New gen D2 and using D2 for audiobooks?

[sueterry]

Am one of those who has been spending far too much time online researching my first purchase of an MP3 player. I will probably use primarily for audiobooks but figure I might as well have fun with some other features. Have pretty much narrowed down to 8 gb Zen or 4 bg D2.
That said am wondering the following:
1. since the D2 has been out for awhile is it likely that a newer and better model is in the pipeline?
2. how does the D2 do with audiobooks?
sueterry

[CrowdAds]

[Xenodius]

1. Yes, according to some talk during CES '08 the D3 will be just announced sometime within the next 3 months or so, IIRC. That said, it will probably come out sometime next year-- IMHO, its not worth waiting for. It'll be a lot of money right after release anyway, best to get a D2 and wait for the upgrade IMHO.

2. One of my prof's asked me what the best player for audiobooks would be just a couple days ago and I suggested checking out the D2. I don't listen to audiobooks, but the D2 wins out on a lot of points.

• Expandable storage
• MSC compatibility (Drag and drop music, no need for software... unless you want to use it )
• Great battery life (52 hours)
• Audible support (With correct firmware)
• Skip-to-location feature removes need for length fast-forwarding (Important for long audiobook files-- just tap the progress bar in the appropriate place and it zips to the )
• Supports bookmarking. (Save your place in as many different files as you want)

[yanasina]

I use the D2 for audiobooks among other things and have had no problem with it. I use netlibrary,not audible.com though. Their books are one long file, so a bookmark is a must. The tap and skip feature is also nice, though I haven't needed it for a book.I also love that you can bookmark the file, go to music or video, bookmark those and pick up with any right where you left off. I like to alternate distractions while working out, and I couldn't be happier with the D2's performance.

BTW, I looked around for about two years before I finally bought something. (My first MP3!) I think it paid off, but the next best thing is always about to be released. At some point you just gotta stop looking and just buy it.

And one other thing, I can't really remember what it was now, but there was some discussion on the ZEN board that made me switch my preference from it to the D2. It was something to do with audiobooks specifically. Maybe bookmarking, but I can't remember. You might want to do a search on that board for both topics

[dfkt]

The D2 is excellent for audiobooks. Bookmarks work as they're supposed to, and you can jump to any location inside a long audio file with a tap on the progress bar on the touch screen. The D2 supports Audible as well.

There are no facts about a D2 successor available, only some rumors from fanboys. Cowon is a very slow acting company, I don't think we'll see a "D3" soon.

[sueterry]

Trying to figure out what else I need. I am sure a screen protector, since I do not think I will use the stylus that much. What about skin, chargers, etc.? Have never had an Mp3 player so am looking forward to this adventure. Something else I hope to do with it is to show photos on our television. This works, right?
sueterry

[dfkt]

I bought a $1.50 screen protector from Dealextreme, and it is as good as it gets: http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.214 - no other protection needed, IMO. I never used the stylus as well, just the fingers. An AC charger comes with the D2, so no worries about that.

I don't know if photos can be displayed on a TV, I've never tried it.

[sueterry]

But if you do want to display pics on television don't you need an audio, or whatever cord? I am sitting here looking at a cord that came with my computer, that has red, white, yellow on both ends. (Now this will show you how dumb I am!). Can I use this for plugging into television?
sueterry

[dfkt]

All I know is that the red/white/yellow RCA is used for displaying video on a TV. I really don't know if it works with photos as well.

[Xenodius]

Yeah, I don't know either, but I think its possible. I am pretty sure you do actually need to get the TV-OUT cable at Jetmall for $20, but again, I dont know. I would wait to get the cable so you dont waste any money, and I wouldn't get my hopes up to display pictures on the TV... even though I am pretty sure you can do it.

Also, the player comes with a sync cable (To plug into the compy, its white) and a AC charger (Black, with USA/EU adapters.). You can use the sync cable to recharge the player (7 hours) or the AC charger (3.5 hours)

[sueterry]

Well it sounds like this must be a lesser option for the D2, which I can understand. and most folks might not have tried it? It was something I was holding out that was better than the Zen,but how often does one do that. We do not live near our family so was thinkign that our recent New Zealand pics would be fun to show them on a big screen when we visit, that is if I can figure it out.
This is obviously not a reason to buy, which I understand.
Now.....since I think I am committed to the purchase, I still want to know what else to buy, other than charger and a screen cover.
So then...does this big package that Amazon offers for $50.00 not make any sense?
sueterry

[WalkGood]

Originally Posted by sueterry

...... Now, since I think I am committed to the purchase, I still want to know what else to buy, other than charger and a screen cover...

Why not look into some better iem's or headphones as the included ones suck. Check the headphone forum for some good ideas

[Apex_]

Originally Posted by WalkGood

Why not look into some better iem's or headphones as the included ones suck. Check the headphone forum for some good ideas

I strongly second this. I actually decided to buy new IEMs after getting a D2 because it brought out all of the flaws in the worn out Sennheiser CX300's I was using. I can't imagine using the pack-ins...

[dfkt]

Originally Posted by sueterry

other than charger

The charger is included with the D2, you don't need to buy one.

[DaHarder]

Comparing the Creative Zen and Cowon D2 is like comparing a

Chevy Colbalt to a BMW M3...

There Is No Comaparison on Any Level!

The Cowon D2 is a Vastly Superior DAP Unit... You're Going To Love it

[DaHarder]

I don't believe that anyone would argue that almost ANYTHING is better than 'pack-ins'...
With the excetion of many Sony DAP units.

With my Cowon D2, I find the best sonic synergy with the following:

RnB/HipHop/Soul - JBL Reference 220

Classical/Jazz - Shure SE530

Pop/Rock/Alternative - CrossRoads MylarOne x3

Note: Other opinions may differ

[Xenodius]

Yeah, I am still loving my X3i's... its very fun to listen to their character change over time, then break right as it starts burning out, and then getting a new pair for free to start all over again!

For the price, they make fantastic entry-level-priced phones that surpass expectations... Great for starters!

[DaHarder]

Originally Posted by Xenodius

Yeah, I am still loving my X3i's... its very fun to listen to their character change over time, then break right as it starts burning out, and then getting a new pair for free to start all over again!

For the price, they make fantastic entry-level-priced phones that surpass expectations... Great for starters!

LOL! That's why I specifically recommended the Mylar Onex3 and not my Mylar Onex3i.

I find the x3i to be inferior to my x3 in many ways, especially in durability/build quality.

[WalkGood]

Originally Posted by DaHarder

LOL! That's why I specifically recommended the Mylar Onex3 and not my Mylar Onex3i.

I find the x3i to be inferior to my x3 in many ways, especially in durability/build quality.

Agreed mon, mi has the x3 too ... and they still jammin good, gota love that mylar material. Even though I've moved on to the se530s ... I still listen to the x3s every now and then and they're used a lot in dis household

[Xenodius]

Yeah, but you cant get the x3's anymore... so its hardly worth mentioning, unfortunately.

Besides, from what I hear the x3i's have significantly better SQ. I haven't had much in the way of build quality issues, but they do leave some to be desired. Mostly, the cables aren't properly sealed and therefore become extremely rigid over time as the additives in the plastic that soften it leak out... then the insulation cracks, and after that it doesn't take long for the wires to fracture.