Cowon iAudio U3 Review
The Cowon iAudio U3 is a new breed of tiny flash based PMPs. Not only does it playback video on its 260k color 160 x 128 pixel LCD screen, it handles all of the major file formats including MP3, OGG, WMA, ASF, WAV, and even FLAC.
The U3 has a nice set of features to cover almost everyone’s needs. Cowon has even managed to squeeze line-in recording onto this small wonder. Overall I am impressed with this MP3 player as far as functionality, ease of use, and build quality. However, with these qualities and features, comes a heavier price tag and limited storage.
Inside the Box
The iAudio U3 comes with your basic accessory package including software, earbuds, line-in cable, standard USB connectory and one of my favorites- the “no cord” USB connector. The “no cord” USB connector is great because it takes up no room and allows you to plug it directly into your computer much like a thumb drive. Some of the other accessories available for the player include a carrying case, AC adapter, and neck strap.
Software & Transferring Media
In order to transfer music to and from the iAudio U3 you do not need to install drivers. It is a UMS device meaning that it will show up on Window XP, Mac OSX, and Linux computers as a separate drive. Then you can simply drag and drop your media or data files directly to the device. If you wish to watch video on the player you will need to install the supplied JetAudio media player software in order to convert files to a compatible format.
JetAudio is Cowon’s media player which will allow you to convert audio and video, play music and organize playlists, much like any other media player out there. It does have a few unique features like an alarm clock, timer, and lyric viewing window.
Form Factor
Although the U3 feels light, it is built very sturdy. The navigational and top buttons are smooth and responsive. Overall the build quality of the player is top notch.
In a new class of miniature PMP devices, the U3 measures slightly larger than the smallest in its class. However, being the biggest in this “tiny PMP” class has the advantage of not being too small. Even though the U3 is tiny, it is still fairly comfortable in even larger hands. It also allows for a slightly larger LCD screen than the others.
Here is how the U3 measures up to the other tiny PMP’s: The MPIO ONE, which is currently the smallest PMP, measures in at 32 x 55 x 12 mm (23100 cu mm) and weighs in at 34.5g. Another small PMP, MobiBLU DAH-1700, registers at 58 x 28 x 22 mm (35728 cu mm) and 35g. Finally, the iAudio U3 measures in at 31.5 x 72 x 18 mm (40824 cu mm) and weighs 32.5g.
User Interface
The U3’s user interface is very straight forward and easy. Most of the navigation is done by the 5 way joystick. Then on the top of the player there is a record, menu, and pause/play button with a hold switch to the right of them. All buttons can easily be reached with one hand. However, if you are left handed, the interface may be a bit cumbersome, since your thumb covers the screen as you navigate with the joystick.
One feature that I really liked that Cowon has added to this interface is user definable buttons. The Record and Menu buttons can be programmed for various actions when you do a long press. For example, the menu button can be set to add the current selected track to the dynamic playlist or take you to the equalizer.
The player uses directory file browsing instead of ID3 browsing, which is used in most MP3 players. This allows you to organize your music how you want it in nested file folders. The way you put in on the player is the way you see it. This adds to the simplicity of the U3. There is no need to worry about ID3 tags missing or being corrupted.
Features
Lyrics: The lyric display is a cool feature that plays lyrics as the track is played and the words are sung. Using this feature requires you to download an additional free program from the iAudio website. The program will automatically scan your audio files and embed the lyric data into each song. This is a very cool feature indeed; however it will not work for anything outside of the top 40 realm. You do also have the ability to enter the lyrics easily yourself with this program. Unfortunately, I found it to be a very tedious process.
TXT Viewer: The text view is straight forward. Drop the .txt file onto the player and view it. I am not sure how practical it is considering you can only view a few lines (or rather a few words) at a time. I am not really sure how people use this feature. Audio books? Email? I don’t know, but it is there if you need it.
