Customer Reviews

Cowon D2+ 16 GB MP3 Player (Black)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First, allow me to clear up some confusion pertaining to the previous review pertaining to the tagged music not playing properly.
I've purchased the 16GB D2+. You can also just put your mp3's (or FLAC, ogg, wma's, etc.) in folders before transferring to the D2+ and then select Folder View on the D2+ too. The previous reviewer hasn't spent much time with his D2+ before deciding to bash it, or was going about it the wrong way :)
As far as video goes - I also have an 8gb Creative Zen (same size screen and color depth) and all my videos I've converted using CloneDVD Mobile and they play on the D2+ perfectly with no audio sync issues, so I'm not sure what "tools" he's used. Cowon also adds a CD to the kit for converting video as well.
For tagging music, MP3Tag or MediaMonkey work fine (leave out the "comments") and they're quick (and also free). I have over 200+GB in FLAC audio files alone and don't have any issues with them playing on the D2+ ...and yes, I've converted some of them them to mp3 to test on the D2+; however, I prefer FLAC, a lossless audio format which the D2+ clearly shows its sound quality benefit, if using high-end headphones.

That being said, the Cowon D2+ is a very customizable unit. You can adjust or change the font colors, add skins, themes, Flash skins and themes (again - free) to change the interface to something different and adds to the fun factor. They can also be changed back quickly to the factory default mode, if desired.
It also offers BBE+ sound enhancements which truly augment the sound in a nice way to emulate different listening environments (if desired, however not needed), unlike the cheap-sounding or distorting sound enhancements of other players.
As mentioned before, I also have the Creative Zen and the Sandisk Sansa Clip. While the Clip is fine if the audio EQ is set flat and is also great for being and uber-portable device (running, gym, etc.), the D2+ just absolutely blows them both out of the water in the sound department once you have the audio settings adjusted to your taste. It also features the strongest amp I know of in a portable music player. As an added bonus, the expandable SDHC card slot integrates the music with the music on the player's internal memory for a seamless listening experience. Just be aware that for a player that does so much, plan on spending some time to play with it in order to bring out all it has to offer, which I can say has been entertaining and enjoyable. It's also well supported in the major online audio Forums - primarily as the D2 version (since it's been around alot longer), but upon reading into it, practically everything that works for the D2 also works on the D2+ without issue.

I have had this player for three weeks now, and I am enjoying it more and more every day. It is both sleek and powerful. In case you're not familiar with Cowon products, the sound quality is superb. There is a great sound package (JetEffects) which is very customizable, but I have found that the sound is so good I rarely need to rely on it.

The touchscreen is an awesome "touch" and looks beautiful. I can't comment on video playback as I am using my D2+ strictly for music, but I think it would be quite nice. I will try soon.

So far I have loaded 29GB of music (16GB SD) composed of mp3, ogg, FLAC and wma formats, and they have played beautifully. The 1 star reviewer must have had problems with his files. I know if you have your files tagged halfway decent, you will have no probs.

The SD card slot was a major reason I went with the D2+ and it accesses all my SD files seamlessly, indistinguishable from internal memory.

I can't believe I almost forgot to mention the battery life. As I mentioned, I have had the D2+ for 3 weeks now; I use it at least an hour a day, and I still have not had to "formally" charge the battery! The only time it charges is when I am loading tracks, and that is lightning quick, not long at all. So the battery life is incredible to say the least.

The reason I can't give the D2+ five stars are because of the following:
- there is no gapless audio playback (important to me)
- creating playlists must be done via PC and requires software
I would have rated it 4.5 if the option was there.

As the previous reviewer mentioned, there is a huge active D2 community online where there are many very helpful people doing some really cool stuff out there furthering the potential of the D2&(+). I asked a question one particular morning in the D2 forum, and by the afternoon there were 4 replies from people willing to help. That was really cool. I check the site daily as there is constantly new posts.

So, the bottom line is this is a great player for the money, great right out of the box, packed with features for gadget-heads, and easy enough for simpletons. I love my D2+.

This is the best audiobook player. I also have an Ipod 80GB Classic and had a Zen Vision M. It leaves both for dead.
- superb sound quality.
- excellent bookmark function- 256 bookmarks. It returns to the bookmark and continues to the follwing tracks (unlike Zen which just stops, as do many other players, and windows mobile players).
- the touch screen is very nifty and the smart menus pop up nicely. Navigation quickly became intuitive.
- the standard folder structure makes loading books and tracks very simple. I am over Itunes and do not miss it.
- 16GB or 8GB or 4GB of internal memory, then an SD slot which means you can have as many SD cards as you want. bookmarks work on the current SD card no worries.
- flash memory means it should last much longer than a hard drive player like Ipod Classic or Zen Vision M, which often tend to die quickly.
- excellent for music albums.
- the video function works well when I test it, although I am not interested in using it routinely.

