Can’t really say I agree with a lot of the S9 reviews.

[Blahaha]

So after agonizing (and agonizing others) for months over what player to get I went with the Cowon S9.

Now honestly I was really worried about a few things I had read in the reviews….the radio reception, the UI and the build quality. Just about every review I saw said that though the sound and video quality were great these other issues held back this player. I have to say that I totally disagree and can’t help but feel like they are using the Apple products as the “standard” or something.

The UI is not nearly as bad as it’s been made out to be. Sure it’s not as user friendly as some other players but in my opinion the UI isn’t bad enough to knock off points. It’s just a matter of spending a few minutes getting used to it really.

Radio reception for me has been very good. I even get most stations from inside my building which is impressive for any radio as far as I’m concerned. That said I understand that others might have issues in other parts of the world but radio reception is a nonissue where I am.

Now for build quality….I’m completely confused why the reviews say this thing is poorly built or cheap feeling. This thing is built very well and does not feel cheap in any way at all as far as I’m concerned. The only thing I can think of is that it’s being compared to the iphone/itouch which is very heavy for what it is in my opinion.

Anyway…just my opinion on those issues.

Yesterday a friend at work was showing me the Transformers movie on his iphone. So I pulled out my S9 and showed him Lord of the Rings: TT on my S9. To say he was shocked to see the S9’s video quality is probably an understatement.

This thing is flat out incredible and after owning it for a couple weeks or so I’m so happy I bought it over any other player. Easily on of the best products I have EVER bought in my life.

[CrowdAds]

[S9vid]

yep, i am with you. nice player.

[The DarkSide]

Blahaha, I told you that you'd love it!!!! Every person w/a Touch is always jealous.

[Dreamnine]

A lot of reviews seem to come from an Apple point of view.

[maderin1]

well i will put myself in the firing line here, i was one that complained about build .. and NO i have never owned nor will, an iphone and i have rarly seen one anyway let alone played with one

my opinions on the build/weight/quality were based on the player and i must admit .. its cost, now i know in other countries its cheaper but in the UK its a small fortune and for over 200quid for the 16GB i was gutted when i got it. I have owned Chinese players all my media life and that is my only comparison player wise, but really it was not about the comparisons to others but just my reaction to the player itself, pure and simply by holding it

compared to the P3 it feels cheap and in no way worth the price (the P3 16GB was 100 quid cheaper) .. IN THE UK ....

anyway, re the radio, well had it 2 days so never got chance to use it, the UI i liked and yes, it may have alot going on but i like that, so for the the UI and its modding potential is my only regret in having / choosing to send it back

anyway, we all have our opinions, thoughts and ideas of what somthing should be, for me this was not to be, for many others it will be perfect

tell you what, if it were £100 cheaper i would get one as well as my P3 because, no matter what, i do like the player .. although i will say, in my opinion its not as sexy in real life as in the adverts

feel free to fire now

really glad you liked your player

[Blahaha]

Originally Posted by The DarkSide

Blahaha, I told you that you'd love it!!!! Every person w/a Touch is always jealous.

Yeah you were correct. This thing is fantastic...everything I was looking for.

[JonathanC]

Originally Posted by Dreamnine

A lot of reviews seem to come from an Apple point of view.

Reviewers comparing a new player to a player the reader is likely familiar with--sounds pretty reasonable to me.

As for build quality, I received mine this morning and have vented in another thread about the ugliness of the side pieces. They seem to belong on some entirely different object.

[Dreamnine]

Originally Posted by JonathanC

Reviewers comparing a new player to a player the reader is likely familiar with--sounds pretty reasonable to me.

As for build quality, I received mine this morning and have vented in another thread about the ugliness of the side pieces. They seem to belong on some entirely different object.

That's not what I meant- I've seen reviews of the S9 and P3 where you had to seriously wonder about the objectivity of the reviewer. One Canadian review of the P3 said it was basically a P.O.S and couldn't play Apple lossless (like FLAC wasn't good enough).
The Cnet review of the S9 was a joke, really

[JonathanC]

Originally Posted by Dreamnine

The Cnet review of the S9 was a joke, really

I'm looking at the review right now. They gave the player 3.5 stars and their criticisms have been mirrored on this and plenty of other sites, by professional reviewers and frustrated buyers alike.

