This slim and elegant player is easy to use and sounds great--for two hours
of music.
Cowon's latest flash MP3 player, the 128MB iAudio CW300, is hard not to like.
From its sleek design to its included software, this elegant device delivers
a smooth user experience ideal for those irritated by unintuitive interfaces.
Like the CW200 before it, this superior model offers both comprehensive functionality
and simple operation. But the nonexpandable memory will frustrate listeners
interested in more than two hours of music at a stretch.
Measuring 8.26 by 3.99 by 1.85 cm, the CW300 is one of the slimmest MP3 players
you'll find. With the AA battery installed, the weight is a mere 66 grams; that's
slightly heavier than the older CW200, which uses a smaller AAA cell. The elegant,
minimalist device features nothing extraneous; two inconspicuous jog dials on
the top and bottom provide access to almost every function. The Record button's
smart placement below the main controls safeguards against accidental activation.
A Hold switch on the back offers further protection from jostling. Our only
real design quibble is with the battery compartment's flip cover, which feels
slightly fragile.
The menu structure is blissfully simple: just press the Menu button and scroll
to the appropriate selection. However, the blue-backlit screen is somewhat dim,
and the brightness isn't adjustable, although the contrast is.
Populating the CW300 with MP3 files was a cinch. After we'd installed the included
JetShell software, we used it to transfer songs into the CW300's four albums,
which act as separate playlists--a quick, no-nonsense approach to categorization.
But the albums share just 128MB of nonexpandable memory, which holds only about
two hours of music. That's enough for some, but if you need more repeat-free
play time, you should consider the 256MB
iRiver iFP-390T, or one of the myriad less-expensive players with a memory-expansion
slot.
Along with FM recording and playback, the CW300 offers voice recording; a microphone-sensitivity
control lets you pick up quiet conversations. On the downside, the device saves
in the proprietary SC4 format. JetShell can convert these SC4 clips to WAV and
then MP3, but we prefer the way the iFP-390T avoids these extra steps by capturing
FM broadcasts directly to the universally compatible MP3 format.
User-defined EQ and the Rock, Jazz, and Classical presets enable you to tweak
the sound of your MP3 files. With its extensive experience in software development,
Cowon gave the CW300 several PC-based features not found on other devices. For
instance, we like the ability to change EQ and especially FM presets through
JetShell as well as via the player's interface. And JetVoiceMail lets you edit
voice memos, apply 16 effects--including Reverb, Robot Voice, and Darth Vader
(cool!)--and send the recordings through Outlook, Outlook Express, or Netscape
Mail.
Although the CW300 does not natively support WMA files, JetShell can convert
them to MP3 during song transfer. The process degrades audio quality slightly,
so users with most or all of their music saved in WMA should opt for a player
with native WMA support. If you have only a smattering of WMA files in your
collection, JetShell's MP3-conversion results sound decent enough.
Like its sibling, the CW200, the CW300 is an excellent performer delivering
quality MP3 playback and voice recording. With an incredibly clean signal-to-noise
ratio of 95dB, the sound is clearer than that of almost all other MP3 players.
And although the power output is only 8mW per channel, we found the volume loud
through full-size Koss headphones. Though the battery life fell well short of
the rated 30 hours, the CW300 is still more efficient than most of its competitors,
providing about 20 hours of playback on a single AA cell. We loaded the unit's
flash memory with 53.3MB of MP3 files in a scant 70 seconds for a speedy transfer
rate of 0.76MB per second.
Cowon iAudio CW300
Company: Jet Audio
Price: ~AU$375
Distributor: Selected resellers
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