Hello all, here I am with my latest comparison. Now it’s time for the PMPs. Note that these are my impressions, when I have used these with premier earphones. Atrio M5.Remember I am a very big bass head (even looking to upgrade the M5 for bass).This time the competitors are Cowon D2, Sony NWZA728 and Sandisk Sansa view. Following are the factors that I will look in to now.
1. Audio
2. Video
3. Photo
4. Battery life
5. Build quality
Before we jump in to the details, let me tell you the kind of songs I listen to. I listen to South Indian film songs, All Rahman, Few Hindi film songs (Latest only). I know most of you listen to English songs. But for you all, I listen to Michael Jackson, Enrique and few listed songs here. Thanks to KMD for providing us (TE member through GO’s) the sources.
I know many people have Sony and Sansa with them. I am putting it down here, what I have experienced with the above mentioned players. Remember, you cannot judge the quality, unless you use them. I seriously listened to these before making the judgment.
First contender Cowon D2.
Specs:
• Audio: MP3, Ogg Vorbis, WMA, FLAC, APE, WAV, AAC (only on older firmware versions)
• Video: MPEG4-SP (DivX, XviD, ...), WMV9 - 320 x 240, 30fps
• Photo: JPEG (no size limit)
• Screen: 2.5", 24 bit (16 million) color, 320 x 240, TFT-LCD
• Dimensions: 78.0 x 55.4 x 16.6 mm (3.07 x 2.18 x 0.65 inches)
• Weight: 91 g (3.21 oz)
• Rated battery life: 52 hours for music, 10 hours for video
• Other features: Touch screen, SD/SDHC card slot, TV-out, FM radio, voice/line-in/FM recorder, BBE sound enhancements, user-configurable effect presets, text viewer, date/time/alarm, bookmarks, on-the-go playlist, deleting files on the player, dictionary (only with Korean firmware)
I think everyone knows well about this Great PMP. Here are my opinions.
1. Audio
Cowon is well known for its superior audio quality. Supports much formats than other contenders. I have been using this from the past one and half years and I am a very satisfied user of this. In fact, if the sound of D2 does not suit you, try tweaking with Rock box. You will never miss anything. The bass is Very strong. I listen to the songs with the following settings. As per my taste (Bass head), this is a perfect sounding player. You can work around with the equalizer to suit your taste. Remember, better bit rate will yield you better results. The techies having D2 out there I seriously suggest you to try the rockbox. This thing will bring out the bass details very much than the default firmware. I have my equalizer settings as 60, 80 hz. You will really wonder, listening at the bass detail that you are missing.
Mach bass-10, BBE-2, 3d surround-0, Stereo enhance-2, Mp enhance on
Eq-1 ----80 hz-----> +12
Eq-2 ----230 hz ---> - 7
Eq-3 ----1.4k hz---> 0
Eq-4 ----4.1k hz---> -10
Eq-5-----9k hz-----> 0
I have changed the firmware of D2 to D2+ and now,I have BBE+ effects. The GUI is good. There is an improvement in BASS with D2+.
Audio rating 9/10
2. Video
D2 video is really very good, you can use jet audio to convert the videos. Remember the Audio enhancements holds good for the video as well. The picture is really very clear and you will love the navigation. Just with a touch, you can navigate to the end movie or where ever you want to.
Video rating 8/10
3. Photo
There is no photo size limit with the player. I generally transfer personal photos of about 5mb each and the D2 plays them in 3 seconds. IF the file size is low, it can be played instantaneously. You can use the slide show, Zoom option as well.
Photo rating 9/10
4. Battery life
Seriously, D2 is a champ here. Imagine over 2 days of continuous audio playback with single charge. It will take 3 hrs through wall, 7hrs through USB. I generally charge the player on Sunday evening and use it throughout the week.
Battery rating 10/10
5. Build quality
D2 is really strong. Luckily, I did not drop it more than once or twice. The build quality is really good. As it is touch screen based, use it carefully. I have even not seen any user complaining about the same and have not seen the refurbished players out there either. UI is too good, it never hanged at any time for me. It’s the ugliest among the contenders.
Build quality 9/10.
