Best MP3 Player: Overview of the Cowon J3 16GB

If you are searching for a new MP3 player, then the Cowon J3 is certainly worthy of consideration. It has found its way onto many a list of top MP3 players, and for those who really care about the sound quality of a portable music device, then perhaps this will be the one for you. In fact, it is one of the best-sounding players on the market today - sound quality is something which Cowon have acquired an outstanding reputation for. Certainly, in our house, it has found its way onto the Christmas list of my conscientious and gadget obsessed other half. A bit of a techno geek - both at work and at home - he is after the best MP3 player that expenditure allows, and he definitely knows his stuff. Cowon have a good range of players overall, but the J3 series, unlike the cheaper i9 series, has expandable memory which is perhaps desired if your collection of music and files is very large and growing. 

So why should you choose the Cowon J3 MP3 Player above the others?

Well, first and foremost the Cowon J3 is an advanced MP3 player with superb sound quality. This is the ideal MP3 player for those who are really serious about the audio quality of a portable device. It is even better with the Jet Effect Music Enhancement feature, which will really improve the overall quality of your listening experience, enabling you to fully configure your music until it is just how you want it. You can refine the sound quality, provide sonic restoration for compressed music formats, apply 3D surround and tighten and deepen the bass, plus there is a customizeable 5-band equalizer with adjustable band and bandwidth filter.

The sleek and stylish appearance of the J3 will certainly impress. It is available in either black or white, with black being the most popular choice. The J3 in black is slim sophistication - it is only 9mm thick and is also extremely light.

The Cowon J3 boasts a smart, anti-scratch touchscreen and an incredible AMOLED display for the quality viewing of videos and images. This is a 3.3 inch (viewable size), 16 million color display with 480 x 272 pixel resolution. The screen can be viewed in low light as well as in bright light, and can be viewed from virtually all angles when tipped, due to its G-sensor accelerometer. AMOLED stands for active matrix organic light-emitting diode. It does not require backlighting, thus providing brighter, truer colors because they are not washed out by the backlight. Colors are brighter and blacks appear darker. Images are sharper. AMOLED coverts electrical signals into video 1000 times faster than conventional LCD. Not only that, but an AMOLED display does not drain the battery as quickly as an LCD screen.

In fact, the battery life of the Cowon J3 is excellent. With up to 64 hours of audio playback on a single charge, and 11 hours of video playback, it won't leave you disappointed. Great for those who love to listen to music all day - perhaps both at work and on the journey to and from.

The Cowon J3 16GB has the capacity to store around 4000 songs, 20,000 photos or 20 hours of video. It also has a SD memory card slot allowing for expansion, which is one of its key selling features. For instance, with the 16GB player, you can add a 16GB memory card, giving you a 32GB player. This can be a more economical way to upgrade your MP3 player, rather than paying upfront for the larger memory. It can support audio files in MP3, WMA, OCG, FLAC, WAV and APE formats; video files in AVI, WMV or ASF formats; JPEG image format and TXT text files.

This MP3 player has built-in Bluetooth support, a built-in microphone for voice recording (great for lectures and lengthy meetings) and the ability to listen to and record live radio. The 'jogshuttle' control allows you to select different radio stations. You can also view detailed track information onscreen with meta tag support. You can drag and drop your folders for simple and easy file management.

Although the Cowon J3 has an excellent and easy to use touchscreen, it also has additional physical buttons on the side of the player. This enables you to use it without looking; for instance, when you are walking with the player in your pocket.

All in all, the Cowon J3 16GB MP3 Player boasts unquestionably superior sound quality, and it is this accolade, plus its expandable memory and lengthy battery life which is its strongest selling point. This is an MP3 player for those who are really serious about the sound of their music, as opposed to the distraction of numerous additional features such as those found on the Ipod, for example. The Cowon J3 does not have Wi-Fi or internet browser, and this is not really a gadget for game players. What the Cowon J3 is, is audio at its best. It is excellent to begin with, and with the application of the sound enhancement tools it is even better.

The Cowon J3 16GB MP3 Player comes with a 12 month warranty, earphones, a USB 2.0 cable, user guide and Manual CD.