Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

*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.

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.

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)

After doing extensive research on HD based mp3 players for nearly 6 months, I ordered this player three weeks ago on Cowon's online store and received it within a few days.

Initially I was skeptical about it, inspite of the rave reviews it got from CNET, because of the fact that its a very new release, I was expecting it to be buggy and unstable. But to my pleasant surprise it has done very well and it has a very solid attractive look to it.
I took it out for my weekend camping trip that gave me enough time to play around with most of the controls.
I have already used the mp3, wma, video player, picture viewer, voice and line in recording features on this device and everything seems to work smoothly except for the Picture viewer which appears to be a little slow for my comfort.
The music quality is excellent for my ears, though I confess to not being an audiophile. I ocassionally hear some static while doing the line-in recording though I'm not still sure which is the source of the noise, the player or the input.

I used the voice recorder feature to record a meeting at work and I was really amazed at the quality of the voice it recorded.
Coming to the video player, I used the included software to transcode a full length action movie to 15 fps avi before downloading it to this player. I was able to watch the movie without any problems, but the size of the screen does not make it very comfortable for catching all the details of the movie.

Until now I have never seen a device with such a rich feature set working perfectly out of the box, as per the specs. Except for the fact that this player is not (yet) compatible with audible and online music services, I have absolutely no complaints about it.
One thing I would have preferred to have, though not a major gripe is for the player to have the touch sensitive navigational capabilities like the IPod. But to iAudio's credit the menu structure is quite intuitive and navigation among the different controls is pretty smooth and they seem to have thought of even the most minor conveniences like giving the user the ability to program certain buttons as hot keys.

In summary its an excellently engineered player with a rich feature set and great looks. Other than the fact that I would like some more features added to it (see above), I can't find fault with anything it already claims to support.

This isn't a review per say and I don't own this player "yet". Rather I feel compelled to try and clear up some confusion that many of the reviewers below seem to be having about the id3 tags.
The player DOES SUPPORT ID3 TAGS and it DOES display the id3 tags when playing a song. There is a picture of that on page 5 and through out the manual. It is also mentioned/shown on page 19 under the Settings/Display options. go to http://eng.iaudio.com/ and download it (pdf) and check it out for yourself.

What the player does NOT support is an id3 tag database like some other players. Instead it supports folders like you would see if you were looking at your own computer disk with windows explorer. That means that instead of organizing your music by the artist, album, genre, etc stored in the id3 tag information within each mp3 and letting you search and play music by the id3 tags you will need to organize your music in folders and store them on the player that way.

I learned to use this method years ago because my car stereo (which plays mp3 and wma) uses the same method and so does my Creative muvo micro N200 flash player (now called a Zen nano Plus). What I did was setup all my music in folders on my pc as \group\album\songs. Drag and drop them to the player (or cd if making an mp3 cd) the same way. The folders and songs are played in alphabetical order by the player starting from the folder/song you choose. So if you want them to play in a certain order you need to name them starting with a number IE 01, 02 etc.

This is not the only DAP player that works this way. So do several others. I like it.
For those of you that think that is awful, the player ALSO supports M3U playlists.
That is a text file that you can create that has the names of the folders\songs to play. You could do this manually but no need the Software that comes with the player will do it for you and so will other programs you can get.
That way you can just drop them all in one folder if that's what you want and create playlists to play them based on whatever criteria you choose such as artist, album etc.

I bought the X5 about a two and a half months ago and I can say that overall I am thoroughly happy with it. My wife has an ipod, which I used to use before, so I can actually compare the X5 with the "Gold standard" of DAPs, based on having used both.

PROS
First, I got a great deal for the 30 GB version, which was about $100 less than comparable players (ipod, iriver, vision m, etc.).
Second, the player is easier to use than people say. The little toggle control is responsive and it gives good feedback.
Third, the player is beautiful, with a bright screen and nice matte black color. It looks a lot nicer (and classier) than white ipods.
Fourth, the sound quality is truly remarkable. It's probably equal to, or better than my wife's ipod.
Fifth, and most important, the set of features is impressive to say the least. I can listen to FM radio, I can record both radio and voice, and it has a line-in recording feature, which means you can basically hook up any device to the X5 and start recording from an external source. You could digitize your old vinyl collection or those old tapes. For instance, I had some interviews that were recorded on cassette tapes, which I needed to transcribe as part of my job. All I did was hook up the hand-held tape player to the X5 and voila!, 128 kb mp3 files were created (you can actually set the bit rate of the resulting files!!!), which I then donwloaded to my computer so I can transcribe them using only my computer (word processor + audio player).
Sixth, you do not need any software to use it. You can just transfer your music files, without installing any software in your computer, and it will play them (and it playes a wide range of file types). Furthermore, contrary to what some reviewers have said, you can use the USB host without having to carry the little adaptor around. I have done this on numerous occasions without any problems
For this reason, I have not used the included software, so I cannot review it. I have not played with the picture, video, and text features either, so I cannot help you there.

