iAudio X5 30 GB Portable Multimedia Player with FM Tuner & Voice Recorder (Black)

by Cowon

Product Details

Product Manual [4.27mb PDF]

• Item Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0009Q4UBK
• Item model number: X5-30BL
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (86 customer reviews)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Sturdy, versatile, and remarkably compact, given its voluminous storage capacity, iAudio's X5 portable multimedia device is sure to be a hit. The 30 GB audio/video player and recorder can store about 7,500 songs (4 minutes each, 128 kbps) i n a nearly unparalleled choice of formats, from MP3 and WMA to linear (uncompressed, CD-quality) WAV files, Egg Vorbis f iles (which sound a bit better than MP3 for files of comparable size), as well as FLAC (Free Lossless Audio Codec, compr essed but designed for 1:1 encode/decode). The X5 can recognize up to 2,000 folders and 10,000 individual files, and its super power-saving circuit provides up to 14 hours continuous playback on a full charge.

Coolest of all? You can import photos taken from most digital cameras and view them on the player's 160 x 128-pixel, 260 ,000-color TFT LCD thanks to OTG ("on the go"), the player's USB host feature. (Certain digital cameras are not supporte d; see www.iaudio.com for compatibility.) Create your own logo or download logos from the iAudio web site. You can also set a picture of your choosing as wallpaper.

Click here to view a detailed list of parts.

The player also offers FM radio listening and recording (with one-touch tuning presets), audio recording through either a built-in microphone or analog line-in input terminals, and the ability to read text as well as images--you can even vi ew text, though not images, while listening to music.

Use the included JetAudio software to convert various video files to MPEG-4 (up to 15 fps), then enjoy the transcoded vi deo files on the X5. Another program, JetShell, performs CD ripping and file conversion and facilitates music playback.< P> The X5 provides direct encoding, too, by which you can capture the output of an external audio device. This means you co nnect the output terminal of an external audio device to the recording (input) terminal of the X5 using a bidirectional stereo cable (supplied), letting you load material from components like a DVD player, a cassette deck, a minidisc player , a turntable, or a TV.

And, with the unit's built-in, high-fidelity microphone, the X5 can record speech with the quality of dedicated voice re corders--perfect for important meetings, lectures, and notes to self.

Onboard sound processing includes BBE Sound enhancement, BBE Mach3Bass, MP Enhance (designed to compensate for sound los t in MP3 compression), a 5-band adjustable equalizer, and 3D Surround (3-dimensional sound that gives the sound a wide s ense of space).

What's in the Box
iAudio player, stereo earphones, a subpack, an installation CD (JetShell and JetAudio), a USB 2.0 cable, a line-in recor ding cable, a USB host adapter, an AC power adapter, a user's manual, and warranty information.

Product Description

There's a new digital media player that's earning many ears and eyes. Reviewers are falling in love with the iAudio X5 from Cowan. It is a super-compact, portable digital audio device that supports playback of various multi-media audio files including MP3 files and Mpeg4 video, features FM radio listening/recording, recording through a built-in microphone or line-in input terminals, and text and image viewer OTG (USB host feature). At only 4.08 X 2.39 X 0.56 inches and about 5 ounces (including built-in rechargeable battery), iAudio X5 offers more entertainment and educational potential than virtually any other pocket-sized portable. It's the in product for those beyond the average. Are you ready for the iAudio X5? Integrated Color TFT LCD screen, Resolution 160x128 Long Playback Time - Up to 14 hours playback on included Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery (time may vary based upon features and settings used) Multi language support Enhanced Integrated Navigator - Play/Pause, Recording / Pause While Recording / Next Song/Previous Song, Fast Forward/Rewind, Section Repeat / Resume, Fade-In, AutoPlay Features / Search Speed, Skip Speed Setup / Volume (Digital 40 Levels) / Various EQ and Sound Field Effects User-Adjustable 5-Band EQ - -Normal, Rock, Pop, Jazz, Classic, Vocal, User Supports BBE, Mach3Bass, MP Enhance, and 3D Surround Clock, Alarm, Timer Recording, Sleep Function, Power Saving Shut down, Power / LCD On/Off, Hold Combined Switch / LCD Auto Off Time Adjustment, Brightness, and Contrast Adjustments Includes Software suite / Easy Firmware Upgrade Supports ID3V2, ID3V1, FileName Supports Microsoft Windows 98/98se/ME/2000/XP // Macintosh OS 9.X, 10.X (data transfer only) // Linux kernel v2.2 or higher (data transfer only)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

