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Cowon iAudio U3

Cowon iAudio U3
Cowon iAudio U3Cowon iAudio U3Cowon iAudio U3Cowon iAudio U3Cowon iAudio U3Cowon iAudio U3Cowon iAudio U3Cowon iAudio U3Cowon iAudio U3Cowon iAudio U3
alaScore 88

252 reviews

Nov, 2024

alaTest has collected and analyzed 252 reviews of Cowon iAudio U3. The average rating for this product is 4.3/5, compared to an average rating of 3.9/5 for other products in the same category for all reviews. Comments about the performance and price are overall positive. The portability and sound also get good views. There are some mixed views about the memory. There are some critical opinions about the connectivity and reliability.

usability, sound, portability, price, performance

reliability, connectivity

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other products in the same category the Cowon iAudio U3 is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 88/100 = Very good quality.

Review analysis

(Based on 252 reviews)

Expert Reviews  

User Reviews  

Review Ratings

  (63% of reviews)
Show all 5 star reviews   (18% of reviews)
Show all 4 star reviews   (8% of reviews)
Show all 3 star reviews   (2% of reviews)
Show all 2 star reviews   (9% of reviews)
Show all 1 star reviews

Features

usability
  Show positive (80%)Show negative (20%)(Show all)
sound
  Show positive (95%)Show negative (5%)(Show all)
portability
  Show positive (88%)Show negative (12%)(Show all)
price
  Show positive (65%)Show negative (35%)(Show all)
performance
  Show positive (94%)Show negative (6%)(Show all)
size
  Show positive (66%)Show negative (34%)(Show all)
design
  Show positive (93%)Show negative (7%)(Show all)
durability
  Show positive (67%)Show negative (33%)(Show all)
battery
  Show positive (84%)Show negative (16%)(Show all)
reliability
  Show positive (44%)Show negative (56%)(Show all)
headphones
  Show positive (92%)Show negative (8%)(Show all)
memory
  Show positive (50%)Show negative (50%)(Show all)
storage
  Show positive (100%)None yet(Show all)
connectivity
  None yetShow negative (100%)(Show all)
Show more features

Showing 193 review(s)

Expert Reviews User Reviews

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Showing 1 - 146 of 193 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (59)

Consumer review (amazon.co.uk)

Amazon.co.uk review summary for Cowon iAudio U3

 

alaTest has collected and analyzed 7 user reviews of Cowon iAudio U3 from Amazon.co.uk. The average user rating for this product is 3.9/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.0/5 for other products in the same category on Amazon.co.uk. Reviewers are impressed by the design. The usability is also appreciated. Comments are divided on the size. There are some negative opinions about the price and durability.

sound, usability, design

durability, price

71% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

Nov, 2024

Consumer review (amazon.com)

Amazon.com review summary for Cowon iAudio U3

 

alaTest has collected and analyzed 129 user reviews of Cowon iAudio U3 from Amazon.com. The average user rating for this product is 4.1/5, compared to an average user rating of 3.8/5 for other products in the same category on Amazon.com. Reviewers really like the size and price. The portability and sound are also appreciated, whereas many are negative about the reliability. There are some mixed opinions about the memory.

usability, sound, portability, price, size

reliability

86% of the reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

Nov, 2024

Expert review by (lordpercy.com)

iAudio U3 Review

 

Cowon's latest MP3 player to arrive in the UK is trying very hard to compete with the small form factor units like the MPIO One and also the iPod range. However their idea of pricing the feature packed U3 suggests it has real gold earbuds.

Mar, 2006
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Expert review by : Mike Kobrin (pcmag.com)

Cowon iAudio U3

 

Despite a few shortcomings, the tiny Cowon iAudio U3 is about as versatile an MP3 player as they come.

Very good sound quality. Lots of audio options. Broad features and format support, including lossless compression.

Video frame rate isn't high enough. No WM DRM 10 support. Joystick can be tricky to push straight in.

Like most of Cowon's players, the U3 has extra features such as A-B repeat, variable-speed playback, an FM tuner (with up to 24 presets), a dynamic playlist, and adjustable skip length (a handy feature for language-learners). It also supports lyric...

