Very good all around

This is my second iAudio X5 product. I upgraded my old 30GB model for this 60GB. I have to say I really love it. It has almost everyting that you could ask for from an mp3 player. My main reason in leaning towards this product was the lack of necessity for a special software, and that comuters can read and write to X5 like a regular external hard drive. This, plus the folder/subfolder/file system -which is a much better cataloguing method than mp3 tags- makes finding and navigating tthrough your collection much easier. Especially if you primarily listen to classical music it is a big help, since you may have a folder system such as : Classical/Beethoven/String Quartets/Late Quartets/Op 132/the Lindays/xxx.mp3

The sound is very good indeed, I do not like to use any enhancers such as EQ's or the Jet effects still you hear a robust natural sound. My only complaint is the earphones that come with the X5 which are shaped weird, the ear piece is too large and the right earphone keeps falling off your ear both due to the weird shape and the curiously miscalculated cord.



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Beware of DRM file formats

After careful consideration of sites like Napster and other download music file "To-Go" types. The iAudioX5 will not be recognized or music files(DRM)will not play. Even when the firmware is upgraded to 2.11_b1. Also if you have Windows XP the drive has to be formatted in FAT32 and the max partition is 32G leaving a wasted partition that the iAudioX5 firmware will not use for file storage because it is designed for a single partition. So if you need to "wipe" the iAudioX5 drive Windows 98(SE)can do this upto 2T in FAT32 or a third party software on Windows XP OS (although it needs to port through USB2.0 as well). NTFS formatting will not work! as the firmware is written to look at FAT32 sectors. Other than that this unit has many features and functionality that surpasses any iPOD!

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Highly frustrated

After my trusty Archos player's display broke, I figured I upgrade and get me a 60GB iAudio X5. As a journalist doing interviews, I was also very giddy to get the line-in to record interviews straight to mp3. A friend of mine loves his player, so I didn't even flinch when I saw the price.

Ever since then I regret my decision.

Apparently my player has a software problem. It speeds up all my mp3 files. I tried several different programs to rip the mp3s and always got the same thing. That is when I was actually able to upload mp3s, because oftentimes I received error messages and the player refused to do as told.

So what then: Upgrade the firmware. Sure. If you can make it work and I couldn't. The description online is poorly written. But it's essentially like this: Start with a fully loaded battery. Unplug the A/C cabel and unpload the Firmware. Now replug the A/C cable and that should tell the player to update the firmware. Well all it does is conclude that the battery isn't full anymore so it better recharges and does nothing else.

I.e. I couldn't get the firmware to update and I tried for the last hour.

Therefore I'll take the player back to the store and ask for a refund. And I'll get another Archos - and continue to live with its misely 20GB.

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