Cowon S9 player - one step away from the ideal

    I think that COWON does not need to be introduced - those who know what MP3 is (okay, okay, FLAC) must have heard that word. The hero of today's review - according to the results of tests of serious iron sites, is one of the best.

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    Perhaps that is why I could not ignore him :) A detailed review, traffic .

    The company specializes in music players - pocket versions, as well as PMP devices. Judging by modern history textbooks, past models had some design difficulties, but looking at this model, I see that the crisis has passed. But beauty, beauty, is much more important than the other - the implementation of the basic functionality and the convenience of everyday use. So check it out!

    By the way, once upon a timeoo I bought my brother Cowon X5 on the advice of an avid music moderator on a popular site - I did not regret it at all, but I don’t know where this player is now and whether it is alive.

    Equipment


    The white box is slightly larger in size than the VHS cassette; inside it is located:

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    - Cowon S9 player ;
    - In-ear headphones;
    - USB cable;
    - miniCD with software and manual;
    - All sorts of pieces of paper.

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    The player is available in different versions - the amount of memory varies from 4 to 32GB, I had a younger model. The instruction is in Russian - thanks to the pictures in it, everything is short and clear. The well-known JetAudio acts as software, which I never decided to install.
    In addition, you can buy various accessories - a leather or plastic case, a Bluetooth headset / remote control, a video cable and something else. But initially there is everything for listening to music.

    Appearance


    The oblong form of the device is dictated by its 3.3 ”AMOLED touch screen (widescreen, 16: 9, 480x272, 16 million colors) - it occupies almost the entire front surface. The dimensions of the device itself are very modest - 57x105x12 mm (with a weight of 77 grams).

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    These are more advantageous dimensions than the same iPhone, although I strongly oppose such comparisons.

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    In addition to touch control, it is possible to command the parade with hardware buttons. At the upper end there are three (more precisely, five) - two rockers (volume and “back and forth”) on the sides and one “sharp” button for stopping / playing in the middle. Buttons are tight, but this is rather a plus. And thanks to the central button, the player is easy to use directly in your pocket or through clothes - it’s immediately clear where that is.

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    At the bottom end, right in the middle, there is an audio jack for headphones, to the right of which is (behind the plug) a power connector (it can also output an image from the player through a special wire), and on the left is a power button.

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    If you turn the last one to the left for a second or two, then the device will turn on (or turn off), if you just push it to the left, then only the screen will turn off. A movement to the right blocks the device. In total, everything is symmetrical and beautiful, but in fact it’s not very practical - it would be better if this button was on the right side, it would be more familiar.
    By the way, there is absolutely nothing on the right and left - smooth matte ends (although the Internet is full of pictures of the device with chrome sides).

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    At the back there is a nice cover (smooth soft touch) with the extruded COWON inscription, below which there are two small “dots” - Reset and microphone.

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    There are no more functional elements on the case. It is a pity that there is no external speaker - it would not hurt.

    The screen is easily soiled - fingerprints remain after touching ... however, due to the fact that the screen is not pressed into the case, it is always easy to clean it - at least with a sleeve. In addition, a protective film is originally glued on it. But the back side and side parts are almost not easily soiled.

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    In general, the appearance evokes only positive emotions - smooth lines, a combination of metallic sheen with black plastic and a rubberized bottom - looks really great. And in the hand lies comfortably.

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    Full-time headphones are pretty good - they don't wheeze at maximum volume. But I did not attach much importance to them by sticking in my favorite Razer Moray + .

    Inclusion and work


    The first thing you should pay attention to is the time the device is turned on. It takes ... exactly 1 second until ready! Press the bottom button to the left and after a second a menu appears in front of us, with the main elements rendered. I haven’t seen this before.

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    More and more I fall in love with AMOLED technology - no matter how I come across it, always only positive emotions remain. So it is here. Juicy and vibrant colors, quick rendering of any menu, large sizes ... and, in principle, good visibility in the sun. The display is definitely an offset.

    When I just started using the player, out of habit (from the PDA) I tried to press the screen with my fingernail - almost nothing worked. I cursed and cursed the producer in every way. But everything changed when the wife forced her to cut her nails) happiness became complete - if you press with your fingertips, then everything works in an excellent way. In general, the touch screen in the device is made by capacitive technology.
    The player has a dual-core processor with a clock frequency of 500 MHz - I think that it is he who is the main reason for the absolute braking of the system. Speaking of this, I mean the speed of drawing the menu and work in general. All pictures, rewinds, zooms, and even videos work without the slightest delay. So it should be ideally.