Dynamic Playlists / Bookmarks: On-the-go playlists are a must for any MP3 player. The U3 has one and it works very well. Playlist items can easily be added with the joystick or with a long press on the menu or record button. This is a standard feature on a lot of digital audio players but it worth mentioning since it is a very important feature to some users. Users can also set bookmarks to various tracks and folders nested within the players file structure.
Jet Effect / EQ: In almost all of the players I review, I mention that sound enhancements other than the EQ are useless. This is pretty much the case with the U3. The player offers BBE, Mach3Bass, MP Enhance, and 3D Sound audio enhancements. Adding a touch of one of these enhancements sometimes made one song sound better, but then that setting may not work for the next song in your playlist. To me these settings are not worth the time tweaking it one way or another. But for those of you who want to tweak, there are plenty of sound enhancements to do so.
However the 5 band user adjustable EQ is very responsive and works quite well. Two other audio settings worth mentioning are Pan and Play Speed. Pan allows you to adjust the left and right volume. The play speed function allows you to speed up or slow down your tracks. This works well with audio books.
FM Radio: FM reception is good but not as great to comparable MP3 players. At times I would get static from even the strongest stations. The player does redeem itself with its ability to tune into stations in increments of 0.1 MHz rather than the normal 0.5 MHz. Another good feature is the FM auto scan that auto programs up to 24 stations into memory, which can easily be recalled with the forward and reverse button. One last notable feature is the region select feature that allows you to set MHz ranges for all the regions throughout the world, for all of you jetsetters.
Recording: The U3 has a microphone and a line-in phone plug for on the go recording. The down side is that you can only record in WMA format up to 128Kbps. The nice thing is that you can set the bitrate individually for each of the recording modes, line-in, voice(external mic), and FM radio. Individual gain settings can also be set for the line-in and external mic. There is also a setting that allows you to use a microphone plugged into the line-in jack.
There are a few other features worth noting such as the auto sync feature. This feature will break up tracks by files automatically when recording from the line-in jack by detecting silence between songs. Also included is a voice activated feature that will start recording when sound is detected.
Battery
Battery time is very subjective. Depending on how you use it, it will ultimately depend on the overall time. During my test I got anywhere between 15 and 19 hours of battery time for just audio playback and a few picture viewing sessions. In video playback mode I got between 3 to 4 hours for strictly video, no audio, which is good enough to get in two average length movies.
Picture Viewing
Storing your photos in the Picture file folder will allow you to view them as thumbnails or one at a time full screen. The picture navigation system is very easy and straight forward much like any digital camera. You will experience slower picture viewing as the JPEG file sizes increase. Viewing pictures in sizes of just over 1MB in full screen mode as well as thumbnail mode is slow but not painfully slow. Each photo takes about 3 seconds to load. However when you are viewing smaller sized files the photos appear almost instantaneous.
Audio Playback
The audio quality is better than most flash based MP3 players and plays loud enough to drive the bigger audiophile headphones. The disappointing thing about the audio playback is that there a full second gap between songs. I would like to see this player go gapless or at least cut the gap down to just a tick. Gapless playback is great for all the continuous DJ mixes that are broken up into multiple tracks.
Video Playback
The video playback on the U3 is smooth, but does have a lot of compression artifacts even at the larger file size. (See photo) Video takes up a lot of storage space on the player even when compressed with the included software, JetAudio. A typical 90 min movie will take up around 250MB, so you will only be able to fit about 4 average length movies on the 1GB version player.
You will need to convert the video using JetAudio in order to play it on the device. This is a simple procedure that takes a few clicks and a bit of time. Typically a 90 minute movie will take around 30 minutes to convert on a Centrino 1.7GHz processor. You would see faster converting time if you used a newer desktop system.
Watching video on this small of a screen is not as bad as you would think. It is definitely watchable, but it does wear on your eyes after a few hours. The video functionality is better for shorter things such as TV shows or video casts.
