Vorneweg the warning: Currently repaired even nieniemand Cown in Germany. Amazon can to make any comments, and personal inquiries at the Amazon partners and all other possible providers do not provide positive results. CowonGermany no longer exists, the company now makes a little different and also has no Erstateile. A certain mp3 players store that sells Cowon is unhelpful and unfriendly even against its own customers. A request to France remained unanswered. But the Portacomp AG in Schweitz sends supposedly every 4 weeks for making a package to Korea. This means for the German customer in case of repair:
Porto out
+ Fee-deed by the carrier (usually customs)
+ As 80 to 100 Euro repair costs
+ Postage back
+ 19% import tax on the repair costs
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= New acquisition.
Therefore:
1) You can buy Cowon, the device should protect guuut but. I so got me this a protective bag with hard shell for the small USB hard drives that fits.
2) friends in the Schweitz have (often do best near Zurich) or a relaxing holiday. Because with our own travel other duty-free limits apply.
Now the comparison M2 - X9 (for comparison M2 vs. D2 see my review at M2):
A bit limited my comparisons because my M2 is no longer operated by splinter damage. For new acquisition of X9 went by 1 to 1.5 months. So I write in the case M2 from memory. The functions disclosing to please all of the Cowon page cowonglobal.com from Korea, I will confine myself here to the less obvious things which web pages can not show one, and a final opinion.
The Size:
The X9 is twice as big as the M2, because it has the larger battery. It's a decent Schmaatfoon, maybe a little wider. That may be too big for some, or just good, that's a matter of taste. The display, however, is easier to read than the small from the M2, which, although also truncates the file name at the edge of the display, but stop much sooner.
Of course, an image (eg an album cover) appears larger on the larger display is clear. Here we must each display size and battery life versus small and space-saving weigh.
My opinion: More battery = less load times = more cycles = longer life of the appliance.
The Menu
of M2 is different from the X9. The X9 has two sides, which one selects by pressing "1" or "2", the M2 has a multi-page menu that you wipe up or down on the touchpad needs. In addition the M2 a super fancy deco picture, punishable by a player for a few moments of non-compliance. This is experienced as part of the menu, is therefore not to eliminate via the Menu key and want to be wiped out as a menu page.
Both systems are (whatever one may think of the super fancy Deco image of M2) equivalent, but the Toupad of M2 is used to.
The touchpad:
Evil thing the point. At least for the M2. Its operation resistance is overcome in my experience only with patience, then you figure out how to serve it properly. After a few weeks there is friendship, and the player always does exactly what it should. A pin can this remedy so that the symbols can better select. The X9 can be operated much better. In both devices but it's hard for me a list (there are options in the menu or files in the Music album) or runterzuscrollen.
Settings:
Both devices have a sub-menu "Settings", where it still needs to be scrolled at M2. The X9 provides a point of all settings on one side and is not so complicated here. The leaves is clearly at smaller display of M2, so it's the price of the shrinkage of the device.
(USF repetition.) Additional settings in the music can be selected on both devices during Musikabspielens. When X9 which is hidden on the side up slightly, while M2 is found the bottom of the page (again with leaves).
I do not remember all of the details of the M2, but either can both devices exactly the same thing, or M2 a little more. But that is irrelevant to the music playing practice.
Menu button:
The M2 has a menu button outside the unit who has X9 for a button "M" in the device.
Discharge protection:
My X9 is me already "died" during sleep mode, and date + time were deleted. That seems to imply that there is a lack of a Tiefentladeschautz. And that's what ruined Yes Li-Ion batteries! Since it therefore has to be very careful when X9, he will live long. When M2 me is that, I mean, never happened, but I can not swear. In both cases, I would not just before closing the devices connected to the grid hang anyway.
For further details and operating instructions see my detailed review of M2 and M2 for questions and answers.
Personal Opinion:
I do not know which device is better. The best was yet to use my D2 showing (the quality of the music files, for example) even more details. As for the information, coming second well of the X9, and the third of M2. When handling the M2 has the edge in the operability of the X9. Both devices I see because of its size or usability at four stars, but it took a long time until I came (reviewed by up to 2 weeks use with three stars) in M2 there. Neither M2 still with X9 makes it a mistake, but it takes patience and the M2 initially instinct. Both devices are good, the sound is great.
Over the Schweitz I recommend taking a look at the Zurich landing business UHU beginning to work.
Alternatives:
- X3 or X5 FiiO (low battery life, no repair out of warranty in Germany)
- Hidizs AP100 (low battery life, no repair out of warranty in Germany)
- IBasso DX50 (low battery life but removable cell phone battery !!!!, no repair out of warranty in Germany)
The best alternative to Cowon is probably due to the exchangeable batteries of iBasso DX50, in which, however, just to climb the prices seem (at first 240 Euro, now 300), the skill here seems to me to be the Fiio X5 - but be probably ruined as a mobile phone as quickly due to the low battery life and resulting frequent charge. And then what ...?
So you one of the people who need the newest not every 5 minutes, so recommend the iBasso DX50 or. In the devices discussed here from Cowon