    A separate point I want to note is the ease of use of the shell itself - everything can be at first and not intuitively clear, but the "wizard arrows" will help to get used to it. In addition, with the instructions you can understand all the chips in just a couple of minutes. And then you begin to really bastard. The interface is well optimized even for the thickest fingers)

    So, after turning on, a menu of 10 items appears - Music, Video, Pictures, Documents, Flash, File Manager, Radio, Voice Recorder, Utilities and Settings (about everything a bit below). Above is the status line, on the sides of which there are two buttons - the first allows you to turn off the device or put it into sleep mode, the second allows you to go to three impromptu desktops with widgets. Even higher are time, volume level, playback modes and battery indicator. Below is the menu view switch - by default it can be black and white or color. By the way, it is worth noting that the Internet is full of resources for this player (and others from Cowon).

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    Widgets . A similar design could be found in a new series of devices from Samsung - the same Samsung Jetthat I talked about. Three "desktops", switching between which occurs with a horizontal stroke of the finger. In total, ten widgets are available - the player panel (on which all menu items are located - they can be scrolled vertically), music control buttons, radio, voice recorder, digital and analog clocks, a window with a slide show, a battery indicator, a memory indicator and an alarm clock. I am not a fan of such things, but if they do not interfere, they will not be superfluous.

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    Pictures . Thanks to the built-in accelerometer based on the G-sensor, the downloaded images can automatically rotate and scale depending on the position of the device in space. You can scroll through the stroke to the right or left.
    Under the open picture is a strip, moving the slider along which increases or decreases the picture. Pressing the flip button on this bar flips it, providing new buttons - a slide show (with two transition effects), turning off auto-rotation, manual rotation (a multiple of 90 degrees) and placing the picture on the background in the menu. It is a pity that only pictures in the JPG format are supported.

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    Documents . Not a fountain - only the TXT format is supported, which also has a “scale bar” and additional buttons on its reverse side - bookmarking, auto-scrolling, background color (12 options) and the interval for scrolling.

    Dictaphone. A useful thing turned out to be - initially it consists of two large buttons - PLAY and REC. The first one includes the last record for playback, the second one records a new one (in WMA). There is a pause, recording time indicator. You can record from a microphone or through a line input. You can also adjust the volume of the future file and its bit rate (from 32 to 256 kbps). What is convenient - records are sorted in memory by folders - fm-radio, mic and line-in.
    If the manufacturer reduced these two buttons, then I’m almost sure that the free space indicator and the corresponding recording time would fit in. Due to the fact that REC is pressed in just a couple of clicks, the device can be a find for a spy)

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    Flash. Support for this format (SWF) has appeared in many devices. In this case, it is these files that are supported (it was not possible to run compiled into EXE) - so it can be any mini-games, applications (ActionScript 2.0 is supported), and videos. On the Internet they are available literally in packs - metro maps, help, calculators, screensavers and other useful things. I’m looking for penguins in SWF;) A

    file manager ... such a file manager :) Like a clairvoyant, he sees through the device’s memory and scatters everything - whether it’s sorting music by artist, album, genre, year, playing time ... or just a folder with files - he doesn't care)

    Utilities. There are already 4 of them))) A simple calculator and a notepad (we open a new sheet, set the desired color or background image for it and try to scratch something with a finger; there is a pencil, brush, marker, eraser, 12 colors and 40 sheets to choose from). The third scrap - the Hunter game - you need to twist the device, using its accelerometer, so that your character can dodge the enemy "points" - whoever lasts longer will be in the damsels. Surprisingly cool game and excellent responsiveness of the device to turns.

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    The fourth utility, in my opinion, is the most useful - the same sheets as in the notebook (this time there are 60 of them), but only text (up to 200 characters) is entered from the virtual qwerty keyboard. You can make small “tweets”, it’s a pity that only in English.

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    The lithium-polymer battery is not removable, a full charge cycle takes about 5 hours (or 3 hours, if from the outlet through a special adapter that can be purchased). After that, the player is ready for feats again. It lasts me for about a week (4-5 hours of music per day with a periodically working screen). The manufacturer promises 50+ hours of music and about 11 hours of video. I did not check)

    When connected to a computer, the player is detected as a regular USB flash drive - quickly and conveniently. Inside, everything is about daddies. On Linux and MacOS, only simple file transfer operations.