Conclusion
The U3 is a great player and instantly became one of my top picks for flash based MP3 players. The build quality is solid, the interface is simple to use, and folder browsing allows you to organize your media how your want to. Most importantly the standard of ease is the U3’s universal mass storage compliance. UMS makes loading and unloading music very easy. It allows you to manage your music how you want to without the use of cumbersome software synching utilities. Just drag, drop and go.
But with these features comes a hefty price tag which may be prohibitive for some buyers. $190 will only get you 1GB and $270 will get you only 2GB. Additionally the storage space is limited, but with the increase of better flash memory technology we may see a 4GB version of this player sometime soon. Price the 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB players at $150/$200/$250 respectively, then you will have a set of champions.
Purchasing
For the US see Amazon for the best price, for the UK and the rest of the world, check out AdvancedMP3Players .
Pros
UMS (No Drivers Needed)
Works with Windows XP, Mac OSX, and Linux 2.2+
Crisp LCD Screen
Well built
Easy navigation
Cons
Price
Storage Space
No Music Service Support
Comments
jowillie on January 3, 2006 8:06 PM
I'm confused. Is a pre-amp needed for using external mic into the "line-in" jack?
It is implied under the "Recording" heading there is a setting for voice (external mic).
Thanks.
Kam3 on January 3, 2006 10:07 PM
great review the U3 is truly worth it's price. but i hate to repeat: you are giving false information by saying the Mpio One is the smallest PMP. The Iops Z5 also supports Mpeg4, and it is smaller.
EnzoTen on January 3, 2006 10:35 PM
jowillie: No preamp is needed. There is a setting for when you use an external mic. I however did not test this feature.
Kam3: Thanks for pointing that out. I made an update in the MPIO ONE review at the bottom.
Nana on January 9, 2006 9:21 PM
Is the AC adapter sold seperately? That's what you use to charge the device right?
name on January 12, 2006 11:44 PM
what the hey, there's no specs listing??
deb on January 17, 2006 4:39 PM
Thanks for the review!
OMG! If I'd known about this baby, I would've bought it instead of the Mpio One. Although it's slightly bigger than the MO, I like the larger screen and the fact that it comes with a "simple USB connector."
The specs are posted at their website. (I'm glad it supports Windows 98SE. What can I say, I'm still running a 20th century OS.)
I'd prefer it in black which is the 2GB version which is $269.99. Ouch! Anyway, I love that it has GUI "Theme skins." Cool! I also like the transparent carrying case, even though it's sold separately. Ouch! again.
My Mpio One is barely 2 weeks old, but I want this!
Don on January 30, 2006 6:57 PM
I can't decide between purchasing the Cowon iAudio U3 or the MPIO One.
The video playback on the iAudio U3 seems better (no display info permanently cluttering the top, like the MPIO One has) and it sounds like JPEGs load much faster on the iAudio U3.
But judging by the reviews, the FM radio for the MPIO One seems much better than the iAudio U3. I'd use the FM radio more than the video features.
I'm also concerned about ease of file navigation: U3 seems the better of the 2, but I'm not sure. I want to be able to find tracks quickly & easily on a player.
The prices seem about the same, but the MPIO One is easier to buy in Canada. Grrr... can't decide....
Fallout75 on February 10, 2006 12:13 AM
I love this player and I put all the features to good use.
You weren't sure what to use the Text Viewer for? I use it like a phone book, etc. I've Created a file called "phonebook.txt" and inside I have friends and family's phone numbers, It's very helpful.
doubleshot on March 1, 2006 1:09 PM
i first ordered the 1gb U3 and nearly gagged at the "noble white" color it came in...maybe it had been catchin' too much sun on its display shelf, but the white was so yellow i couldn't overlook it. i returned it and got the 1gb mpio one (black) from target. mpio one has much better aesthetic appeal and comes with an armband and case (don't remember if the U3 did); sound quality on both were similar. i went with the mpio one, but to each her own i suppose.
