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Cowon iAudio S9 Review
| Author | Stuart Andrews |
| Published | 28th Dec 2008 |
| Manufacturer | Cowon |
| Supplier | Advanced MP3 Players |
| Price | £173.04 (Exc VAT) |
| as reviewed | £199.00 (Inc VAT) |
| Latest Price | Click here |
| Design & Features |  |
| Sound Quality | |
| Usability |  |
| Value | |
| Video Quality | |
| Overall | |
4 comments
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TrustedReviews NewslettersThe S9 already sits up there with the Sony NWZ-S639F as one of the best sounding MP3 players of the moment, but it edges ahead by supporting two formats – FLAC and OGG Vorbis – that the Sony doesn't. Now, we all know that on a noisy train or city street it's pretty hard to tell the difference between FLAC and a high-bit rate MP3 file, but listen to the S9 in quieter surroundings and you can hear the sort of extra tonal detail FLAC brings to the party. Desire, from Talk Talk's classic Colour of Spring, sounds incredibly rich and complex, yet the beautifully recorded classical instruments, organs and guitars still ring through on a wide but still coherent soundstage Meanwhile, AC/DC's Back in Black sounds as mean and hungry as it does on CD with a decent pair of cans, that colossal riff done full justice by the S9's command of the mid-range and bass.
The S9 is without doubt a great player – the hard thing is working out where it sits in the current pecking order. If you're mostly listening to compressed music on the move and you're not particularly fussed about video, Sony's NWZ-S639F is almost half the price for 16GB and easier to get a good sound from straight away. If you want an all-singing, all-dancing PMP with a slightly slicker interface (though no radio) then the iPod touch comes in for similar money to the S9. If however, you want a great sounding, good looking video, audio and radio player that can handle uncompressed music straight from your PC or media tank, then the S9 is probably the best choice out there right now. Just budget for some decent earphones and prepare to put in a little work to get the best results.
Verdict
The interface isn't perfect, but the S9 is a truly great sounding player with a stylish design and a comprehensive feature set. Warmly recommended.
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gdawg304 said on 28th December 2008
gettinhigh said on 28th December 2008
You have also failed to mention that it does not include any sort of expansion slot, which yet again kills the deal for me.
If I'm paying this kind of money for... more
Gnormie said on 28th December 2008
I managed to get my hands on one of these about a week before Christmas and I am very, very pleased. The screen is absolutely fantastic and even the press shots don't really d... more
David Stewart said on 23rd August 2009
I Have just Traded my COWON iAUDIO X5L Mp3 In for a COWON S9 And I am waiting Delivery,
The sound on X5L Was BRILLIANT!!I Hope (in comparison) I am not Dissapointed...David
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I got one of these and WOW it sounds good (using Shure SE530s). Drag & dropped Iron Man without converting and it looks and sounds great.
but just a bit disappoi... more