Our sharp eyed friends at our sister site iAudiophile have spotted an update to the Cowon iAudio 9. A “+” has been added to the name but there doesn’t seem to be much else that’s been changed.

The main attraction seems to be the maximum capacity has been increased from 16 to 32 GB. There’s also a larger external speaker and the JetEffects have been updated to 5.0. After that it doesn’t seem most current owners would notice a difference.

The physical specs are unchanged. The screen is still a 2 inch LCD at 240×320. The dimensions are still 43 x 95 x 8.9mm and it still weighs 40g. The touchpad is the same as on the older model. The FM tuner, same. The composite TV out, same. The non-proprietary, but not always easy to find USB connector? C’mon you really didn’t expect any changes there either, did you? It’s the same.

The supported audio codecs are still MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, APE and WAV. The video formats, AVI, WMV, ASF (codecs Xvid SP/ASP, WMV 7/8/9) haven’t changed either.

What has changed is the pricing. At ~$70, $90, $117 and $153 for the 4, 8, 16 and 32 GB models respectively, these models are somewhat less expensive per GB than previous i9 players of the same capacity. The pricing on the 32 GB model is new with this being it’s first release.
(Please note those prices are approximate and based on what a currency converter says today. By the time they become commonly available that might change.)

These are pretty much the same type of changes that Cowon has made in dusting off it’s older D2 and re-releasing it as the D20. This series of updates to older players has to make you wonder…

Is a update to the well reviewed J3 in the works?

• Product Page (Cowon Korea)
• ABI forums

Article written by our forum admin skip252.

The post Cowon iAudio 9+ Spotted – Cowon “Updates” Another DAP appeared first on Anything But iPod.

We were used to Cowon not innovating for almost 2 years now but now we’ll have to deal with Cowon re-releasing old players. Indeed, after the D2 in 2006 and the D2+ in 2009, here is the D20 in 2013! Is this the D2+ Plus?

The recipe is easy: take a D2+, keep exactly the same outdated design, just upgrade the CPU and improve battery life. Don’t forget to update it with the terrible C2 UI and there you have it, a fresh new product for almost no cost!

This is really disappointing in 2013. Not to mention the outdated 2.5″ LCD 320×240 touchscreen, most likely still using the resistive technology. Nothing much exciting except the very good battery life (up to 90hrs in audio and 13hrs in video) and the powerful output (29 mW/ch).

The Cowon D20 is available in 8, 16 and 32GB capacities featuring an SD slot for expansion. Unfortunately this is not a SDXC slot, so you will be stuck with 32GB cards officially and possibly 64GB (or more) cards unofficially. That’s if they follow SD version 3.0 and are reformatted FAT32. But do not expect it to support the upcoming SDXC cards with new SD version 4.0.

That’s also if there is no file number limit in firmware. Past Cowon firmwares have limited the number of files per memory so larger capacity SDXC cards may not be viable in any case.

The usual audio formats are supported, MP3, WMA, OGG, FLAC, WAV and APE. The BBE+ sound effects are still present. There’s no mention of AAC support but that’s been unofficially present in other Cowons so there’s a good chance that will continue.

The video formats are AVI, WMV (codecs Xvid SP / ASP, WMV 7/8/9). Not quite as extensive as past Cowons but decent.

There’s also a FM tuner, a built-in speaker and a composite TV-out. Dimensions are 78 x 55,4 x 16,6 mm and weight is 86 g.

Strangely this device has been spotted on Cowon Russia website first but it should be released in other countries too. No prices have been announced yet.

[Cowon Russia via iAudiophile | Thanks to Kizune for the tip]

The post Cowon D20: back to 2006… appeared first on Anything But iPod.

Reverberation speakers can be found everywhere these days. Instead of producing audio themselves, they transmit vibrations onto a large surface that acts as the actual speaker. The models you find tend to be cheap, novelty gadgets made more for the geek factor of having a device that turns surfaces into speakers than to actually produce good sound, and the Bass Egg project is all about changing that.

