as it would to your PC. From here you can transfer files from your player to the device, or from the device to your player. I used a digital camera for my testing and, after a quick skim through the manual to figure out how to switch to the camera as the file source (hold the REC button), I was able to transfer the files over to a directory of my choosing. The whole process was quick and painless.

This may be one of those features that is flashy but never gets used, but you can definitely make a case for its usefulness. You could swap MP3s with a friend who has another type of player. If you are on vacation you likely don't have a PC with you, but you would probably take your MP3 player and a camera. If your flash card gets full, you can free up space by copying the images onto the X5.

FM Radio

I feel like I'm writing a book here talking about all the features this unit has, but I'm still not done. The iAudio X5 allows you to listen to FM radio in case you aren't in the mood to listen to your own music collection and need some commercial interruptions. The iAudio U2 I reviewed had this functionality also, but was hindered by a lack of presets. Well, the X5 has presets, 24 of them to be exact, which doesn't leave me much to complain about. The reception isn't as great as my car stereo, but it is improved over the U2. I was able to get the stations that I care to listen to at work and home.

Voice Recorder

The iAudio X5 has a built-in mic that allows you to record audio should the need arise. The sound quality is good and the mic seems pretty sensitive. In addition to my voice, it picked up the sound of my finger rubbing against the player enclosure as I turned it over. The volume did seem to come in a little low on playback, but nothing a couple bumps higher on the volume won't fix. This is another of those features that is totally dependant on user need, but the quality is good and the option is there if you need it. (Kurtis' Note: From my experience with audio recording on MP3 players, I would advise against depending on it for recording speeches or lectures, since the microphone isn't quite meant for such things. It's more of a personal audio recorder so you can store voice notes.)

Line-In Recording

In case being able to transfer files through the USB Host function, or just recording with the built-in mic doesn't meet your needs, the X5 supports recording from another source by way of a 1/8" audio jack. A 1/8" male/male cable is included in the package so you can plug the output of an audio source into the X5's backpack and record directly to MP3. I hooked up the X5 to the front panel audio output on my PC and recorded some audio to test the feature out and I've got to admit the quality is pretty good. This would be a decent feature anywhere you might use the voice recorder but have an actual line-out to hook up to.

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Page 4 of 6

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Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: First Looks
Page 3: Features & Testing (Display, Video and Photo Playback, Interface)
Page 4: Features & Testing (USB Host, FM Radio, Voice and Line-In Recording)
Page 5: Features & Testing (Battery Life, Music Playback, Software)
Page 6: Conclusion

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10 User Comments

1 - Posted by rickalamo02 on October 13, 2005 - 12:00 pm

Do you know or have you heard about how easy it will be to replace the Li-on battery? What is the expected lifetime? 2-3 years? How much will it cost, or will the company have to replace the device?

2 - Posted by Kurtis on October 13, 2005 - 12:15 pm

I honestly don't know. I haven't heard of any issues about battery life with the X5 though. I take it that you are worried the X5 will turn into an iPod? :-D

3 - Posted by rickalamo02 on October 14, 2005 - 11:44 am

Not sure what you mean by the X5 turning into an ipod, can you explain? I currently own a iRiver Ifp-799t model, and for some reason or another it won't power on anymore. I had to send it back to iRiver and they are in the process of replacing it. I like the features that the iRiver devices have such as MP3, voice recorder, FM Rado, In-line recording etc., yet for the model I have you need to have the iRiver dedicated software loaded onto your PC in order to transfer files.

I came across the X5 from search engine, I was impress with all of the features and then decided to look some reviews and thankfully yours was pretty good.

Can you confirm for me if the X5 does not require software loaded onto a pc in order to transfer files to and from it? Can it also be used as mini usb drive?

When I do research on a device or anything, I try to get all of the Pros and Cons with it before buying. I think for me the worry is having the battery go bad, and is it expensive to replace, or will the company just say where are going to replace the whole thing. If it ever comes to that then, I hope I will have my music or info backed up to recover quickly. Sorry for rambling, but thanks for any info you can give on this device, I'm seriously considering buying this.

4 - Posted by Brian on October 14, 2005 - 11:58 am

There was a big problem with Apple, where they were charging around the price of a brand new iPod just to replace the battery. That is what he was referring to.

5 - Posted by Nick on October 14, 2005 - 12:02 pm

There is no easily accessible battery compartment, only screws. I don't recall the manual mentioning battery replacement, the iAudio website (cowonamerica.com) doesn't mention battery replacement and their online store doesn't sell a battery for the X5. That tells me that its off to the factory if the battery has problems. Unfortunately I don't have an extended amount of time with the player so can't comment on battery lifetime.

As far as needing software to transfer files, I know that for XP and 2k you shouldn't even need a driver. On my systems at home and work, I just plugged the player in and could immediately copy files. The X5 uses a folder hierarchy and you can copy files anywhere you like, although it is best to use the folder structure and put music files in the music folder for example. So yes, you can use it as a flash drive and I certainly did that on a few occasions while I had it.

6 - Posted by rickalamo02 on October 17, 2005 - 11:29 am

I have another question. When recording from the radio, voice or In-line, does the X5 convert the recording automatically to MP3 format or do you record the file first, and then go to the X5 software package to convert the file to MP3?

7 - Posted by Kurtis on October 17, 2005 - 12:59 pm

it automatically converts it, you don't have to do anything in software.

8 - Posted by rickalamo02 on October 25, 2005 - 10:05 am

Does the iAudio X5 allow you to upload copyrighted music files or copy protect music files to a PC? I know recently that IriverAmerica is adjusting their devices due to copyright guidelines, MP3 / WMA files cannot be uploaded to a PC.

9 - Posted by Nick on October 25, 2005 - 12:18 pm

Im not sure I understand the question. So ill just spew a little :0

The X5 does not support the 'plays for sure' standard (if its really a standard) so it may not work with music purchase sites that use DRM protection.

If you're asking if you can copy mp3s from the player to the PC, the answer is yes. You can copy anything from the player to the PC. However, if that music file has DRM protection, it may not play on the PC. This is a limitation of the file itself, not the player.

10 - Posted by rickalamo02 on October 25, 2005 - 12:33 pm

I believe you answered my question. Basically what I asking is this: Does the iAudio allow you to upload MP3 files whether they are copyrighted or not to a PC? I believe that your answer was yes. Next, I was stating a comment that I had saw and experience with iRiver. Because of copyright laws they are no longer allowing you to upload copyrighted mp3(protected) files to a pc, which they had at one time. I'm wondering in the future will other or all mp3 players be affected by copyright laws to hinder users from copying or sharing music.

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