177 of 193 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars X5 30GB - from an audiophile's point of view, January 2, 2006

By 

Owen Oyer "q3catscratch" (NJ aka Hellhole) - See all my reviews

This review is from: iAudio X5 30 GB Portable Multimedia Player with FM Tuner & Voice Recorder (Black) (Electronics)

*NOTE: please keep in mind that I represent a very small community of users with fairly extreme demands. This review is not very indicative of the demands of the average consumer. I don't mean to sound patronizing or demeaning, this is simply my honest opinion, undiluted by political correctness. My final rating is meant to represent my objective, rather than subjective, evaluation of the unit*

*******

So, here's the review for audiophiles:

Prior to purchasing this unit, my demands were:

1) Support for lossless music formats, mainly FLAC
2) A functional line-out that bypasses the built-in headamp
3) Good sound quality out of the headphone jack
4) A large capacity HD (lossless music takes some space, after all!)
5) A customizeable EQ that does not degrade sound quality.

The player seemed to have met all of them. I couldn't care less about movie and photo playback capabilities, and bigoted as my opinion may be, I think that whoever complains about clumsy controls in mp3 players needs more manual dexterity. My previous player was the Zen Micro, which I liked because of it's size, but had to let go when I moved to lossless music. It only supported wave and the 5GB HD wasn't big enough. The X5 would have been used with the Westone ES2, which is one of the best portable headphones on the market, as well as a variety of full-size headphones like the Sennheiser HD600, and portable headphone amplifiers.

However, after receiving the player, I was disapponted. It looks good on paper, but it's not an improvement over existing players, especially over the iPod.

This is what the player does well IMO:

1) The FLAC and ogg support is very nice if you have a lot of FLACs and oggs on your computer. I did, and for me this was useful, though I could have converted these files to other formats.
2) The player allows you to organize your music by folders instead of id3 tags. I greatly prefer to do it this way, since it's easier for me to manage folders than edit id3 tags one file at a time. All of my music is ripped from CD into FLAC, so I have to edit tags for all of my files.
3) The 30GB HD is certainly large enough for a decent library of lossless music, and the new 60GB HD will be even better.

Here's where I think the player doesn't live up to expectations:

1) The line-out is on the mini-dock, not on the player itself. The mini-dock is connected by a flimsy socket to the player itself, and detaches with the slightest movement. On top of that, the socket is so flimsy that I'm afraid to break it. It's a major hassle to use, and could have been avoided if the line-out was on the player itself, like it is on the iRiver iHP-140.
2) The line-out sound quality is pretty bad. There is a documented bass roll-off issue below 60 Hz or so, while the treble sounds tinny and metallic.
3) The headphone out also doesn't sound all that great. My Zen Micro sounded better. The bass is pretty good, but the midrange is muddy and congested, while the treble is steely and overly bright. When you're using the best possible portable headphones, you have to have a tonally balanced player, and this is not it. The Westones simply tell me how bad the sound is, instead of letting me enjoy the music.
4) The EQ doesn't let you push frequencies into loss, only into gain. When you use EQ subtractively, you can eliminate much of the clipping that results from the total lack of headroom in the integrated headamps in these players. You could do that in the Micro, but you can't here. The EQ is pretty useless.
5) There is a lot of background hiss straight out of the headphone jack. This isn't a problem of the X5 per se, but rather an artifact of the ES2's extreme sensitivity (119 dB, together with 27 ohm impedance). It picks up any and all background hiss, and unless the player is dead silent, you will have this issue to deal with. The more popular Westone UM2 and Shure E5c also have this problem.
6) There is no digital line-out. Sorry folks, no external DAC's for you here.

2 out of 5 requirements met - that's not too good. I would have been better off with the iRiver iHP-140, though these players are hard to find nowadays. I would also have been better off with an iPod, since it actually has a decent line-out via the various third-party line-out cables. Sonically, the X5 isn't any better than the iPod, though it's not any worse either. For the record, I think that the iPod Nano trumps the X5 straight out of the headphone jack, as does the iHP-140 and the Rio Karma.