Siam on April 21, 2006 4:57 PM
Is there a way to make this thing work on some earlier versions of windows?
David on May 4, 2006 5:59 AM
I bought one about 3 weeks ago in white and I am recommending it to everyone! Its well worth the prize and u can even record songs from the tv by the ExternalCable! I see only pros in this product!
Anna on May 10, 2006 2:59 PM
Hello..
I have one probably I can´t not get videos on my iAudeo U3.. HELP ME!
Nazo on May 11, 2006 9:43 PM
@Siam yes. You need to look around for some universal software for accessing UMS USB drives. There should actually be a number of them out there though. There is another option though. You could use a bootable live linux distro. These have the advantage of being free, usable on just about any system, and modern so that means they'll support things like UMS right out of the "box."
Price tag is no longer a con. 2GB U3 is $180 on NewEgg: http://www.newegg.com/product/product.asp?item=N82E16855603833 (Don't know how long that link will be good for, but, it should be for a little while.)
I was thinking about an iRiver U10 just because I liked the idea of it for video (esp the larger screen,) but, I've decided I'm definitely going with this thing. It has great compatibility (I LOVE the thought of FLAC support! The ogg doesn't help either.) Decent screen, good storage capacity for a flash drive at its current price range, and, I definitely like the fact that I can actually carry the USB connector in my pocket and use this thing on other systems without having a bulky unpleasant cable in my pocket.
Binh Vu on May 19, 2006 12:50 AM
I own a U3 and I love it. It's awesome! I have helped lots of people figure it out and if you need help too just email me at nambinhvu@yahoo.com and I'll be glad to help you out. Yup the price of the U3 has rapidly dropped. Hopefully I could send in my U3 close to the end of the warranty expiration date and they will upgrade it to a 4gb version for free; if they even come out with one. I doubt they will come out with a 4gb version of the U3, though it would be nice to have. Just remember if you have any problems let me know and I'll see what I can do.
Bill on May 27, 2006 9:55 AM
Line-in recording with the U3 always results in background static & hiss. any thoughts? I always achieved clean recordings with iriver. also, is there a way to have this thing stop recording after source is done (longer than 1 hour) - Thanx, Bill
kirsten young on May 29, 2006 12:42 PM
i love ym i audio!
verus1 on June 12, 2006 2:48 AM
EnzoTen, great review.
I really liked the look of this player but I thought I would be more comfortable buying from a local store that I could go back to in case of problems, so I bought the Sansa e250. Three days later I returned the e250. I spent more time in your very excellent forums trying to figure out the solutions to the multiple problems I was having, then I was actually using it. I went out and picked up a ZVM, also thanks in part to your review, but that doesn't fill my need for a more portable flash player. There isn't any user feedback for this model on you forums yet so I am not really sure if it's a solid reliable unit. What is your experiance? Now that the price is down to $169 I am finding it tempting. Still, I wish I could see one first.
jAz on June 15, 2006 5:54 PM
just wonderin if the headphones is like a necklace so u can wear them? not just put the headphones in the ear and let it hang there ;S
kuuan on June 19, 2006 10:33 PM
The U3 seems such a nice player, but how about it's recording features?
I want my player to record via external mics, and so far only some - discontinued - iriver models had a line-in that could be switched to mic-in, effectively turning on a built in preamp.
How aboth the U3? Can it also be set to be mic-in? ( the review make confusing statements about this ) Have you done some recordings with an external mics?
Bill, have you solved your issues with recording?
M3 on July 3, 2006 1:59 PM
I really wish reviews here were a bit more quantitative. What is audio that is "better than most flash players". Is that better than Ipods (not hard) or better than the Zen Nano? What about MPIO ONE?
Since you can't exactly test drive an mp3 player before you buy it (but you can guess build quality) more info would be great.
Gniss on July 3, 2006 2:02 PM
how can you put a number to sound quality? It is not somthing that can be quantitivly measured.