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    The firmware update (the latest, September version, I uploaded right away - it has a lot of amenities, as well as the correction of the jambs, which are described in reviews on Yandex) is elementary - we download the file (7-8Mb), upload it to the player and simply reboot. Everything, in a minute the new firmware is already in battle.

    Music, video, radio


    I decided to put these three points in a separate “chapter” of my advertising review) because in my opinion they are the most interesting.

    FM radio . Perhaps the best radio implementation I've seen. We only have access to the FM range in the frequency range from 87.50 to 108 MHz - it is represented by an arc, under which the circle is located. We press a finger to the desired point on the arc - this will give us an approximate hit in the radio we wanted. We do a more accurate refinement by rotating the finger, or rather, by this very circle. Thanks to this system, you can find the right wave in a couple of seconds. There is also an exact frequency reference.
    There is also an auto search - the player (in which the headphones act as an antenna) found 24 stations with a reliable signal, which were immediately stored in the memory for quick access. Any station can now be selected by pressing the button ... or scrolling to it in the list that appears above the "arc". Air can be recorded.

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    Video . There is this function) Of course, it’s better to watch the video on a TV or at least on a monitor, but when there is nothing like that, the player is also suitable. The manufacturer promises support for the AVI and WMV formats (with Xvid SP / ASP, WMV9 SP / MP codecs and audio - MPEG1 1/2/3, WMA codecs) and recommends watching converted video (480x272), however, in reality the player showed unconverted (700Mb) Hancock with a bang.

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    What I liked - the player can almost instantly "decompose" the file into 12 parts with previews - you can select any fragment and start viewing from it.
    Any video can be added to favorites or bookmarks. There is a function of resizing the video (on the screen), rotation, setting the TV-out mode. An interesting feature is taking a screenshot at the right time.

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    To summarize - you can watch the video. BUT this requires a sufficient amount of memory, otherwise it won’t be enough for music;)

    Music is our dream


    The main function of any player, so I left it for dessert. Moreover, this is really the “hottest” dish in the Cowon kitchen.
    So, it all starts with the gulf of tracks on the player. The following formats are supported - MP3 / 2/1, WMA, FLAC, OGG, WAV, APE.

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    After your favorite drum) is uploaded - turn on the player and click on the music icon in the main menu. At the top left, click on the list icon and select the desired folder - something will already play. On the screen - at the very top of the file name, below - the track number (of the number of all tracks), under which flaunts a large cover from the ID3 tag (if you click on the picture, information about bitrate, active equalizer mode and frequency will appear). By the way, I have a relative order in music and in each folder there is a separate Cover.jpg file, which is why in the image view mode there are a lot of these carpets :) If nothing is written in the tag, then this Cover will serve as a picture. jpg.

    Under the carpet is the name of the song, artist and album. Below is a musical scale with a slider, which you can move directly with your finger. Under the scale are two tenses - the past and the remaining.
    There is also a small menu on the right, QuickList. When you click on it, a small panel leaves, in which there are three thumbnails of the album and when you click on any of them, a track is launched, which is located in the immediate vicinity of the current folder.

    Below is a couple of buttons - adding to favorites or bookmarks (adding to favorites will create a separate playlist that will be accessible by the button at the top left of the screen, and the bookmark allows you to make a mark in the track, and in the same way you can listen to all the songs where the bookmarks were in a separate sheet installed directly from these places). Favorite songs can be no more than 256 pieces, and in the file - no more than 256 bookmarks (this also applies to video).

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    Playback mode - sequentially, randomly, only a folder or all at once. Equalizer - 39 presets are ready, including with BBE + technology - COWON sound processing troubles. I won’t say that something really changed really cool, but the sound is really nice - for now I use the BBE Headphone 2 preset. And the screen rotation lock. If this is not done, then when you turn the device on the screen, everything described above will disappear and a grid with album carpets will appear.

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    Press any - an animated CD and a list of album songs will appear, any of which can be put on playback.

    I really liked working with “favorite songs” - it’s really convenient. In the list of files, the “scale bar” allows you to change the scale of labels - file names and song titles.