CONS
Like I said, my wife has an ipod and I must admit that its navigation schemee is easier, since you can select artist, album, genre, etc. I contacted IAudio and they said that they had no plans to offer ID3 tag brwosing. This means that you are dependant on your own organization of your music, which the X5 will only arrange in alphabetical order. There might be some added complexity due to all the features included with the X5, but if you only use the music feature and the radio, it's as easy as it can be. Like I said before, it's easier to operate than people say. I was pretty much up to speed in one day, so I think that is reasonable.
Another gripe is that, when you are using the line-in recording feature, you have to stop it before you can get out of that menu and browse other stuff, like music or pictures. It's a bit annoying, but nothing major. This might be solved with the new firmware, but I have yet to download it.

OVERALL
I believe that the player is well worth every penny. I am surprised that it's not more popular. It is clearly superior to ipod in almost every respect but the navigation system. Some people say that you can do all those things with the ipod as well (listen to radio, record voice, etc.). However, you have to buy additional gadgets for this, and each one is between 50 and 100 bucks extra. This of course debunks the idea of Apple as an "alternative", "cool" company, and lays bare the scheme behind the ipod, namely, to extract as much money as possible from trend-following drones. I can actually see a glimpse of envy in the eyes of my ipod-owning friends.
In short, I am more than satisfied with my X5. If you get one, you will not regret it.

After doing extensive research on an audio/video player I finally bought the iaudio X5 30GB version. It's features include the ability to store pictures, has a built in FM tuner, an audio recorder, the ability to play all different types of audio files (Even one's twice as good as MP3's,) and it can also play video files.

Now, onto the review itself. Right when you open the box you will notice the beautiful look of the product. It fits very comfortably in your hand. The mini joystick is on the top right of the player, allowing a better feel in your left hand. However, holding the product in your right hand feels very nice as well. Inside the box you will see all kinds of cables and connectors for plug-ins, as well as an installation CD for converting files. Installing it is very simple, and the software for converting works beautifully for audio as well as video. It converts the different formats for audio and video for play on the X5 in a certain X5 format. So, you must convert all your files here before converting it. It's fast and easy. Now, if you are ripping a DVD to the computer, you must adjust the size to fit the screen which is 160 x 128 pixels before putting it to be converted to the iaudio. It will not convert it to fit the screen size for you. It depends on many factors. So it is best to do it beforehand

The screen is a 4:3 format, and for this it is actually a good thing. On this size of a screen you will not want a widescreen. This is because the 4:3 screen allows you to catch the main subject or subjects in the shot. It is also good for close ups. So, don't think that because it is not a widescreen, it will not match up with other products. Think of it as a plus. The screen displays all colors very nicely except one major thing. It does not display deep blacks well at all. This is why I took off a star. Movies look great if they are out in the sun all day and everything is very colorful. However, if movies are in the dark a lot, you will start to have major problems. There will be little squares that don't match up with the rest of the shot. These "squares" will appear in different shades of gray and you won't be able to tell what is going on. There is a way to fix it. You have to turn down all of the brightness and contrast, and then everything will appear dimmer. So, you will have to tilt the screen upwards and this will allow you to view it with more light, causing the screen to be brighter. This is a major downside.

The recorder works fine for personal usage. It records everything very nicely. However, if you don't speak directly into it, then the device will not pick it up. You will need to purchase a seperate microphone for interviews and lectures. Then you will be able to pick up everything. But, if you just want to use the recorder as a personal reminder kind of thing, or remember a melody when writing a song, then it is perfectly fine. The FM tuner works like a charm in the car and outside. In my house it is great as well. However, at school, the reception will be very grainy and not as good. This comes to no surprise because cell phones have absolutely no reception there either. The pictures stored on look great. The headphones, or ear buds rather, look very nice, and sound that way too. Some other reviewers said that they weren't good. But, I thought that they sounded great. At least, they sound a lot better than what the ipod gives you. The battery life is wonderful. Sometimes I go without a week without charging it and lasts. It has around 15 hours for the version I have. You could get the 35 battery life which is what the "L" stands for, if you were wondering. That one is a little bigger though. There will also be a 60gb version that will be the same size.

Now to sum it up:

Pro's
- Great Battery Life (ability to watch movies without soaking up your battery life, unlike the ipod video)
- Many features that work better than average
- Nice design to fit in the palm of your hand, slim enough to easily fit in your pocket (20gb and 30gb X5... not sure about the XL's... those are slightly thicker, but should still fit.)
- Great Converting Software
- Videos appear and are displayed nicely on the screen (You will be able to watch movies being able to see everything... don't worry the screen is big enough... you can catch the details)
- Left hands will grasp the device nicely
- The joystick is simple and easy to use. It gives you more of a concrete feel when using the device, as well as something to hold on to (Only my opinion, some may not appreciate it as much as the ipod, while I like it more.)
- Easy to customize all aspects of your music with the "Jet Effect." This allows you to raise the bass, treble and all that good stuff, or add that little boost that your music needs. Or you can select a pre-made setting for your music such as "Rock" or "Oldies" and a few more.

