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More…The 20GB Cowon A2 ($380 as of 7/21/06) is an impressive audio and video player that has a big, bright, wide-aspect screen that looks great playing back videos. But it's a bulky device that won't fit into a shirt pocket.
Cowon A2 30GB Portable Multimedia Player
- Spec Navigator
- Battery
- Display
- Features
- General
- Included Hardware
- Included Software
- Interface Connections
- Music Subscription Service
- Software
- Storage Included
- Storage Media
- Supported Audio Formats
- Supported Image Formats
- Supported Video Formats
Features
| Equalizer Settings | 7 |
| FM Recording | Yes |
| Plays For Sure | No |
| Presets | 25 |
| Replaceable Battery | 0 |
| Video Output | Yes |
| Video Support | Yes |
| Voice Recording | Yes |
Included Hardware
| AC Adapter | Yes |
| Firewire cable | No |
| Included Hardware |
|
| Remote Control | No |
| USB cable | Yes |
Interface Connections
| Firewire | No |
| Headphone output | Yes |
| Line Out | Yes |
| Microphone input | Yes |
| USB | Yes |
| USB Host Adapter | Yes |
Storage Media
| Compact Flash | No |
| Memory Stick | No |
| Memory Stick Micro | No |
| micro SD | No |
| mini SD | No |
| SD card | No |
| Smart Media | No |
| xD Picture Card | No |
- Lab Tested
- How We Test MP3 Players »
Pros
Supports many audio and video formats
Big 4-inch wide-aspect LCD
Cons
Limited online music support
Roughly average audio quality
Bottom Line
The A20 is an impressive audio and video player, with a big 4-inch screen. But it's expensive and a little heavy.
Cowon A2-20WH
A2 30GB Portable Multimedia Player Review, by Richard Baguley August 16, 2006
The wide-aspect screen is the highlight of the A2: At 4 inches diagonally, it's the biggest of the players we tested. Colors looked accurate, and movement appeared smooth; with a high-bandwidth video file, I saw no evidence of smearing or ghosting. This made for a very comfortable experience watching videos; you can comfortably watch for an hour or so.
But the large screen also means that the player is big: At 5.3 by 3.9 inches and nearly an inch deep, the A2 isn't pocket-size. And it's no lightweight, at 10.8 ounces. It does come with a nice leather case that covers the screen, though, so you can throw it into a bag or briefcase without worrying about scratches. And the battery life is quite long: The player lasted an impressive 18 hours in an informal test.
Managing audio and video files is relatively easy. You access most of the controls through what Cowon calls the "joggle lever" (a joystick to the rest of us), and four buttons reside below the lever. One button returns you to the previous menu, but the functions of the other three change depending on what you're doing; each one's current function is shown at the bottom of the screen. This flexible approach puts some commonly used options within easy reach without adding a bewildering number of buttons; you can add a currently playing track to a playlist with just one button press, for example.
The audio quality was good, presenting only a few minor issues: High frequencies were a bit lacking, and the bass was missing some oomph. A better set of headphones would certainly help. In the PC World Test Center's new audio-quality tests (which don't measure the quality of the included earbuds), the A2 delivered some impressive scores in individual tests, but its overall score was about Average. The A2 was able to play at a very high volume before its audio reached 1 percent distortion (a common industry threshold). Its signal-to-noise ratio was well below average, however.
The A2 can play back files in MP3, WMA, WAV, FLAC, and Ogg Vorbis formats, but it won't work with DRM-protected music from online music stores like Napster or iTunes.
An FM tuner is included, and the A2 is a little unusual in that it can record from both the FM tuner and an external video source. The device is also compatible with both NTSC and PAL video signals, so if you visit Europe, you can bring some foreign soap operas home with you. A composite video/stereo audio output lets you connect the player to a TV.
As a video player, the A2 is very flexible--it can play back files in DivX, XviD, MPEG-4, and WMV formats. This means that with many files, you won't need to convert them: You can copy them over to the player (which appears as a USB hard drive when connected to a PC) and they'll play straight away. Video and audio conversion software called JetAudio is included, and is relatively easy to use, automating the conversion and copying process.