They also commented that "the dark-colored back and sides hide nicks and smudges much better than the shiny chrome of the iPod can." Where's the pro-Apple bias there?

As for the interface criticisms, perhaps I need to update mine's firmware--I've had it for two hours, so bear with me--but I have yet to once successfully push any of the smaller virtual buttons on the first try. Even my Nokia N810's much more primitive touchscreen beat that.

Their review ends: "In spite of the Cowon S9's strengths, we still recommend the iPod Touch for the majority of users, because of its superior construction, intuitive user interface, and breadth of features. That said--if your sole concern is having the best audio and video quality you can comfortably fit in your pocket, the Cowon S9 is hard to beat."

This is very much like the average ABI review of a new music player, except it goes further than this site's reviews in acknowledging that some of us want sound quality above all else, and will tolerate ugly hardware and a peculiar interface. ABI's main page puts such a bias on ease of use that I often picture the site's target audience as lacking opposable thumbs.

[Blahaha]

Originally Posted by maderin1

well i will put myself in the firing line here, i was one that complained about build .............

I agree that everyone will have their own opinion of what a player should be. What's an issue to one person might not be to another...for me it's almost the perfect player.

The only issues I have are.....

The switch to turn it on. I just don't trust that little thing pushing it to the side all the time to turn it on.

Well that's about the only issue I have I think.

[Blahaha]

Originally Posted by JonathanC

I'm looking at the review right now. They gave the player 3.5 stars and their criticisms have been mirrored on this and plenty of other sites, by professional reviewers and frustrated buyers alike.

They also commented that "the dark-colored back and sides hide nicks and smudges much better than the shiny chrome of the iPod can." Where's the pro-Apple bias there?

As for the interface criticisms, perhaps I need to update mine's firmware--I've had it for two hours, so bear with me--but I have yet to once successfully push any of the smaller virtual buttons on the first try. Even my Nokia N810's much more primitive touchscreen beat that.

Their review ends: "In spite of the Cowon S9's strengths, we still recommend the iPod Touch for the majority of users, because of its superior construction, intuitive user interface, and breadth of features. That said--if your sole concern is having the best audio and video quality you can comfortably fit in your pocket, the Cowon S9 is hard to beat."

This is very much like the average ABI review of a new music player, except it goes further than this site's reviews in acknowledging that some of us want sound quality above all else, and will tolerate ugly hardware and a peculiar interface. ABI's main page puts such a bias on ease of use that I often picture the site's target audience as lacking opposable thumbs.

3.5out of 5 for the S9 is just crazy in my opinion.

And this quote....

"In spite of the Cowon S9's strengths, we still recommend the iPod Touch for the majority of users, because of its superior construction, intuitive user interface, and breadth of features. That said--if your sole concern is having the best audio and video quality you can comfortably fit in your pocket, the Cowon S9 is hard to beat."

I don't know but to recommend "superior construction, intuitive user interface, and breadth of features" over better audio and video quality is just strange to me. I mean don't you buy these types of devices for sound and video? Is that not what they are for? I mean why does build quality even matter if the thing sounds and looks like crap? I just don't get it....but again, to each his own I guess.

[Dreamnine]

Exactly. Jasmine is Ok, but that is one site I hardly go on anymore and one podcast I've stopped listening to.

[maderin1]

believe it or not people do not buy the ipod by thinking "i want multiple video support and superior audio" .. they have simply seen the hype and the adverts, the ipod appeals to the day to day consumer, in the market for a new fanngled meida player thingy ...

My sister just got a touch and she knows nothing about "quality" in thhe terms we talk here, she got it because its an ipod and erm . it does all sirts of stuff!!!! She has no album art, does not know what video types and formats mean, and FLAC, OGG and PAE ... she gve me a massive blank look

personally i believe 7 out of 10 ipod owners are not tech gadget fiends and merly want one because its advertised so much and they see that its an amazing device that you can do this and that and other and .. and .. and .. well, you get what i mean, in other words its a funky little must have gadget .. audio quality .. she does not know nor care .. ipod owner???