If you're looking for the best portable audiobook player, you've found it. But if you just want to listen to audiobooks on your computer get ViddyMP3 for free. Or if you want to tinker get Rockbox free software for various portable players. I think the D2 is great for music too as its sound is clearly superior to Ipod and Zen to even my untrained ear.

It does not do playlists, but really who needs them? I mainly used to use them to work around Itunes bugs.(maybe I like compilation albums, but I can just compile a folder of MP3's any way I like).

Wishlist- on the fly erase & click for more details on the bookmarks (but still the best for bookmarks), playlists (OK already).

Tips- use the stylus supplied for navigating the touch screen.
- when you first ever turn it on, be careful as the first thing you do is set language and I accidentally clicked Korean!! It took a while to return it to English, ha ha.
- If you're not sure just buy the 4GB Black version [...], and later expand it with an SD card.

Note that Cowon also make the S9 which I have not seen. It is more expensive and uses a different screen technology.

I have owned a Cowon D2 8gb for some time, for audio books. When this player has version 2.51 of the firmware, it's the best in the business. Later versions for some unknown reason would not display audible book titles. I found this out when I bought a D2 16gb. The later firmware refused to show most of the titles of my books, and firmware 2.51 only recognized 8gb on the player. So I sent the bigger one back and stuck with my D2, even as the battery began to need more frequent recharges. I added a 16gb SDHC card, which gave it plenty of room for my books. But all things being mortal, my D2's battery has finally gotten short enough where I felt like testing the newer D2+. And when my wife's birthday rolled around, I decided to give HER one. Just in case I didn't like it.

About two days after getting it, I bought a SECOND one. She will get that one, because I already OWN the first!

The D2+ has all of the great features of the D2, and the firmware appears to be rock solid and a significant improvement over the D2 firmware. The biggest improvement is that, when scrolling through your music list, the UP and DOWN arrows now page you up and down a screen at a time, rather than one title at a time. There is also a scroll bar on the right for going a long ways through a long list in a single bound. Combined, they make it easy to pick out one title from a lengthy list. Naturally, all my book titles appear, no problems.

Capacity is obviously doubled; 16gb player plus 32gb card. Nice.

Some have mentioned the hard plastic rather than metal edges, but I actually like the change. It doesn't feel at all flimsy to my fingers, and I think it looks better. I will be buying a case to ward against drops, of course; I've dropped my D2 four times and it still plays, so I expect this one will also be hardy, but why find out at my own expense?

The BATTERY! The BATTERY! They say 52 hours, and this one might actually give me that many hours on the first run. Wonderful not to need to charge a player for a week or more.

Some points with respect to some problems others have reported:

1) If the player is talking Korean to you, you can re-set it easily. Attach it to your computer, then FORMAT it like a regular drive. This puts it into pristine shape. When you turn it on, the first thing it will ask is which language you want to use.

2) Radio reception stinks on all these players where I live; you have to be near a transmitter for the little antennae in MP3 players to pick up a solid signal; this is better than several others I tested.

SUMMARY: If you mainly listen to audio books, you will love this player. It's no slouch on music, either, and has a 5-band equalizer. I use Etymotic 6i earphones for audiophile listening and love them for their noise reduction and great fidelity at a low price.

I've used the D2 version for almost a year now, and the D2+ firmware recently (they are practically the same). Here's the good and bad, from my perspective:

GOOD:

- Sound quality. This is THE main reason to buy this product. Ditch the standard earbuds and buy some decent cans -- you will be blown away by the sound quality. It has an EQ and the JetEffects are excellent. But yes, you will need to do some tweaking to get it to your liking.

- Customization. You can use it in a database format that requires accurate tags (like the Zune / Ipod's utilize), or direct folder access. I prefer the latter, myself. There is also an active fan base who have created their own themes and flash skins, for the product. It does require a bit of technical know-how on the part of the user, so if that interests you it's there.

- SDHC slot, for future expandability. It will show up as two drive letters in Windows, as others have mentioned. In Linux, it will be two separate mount points.

- Cross-platform. Linux / Mac users rejoice - but, the only problem is that you can't use the included software. Of course you can use alternative software to your liking.

- Battery life. 50 hours is pretty accurate, for music.


BAD:

- Still no gapless support (if that's a concern for you).

- Support. Cowon is no Apple, as far as support is concerned.

- Zero accessories. Not really Cowon's fault, but something to keep in mind. If you have to have accessories galore, you're better off with an iPod.


COULD GO EITHER WAY:

- The bundled software. This argument goes both ways, so YMMV. I almost never use the bundled software for hardware like this, as they are never to my liking.