    The sound in the plugs of the Razer Moray + is amazing. 40 volume levels and at maximum (goodbye ears) no problem. I’m afraid to imagine what will happen in more sophisticated ears (which I don’t really like in principle because of their size). Crazy dynamics in drama, bass, the smallest notes of computer synthesizers - everything is in place. In songs with a voice, the whole text is legible, no porridge and other artifacts. Like the screen, the sound I put the maximum points)

    Settings


    Huh, something went awry, 3am already) Still with me? )
    Settings car. 8 sections - JetEffect 3.0 (equalizers), Display, Time, Music, Video, Recording, Bluetooth and System.
    There are really a lot of equalizer settings, but in my opinion, all possible options are already combined in current profiles. But if suddenly it seems a little, you can create 4 of your profiles. Among the features are BBE, Mach3Bass, 3D Surround, MP Enhance and Stereo Enhance.

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    In the display settings, you can change the system language, fonts (the device supports almost any TTF fonts that can be downloaded via a computer). What is important - the player shows the time (always in the status bar at the top of the screen) - because of this, I almost stopped getting the phone. 12/24 hours, date, timer, alarm clock (turning on the device at a certain time - well, what kind of alarm clock is it? Do not sleep in the headphones ... you need di-on-mik!).

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    I don’t see the point in listing everything else, it’s easier to see the pictures.

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    Well, or download the file manual with all the intimate details from the site.

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    Control weighing


    I’ve been running with the device for almost a month now - I think this time was enough to draw certain conclusions. By the way, for all the time the player never hung, although they prophesied to me)

    Pros
    - Small size, nice body materials, high-quality assembly;
    - Large, bright and informative touch AMOLED display;
    - Convenient control, the ability to control hardware buttons;
    - Rich functionality - music, photos, video, radio, voice recorder, etc. + expandability;
    - Excellent sound quality, support for many audio formats, as well as video support;
    - Quick start (1 second!), The complete absence of any brakes;
    - Long battery life;
    - A huge number of different settings.

    Cons
    - No external speaker;
    - A small amount of memory (namely in my model, 4GB) and there is no way to expand it - it is better to pay extra and buy a model with 16-32GB;
    - Inconveniently located power button (it is also a lock and screen off);
    - The screen is very sensitive - easily pressed in your pocket (without locking);
    - Non-standard connector for connecting the player to a PC + the screen is locked when charging;
    - The price in a crisis can bite someone (5000 for 4GB and 11000 for 32GB).

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    Surprised : dimensions, touch screen, user-friendly interface and sound quality.
    I would like to see : feedback, support for SD-cards to expand the volume, case. Wi-Fi? Yes, it seems and is not needed)
    Tips to the manufacturer :
    I have not noticed any obvious shortcomings other than those mentioned. But if you dig deeper, then there is something. So the information below is just a "winding" on the mustache.
    Having such a large and juicy screen, I would like to keep it in its original form for a longer time - the case (well, or at least a fiber cloth) would not be in the kit at all. The connector for connection would become more universal if it were miniUSB (the existing connector is suitable for video output, but how many will use this function?). And if there was a cradle, then in general a class.
    I like paper instructions more) And even if they are written down, it’s not on miniCD - now the mode includes slotted drives, in which such disks remain for a long time :)
    It would be much more convenient if the power button was also somewhere above, on one of the ends (as on most communicators) - this step will allow you not to relearn, but immediately use it fully, with only one hand. In the meantime, using the lock is somewhat inconvenient, but it is needed - because the screen is very sensitive. Although, for the function of locking only the screen (but not the buttons) - special thanks.
    Well, since they gave us a good opportunity to watch videos (long working hours, a large diagonal), then support for SD-cards (or micro-SD) would be very helpful! Take an example with the Cowon D2 + ;)

    Oh, and you can’t even fault the regular ears) At a maximum volume, they hold on with dignity.

    Demo video. I wrote it down in a big hurry, it turned out terribly ... but the speed of work, in principle, is visible) I confess, I’m sinful, this will not happen again.



    Verdict


    The Cowon D2 + mentioned above in terms of sound quality is even more merciless; otherwise, I haven’t seen anything better than this player :) You can partially judge the convenience and speed of work by the video clip, and you can check the sound quality in any store. But note - 4 gigabytes will definitely be small.
    For connoisseurs of expensive, but practical, convenient and beautiful - an excellent choice.
    I highly recommend it .

    Some photos were taken by this wizard)

    Good luck!

    - - - upd: track from the video, 3.2Mb

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