Definitely go with Cowon.
I’ve gone through two views. I own a sansa clip, one of the older sansa players, and I had a fuze until it got stolen. The fuze was a great little device and the clip is an amazing little beast, but I can’t say I use it that much because it’s over shadowed by my Cowon s9. I got the s9 after my fuze got stolen :(, and I got the clip to use when I work out, but lately I just bring my s9 because I lost my FiiO E5, and the clip isn’t powerful enough on its own IMO. The s9 truly is the best sounding mp3 player out there. The new Sony X comes close, but it really comes down to preference. I’d even go as far as saying it IS the best mp3 player out there for those that are truly into an mp3 player for that sole purpose, being an mp3 player. IMO wi-fi isn’t necessary when you can get it on your phone. There’s no point to have it on an mp3 player too.
The battery life is ridiculous, it’s sexy, EVERYTHING about it is customizable in entirety. Since I purchased it I have gone through about 8 different main menu interfaces, 3 music interfaces, 3 radio, 2 video, and 2 picture viewers, and 3 browsers. Shoot, I’ve even gone through 4 different fonts. I can NEVER get bored with it because I can transform it into a completely different player whenever I want. The reviews that you may find on it really don’t do it justice. CNET basically rips it apart and claim that the ipod touch is the best out there. I feel like Apple pays them off or something, but that’s a little off topic. Anyways, sound quality wise, you won’t find any better. The s9 is now gapless. The interface has sped up dramatically, and we even get a Jet Audio 3.0 upgrade.
I haven’t even gotten around to the AMOLED screen. I have yet to see any piece of technology, be it a laptop, cell phone, mp3 player, and up until recently even TV’s with a better looking screen. It’s absolutely unbelievable. Cowon has truly done an amazing job. And if this isn’t enough to impress you, the Cowon J3 is coming out really soon! It’s basically an s9 with an internal speaker, micro SD card slot, and a bit better build quality.
So if any of you guys are looking for an alternative to Apple, you can’t go wrong with cowon. The s9’s screen makes the itouch look like old technology, and after listening it for so long, listening to an ipod is unbearable. Even with my Yuin OK2 earphones, the sound quality of an ipod is trash.
I apologize if it seems like I’m just rambling on and on about it. I’m not really good at reviews. I can definitely say that I’m going to be sticking with Cowon for awhile. I won’t be purchasing the J3 because I really don’t want to part with my s9 right now. I can’t wait for the next big thing that Cowon comes up with though!
Just to clarify things, I’m not leaving Sansa or trying to bash them as a company. I’m going to continue purchasing from them because overall I believe that they are doing a pretty good job, minus the View.
Message Edited by LWKING on 05-01-2010 02:12 PM
