Is the J3 worth the cost?

[Olley]

Worth the cost? What determines worth? Yes, the J3 is an amazing player. No question that it's the best player of the year at it's price ($238 for 16gb version). The Coby MP837 may very well be the best player for it's price too ($111 for 16gb version).

Music Codec support?
- Coby: MP3, WMA, OGG
- Cowon: MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, APE, and WAV: Win
Video Codec support?
- Coby: AVI, WMV, MP4, ASF: Win
- Cowon: AVI, WMV, ASF, (and MP4 sort-of unoffically).
Photo Support?
- Coby: JPG, BMP, GIF: Win
- Cowon: JPG
Document Support?
- Coby: TXT
- Cowon: TXT
G-Sensor?
- Coby: Yes
- Cowon: Yes
FM Radio/Recording?
- Coby: Yes/No
- Cowon: Yes/Yes: Win
Display Size/Resolution?
- Coby: 3"/480 x 272
- Cowon: 3.3"/480 x 272: Win
Overall Size?
- Coby: 2.15" x 4.02" x 0.45", weight: 72g
- Cowon: 2.2" x 4.19" x 0.39", weight: 76g
Gapless Playback?
- Coby: No
- Cowon: Yes: Win
Memory Expansion?
- Coby: No
- Cowon: Yes: Win
External Controls?
- Coby: Power/Hold, Volume
- Cowon: Power/Hold, Volume, Play/Pause, Track FWD/REV: Win

This list can go on and on, with Cowon winning a larger % of the issues that matter. It should, as it costs twice as much. There are many issues where the Coby ties the J3 in capability though. The Coby still is an amazing performer for it's price though, which was the main question asked here. I've listened to them both using the same headphones and they will both entertain you.

[CrowdAds]

[NSX]

Originally Posted by Olley

Photo Support

Actually it would be:

- Coby: JPG, BMP, GIF
- Cowon: JPG, BMP, PNG: Win

IMO PNG beats GIF

[rickysio]

PNG has yet to officially allow animated PNGs. So no, PNG and GIF are still two completely different animals.

When you compare the EQ, and battery life, that's where the J3 holds nothing back and pummels the Coby into it's constituent molecules.

[skip252]

What dollar value would you place on a makers track record? Coby has a reputation for making a substandard products that break easily and then are poorly supported by their customer service. I know. I have helped a few unfortunates attempt to either recover their devices to workability or make a warranty claim. The results have been a uniform failure.

Every attempt (4) I have made to get a Coby player repaired or replaced has failed. I attempted to reinstall corrupted firmware. The players stayed dead. Emails and phone calls were either ignored or responded to falsely. The one player I did actually get an RMA for was returned non working replacement. Granted, Coby may have made a remarkable turn around since April but I wouldn't bet on it.

Considering that in my experience Coby has not shown the ability to manufacture a simple 2 GB stick player that works for more than a few weeks there no way I could advise someone to buy a much more complex device based on it's feature set. A fancy brick is still a brick.

[NSX]

Originally Posted by rickysio

PNG has yet to officially allow animated PNGs. So no, PNG and GIF are still two completely different animals.

When you compare the EQ, and battery life, that's where the J3 holds nothing back and pummels the Coby into it's constituent molecules.

The GIFs dont move on the coby, it is a still shot, and as PNG is lossless, i would say it beats non-moving GIFs

[Marvin the Martian]

Originally Posted by skip252

What dollar value would you place on a makers track record? Coby has a reputation for making a substandard products that break easily and then are poorly supported by their customer service. I know. I have helped a few unfortunates attempt to either recover their devices to workability or make a warranty claim. The results have been a uniform failure.

Every attempt (4) I have made to get a Coby player repaired or replaced has failed. I attempted to reinstall corrupted firmware. The players stayed dead. Emails and phone calls were either ignored or responded to falsely. The one player I did actually get an RMA for was returned non working replacement. Granted, Coby may have made a remarkable turn around since April but I wouldn't bet on it.

Considering that in my experience Coby has not shown the ability to manufacture a simple 2 GB stick player that works for more than a few weeks there no way I could advise someone to buy a much more complex device based on it's feature set. A fancy brick is still a brick.

Well said....I wouldn't even consider buying a Coby product.

[lestatar]

Olley, sorry but must agree with the others on the Coby stuff. Unless there has been a paradigm shift over there in the last 18 months, nearly every Coby product I have tried I have found of pretty inferior quality. This includes headphones, DVD players and mp3 players.

They just feel really cheap and I have zero confidence that the stuff will last.

They are a major step up from the vast majority of the elcheapo Chinese DAPs/PMPs I have seen though [but, that really isn't saying much].

@OP: More food for thought! :-)

[NSX]

i once had a coby dvd player, long story short i hit it with a baseball bat and threw it out the window.

[JK98]

Since you exercise so much, I suggest that you get the Sandisk Clip+. It is inexpensive and has great sound. You won't be that upset if you break it rather than breaking a $200+ player. Players used while exercising tend to get broken or messed up rather quickly. Many here have a higher priced mp3 player as well as a Clip+, and use the Clip+ while exercising.

[deadohiosky]

Originally Posted by JK98

Since you exercise so much, I suggest that you get the Sandisk Clip+. It is inexpensive and has great sound. You won't be that upset if you break it rather than breaking a $200+ player. Players used while exercising tend to get broken or messed up rather quickly. Many here have a higher priced mp3 player as well as a Clip+, and use the Clip+ while exercising.

didn't know that the clip suddenly is capable of playing video?

[g.711]

There are some issues with the Clip+ also. For example battery life and lack of art. But its size, 1/3rd price, sound quality and standard mini USB connector make up for its short comings!

[Olley]

Yes, Coby makes cheap stuff. The advantage on service is that if you buy one at a local discount store and save your receipt, most will refund your money if it fails. It's not worth it to send any of those low profit margin $100 players sent back to china for repair IMO. I would agree with everyone here if I hadn't seen, heard, and played with an MP837 though. She's had it for 6 months now with no problems, and often ribs me for spending double or more on "good" players that don't appear any better to her.

[Ryanonymous]

I didn't even think about it being broken in the gym. I used my ipod for a long time with nothing happening to it until I threw it in with my laundry by accident.

I suppose if it's a concern I could buy an armband for it...is there one available for the J3, or perhaps a generic one that it would fit into?

Thanks for all the replies by the way.

[JK98]

Why would someone need to play video while working out? One can have a separate player if they must have video at other times.

He could buy a Clip+ now, then buy a player with good video later when he has more money. As I said before, it is a good idea having at leat 2 players, with one being small and inexpensive.

[Ryanonymous]

Does anyone know of an armband that will work with the J3?

Buying a cheaper player is an option, I'll think about it. Just seems like if I want the J3 anyways I would be wasting money getting two. But then again for the gym might be safer to have a cheaper one.

[NSX]

Originally Posted by Ryanonymous

Does anyone know of an armband that will work with the J3?

Buying a cheaper player is an option, I'll think about it. Just seems like if I want the J3 anyways I would be wasting money getting two. But then again for the gym might be safer to have a cheaper one.

Boom

[raybies]

I'm pretty fussy when it comes to products. I don't mind paying a little extra to a company that does a good job and takes pride in what they do, as it encourages them to continue.

Shure is black listed cos they're expensive and their products are average at best.

The Cowon J3 does what it says in a nice elegant package. The only negative I can think of is the USB cable.
Screen is nice, sound quality is good, UI is good, size is good, constructions is good... all in all it's good and you'll soon forget about the money it cost... Keep up the good work Cowon.

BMW are also black listed, www.badmotorworks.com