Cowon iAudio E3 review: The lone ranger in a nearly extinct segment

We haven’t seen MP3 players in our test labs in quite a while. Cowon is one of the few players who keeps coming out with MP3 players on a regular basis. We had last seen the Cowon D20 last year which although was a decent performer, had steep pricing. This time we have the Cowon iAudio E3 with us which comes with a unique design. But is this incentive enough to invest into a dying product segment? Let’s find out.

Build and Design

[caption id=“attachment_226639” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”] You can measure the steps you have walked and calories burnt under the Fitness section[/caption]

Like we said above, the Cowon iAudio E3 comes with a unique design. You have a 0.95-inch OLED monochrome display on top in the form of a square shaped bulk as compared to the rest of the slim stem of the E3 - it’s just 3.9mm thick. The all-plastic build is quite sturdy and we did not notice any sort of flex on the stem. On the top you have the 3.5mm audio jack and the power/standby button. The controls are all touch sensitive and located on the stem of the E3.

  [caption id=“attachment_226642” align=“aligncenter” width=“675”] The 3.5mm audio jack to USB adapter helps transfer music and charge the E3, but it can be easily misplaced if you aren’t careful[/caption]

Thanks to the minimal design, there is barely any scope to go wrong. It weighs just 21 grams. One thing we would have liked to see is a microUSB port for data transfer, as the only way to transfer music to the E3 is via the 3.5mm audio jack to USB adapter. Now we don’t have any issues with that, but the adapter is quite tiny and it can easily be misplaced.

Features

[caption id=“attachment_226640” align=“aligncenter” width=“691”] Cowon iAudio E3 comes with the JetEffect BBE+ presets[/caption]

Cowon iAudio E3 is quite a spartan MP3 player with the ability to record audio as well. It comes in two capacities 8GB and 16GB - we tested the 8GB model. There are four main menus - the first deals with music, second with fitness, third with recording and the final menu is for settings. The iAudio E3 houses a G-sensor which measures steps as you walk, as well as shows you the calories burnt. You will need to purchase the clip separately to attach the E3 to your pocket or armband, as it is so light that it is quite inconvenient to keep it in your pocket while running, without the player starting to jump around. There is a minor slit on the rear side behind the screen, which hides the  microphone for recording the audio. The E3’s controls come with a capacitive touchpad. Using it one handed can be a bit awkward for those with large hands.

  [caption id=“attachment_226643” align=“aligncenter” width=“691”] The stem has the controls arranged in the form of directional keys. They are all touch sensitive.[/caption]

Learning to navigate the menu is easy. By default, the music menu lists the songs as a continuous list. But you have the provision to play music from the folders you stored it in or according to artists or genre and so on. It can play audio formats such as MP3, OGG, FLAC, WMA and WAV.

  [caption id=“attachment_226644” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”] The E3 gives you the option to listen to songs in a list or via folders segregated by genres, artists and so on[/caption]

The unique selling point of Cowon media players are the presets. Cowon iAudio E3 also comes with 11 presets including 2 user presets. The renowned JetAudio BBE+ preset is also present with options such as Mach3Bass, 3D Surround, MP Enhance and so on for different kinds of music.

Performance

We tested the Cowon iAudio E3 with bundled earphones. They are standard earphones with a metallic mesh with a white cord which matches the colour of the E3. They fit most ears well, and although they don’t offer as much of an isolation, once you crank up the volume, you won’t really notice the surrounding noise.

As in the past, the Cowon media players have rarely disappointed on the audio front. The audio quality was quite good. There was barely any sound distortion despite maxing out the volume. It has 32 levels of volume and it is sufficiently loud. Even though the earphones aren’t noise cancelling variety, when listening to it outdoors, the traffic noise isn’t much of an annoyance.

  [caption id=“attachment_226641” align=“alignnone” width=“691”] The Cowon iAudio E3 just has a 3.5mm audio jack and a power/reset button on top[/caption]  

By default the audio is in the Normal mode, but play around with the JetEffect BBE+ settings and you will get a much better audio experience. Two User settings allows you to adjust the BBE (adds detail), Mach3Bass (bass boost), 3D Surround and MP Enhance (used to enhance low quality audio files, comes with the on/off setting). We threw all kinds of music from Porcupine Tree and Pink Floyd’s progressive rock, Eminem’s rap numbers to classical instrumental fare.The vocals on all the tracks were crystal clear across the the volume range. The iAudio E3 is particularly responsive to the mid-range frequencies. Bass is quite mellow and you really won’t get that booming effect. Instrument separation was quite good considering we were using bundled earphones.

It is quite easy to apply the wrong kind of equaliser settings to the music you are listening to, but you will never have the issue of sound distortion despite doing that. Increasing the Mach3Bass, which basically adds a bass boost, to maximum under the user settings, does not give out of a booming sound. On the whole, the sound quality is one area where there aren’t many problems.

Fitness section gives you the number of steps you have walked along with the calories burnt indication. Quite a nifty tool on the E3. Another feature we liked was the Record function. There are three microphone levels and we noticed that with the High level activated, we could manage to record a conversation with the E3 on the table, but the sound quality wasn’t the best. Considering it stores recorded audio in the WAV format, you can’t expect much. But we found that the best way to record would be to hold the E3 like a microphone when recording something.

  [caption id=“attachment_226645” align=“alignnone” width=“691”] The iAudio E3 is a clever little gadget but probably a little to late to make a sizable impact[/caption]  

The battery takes around 2 hours to charge completely and can easily last over 8 hours. With the fitness mode on, you may see the battery life come down by some time.

Verdict and Price in India

The iAudio E3 continues the tradition of Cowon of offering good overall sound quality. The E3 surely impresses with its minimal design and bundled with a clip (bought separately for Rs 250) it can be quite convenient to carry around, as you don’t necessarily need to put it inside your pocket, which are already full with your smartphone(s) or keys or wallets. Sure the form factor is unconventional and will taking some getting used to, the E3 is a pleasant companion on your daily commute. Features such as Fitness and Record audio are decent additions.

But pricing is one area where we are concerned. Paying Rs 5,500 for an MP3 player in this day and age sounds a bit much. Also features such as G Sensor and recording audio are already present on your cellphone, which you carry with you all the time. We don’t see any reason for buying a separate device just for that. It all boils down to audio quality, where the E3 delivers. But at Rs 5000 plus price point it is difficult to recommend. It offers four times the capacity offered by the Apple iPod shuffle (2GB) and many more features.We think a price point closer to Rs 4000 would be just right.