The A20 is a great pick if you regularly want to watch videos as well as listening to music. If you want to listen to music mostly, there are plenty of smaller players that can handle the occasional video. Though the A20 is impressive, it's expensive and a little heavy.
Richard Baguley
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PCWorld Lab Results
- Rating Breakdown
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77
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72
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77
- See Complete Lab Results »
Performance Comparison with Similar MP3 Players
77
94
Performance
| Crosstalk, Average (dB) | -50 |
| Frequency Response Deviation, Average (dB) | 3.9 |
| Maximum Usable Output Level, Average (dBV) | -2.1 |
| Signal-to-Noise Ratio, Average (dB) | 71 |
| Total Harmonic Distortion and Noise, Average (%) | 0.06 |
User Reviews
Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
User Reviews From Around the Web
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Reviewed by: martincdawson
Strengths: Was great while it lasted
Weaknesses: Poor quality
Overall: The first one of these I got from Amazon. It worked great for almost a week. One day it was just dead, no light, no life when connected to the power adaptor, no response over USB.Amazon were good enough to provide a complete refund - since they didn't have any more in stock.So I bought a replacement directly from Jet Audio. This one worked for two days before a pattern appeared on the screen - it was part of the displayed image; only visible when the unit was turned on. It was far too big to ignore and, in fact, obscured the controls.I duly got an RMA and returned it to Jet Audio. They are claiming the fault was due to damage. Indeed, they claim there is physical damage to the case itself. They sent a very blurry photo but even then it was obviously different to the fault that I sent it in with. A third of the screen was completely white on the unit in the photo.At this stage they won't repair it until I pay $125. I'm just feeling like I'm being cheated and blackmailed. If I pay them off, I have no idea whether I'm going to get something that lasts more than a week anyway...Any recommendations on the next best alternative player?
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Reviewed by: dtu
Strengths: plays music, videos, and photos along with radio and with longer battery lifethan competition, 10 and 17 hours for music and videos all at a bargain price
Weaknesses: does not come in larger than 30gb sizes like competition that currently offersas much as monster 160gb size with several sizes in between.
Overall: for those who find 30gb storage enough such as myself, this is a perfect 10based on the strengths, however cowon needs to come out with larger storageversions such as 60, 80, 100, 120, and maybe 160gb versions to accomondatethe needs for those who need more than 30gb storage. note, the 5 star ratingi gave it is only for when 30gb storage is adequate.
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Reviewed by: freezedried74
Strengths: Great screen, very bright. Plays a ton of different formats.
Weaknesses: No ID3 browsing available.
Overall: This personal media player is one of the best on the market today. The screen brightness and resolution is superb. It will play almost every video and audio format you throw at it. I am seriously considering selling my Ipod and using this exclusively. Highly recommended.
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Reviewed by: BeanMeScot
Strengths: Sharp, beautiful picture, supports many more codecs than any other player, GREAT battery life, constant firmware upgrades. I had never seen one in person & purchased based on reviews. No regrets
Weaknesses: I would have purchased a 100gb had there been one. Some activities are not supported in the US, only Korea (i.e. DMB)
Overall: I had read online that this was the best player on the market. I had never even heard of it before I started doing research and I was never able to see one in person. I don't regret buying it at all. It is a great player. It comes with all the stuff you have to pay extra to get for your Ipod (it has a carry case, strap, earphones, several wires to support different ways to get information onto the player, etc.)
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Reviewed by: nixjeans
Strengths: 16:9 wide screen (4") is nice. Video Codecs are preinstalled which is a big plus. The sound quality is superb. Frequent firmware updates to accomodate user's feedbacks is a big plus as well.
Weaknesses: Remote control is not included. It would be nice to have 60GB of storage. The quality of the headphone can be upgraded.
Overall: Cowon's A2 30GB PMP is among the best of the best. Its wide screen size of 4 inches is nice. Also, various video codecs have been preinstalled which is a big plus. The sound quality is extremely superb. In addition, Cowon values customer's feedback highly that they release frequent firmware updates to accommodate user's feedbacks. However, nothing is perfect. It would have been nice to have the remote control included in the package. Also, it would be nice to have 60GB of storage rather than 30GB or 20GB. Other than these wish listed items, Cowon's A2 is a must have item for 2006!
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