- Video. I find it usable, but the screen is small. I use a separate conversion tool (WinFF) and I have no problems. I feel it's a extra, but not its main strength - if video is critical for you, you might want to look at a player with a larger screen.

- Touch interface. Some people like it, some people hate it. Personally, I think it could be a little better, but it's usable.



Bottom line: If you want more control over your music / video player, don't mind getting doing a little tweaking, and want fantastic sound quality, this player might be a good fit for you.

Get your Cowon D2+, rip your cd collection using flac. Most definitely, get top notch earphones (you will need them to really appreciate your cowon), and then just relax and enjoy. Ipod? Ipod is like listening to AM radio - once you have your cowon you will never miss it, you will never tell anyone you once did listen to it.

I bought the D2+ based on my experience with the original D2 (1GB), which is still running, but was limited by capacity and format (I prefer flac files over ogg). Reading the reviews, I do agree that the interface took a bit of getting used to, but was similar to the original. Additionally, it seemed to fit my requirements for a music player (I don't watch videos).

The reason this device gets the rating is due to two problems. The first was that whenever I used the SDD card, it appeared to corrupt the the Music database to the degree where the unit would freeze up and restart, not to mention overwriting almost all of the music file names with some randomly selected file name repeated over and over again. There is no mention of use of the SDD card in either the "Quick Guide" in the package, or the larger user manual PDF included in the disk.

Once I started dealing with that issue, the volume up ("+" button on top of the device) stopped working and appeared to be stuck.

After getting an RMA from Cowon (tech support could only offer sending the unit in for "analysis" regarding the DB corruption issue - or whatever it was - I decided to return the unit for a refund. I'm not sure what I'm going to replace it with, but I prefer the Cowon and it's Linux-friendly and open formats, so I may get another Cowon, just not the D2+.

Amazing sound and incredible batery life. Very easy to add/remove media. BEST mp3 player I've owned.

I had been looking for a good music player for some time. It came down to the Cowon D2+ 16gb or Cowon S9 32gb. I decided on the D2+ because it is expandable via SD slot and $100 less(at the time).
All and all, I am very pleased with it.


THE GOOD:

-Good file support.

-Drag and drop. You can set it to 'sync' with Windows Media if you want.

-Audio processor has more settings then you will need and customizable presets.

-Battery life is unbelievably good.

-Volume buttons are external rather than touchscreen.

-Settings for auto shut off, display shut off and brightness, playback resume.

-Standard USB cable.

-List songs by album, track, playlist, artist, or file.

-SD Slot. Updates when you pop the card in. Seamless for audio and video. Though, I have to navigate back to the SD memory (D2 EXT) to access photos. I am using an 8gb SDHC.


THE BAD:

-Navigation is sometimes unpleasant. The menu layout is odd and touchscreen buttons are small.

-It has refused to turn on three or four times now. I have to push the reset button to get it working again. No files lost, but it is annoying.

-I cannot move files between the SD card and the D2+ memory. I have to plug it into a pc and use a file browser to edit or copy files.

-No song search option. Only lists. ...very disappointing.

-I haven't figured out how to get the album art to display. Putting a small .jpg in the folder will work sometimes, but it's inconsistent.


THE UGLY:

-It is ugly!


A Few Other Things:
Video - requires conversion using the provided software. I've converted flash. Works fine, but I would never recommend this for witching video.
Text Reader - display only.
FM Radio - Surprisingly good reception.
Voice Recorder - You can select from 32bps to 256bps. Very clean, even with the built in mic.
It also has a notepad(cute little drawing gimmick), calculator, alarm, and timer.
Reads pdf pictures and you can set them as wallpaper.
Boot time can be 2 to 4 seconds.


SO...

If you want a drag and drop music player, this is just what you need.
It's a good buy for the money, too.

If you have an i-pod and enjoy all it's apps than you probably should stick with that. I haven't tried it yet, but I hear the D2+ does not support aac. So, you would be in for some long hours of converting.


-update: This new Windows7 does not work very well with this. When I put files on, the Cowon doesn't know what they are. Not that it bothers me much, Ubuntu and Puppy still work fine for that.

This is the second Cowon D2 that I have purchased. The first one got "bricked" when a firmware upgrade went wrong. (Three files had to be uploaded, with the D2 needing to be rebooted after each. The D2+ just needs one file to be uploaded.) I looked at other Cowon, iRiver, and Samsung units, but this one had the same SD memory slot as the old one, so I could continue to use my music collections. It has the various features that I like, including an FM radio. On the down side, it is a bit chunky, being about the same dimensions as a small deck of cards. It fits nicely into my pocket, though, so it doesn't bother me. My original D2 also came with a "wall wart" fast charger, the D2+ charges via your computer's USB jack. The screen is small, so this is definitely a music player as opposed to video.