GAMES: GameSpot: Best of 2008 | GameFAQs | SportsGamer MUSIC: Last.fm | MP3.com MOVIES: Metacritic | Movietome TV: TV.com

Cowon iAudio X5L

7.7 Good

Release date: May 15, 2005
Category: Hard Drive Player
Manufacturer: Cowon
Capacity: 20 GB
Weight: 5 oz
Audio formats: FLAC, MP3, WMA, WAV
Works with: eMusic, LiveDownloads, AudioLunchbox
Storage Type: Hard Drive
Battery life: 14

The great-sounding Cowon iAudio X5 looks like an iPod killer on paper, but this palm-size music and video player suffers from mediocre music browsing and some key design missteps.

The great-sounding Cowon iAudio X5 looks like an iPod killer on paper, but this palm-size music and video player suffers from mediocre music browsing and some key design missteps. [-] Hide

Small size; video player with 260,000-color LCD; customizable wallpaper; FM radio; line-in and voice recording; photo viewer; text-file reader; excellent sound quality; reads photos directly from digital cameras; compatible with OGG and FLAC formats, as well as subscription WMA tracks.

Must plug in an adapter to attach AC, line-in, and USB cables (however, the built-in side USB port handles camer transfers and MTP subscription downloads); so-so control layout; can't autosync music with a PC; can't browse by artist, album, or genre; many video files need to be converted to play on X5; no slide-show mode or music while viewing photos; no autoscanning presets for FM radio.

The great-sounding Cowon iAudio X5 looks like an iPod killer on paper, but this palm-size music and video player suffers from mediocre music browsing and some key design missteps.

Read Full Review

Photos

videos

more: videos

Browse Latest Features & News

I Want My PVP

The new video-ready iPod is not the first of its kind. However, it's a breakthrough for portable video players (aka PVPs).

FULL STORY Posted Oct 19, at 2005 04:00 PM Comments (0)

New Gear 9/13

Creative Zen MicroPhoto (8GB) and Oakley Razrwire Bluetooth Eyewear.

FULL STORY Posted Sep 13, at 2005 05:32 PM Comments (0)

Black Is the New Black

New MP3 players are popping up everywhere. Each one is unique, yet they have one common trait--they're all dressed in black. Johnny Cash would be proud.

FULL STORY Posted Aug 9, at 2005 02:45 PM Comments (0)

New Gear 8/1

New gadgets hit the streets every day. Our MP3 tech editors are fresh on the scene with the latest MP3 players, accessories, PMCs, DMRs, and more.

FULL STORY Posted Aug 1, at 2005 01:08 PM Comments (0)

Etymotic ER-4P MicroPro Earphones

Etymotic's ER-4P MicroPro earbuds cost a king's ransom but offer royal sound quality.

Shure E3c

If you're into the stealthy form factor of earbuds, you'll be hard-pressed to find a better-sounding pair.

Etymotic ER-6 Isolator

Etymotic's ER-6 earbuds offer stellar sound quality.

more Cowon iAudio X5L accessories

Similar

Creative Zen Touch (20GB)

Creative shows it has just the right touch when it comes to this hard drive-based MP3 player.

Creative Zen Vision (30GB)

If you don't need to record audio or video, the Creative Zen Vision is the best thing going in the world of PVPs.

iRiver H10 (20GB)

It's only a little heftier than the original H10, but you get a lot more storage for your music and photos with the 20GB version.