The project creators claim to want to build a reverberation speaker that is the “(…) “best in class” reverberation speaker, our goal was to develop a product with the following attributes: Small and Portable, Sleek, Wireless and Easy to Use, and Durable.” Whether or not they succeed remains to be seen, but they might just be onto something here. I have a reverberation speaker on my desk right now, the Mighty Boom Ball, and while it’s fun to play around it, it can’t match the sound quality of my mm28 portable speaker (which, for the record, is much much bigger). For a speaker that’s dependent on a surface to be a success, it has to provide better a better sound/size ratio that traditional portable speakers.

Kickstarter is a site where you can pledge a project to help fund it, meaning you’re not legally guaranteed the resulting product if the project fails. However, the Bass Egg is apparently ready for production, and might ship as early as January. With a Kickstarter price of $95 and a retail price of $120 though, it better be worth it.

[Kickstarter]

The post The Bass Egg Project on Kickstarter wants to create a good reverberation speaker appeared first on Anything But iPod.

digiZoid is having a fall sale right now on their ZO 2 personal subwoofer. The ZO 2 was released almost a year ago, and is the successor to the original ZO that Martin reviewed last summer. The ZO 2 is a “portable subwoofer,” essentially a headphone amp that focuses heavily on boosting bass, without completely destroying the sound in the process.

I have a ZO 2, and I’d describe it as a hardware version of the Mach3bass (BBE) technology licensed by Cowon. They’re not actually related, but I can count on one hand the number of bass boosting technologies I’ve tried and actually like, and on that one hand I only really need two fingers: One for the ZO 2 and one for Mach3bass. It’s a great little device, and the only portable headphone amp I actually still have and use.

Anyways, the sale puts the ZO2 at $85, which is $35 off the retail price. I caught wind of the sale a bit late, and it actually ends on Sunday, November 18th, so there aren’t many days left to take advantage of this deal. I love my ZO 2, so I can whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone who think their music could use a bit more “oomph.”

[digiZoid]

The post digiZoid ZO 2 on sale until the 18th for $85 appeared first on Anything But iPod.

Last week, Ian showed how to fix a missing clip on a SanDisk Sansa Clip Plus. I removed the clip from mine on purpose, and used it like that for years, but then I suddenly had a bigger problem: a missing battery.

During one of my usual DIY projects, my trusty old Clip Plus became the unfortunate victim of a stabbing. I manged to jam a blade into the battery of all things, causing it to make some unapproving noises and some unexpected fireworks. I thought it would be a goner after that, but once the battery was removed, the Clip Plus booted back up aided by USB power.

I have a 5000mAh external battery that I carry around to charge my gadgets when needed, and I figured I might as well pair the two and see what happened. As expected, the Clip Zip runs just fine off the battery, and if it’s slightly less portable. I’ve actually used it like that a couple of times – not for prolonged music listening sessions, but for situations when I needed a quick audio source or microSD formater.

I’m not sure how this system does in terms of energy loss, since it’s technically running in charging mode without a battery to charge and all that. However, the original battery is 330mAh, and gives a (rated) battery life of 15 hours. With no loss of energy, that should give about 230 hours on a single charge. Obviously you could just use such a battery with a working Clip, but there’s something about the thinness of the battery-less Clip Plus that almost makes me want to embed the thing into the 5000mAh battery itself.

The post How to fix a missing battery on a Sansa Clip+ appeared first on Anything But iPod.

MyMemory, a UK-based website that ships worldwide, currently has the 4GB Sansa Clip Zip in both black and red for £26.96. Those are British pounds, which means that Americans will still find a better deal on Amazon.com, but Europeans might want to check it out. The two other colors the site stocks, blue and purple, are currently priced closer to the £55 MSRP, but might come down as well. I wouldn’t wait too long though, as MeMemory is infamous for changing prices almost daily.

