O2 review coming soon - post your questions here

[dfkt]

Professor Farnsworth voice: Good news everyone, my O2 is already on its way.

If you have any questions regarding the O2, please post them here. I will attempt to answer them in my upcoming review.

Like this:

Originally Posted by Tario70

1. Is there a size limit imposed on the SDHC card slot?
2. How is Battery Life diminished (if at all) when reading from the SDHC Card?
3. What class (ie: Class 4 or 6) SDHC would be best for Music? For Videos?
4. Would This Be A Good Replacement for a Zen Vision W?

[dfkt]

1. I assume you don't mean the limit of SDHC cards (which go up to 32GB at the moment), but the silly file/folder limits Cowon imposed on the D2 firmware? I'm sure to check that out. I'm already certain any SDHC-standard card will work, though.

2. Using the SD card gave a little decrease in battery life on the D2, indeed. Will check how the O2 holds up - especially since the O2's battery life is rated a lot below the D2, at least for audio.

3. This one I can answer upfront: the SDHC speed class doesn't matter for playback. Any old card will do. The transfer rate difference is only noticeable with higher speed card readers in general. Most DAPs are on the slower side, so a class 6 card is usually only really useful when you have a fast external SD reader. Nevertheless, most SDHC cards nowadays are class 6 already, so why settle for less?

4. On paper, it certainly looks that way. A lot more audio/video codecs supported, higher resolutions, BBE audio enhancements, MSC/MTP, file/folder and ID3 browsing, etc - We'll see how it holds up in reality...

[Tario70]

Just came up with a couple more questions.

1. Is the SDHC Card file listing integrated or do you select the location of the storage first?
2. Since the Battery is integrated, is there info on how to replace it in the box?
3. Any place that you could recommend buying the player from? Preferably a place that offers & backs up their warranties?

Okay I think that is it. Can you tell I'm going through PMP withdrawls? Ever since my Zen Vision W died (a 2nd time after replaced the Hard drive) I've been looking for a good flash based PMP!

~Tario70

[Tario70]

Originally Posted by dfkt

1. I assume you don't mean the limit of SDHC cards (which go up to 32GB at the moment), but the silly file/folder limits Cowon imposed on the D2 firmware? I'm sure to check that out. I'm already certain any SDHC-standard card will work, though.

2. Using the SD card gave a little decrease in battery life on the D2, indeed. Will check how the O2 holds up - especially since the O2's battery life is rated a lot below the D2, at least for audio.

3. This one I can answer upfront: the SDHC speed class doesn't matter for playback. Any old card will do. The transfer rate difference is only noticeable with higher speed card readers in general. Most DAPs are on the slower side, so a class 6 card is usually only really useful when you have a fast external SD reader. Nevertheless, most SDHC cards nowadays are class 6 already, so why settle for less?

4. On paper, it certainly looks that way. A lot more audio/video codecs supported, higher resolutions, BBE audio enhancements, MSC/MTP, file/folder and ID3 browsing, etc - We'll see how it holds up in reality...

dfkt,

1. You hit the nail right on the head with that question. I'm more concerned about file limits than anything as I've seen good deals on Class 4, 32GB SDHC cards. This is important as I have just over 30GB of music.

2. Appreciate it.

3. The only reason I'd get a class 4 over 6 is in the 32GB department. The SDHC Class 4 Cards are at least half the cost of Class 6 cards. Being as I'm trying to ensure I have at least 64GB (bringing me back to my original Zen Vision W's capacity).

4. That of course is the big questions isn't it. Reality can be such a pain in the boo-tay!!!!

~Tario70

[Andreas]

Originally Posted by dfkt

3. This one I can answer upfront: the SDHC speed class doesn't matter for playback. Any old card will do. The transfer rate difference is only noticeable with higher speed card readers in general. Most DAPs are on the slower side, so a class 6 card is usually only really useful when you have a fast external SD reader. Nevertheless, most SDHC cards nowadays are class 6 already, so why settle for less?

Also SDHC class also doesnt matter when it comes to speed. The class rating is the MINIMUM write speed achieved, but the actual speed differs from card to card. For instance, my Class 4 Sandisk Ultra II sdhc card writes big files at 16MB/s while my Class 6 A-data card writes big files at 10MB/s. On a sidenote, class 6 and class 4 are normally very close in price, in fact most bigger cards ive seen are class 6 and cost very little. The main use for fast cards are if you use a card reader to transfer big files.

[Tario70]

Originally Posted by Cptnodegard

Also SDHC class also doesnt matter when it comes to speed. The class rating is the MINIMUM write speed achieved, but the actual speed differs from card to card. For instance, my Class 4 Sandisk Ultra II sdhc card writes big files at 16MB/s while my Class 6 A-data card writes big files at 10MB/s. On a sidenote, class 6 and class 4 are normally very close in price, in fact most bigger cards ive seen are class 6 and cost very little. The main use for fast cards are if you use a card reader to transfer big files.

