Sony X Series VS Cowon S9?

Scubadevils

I'm in the process of trying to decide what PMP to buy next and have pretty much narrowed down to the new Sony X Series or the Cowon S9 but still can't quite make up my mind. The iPod Touch had been a contender but the consensus seems to be that it fails on sound quality when compared to the competition so I have now ruled that out.

Basically my main considerations are sound quality, battery life and format support... I doubt I'll use it much for video playback but nice to have the option. I do like some of the 'fluffy' stuff too such as the ability to browse albums by the artwork, youtube etc and the Sony seems to tick these boxes nicely.

I was about to go out and buy the X Series until I found out that it does not support Mac (but can you drag and drop on a Mac? - I do also have a Windows machine but the Mac is my main port of call in the house) and no FLAC support - I have about 500GB of music encoded in FLAC! (is there software out there to convert FLAC to MP3 etc and is it effective?). I also read somewhere that the X Series suffers a bit in terms of volume levels but I don't know how true that is as it doesn't seem to be a general complaint.

As for the S9, what puts me off that is there are no local retailers or distributors stocking Cowon - I would suspect also that the UI, touch-screen etc is better on the Sony - I say this from what I know of previous Cowon models, always great players in terms of sound, build quality etc but can be a bit rough around the edges when it comes to the UI etc.

Anyone had the pleasure of trying both yet? Equally, any opinions from people who own either? Any other products out there that I should be considering?

Cheers!

sxt

I have a sony walkman ,not the x series , and i love it for sound and battery life but having read the post on the cowonhttp://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055446406, it seems like this player is da **** !

Here is an interesting post where someone compared the two

http://forum.advancedmp3players.co.uk/cowon-s9-or-sony-x-serie-f46-p32786.html-amp3sid=


Judging from what you want, i would say Cowon all the way

pleasant Co.

Should have the X1060 in the next few days, will be able to give you feedback then.

For information on the S9 make sure to read our thread here as well as the iAudiophile forums and ABi. The S9 has recieved a few updates since it's release and really has become the No. 1 all round PMP in my mind (although I have yet to plonk down the case to get one)

To convert FLAC to Mp3 on Mac use either Max or XLD (for converting Max is easier to use/setup, XLD is more for ripping but is equally good at converting if not a little more time consuming to setup)

EDIT: And just to help add to your decision woes, maybe this possible samsung might make the choice even harder :P http://www.dapreview.net/comment.php?comment.news.4580

ongarite

I have the X1060 for a month or so now and I love it as its perfect for my usage (EAC ripped MP3s using LAME -V2 -new) but for your requirements, the Cowon S9 or Samsung would be a better bet.

In the X1060 defense, it sound quality is simply fantastic, excellent soundstage & seperation and the included earphones are very very good. It doesn't play FLAC only WMA, MP3 & AAC.
Never heard any users on forums mentioning volume issues, at volume 15-18 (max 30) its very loud and above that you are into damaging your ears terrority. The Sony amp is very good, no distortion at higher volumes. The interface is very simple to use and responsive.

If your a frequent traveller, the built-in noise cancellation technology is incredible. I've used it in office, train & plane and it cancelled out all the background noise completely, especially plane engine roar.

Scubadevils

Thanks a lot for the feedback, much appreciated. It does sound like the S9 is the right choice alright and my head tells me thats what I should get... my heart on the other hand is still pushing for the X Series!

Voodu Child

I like the fact that the Cowon will play a common avi (xvid/divx), including AC3 support. And no problems with playing ones that are at a higher-than-native res. I know devices of these sizes are primarily music players, but it just makes it that bit handier if you want to drag on the odd TV show or movie. The less transcoding the better.

god's toy

Got the NWZ-X1060 last week and I'm loving everything about it.
Simple and intuitive interface, direct youtube content to what ever your playing and picture and sound quality that is outstanding are just some of the reasons. Oh and that noise Cancelling works really well.

Very happy indeed.

pleasant Co.

god's toy wrote: »

Oh and that noise Cancelling works really well.

I'm still waiting on mine to come, so might as well ask you - regarding noise cancellation, does that only work with the provided headphones or will it work with any headphones? I'm under the impression that it's the former but perhaps you can certify it?

god's toy

Mactard wrote: »

I'm still waiting on mine to come, so might as well ask you - regarding noise cancellation, does that only work with the provided headphones or will it work with any headphones? I'm under the impression that it's the former but perhaps you can certify it?

Yep it only works with the headphones that come with it.
I'm not sure if Sony will have a range of compatible headphones for x but having said that the sound from them is really good, deep bass and clear sound stage (and I'm very picky when it comes to sound)

pleasant Co.

god's toy wrote: »

I'm not sure if Sony will have a range of compatible headphones for x but having said that the sound from them is really good

No good to me really I'm not the kind of person who uses one type of headphones only but I will have to test the included buds - i'd like to be able to use my Jays Qjays with it as well as some nice full size over ears cans. Bit crappy that you can only use particular sony phones with the noise cancellation thingy, but I guess sony's old habits will die hard.

ongarite

Its not all habits that die hard at all.
If you look at the headphones they have a microphone in each ear to listen for background noise aswell as 2 extra plugs in the 3.5mm jack for these microphones.

Obviously without these headphones, the player can't get background noise input to cancel out.

pleasant Co.

Thanks, as I have yet to recieve my player I've had no way of checking the buds or jack, when I do get it I will surely take note of it. Information much appreciated though!

Scubadevils

I finally made a decision there on Tuesday and bought the S9 - I still prefer the slick interface on the X Series but the lack of FLAC support ultimately made my mind up on the S9. Also, having had several Cowon players in the past, I know they are hard to beat in terms of sound quality which for me is the absolute top priority in a player.

Really loving this player, sound is fantastic and after the initial figuring out phase of the UI, it is actually quite easy to get around.. I do find though that the screen doesn't always flip when I hold it to the side, don't know if this is a fault or a firmware issue?

No video on it yet as I don't have any to load on to it... I assume though the quality is good!