Rob on July 4, 2006 4:05 PM
What is the start up time? The U2 was pretty quick and I suppose the U3 would be around the same? Also, does it resume play from where it was shut off? Thanks.
Matthew on July 11, 2006 4:36 PM
I just got my U3 and boy, I totally dig it. I had a Nano before this and though it was slim and light. I bought mine from the cowonamerica site which included for 139.99USD, 1gig U3, usb cable, usb quick connect, FREE case, FREE ac adapter, ear buds, male-to-male stereo cable...and of course the software (jet audio and jet shell).
I like the jeteffect features actually, even if you don't use them...YOU GOT THEM and the don't sound bad if you got nice high bit rate media file. The display is very clear, and you could watch a movie with it no problem I think. I will be on a plane this weekend and I fully plane to take advantage of every feature of this bad boy. Though, I'm wishing I got the 2 gig so that way I could do at least 1 gig of music and have room left over for a flick. Oh well, live and learn :D
Reynard T. Fox on July 29, 2006 8:02 AM
If it's anywhere near as sturdy as the U2, it'll be worth it. I accidentally sent my U2 through a load of laundry in the washing machine, and I thought it was irreparably damaged, but, after drying out--which took about a week--it came back to life, never the worse for wear.
sawyer Zent on August 11, 2006 3:52 PM
Does anyone know about how it works on a mac? You say that you need to use the software to convert the video to a format it will read, but I know that the software doesn't work on Macintosh, can i just convert the video file with another program and then drag and drop it into the Player? And what format would i need to convert it to?
ranma172 on August 28, 2006 7:46 PM
Cowon says it works on Mac. I'm sure because it is UMS, and UMS works everywhere AFAIK.
Cowon says:
"Use Mac or Linux? No problem!! iAUDIO U3 is available to be used on
Mac or Linux OS."
You will have to convert videos to MPEG4, since it's the only format supported.
ranma172 on August 28, 2006 7:48 PM
I'm looking for the best sounding 2GB portable flash player (with UMS if possible). This may be the one. Do you know any better candidate?
Thank you
Susan on September 6, 2006 8:40 PM
Just bought a cowon u3 and have it charging. Never used an ipod or mp3 player before and getting overwhelmed. First, I want it for the gym but it did not come with a case, neck strap, arm band or anything. Anyone have any idea where i can purchase accessories? I have been looking everywhere.
Once I have it charged, I will put in the CD and hopefully it will walk me through using it. Is it user friendly? Any hints on downloading songs, recordings from talk shows.....
My daughter & granddaughter swear by their ipods but my research shows this is way better..
thanks!
ranma172 on September 7, 2006 5:35 AM
I'm waiting for my U3.
I like it shows a lot of information on the screen, and it seems quite clear.
I suppose transfering files will be easy since it's an UMS device: connect, open external drive, drag&drop files and go!
Search for CARRYING CASE IAUDIO U3 on google or search for IAUDIO U3 on ebay; you'll find something.
ranma172 on September 10, 2006 1:47 PM
Just got my U3.
Susan, to put mp3 files, just connect the player to an USB port and it will appear as a new external drive. Open this drive and enter "Music" folder. There you can copy mp3 files or folders with mp3 files.
After copying files, unplug the player, click its "menu" button and go to "Digital AV". Then click pad to open browser. In the browser click LEFT to go up a level or click pad to play/enter files/folders. Really easy, I suppose you figured it out by yourself. Ask if you have problems but I think a player can't be more user friendly than the U3.
francesco on September 29, 2006 4:35 PM
Why I can't bay iAUDIO U3 2GB in italy???
thank you
archer on October 7, 2006 6:11 PM
Does the 2gb version and the 1 gb version have the same sound quality???
thewtex on October 17, 2006 12:56 PM
An armband can be found on amazon.com for $10 including shipping.
lilly_938 on December 11, 2006 5:34 PM
Hi, I was wondering if there is any gap between playing songs because I listen to musicals and most of the time the songs need to be played without any pause right after another.
