Cowon Systems iAudio M3 Review

Overall Rating

It's really good.
3 year warranty.

It doesn't do massage.

After much cogitating and rumination over which player to get, I stumped for the Cowon iAudio M3. I'd very much expected myself to get an ipod but somehow didn't. Not too sure why, maybe it was the 1 year warranty, maybe the reviews of reliability and customer service. Having owned far too much unreliable stuff with support staff very probably trained in guerilla war fare but not particularly suitable for their chosen role, getting good backup was quite key. Reviews seemed to indicate that the Cowon was right up there with the best of them in terms of quality - ok, the headphones would need changing but then with the ipod phones apparently it's quite common to be murdered because they're white. A few tales of failing screens and reluctance to stay on were regaled, but I was reassured by reports of excellent and expedient repair, and besides, it seemed more grumbles were to be found with the competition.

So I got one, and was at first a tad baffled by the controls, but that soon came. The computer thingy for putting tunes on is easy enough to use - probably a wee bit more spoddy than itunes, but it's not all about being too cool for school. It looks the mutt's nuts too, I opted for the brown colour. It's not brown. It's delicious spangly bronze. The little remote control is great to use once you've cracked it (in the sense that you've worked it out, not that you've broken it) and you can clip it to a bit of your jacket or something. Not sure how it'll fare in the summer when I tend to walk around starkers, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. The earphones aren't the best in the world, but are any of the standard jobbies? You can fiddle with the sound till the cows come home, if you have any, which I don't, and if you should ever manage to run out of tunes, or just simply fancy soothing your hammer and anvil with the sweet tones of Jono Coleman or whoever's purveying the popular beat parade these days, there's a very serviceable FM radio. Somehow managed to turn the recorder on just after I got it and left it next to my bed, charging, while I slept. Freaked myself right out the next morning by listening to my enormous snoring and weird soporific rantings. Mental.

Members' Comments onjonnyhotrod's Review

• jonnyhotrod on 15th Sep 2006

  I'd love to be able to edit this review but I don't think I can.
  
  Anyway. Don't buy anything from Cowon. That's my advice. It'll be fine until it stops working. Then there's a fair chance you'll never see it again. And Cowon won't answer your emails. And they don't do phones.
  
  Just don't.
  
  Ok.