Total:45/50
Sandisk Sansa view
Specs
• Size: 108.9 x 49.5 x 8.8 mm Weight: 82.2 g
• Screen: 240x320 64K color
• Audio Support: MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV, Audible
• Video Support: MPEG-4, DivX, XviD, WMV, H.264
• Rated Battery: 35 hours audio / 7 hours video
• Photo Support: JPG
• Transfer Protocol: MTP/MSC OS selectable
• Capacities: 8/16/32GB
1. Audio
Well most of the people think that D2 beats sansa in every aspect, but let me tell you for your surprise, sansa has very good sound quality. In fact slightly better I would say. It has got just the equalizer, nothing more but it works very well. I used the following settings.
1st bar - Full
2nd bar- Zero
3rd bar - Center
4th bar - Zero
5th bar - Center.
The sound is too good. Well distributed over the spectrum. Bass is really very good. It really made my M5 drivers work hard.
Audio rating 8.5/10
2. Video
Sansa video disappointed me a bit. No competition at all to D2. Picture doesn’t have the life. It’s dull and the colors are a bit muddy. The good thing is the videos converted for D2 played really well on sansa too.
Video rating 7/10
3. Photo
Photos were played without any problem. They were clear and size limit is applicable here. The HD JPEG photos downloaded were not opened by Sansa.
Photo rating 7/10
4. Battery life
Sansa too have very good battery life. 35 hours for audio and 10hrs for video. No bundled wall charger for this. So keep an eye on the charge in the player before you go out.
Battery rating 8/10
5. Build quality
Sansa is good at the build quality. I think it can with stand a bit stress. The rotate wheel is a big pain. It is unresponsive some times. Player hangs regularly, if you are a frequent song changer. As far as the looks are concerned, it’s really a sexy player. Far better than the images found over net. It a shiny slim beauty.
Build quality 7.5/10.
Total: 38.0/50
Sony NWZA728
Specs
• Format: MPEG 4, M4V
• Playback: Mode: Repeat (On/Off), Continuous Playback (On/Off)
• Equalizer: 5 Band: Heavy/Pop/Jazz/Unique/Custom 1/Custom 2 & Clear Bass
• Format(s) Supported: MP3, WMA, AAC-LC, Linear PCM
• Frequency Response: 20 - 20,000Hz (when playing back data file, single signal measurement)
• Simulated Surround: VPT: Studio/Live/Club/Arena/Matrix/Karaoke
• Backlit Color: 2.4" QVGA TFT display (320x240)
• Battery Charging (Approx.): USB based charging; 3 hours (full charge), 1.5 hours (approx. 80%)
• Battery Life (Approx.): Up to 36 Hours (Music: Approx. 36H Video: Approx. 9.5H)
• Output Power: 5+5mW
• Photo Playback: Yes
1. Audio
I actually used this player to test the quality for just an hour with various songs. The first thing you will notice is the bass. It has good overall spectrum. The bad thing here is the bass is mid bass. The first bar of the equalizer starts at 400Hz.I has got additional effects for it, which makes it sound it better. I really wonder why people will say Sony has good bass (May be due to the bundled earphones). Following is the equalizer setting used. For my taste, I won’t take this.
Band-1- full
Band-2- zero
Band-2- center
Band-2- zero
Band-2- two
Mega Bass -- full.
Audio rating 7.5/10
2. Video
Sony video playback is good. This is better than sansa, but cannot beat the D2. Video is clear, with natural colors. Finding a proper Mp4 converter is a bit tough. One good thing is that you can switch between Portrait and Landscape modes. Over all the video is satisfactory.
Video rating 8/10
3. Photo
Sony too is good at photo playback. The file size holds good here too. Photos are pretty neat and clear.
Photo rating 7/10
4. Battery life
Sony too has very good battery life. 36 hours for audio and 9.5hrs for video. No bundled wall charger for this as well. But one good point here is it can be charged to 80% in one and a half hour.
Battery rating 8.5/10
5. Build quality
Sony is not as good as Sansa and D2 at the build quality. I can say if it’s dropped from the computer table on to the normal marble floor, screen will break easily. It’s really slim. Smallest and slimmest of the three. The UI is fast and neat.
Build quality 8/10.
Total:39/10
Final conclusions
Clearly Cowon D2 wins the contest.
If you do not have budget constraints and look at overall performance, go for Cowon D2.