Cons
- Deep blacks are not displayed well on screen
- For the average folk, it may be complicated to learn how to use everything and overwhelming (If you are somewhat smart, you shouldn't have a problem with anything)
- Can't listen to music while browsing throuh pictures
- To upload files and recharge the battery, you must attach a seperate piece to the bottom of the device. It would be nice to plug in cables and connectors directly into the iaudio... If you lose the seperate piece you won't be able to recharge the battery or do anything without ordering another from iaudio and forking over another $9 (My Advice: Don't lose it, be responsible.)

That is about it. This is a great product and I took off for the deep black issue with the screen. It is not too big of a deal, since you can adjust the settings. But, then everything will appear dimmer and darker. You may want to look around for a product that can display videos better. But, if you are looking primarily for an audio player with a ton of other features... then this is definitely for you.

Extra note: For a case I would reccomend the case made by Noreve. It looks beautiful and comes in many colors. It is a lot better than the case made by iaudio. It is very high quality leather. Enjoy!

After months of research I decided to get the x5.

I got tired of burning CDs and not being able to play MP3's on CD players that were not compatible. Someone showed me the 30gb iPod, but it did nothing for me. Until I came across [...]. Both sites gave great reviews & information on the X5. After some more searching, I decided to order mine.

I love it! It's got loads of space for my mp3's. I can add video clips to share with my friends. Listen & record to FM transmissions. But the one feature that pushed over the edge was USB On The Go (USB-OTG / USB Host).

I take a lot of pictures with my digital camera (Sony DSC-F828) but sometimes I run out of space on my memory card. With USB-OTG I can connect my digital camera directly to the X5 and download my pictures to it without the use of a computer, which then I can clear my memory card and continue taking pictures.

Now I don't have to carry my laptop while on vacation. Just my camera to take pictures and my X5 to listen to music.

Pros:
Great Screen, Sleek Design, Great video, picture display, FM Radio, Record voice, FM or Line-in, 30 gig capacity, extended 35 hour battery option, great sound, direct to some digital cameras

Cons:
Ergonomically inferior to IPOD, though some nice features


At present there are two products that stand above all competitors - the X5 from iAudio and the Apple IPOD. I like them both, though personally use X5. The iAudio has the edge in everything but ergonomics, accesories. Its feature richness shames competition, especially Apple. But Apple's ease of use may embarass them as well. Personally, I have the X5L 30gig, which is a bit thicker heavier, but offers 35 hour battery life.

Reasons to choose X5:

-If you like FM radio and the ability to record, buy this machine. I have found reception (in NYC) to be excellent. This was the biggest reason I didn't go IPOD.
-great screen, resistant to scratches as well
-Microphone record is handy and line in record will let you get other stuff
-Ability to play video (comes with simple conversion software to a 15 frame per second format that works nicely).
-good for displaying pictures
-Comes with good accesories
-high quality construction
-great value
-long battery life option

Weaknesses and reasons to think IPOD:

-not as well known as IPOD and I'd check before buying as a gift for kids
-very high quality construction, but ergonomically it is not as well-designed and intuitive. Most of this you learn and get used and there are some advantages (ability to adjuct easily from pocket by feeling for pointer).
-hard to use buttons on sides during early stages of use (you will adjust over time - kinda like pointer vs. touchpad on laptops - but inferior a bit to IPOD)
-menu system pretty intuitive, but depending on how you start song, can have trouble adjusting volume or getting back to screen if you are not looking at menu system
-can customize skip setting, but to only one setting -either jump whole songs or 30 second increments (former is better for music, later is better for podcasts where you lose your spot or want to jump forward, also rock songs of 70s with overly long acoustic introducations)
-fewer accessories like direct docking into custom speakers that you can get with IPOD

Accessories to consider purchasing:

-spare adapter and cable so you can make full use of portable harddrive option
-car charger with FM transmitter is nice. It only transmits between like 106.7 and 107.9, but very simple to use and handy.
-headphones with volume adjustment on them. When going through menus you temporarily lose ability to adjust volume and buying a second set of headphones is handy to be able to directly turn down volume. It comes with very nice headphones by the way. (Note: Not an issue if you buy the remote).
-I am on the offense with the remote and would look at other reviews.
-docking port is nice, but normal adaptor does same and a spare is only $9.

Things to improve:

-leather case was very tight for x5l, which is thicker but as leather, it stretches over time. Minor quibble, but oddly case has no opening to connect to adapter while in leather case, so must take out to connect. I had my shoerepairmen cut a nice slot for it. Just dangerous to me as an accident could occur.
-docking port or spare adapter to connect to computers is handy.
-ability to connect to TV to display pictures would be nice. slide show program for pictures would be nice (may have it and I missed it though).

I had studied many different players, including some of iRiver's, Apple's Ipod, the Zen players, and more. The IAUDIO X5 was the best choice, not only because of the lighter price tag, but because of compatibility. Unless you have an Apple computer, the ipod and Itunes can be a pain. If you're running a windows system, the I Audio is much nicer. The included software is much simpler and easier to use than itunes, and the I Audio supports a ton of formats. Like the ipod, it sounds great, and feels very durable.

If you're looking for a portable media player, check out the IAUDIO X5.