I’m tempted to get one myself, as my Clip Plus is kinda…under the weather. I showed how to make a small DAP like that slave to a smartphone/tablet a while back, and part of me wants to get a Zip working that way, why the other part doesn’t want to get into the dedicated DAP game again. Either way it’s an awesome price, and definitely worth taking advantage of for those that have been eyeing the Zip.

[MyMemory: Black | Red ]

The post Deal alert: Sansa Clip Zip on sale in Europe for £27 appeared first on Anything But iPod.

Sometimes, electronics companies release limited edition devices aimed at people who have a lot of money. That happened back in 2005, when Samsung released the YP-W3 pocket watch style DAP. One of the versions of the DAP came with all the bells and whistles, including platinum plating, eight diamonds, a wooden box, the best earphones Samsung had at the time, and more. The cost? €999, or about $1300 with today’s exchange rate.

The combination of a high cost and few units made caused this DAP to be somewhat of an impossible dream for many DAP collectors, including our forum moderator, lebellium. Thanks to the miracle of eBay, however, he managed to get his hands on a used one 7 years later, for the much nicer price of €70. It might be 7 years old and technically outdated by now, but the YP-W3 is a very special piece of DAP history. Lebellium now has a review of the player in our forums, so if you want to read about the DAP that cost more than a nice set of high-end tablets today, check out the review by hitting the link below.

[ABi Forums]

The post From the forums: €999 Samsung YP-W3 retro review appeared first on Anything But iPod.

zP0KE recommends using ACCO KLIX Classic Metal paper fasteners as a replacement to the stock clip (you can use other types of clips as well provided they can withstand the strain). If you reside within the US, you can pick these up at a local Staples office supply store, or you can order them from Amazon directly.

For this project you will need:

• Small piece of sandpaper (about 220 grit as was recommended by Voodude)
• Sansa Clip/Clip+
• ACCO KLIX clip
• Epoxy (I recommend 5 minute quick set)
• Masking tape
• Some disposable cardboard and Popsicle sticks (for mixing the Epoxy)
• Rubbing alcohol (70% or higher works best)
• Soft cloth
• Rubber band

The steps are as follows:

1. Having a well lit clean work area with everything on hand is the first step toward success.

2. Get the cloth mildly damp with the rubbing alcohol and clean off the back of the Sansa Clip. Then let it dry for a few moments.

3. Take the sandpaper and rough up the middle area on the back of the Sansa Clip as well as the back of the ACCO KLIX clip. (By roughing up both sides we are ensuring that the Epoxy has a firm surface to attach to.) Then wipe off the dust from both the Sansa Clip and the ACCO clip using the wet cloth, and again wait for both surfaces to dry.

4. Tape an outline of a small square where you will put the Epoxy to bind the two together permanently, where the inside of the square is the back of the player and the outside of the square is the tape protecting the surface (this will keep excess glue from scuffing up the back of the Sansa Clip).

5. Take the Epoxy, squeeze some out on the cardboard, and mix the two part combo together using the Popsicle stick (as per the instructions on the Epoxy).

6. Use the Popsicle stick to put the some of the epoxy in the middle of the square outline of tape on the Sansa Clip (it shouldn’t take very much) and then press the rough side of the ACCO clip to the Epoxy. Rubber band it in place so it will stay secure while it dries. (As stated in the original tutorial, you will want to make sure the ACCO clip is open while the Epoxy is drying as to not glue it permanently shut.)

7. Now let the player sit so the Epoxy has time to cure; while five-minute Epoxy sets in a short amount of time it does not gain its full strength until after 24 hours.

8. After the Epoxy has had enough time to fully cure, remove the masking tape off the back of the player by peeling it off gently. Clean off the back of the player with the soft cloth and rubbing alcohol to get rid of any left over residue if so desired.

Now you have a completed repair job! And one that looks dang good to boot!

You can also use this guide to attach a clip to another MP3 player or just about any other device, just so long the clip you are attaching is heavy duty enough to support the weight.

Any comments, questions, or suggestions? Feel free to let me know in the comments!