If you have budget constraints and looking for sound quality go with Sansa view (provided you have good earphones, at least Ep-630).
If you have budget constraints and looking for overall performance go with Sony (Should handle it carefully).
1. Audio
2. Video
3. Photo
4. Battery life
5. Build quality
Before we jump in to the details, let me tell you the kind of songs I listen to. I listen to South Indian film songs, All Rahman, Few Hindi film songs (Latest only). I know most of you listen to English songs. But for you all, I listen to Michael Jackson, Enrique and few listed songs here. Thanks to KMD for providing us (TE member through GO’s) the sources.
I know many people have Sony and Sansa with them. I am putting it down here, what I have experienced with the above mentioned players. Remember, you cannot judge the quality, unless you use them. I seriously listened to these before making the judgment.
First contender Cowon D2.
Specs:
• Audio: MP3, Ogg Vorbis, WMA, FLAC, APE, WAV, AAC (only on older firmware versions)
• Video: MPEG4-SP (DivX, XviD, ...), WMV9 - 320 x 240, 30fps
• Photo: JPEG (no size limit)
• Screen: 2.5", 24 bit (16 million) color, 320 x 240, TFT-LCD
• Dimensions: 78.0 x 55.4 x 16.6 mm (3.07 x 2.18 x 0.65 inches)
• Weight: 91 g (3.21 oz)
• Rated battery life: 52 hours for music, 10 hours for video
• Other features: Touch screen, SD/SDHC card slot, TV-out, FM radio, voice/line-in/FM recorder, BBE sound enhancements, user-configurable effect presets, text viewer, date/time/alarm, bookmarks, on-the-go playlist, deleting files on the player, dictionary (only with Korean firmware)
I think everyone knows well about this Great PMP. Here are my opinions.
1. Audio
Cowon is well known for its superior audio quality. Supports much formats than other contenders. I have been using this from the past one and half years and I am a very satisfied user of this. In fact, if the sound of D2 does not suit you, try tweaking with Rock box. You will never miss anything. The bass is Very strong. I listen to the songs with the following settings. As per my taste (Bass head), this is a perfect sounding player. You can work around with the equalizer to suit your taste. Remember, better bit rate will yield you better results. The techies having D2 out there I seriously suggest you to try the rockbox. This thing will bring out the bass details very much than the default firmware. I have my equalizer settings as 60, 80 hz. You will really wonder, listening at the bass detail that you are missing.
Mach bass-10, BBE-2, 3d surround-0, Stereo enhance-2, Mp enhance on
Eq-1 ----80 hz-----> +12
Eq-2 ----230 hz ---> - 7
Eq-3 ----1.4k hz---> 0
Eq-4 ----4.1k hz---> -10
Eq-5-----9k hz-----> 0
I have changed the firmware of D2 to D2+ and now,I have BBE+ effects. The GUI is good. There is an improvement in BASS with D2+.
Audio rating 9/10
2. Video
D2 video is really very good, you can use jet audio to convert the videos. Remember the Audio enhancements holds good for the video as well. The picture is really very clear and you will love the navigation. Just with a touch, you can navigate to the end movie or where ever you want to.
Video rating 8/10
3. Photo
There is no photo size limit with the player. I generally transfer personal photos of about 5mb each and the D2 plays them in 3 seconds. IF the file size is low, it can be played instantaneously. You can use the slide show, Zoom option as well.
Photo rating 9/10
4. Battery life
Seriously, D2 is a champ here. Imagine over 2 days of continuous audio playback with single charge. It will take 3 hrs through wall, 7hrs through USB. I generally charge the player on Sunday evening and use it throughout the week.
Battery rating 10/10
5. Build quality
D2 is really strong. Luckily, I did not drop it more than once or twice. The build quality is really good. As it is touch screen based, use it carefully. I have even not seen any user complaining about the same and have not seen the refurbished players out there either. UI is too good, it never hanged at any time for me. It’s the ugliest among the contenders.
Build quality 9/10.