*******

And here's the review for everyone else:

Subjectively speaking, the player is great. It has such a vast wealth of features that it's almost bound to out-compete existing players in at least one area. It does everything from photo to movies to lossless file support, and it DOES support id3 tags - you just have to update your firmware. It is stylish, very well built (though the black paint peels off rather easily), and the controls aren't at all clumsy. The interface is intuitive and self-explanatory. The FM tuner and recording capabilities are pretty neat too. The screen is a bit small by today's standards (check out the 5G iPod or the Creavie Zen Vision:M), but it looks pretty good.

The headphone jack actually can swing some volts, and it will drive full-size headphones if they have a relatively low impedance (60 ohms or less). Thus, you don't have to worry too much about headphone compatibility. I think the included earbuds are Cresyns, and they actually aren't terrible, though I do suggest upgrading them to something better.

*******

I would rate the unit at 4 stars out of 5. It did not meet my demands, but it is a very good player in objective terms. It's not better than the iPod, but it's not any worse either. It gives you more control over your files, but it has less support for popular music services.

I would recommend this player to users that don't use the popular online music stores (iTunes and the like), but create their own databases of music files from CD's, or, God forbid, file-sharing networks [insert shocked gasp]. Basically, if you want to have more control over your files, especially in terms of organization, then this is the player for you. If you want something that's bundled with easy-to-use online music services, then go with the iPod.

I would _not_ recommend the player to audiophiles, as it is not a hi-fi component, no matter what Cowon wants you to believe. It doesn't sound any better than existing mp3 players, and it's line-out is lousy. If you want to use an external portable DAC such as Headroom's excellent new MicroDAC, get the iRiver iHP-140, which has an optical digital line-out. If you want to use an external amp, get the iPod and a line-out cable. Both will outperform the X5. If, on the other hand, you want the best possible sound quality out of the headphone jack, get the Rio Karma, or the new Kenwood HD20GA7, HD30GA9, and JVC/Viktor Alneo XA-HD500 players. The Karma can be found on eBay, and the latter players are available through Japanese importers. These players offer better sound quality out of the headphone jack than anything else on the market - but they also command a hefty premium for their superiority.

In terms of headphone compatibility - the player is fairly bright, thus, I don't suggest combining it with bright-sounding headphones. Etymotic users need not apply, nor should you use the Shure E4c with this player. Ditto for the UE 10 Pro and Westone ES2/ES2. I would suggest darker-sounding headphones - Shure E2c, E3c, E5c, Westone UM1 and UM2, and for the high-end, Sensaphonics ProPhonic 2X-S. With the E5c or UM2, you have a pretty good-sounding combo, especially if you use lossless music, and of course, the 2X-S sounds wonderful.

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Those in the know will buy iAudio., November 8, 2005

By 

S. Thompson "librarienne" (Iowa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: iAudio X5 30 GB Portable Multimedia Player with FM Tuner & Voice Recorder (Black) (Electronics)

NOTE: This review is for the 30gb X5L -- Amazon sells the X5L with 20gb, but the 30gb X5L is out there if you look for it.

I've had my iAudio X5L for several weeks now -- it's been with me through two road trips (on just ONE battery charge!) and many commutes to work. I am even *happier* with this purchase then I expected to be! Highly recommended as an incredible gift to yourself or someone you know. This is THE digital music player and then some. I'm thrilled with mine.

First off, I must confess that I was also debating between an iPod or other media players. After reading the reviews at Cnet.com, PCmagazine, and here at Amazon, I went with a 30gb X5L from iAudio. Here's what you get with iAudio that you won't get on the iPod:

- listen to radio AND record from radio
- 24 radio station presets (FM only)
- a built-in mic to record lectures, poetry readings, dinner conversations (you have to be close to the speaker, though, I'm going to expirment with the line-in and see if an external mike can be plugged into that)
- a line-in jack so you can record from old cassettes, records, minidiscs, you name it ... from anything with a headphone jack
- looong battery life, it really does give 35 hours
- much stronger case, a beautiful black finish with a texture that won't scratch and show fingerprints like the iPods; I don't even have a cover over mine, I just keep it in my pocket and it does fine
- oh yeah... and you can watch videos, but I use my X5L while walking or driving so this feature doesn't even matter to me

There are some good tips to know about your iAudio:

- almost all questions can be answered at www.iaudiophile.com/forums ... a fantastic resource for all iAudio users
- sure, it doesn't have the sort-by-tag software of the iPods, but I haven't even found that I miss that. I keep my files organized in folders by Artist\Album\songs and I'm a playlist junkie ... iTunes never does auto-create a playlist that I like anyway. You don't even need to install the software that comes with the iAudio. I use MediaMonkey to organize my music, but I just use Windowns Explorer to drag 'n' drop files into my iAudio's music folder. The Shuffle mode keeps me very happy, and having my favorite radio stations just a couple clicks away is WONDERFUL.
- When you first receive your X5L, you'll have to charge it for 6 hours. Hey, long battery life requires some serious power to start with. But once it's charged, you'll find that you already have a sample song and some sample videos so you can show off your toy right away. (They're basically iAudio commercials, but they are good for showing how good this treasure sounds and looks.)
- using the little button control is pretty simple when you get the hang of it ... press it down briefly in order to see a list for your current mode (ie. list of presets for Radio, list of songs for Music, list of movies for Video...) or hold down the button for a couple seconds in order to get to the main menu. Some people didn't get that, but it really is easy.
- the power, line-in, and USB ports for the X5L are on a little supback that you plug into the bottom of the X5L; it also comes with a line-in cable that you can plug into the headphone (or line-out) jack of any other equipment. Some people complain about having these little "things" to keep with the X5L. I got the Universal MP3 Player Travel Kit from CaseLogic and it has perfect little compartments for the iAudio accessories plus a pocket for the player itself. Or you might try a digital camera case with a couple external pockets - the iAudio X5L would fit in that very nicely, too. That's what I used before my CaseLogic order arrived.
- the only problem I had was actually with my music files, not with the X5L; my songs had been ripped with a mix of id3v1 and id3v2 tags, which meant that some albums would only show on the X5L with the filename instead of the tag info while playing. I used MediaMonkey to clean off the id3v1 tags and that worked very well. Voila - tag information would show on my X5L.

So all in all - the iAudio X5L has performed beautifully. I only wish I had waited and gotten the 60gb. Being able to record from radio and old media has filled up my memory more than I anticipated.
If you're still not sure about getting any digital music player in the first place, let me give this example ... I have 500 CDs, but I was only listening to maybe 30 of them regularly because so many just weren't the kind of albums that would be listened to in one sitting. Now I've culled the best tracks from those CDs and they come up on my X5L's shuffle as a nice surprise from the past. I'm remembering just how much I like this music or that artist. It's a wonderful rediscovery of my own collection! And when I don't recognize what I'm listening to, I just look down and all the info is right there for me. I'm finally starting to tell the difference between my Dave Brubeck and Charles Mingus albums (jazz fans, forgive me) but I'm also hearing nuances that I never noticed before from my Erasure and Hotel Costes albums. In some ways, this is like hearing your music for the first time all over again.

89 of 99 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ipod killer, May 28, 2005

By 

submachine (NYC USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: iAudio X5 30 GB Portable Multimedia Player with FM Tuner & Voice Recorder (Black) (Electronics)

JetAudio? You may not have heard of them (yet) but they make the best audio (iAudio U2) and audio/video (iAudio X5) players on the market. Their products put them in the same league as Sony and Apple.

Positives:
The first thing you notice about the iAudio X5 is the high-quality feel of its aluminum shell and how everything fits together perfectly, with solid controls.

The size is about the same as an Ipod Photo, but with the addition of a video display. The TFT type LCD is not the best you can get on a portable player, only 1.8 inches and 160x128 pixels, but the screen is bright and clear. Video playback at 15fps is good considering the display size.

Navigation is from a 5-way joystick, which is as good as Ipod and more comfortable than just about everything else.
FM reception and audio quality is excellent, close to gapless MP3 playback. Charges over both USB or AC adapter is a plus.

Negatives:
Does not support ID3-tag database.
Cannot view photos and hear music at the same time.
No video recording
No external volume controls
No video output!

Conclusion:
At its current price, the iAudio X5 has no direct competition.
I can only think of two reasons NOT to buy it:
1 - you want a TINY mp3 player (get the JetAudio iAudio U2)
2 - you want to output videos to a tv (Archos, still not perfected)