Apr, 2006
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Expert review by : Rick Broida and James Kim (cnet.com)

Performance

 

Cowon iAudio U3

Cowon's tiny, lightweight iAudio U3 comes packed with features, including video playback, line-in recording, and scheduled FM recordings. Its excellent video-conversion software lets you watch your favorite clips on the go. It also boasts solid sound...

The pricey Cowon iAudio U3's video playback is limited to 15 frames per second. The interface is difficult to navigate. It has a cheap plastic shell and mediocre FM reception but no carrying case, armband, pendant, AC adapter, or auto-preset option for...

The feature-packed and swell-sounding Cowon iAudio U3 may ooze cool as one of the smallest PVPs, but its somewhat tricky controls and its high price tag spoil the party.

Jan, 2006
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Expert review by : Ameya Dalvi (techtree.com)

Cowon iAudio U3

 

The U3 is the next generation version of the U2. Can it go one up on one of the best players to have graced our test labs?

Excellent sound quality, Comfortable earphones, Feature-rich, Good bundle, Direct MP3 encoding, Supports wide variety of audio formats, Upgradeable firmware, Sturdy build quality, Good battery life, Uncomplicated user interface, Brilliant screen quality

Average FM tuner, Screen too small for video, Slightly expensive

Aug, 2006
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Expert review by : Grahm Skee (anythingbutipod.com)

Cowon iAudio U3 Review

 

The Cowon iAudio U3 is a new breed of tiny flash based PMPs. Not only does it playback video on its 260k color 160 x 128 pixel LCD screen, it handles all of the major file formats including MP3, OGG, WMA, ASF, WAV, and even FLAC.

Jan, 2006
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Consumer review (newegg.com)

Very Solid Product

 

This is a very, very, fine product.

Cowon makes a great product for those who don't want to be encumbered by proprietary technology and the U3 demonstrates this perfectly. Support for DRM is available (if you wan't it,) but you also have the ability to use FLAC and OGG unlike some other...

Built in recorder is nice but is VERY sensitive to ambient noise. Not the best if you drive in a noisy car

Sep, 2007
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Consumer review (newegg.com)

Dropped in Buffalo Sauce

 

I sometimes keep this little guy in my car on a small "shelf". I had just finished some drive-through and had an open tub of buffalo sauce resting inside the take-out bag. Upon starting from a red light, the player shot off the shelf directly into the...

Great build quality. Very good radio reception. Sound is top-notch. Small, easy to operate. Great battery life

Screen uses pretty small text/font, hard to read for us older-gen types. "Skip ahead" feature is nice but would be better if graduated - hard to skip ahead through a long podcast

Aug, 2007
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Consumer review (newegg.com)

Rock Crusher

 

The navigational interface is no more difficult than using Windows Explorer for your hard drive. Go for the 4 gig model - it's now an inexpensive step up.

I've had the U3 for 8 months now. This thing is as dependable a flash mp3 player as you will find. Mine has taken some abuse - even been left out in the rain - and it hasn't missed a beat. Great audio quality. Easy to manage and transfer files. Friends...

Buy a good quality set of earphones to take full advantage of the U3

Jul, 2007
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Consumer review (newegg.com)

Great Player

 

I'm thankful for Thrupp software that made it so I don't have to use an iPod to work well with iTunes on my Mac. I change music more often than my battery runs down, so I've never been close to running down the battery. Thus, I can't make much of a...

Sound quality is truly remarkable and customizable. Great input devices with reasonable tactile cues and feedback (I'm finally free from the tyranny of the iPod click wheel!). No proprietary connectors are required

The interface requires a little practice before the user can gain a mental model of the system. The display itself (not the backlight, but the display) turns off after several minutes, so it can't be passively viewed for song title or time until a...

Jul, 2007
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Consumer review (newegg.com)

Loaded With Features

 

Lots of great features you won't find anywhere else such as FM radio, voice recording, line-in recording, timer functions, and loads of customizable features.

Unfortunately the U3 has some flaws that will keep it from being wildly popular.

Jul, 2007
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