Total:45/50
Sandisk Sansa view
Specs
• Size: 108.9 x 49.5 x 8.8 mm Weight: 82.2 g
• Screen: 240x320 64K color
• Audio Support: MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV, Audible
• Video Support: MPEG-4, DivX, XviD, WMV, H.264
• Rated Battery: 35 hours audio / 7 hours video
• Photo Support: JPG
• Transfer Protocol: MTP/MSC OS selectable
• Capacities: 8/16/32GB
1. Audio
Well most of the people think that D2 beats sansa in every aspect, but let me tell you for your surprise, sansa has very good sound quality. In fact slightly better I would say. It has got just the equalizer, nothing more but it works very well. I used the following settings.
1st bar - Full
2nd bar- Zero
3rd bar - Center
4th bar - Zero
5th bar - Center.
The sound is too good. Well distributed over the spectrum. Bass is really very good. It really made my M5 drivers work hard.
Audio rating 8.5/10
2. Video
Sansa video disappointed me a bit. No competition at all to D2. Picture doesn’t have the life. It’s dull and the colors are a bit muddy. The good thing is the videos converted for D2 played really well on sansa too.
Video rating 7/10
3. Photo
Photos were played without any problem. They were clear and size limit is applicable here. The HD JPEG photos downloaded were not opened by Sansa.
Photo rating 7/10
4. Battery life
Sansa too have very good battery life. 35 hours for audio and 10hrs for video. No bundled wall charger for this. So keep an eye on the charge in the player before you go out.
Battery rating 8/10
5. Build quality
Sansa is good at the build quality. I think it can with stand a bit stress. The rotate wheel is a big pain. It is unresponsive some times. Player hangs regularly, if you are a frequent song changer. As far as the looks are concerned, it’s really a sexy player. Far better than the images found over net. It a shiny slim beauty.
Build quality 7.5/10.
Total: 38.0/50
Sony NWZA728
Specs
• Format: MPEG 4, M4V
• Playback: Mode: Repeat (On/Off), Continuous Playback (On/Off)
• Equalizer: 5 Band: Heavy/Pop/Jazz/Unique/Custom 1/Custom 2 & Clear Bass
• Format(s) Supported: MP3, WMA, AAC-LC, Linear PCM
• Frequency Response: 20 - 20,000Hz (when playing back data file, single signal measurement)
• Simulated Surround: VPT: Studio/Live/Club/Arena/Matrix/Karaoke
• Backlit Color: 2.4" QVGA TFT display (320x240)
• Battery Charging (Approx.): USB based charging; 3 hours (full charge), 1.5 hours (approx. 80%)
• Battery Life (Approx.): Up to 36 Hours (Music: Approx. 36H Video: Approx. 9.5H)
• Output Power: 5+5mW
• Photo Playback: Yes
1. Audio
I actually used this player to test the quality for just an hour with various songs. The first thing you will notice is the bass. It has good overall spectrum. The bad thing here is the bass is mid bass. The first bar of the equalizer starts at 400Hz.I has got additional effects for it, which makes it sound it better. I really wonder why people will say Sony has good bass (May be due to the bundled earphones). Following is the equalizer setting used. For my taste, I won’t take this.
Band-1- full
Band-2- zero
Band-2- center
Band-2- zero
Band-2- two
Mega Bass -- full.
Audio rating 7.5/10
2. Video
Sony video playback is good. This is better than sansa, but cannot beat the D2. Video is clear, with natural colors. Finding a proper Mp4 converter is a bit tough. One good thing is that you can switch between Portrait and Landscape modes. Over all the video is satisfactory.
Video rating 8/10
3. Photo
Sony too is good at photo playback. The file size holds good here too. Photos are pretty neat and clear.
Photo rating 7/10
4. Battery life
Sony too has very good battery life. 36 hours for audio and 9.5hrs for video. No bundled wall charger for this as well. But one good point here is it can be charged to 80% in one and a half hour.
Battery rating 8.5/10
5. Build quality
Sony is not as good as Sansa and D2 at the build quality. I can say if it’s dropped from the computer table on to the normal marble floor, screen will break easily. It’s really slim. Smallest and slimmest of the three. The UI is fast and neat.
Build quality 8/10.
Total:39/10
Final conclusions
Clearly Cowon D2 wins the contest.
If you do not have budget constraints and look at overall performance, go for Cowon D2.
If you have budget constraints and looking for sound quality go with Sansa view (provided you have good earphones, at least Ep-630).
If you have budget constraints and looking for overall performance go with Sony (Should handle it carefully).
I have some queries :