The post How to repair a broken clip on a Sandisk Sansa Clip+ appeared first on Anything But iPod.

If you’re anything like me, you like to have the best sound quality possible, whenever possible. This means doing simple things like tweaking the equalizer and getting better headphones to major undertakings like re-ripping your entire music library to Lossless encoding.

An often overlooked area in the pursuit for better sound quality is making sure all your player’s contacts and connectors are clean, especially since a pocket is sanctuary for dust, moisture, and other harmful debris. I have been asked why cleaning a headphone jack is important and I always give this example:  if you have distortion (static, etc.) while playing music and have to either disconnect and then reconnect the headphones or turn the headphone jack to make it go away, then cleaning your headphone jack might help with this problem.

Luckily, cleaning a headphone jack is quick and easy. With a few simple steps you can be on your way to musical bliss.

Step 1: Have a nice clean work area with plenty of light, then gather the supplies you will need. In this case it will be some Q-tips, some rubbing alcohol (70% or higher works better), and a soft cloth towel. (Some other guides and tutorials recommend using pipe cleaners or dental brushes instead of Q-tips, but I do not recommend using those as they contain metal and can break a headphone jack.)

Step 2: Pull most of the cotton fuzz off the Q-tip until just a thin film is remaining. (Q-tips with all the cotton are too big to fit in a 3.5mm headphone jack.) You will want to make sure that all the remaining cotton is firmly attached as you don’t want any coming loose while cleaning.

Step 3: Get the Q-tip lightly damp with rubbing alcohol (be careful, as too much rubbing alcohol could damage the player), and proceed to gently stick the damp end of the Q-tip in the headphone jack of the MP3 player. (Be careful to not force the Q-tip in too far as that can also damage the player.) Once inserted, turn the Q-tip back and forth for a few revolutions and remove. If your MP3 player is anything like mine the Q-tip will come out dirty (which is a good thing).

Step 4: We will also want to clean the headphone connector on the headphones themselves. We can do this by getting the towel damp with the rubbing alcohol and gently cleaning the tip of the headphone jack.

Step 5: After all of the former steps are complete, we’ll let the the player and the headphones dry for a few minutes and try them out. If your music sounds better than before or you no longer have to twist and turn the headphones, then Success!

Since cleaning the headphone jack, my sound quality has gone back to how it was when the player was new, which makes me a happy camper! Just thought I would share this with everyone as I see it as a good practice to make sure your player is always performing at its best.

Let me know what your experiences/preferences are in the comments.

The post How to clean a headphone jack appeared first on Anything But iPod.

Sure, the quality is awful and all that, but who here doesn’t ever go to YouTube to find music? I find myself doing it quite a bit, sometimes just to listen to some old pop songs for the laughs, but most often to listen to artists you don’t find anywhere else. Be it true cover songs or someone playing the Game of Thrones theme on a violin, YouTube is full of music you don’t get elsewhere, and I frankly prefer a lot of it to what comes out of the studios these days. Justin Bieber may have been discovered on YouTube, but I won’t hold that against it.

A very neat app for these situations is PVSTAR+ for Android. It allows you to create playlists of YouTube videos, and then play them using many of the same controls you get in a normal media player. It even supports background play, so you don’t have to keep the screen on. Using the app fully requires an internet connection, however there is a caching system in place for offline use. It’s not all there, unfortunately, as you have to play the videos for them to be cached, and even then I’ve had mixed results. The app also has a few quirks, like some videos simply failing to play without a good explanation, and the need to “catch up” when just switching back into the app from using background play/the screen being off (due to it switching video back on – there should be a delay on this in my opinion).

Despite a few issues, it does what it claims, and it does it pretty well. I’ve found myself using it more and more simply because of the convenience factor, as it’s much easier than downloading videos using video downloaders (which isn’t complicated, but takes time). The app is available in both a free ad-supported version and a $4.40 ad-free version.

Download: Google Play

The post PVSTAR+ for Android gives you YouTube in media player form appeared first on Anything But iPod.