Hasimir on December 11, 2006 8:17 PM
@ Binh Vu : what do you mean when you say "Hopefully I could send in my U3 close to the end of the warranty expiration date and they will upgrade it to a 4gb version for free" ?
Please email me asap...it's important! ;)
Hasimir on December 11, 2006 8:22 PM
I'm stupid, am I not? :P
My email adress is: woodygreve@virgilio.it
mix on December 15, 2006 3:44 PM
cowon u3 is tiny and best voice i read all the sites but pls add mp3 wmv and wma voice recording files pls
Yoko on January 14, 2007 10:31 PM
Id like to know how the battery is charged. I read elsewhere that it is charged via USB only. Is this correct? I'd like a player that is charged via electric mains socket.
Can anybody tell me? Thank you.
Me on January 30, 2007 1:17 PM
@Yoko
There is an adapter available that will allow you to charge the U3 in a socket.
http://www.amazon.com/iAUDIO-AC-Adapter-U2-U3/dp/B000FZ5028
Vasya on February 16, 2007 4:22 PM
Hi!
[url=da0363008e38c474bbae40f8ea22d370
][/url]
mark on February 22, 2007 9:32 PM
any idea how the lyrics program works...?
Moham on June 18, 2007 9:23 AM
Very very important:
It is very good and complete mp3 player.
U3 is made in Korea.
IvanJ on September 2, 2007 6:59 PM
iAudio makes some of the best DAPs and PMPs out there....barnone!!!!
I bought the U3 to replace my beloved G3, it "rocks"!!...the feature set is unreal!!! My little U3 pumps out some of the best sound Ive heard on a mp3 player!
IvanJ on September 2, 2007 7:00 PM
iAudio makes some of the best DAPs and PMPs out there....barnone!!!!
I bought the U3 to replace my beloved G3, it "rocks"!!...the feature set is unreal!!! My little U3 pumps out some of the best sound Ive heard on a mp3 player!
jowillie on September 19, 2007 3:36 PM
Do I understand that the U3 will not play off the A/c adapter only?
I need a player that can run 24/7 which means it needs to run off a/c. Any suggestions?
How about the U2?
Thanks,
Jowillie
ddekany on September 21, 2007 10:30 AM
I have already asked this on a forum (Hungarian language), and a guy said that the U3 does play from AC adapter. He said you can even set if it should charge the accumulater or not while it is on the AC adapter, which then means that it will not overload the accu either (yes, Li-ion accus can be overloaded as well). (However, the AC adapter is not included.)
Robert Persson on April 20, 2008 1:41 PM
I've just bought one and I'm about to take it back and get a refund.
I tried loading flacs and oggs onto it through my music player software and I got a message saying that the U3 wouldn't accept these formats. So I copied some flacs onto it using a file manager only to find that every time I tried to play one the U3 would freeze and I would have to force a shutdown. This is pretty bad for a machine that is supposed to play flacs and oggs.
A lot of track information gets displayed in Chinese. This is not a good way to handle minor differences between western character encodings.
It claims to be mac and linux compatible, but the firmware upgrades only come as windows executables which means that I have to persuade a friend to let me run software on their windows box in order to implement any (sorely needed) bug fixes.
It won't play video unless it is 160x128px 15fps. To transcode every vodcast I want to play would be such a PITA that I haven't even bothered testing whether this works.
It doesn't do gapless playback. It never even occurred to me when I bought it that a supposedly high-quality music player could be missing this feature, but it looks like I was wrong. Anyone who is going to shell out extra cash to get a machine that pretends it can play flacs is not going to want their music spoiled by annoying pauses.
serg on May 4, 2008 6:08 PM
How about iRiver T60? What is better by sound quality? (sorry for my english)