Cptnodegard,

That's interesting on the price side of things. When I did searches for 32GB SDHC cards, the class 4's were near $100 bucks with the Class 6's near $300 (though I see some off-brands are way cheaper & closer to the brand class 4 cards). Either way, it seems either type of card will work just fine for either Music or Video. I'd likely keep the music on the player with Video on the SDHC card.

Thanks for The Info...

~Tario70

[Andreas]

I see now that most 32GB cards are class 4. Also the Ultra II 32GB cards dont seem to be out in the US, they are over here in norway and cost LESS than the crappy kingston ones and the other 32GB cards. yes its class 4 but as i said its faster than class 6

[Tario70]

Originally Posted by Cptnodegard

I see now that most 32GB cards are class 4. Also the Ultra II 32GB cards dont seem to be out in the US, they are over here in norway and cost LESS than the crappy kingston ones and the other 32GB cards. yes its class 4 but as i said its faster than class 6

Yes I'm looking on-line & the Ultra II 32GB cards all seem to say "coming soon" but they are around $150 USD vs. nearly $300 USD for the Kingston. PNY also has one that is also available for $135 USD on buy.com so at least I have options!

[DaremoS]

You are the proper users to answer the most important question for audiophiles... how is SQ of O2.

No idea for the moment about if it uses a dedicated audio chipset, but TI chipset have an excellent reputation concerning sound. It will be great to read in your review if this is maintained... and a good reason for order an O2.

[dfkt]

I can only say so much as of now, the TI chipset used in the X5 does indeed sound "warmer" and more "laid back" than the "somewhat harsh" D2 Wolfson/Telechips. Let's see how the O2 fares...

[FMerrin]

Anything and everything about directory browsing! After having to deal with Zen and the horrible lack of any ability to browse by directories, I made this my top priority for any next player...

So:

- Can O2 browse files by directories?
- Can it browse by directories on SDHC cards?
- If so, does browsing by directories display filenames or only ID3 tags?
- Are file extensions displayed?
- Can files be sorted from the O2's level? If so, can they be sorted by extension, too?
- When a single file is added to a directory, will O2 sort it, showing its place in accordance with the first letter of its filename (as should be the case), or will that new file show up at the end of the directory list (as the Zen and its ilk would do)?

Oh, and from another field - how does the built-in speaker perform?

[DaremoS]

Originally Posted by dfkt

I can only say so much as of now, the TI chipset used in the X5 does indeed sound "warmer" and more "laid back" than the "somewhat harsh" D2 Wolfson/Telechips. Let's see how the O2 fares...

That's why I say that you are the right person to judge SQ of O2. BTW... Cowon iAudio X5 is based in chipset Coldfire SCF5250 + codec Texas Instruments TI TLV320AIC23B, which is known by its sound quality.

[sprockkets]

Can you test a file/encode for me? I can encode a simple 1 min 640x480 x264/vorbis/mkv file to see how well it handles the format and how high a level a profile it can handle.

[no9]

1. Did they learn from the D2 and it's bass roll off?

2. Is it picky like the D2 with start up times and the formatting of cards?

3. How is the video out?

4. How does it do rebuilding the database after a SD card hot swap?

5. What screen protector will you use with it?

6. Are the problems EnzoTen ran into fixable via firmware updates, or have they addressed these issues already?

7. How's it do with a picky set of IEMs like the Shure 530 or when used with a fiio amp?

[Loba]

1. If you have cowon A3, can you test H.264 videos on both O2 and A3?

2. Screenshots of the resolution of O2 as well. Thanks!

[Andreas]

Originally Posted by Loba

1. If you have cowon A3, can you test H.264 videos on both O2 and A3?

2. Screenshots of the resolution of O2 as well. Thanks!

Your first question is already answered in the A3 review and O2 preview on the front page. I have no idea what you mean with screenshot of the resolution, but maybe this can help: http://www.anythingbutipod.com/archi...on-roundup.php

[dfkt]

Originally Posted by sprockkets

Can you test a file/encode for me? I can encode a simple 1 min 640x480 x264/vorbis/mkv file to see how well it handles the format and how high a level a profile it can handle.

Sure, just upload it somewhere... let's see if the O2 actually can handle Matroska with anything besides MPEG4-SP/MP3 inside.

[sprockkets]

The files start with the name Pizza, and is a short 3:32 video clip from Unwrapped as to how Papa Johns makes their pizza. Each file is names with what features and profile it matches to.

Location: ftp://jstech.myvnc.com

[dfkt]

The FTP is down...

[sprockkets]

Try again, I changed some settings of it and that probably messed it up.