[Marvin the Martian]

Originally Posted by Dreamnine

Exactly. Jasmine is Ok, but that is one site I hardly go on anymore and one podcast I've stopped listening to.

I listen to the podcast, I just take it with the proverbial grain of salt. It can't hurt to hear multiple viewpoints, but I do put much more stock in the reviews I read here on ABI.

[Blahaha]

Originally Posted by maderin1

believe it or not people do not buy the ipod by thinking "i want multiple video support and superior audio" .. they have simply..............................have gadget .. audio quality .. she does not know nor care .. ipod owner???

I do see where you're coming from and I have to agree with your point to some degree.

Now lets take this quote:

"In spite of the Cowon S9's strengths, we still recommend the iPod Touch for the majority of users, because of its superior construction, intuitive user interface, and breadth of features. That said--if your sole concern is having the best audio and video quality you can comfortably fit in your pocket, the Cowon S9 is hard to beat."

This is how I read this quote:

"Even though the Cowon has much better audio and video quality , we still recommend the iPod Touch for the majority of users, because it's heavier making you believe you're getting more for your money, anyone can use it, and has tons of useless apps that you will probably never use but once."

Now that's just how I see that quote but again I guess there is some truth to it. I don’t know…..

[Uphaillife]

Originally Posted by Blahaha

This is how I read this quote:

"Even though the Cowon has much better audio and video quality , we still recommend the iPod Touch for the majority of users, because it's heavier making you believe you're getting more for your money, anyone can use it, and has tons of useless apps that you will probably never use but once."

Now that's just how I see that quote but again I guess there is some truth to it. I don’t know…..

lol win.


no sexy?

i say otherwise.

[JonathanC]

Originally Posted by Uphaillife

no sexy?

No, because what looks metallic in photographs looks like the most horrible faux-metal I've ever seen in person.

[ESS]

I received my S9 a few days ago, having bought it to replace my aging (but still working great) X5L.

And I don't "get" some of the reviews either.

The build quality of my S9 (32gb) is excellent, and the screen quality is beautiful.
Plus, the S9 has kept all the good things I liked about my X5L... the SOUND.

Never ignore the fact that many of these reviewers are in the tank for a competing product, and some of them (but not all) are just paid whores.

http://www.scamreviewsites.com/

I'm just a long time user of my X5L, and now a very happy user of my S9, and while I read some of the reviews and bought the S9 with a little bit of hesitation, I now sit here and scratch my head and wonder what the heck some of the reviewer guys were thinking.

Mine's perfect, I'm happy, so rock on...

[Blahaha]

Originally Posted by JonathanC

No, because what looks metallic in photographs looks like the most horrible faux-metal I've ever seen in person.

I know they call it metallic but to me it doesnt look like it's supposed to trick you into believing it's really steel. I don't know, I don't care if it's rubber, steel or plastic as long as it feels built well...and it does as far as I can tell.

[JonathanC]

Originally Posted by Blahaha

I know they call it metallic but to me it doesnt look like it's supposed to trick you into believing it's really steel. I don't know, I don't care if it's rubber, steel or plastic as long as it feels built well...and it does as far as I can tell.

I've just spent several hours today in awe of it, after switching on BBE ViVA. I'm definitely keeping it. And since I still haven't updated the firmware (it looks like I'm one or two versions behind), maybe I shouldn't say this, but: the touchscreen sucks. Sucks, sucks, sucks. I'll retract if it doesn't suck after the update. But the biggest problem is how small everything is, and that it always seems to require a double-tap (maybe this can be changed?). I feel a strong need for a stylus.

The screen doesn't really impress me--it's more difficult to read outdoors than my Creative Zen Vision:M's screen is--but I haven't watched any videos on it and may never. I bought it to have the latest BBE enhancements.

I like being able to lock the screen without locking the buttons. But it's very awkward that the lock switch is on the bottom. It would have been much better on the sides.

I'm getting decent radio reception.

The sides still look stupid.

More deep thoughts later.

EDIT: Oh, and it isn't that loud. I'm using $369, 32 ohm impedance earphones. I have one freshly ripped album that had me turning the volume all the way up to 40. And no, I'm not deaf.

I've yet to turn the volume below 30.