The reasons why I chose the M3L...
Written: Jan 16 '06 (Updated Jan 16 '06)
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Pros: Many audio formats supported, 35 hours battery life, FM Radio recording, and aluminum body.
Cons: Remote costs $55 and navigation without remote is tedious.
The Bottom Line: The M3L is for music lovers that want to play their music non-stop. The numerous audio formats supported and long battery life makes the M3L the ultimate HDD DAP.
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| lsportline43's Full Review: Cowon Systems iAUDIO M3L (20 GB) MP3 Player |
The M3L is by far the superior mp3 player on the market. It has 35 hours battery life while playing 128 kbps MP3s. The M3L supports MP3, OGG, WMA, ASF, and FLAC. Although playing higher quality music formats will decrease battery life slightly. Even with the decrease the M3L surely will have better battery life than the competitor. As a side note many MP3 player manufactures advertise battery life the player receives when playing the lowest quality bit rate. For example, 48 kbps mp3 files.
My former HDD player was an iRiver H120. It was a really great player, but there were a few things that the M3L had that the H120 didn't have. That would include the extended battery life compared to the H120's 16 hours. Also iRiver was becoming lazy with creating new firmware and I grew tired of listening to their lies. I knew it was time for a new HDD player, so I sold my H120 on eBay. Now Rockbox makes a custom firmware for the H120, so the features have increased.
After visiting www.iAudiophile.com I knew that I had to get an iAudio M3L. Although it was one of the more expensive players on the market at the time it was a still a great buy in my opinion. I purchased the M3L from www.Shopsuntec.com for $350 shipped. Before making my choice of buying the M3L I was thinking about the H320, but I realized that I would only end up dealing with iRiver's lies again. Now it has been about 12 months and I don't regret purchasing the M3L whatsoever. (www.Shopsuntec.com has either gone out of business or they're not operating now. I would recommend staying away from them, for there have been complaints of non-received items.)
The Review:
1. What is in the box?
2. Differences between iAudio M3L and iRiver H120
3. Description of how I use my MP3 Players
4. Features
5. M3L's uniqueness
6. Flaws...
7. Firmware
8. Sound
9. Recording
1. What is in the box?
The box that the M3L came in is nothing fancy. The box has a clear plastic cover that displays the M3L itself and the LCD remote. Once I opened the box and felt the M3L's Aluminum body it was amazing! The metal skin of the M3L felt cold to the touch. It felt very solid. I thought that once I had the M3L I would regret that it didn't have a screen on the player, but that wasn't true.
The package that I ordered came with the optional cradle. The M3L requires the cradle or sub-pack for recharging, recording through the Line-In, using the Line-Out, or transferring through the USB. The cloth carrying case that the M3L comes with seems cheap and useless in pictures, but in real life it is rather the opposite. I really like the case and wouldn't replace it. There's also a CD that has some programs from iAudio. These programs aren't required for transferring files though. The M3L has the easy plug and play option. The headphones that were supplied didn't get any of my attention. I never touched them and still haven't. There's also a wire for the line-in recording. This wire connects to the M3L's Line-In and connects to another audio player's mini-jack to record from.
Here's an exact list of what's in the box:
-iAudio M3L HDD Player
-iAudio M3L LCD Wired Remote
-iAudio M3L Cradle
-iAudio M3L Sub-Pack
-iAudio Supplied Earphones (Don't know what the model name is)
-iAudio CD with iAudio Programs (Not required to use these programs)
-iAudio M3L Manual
-iAudio Line-In Wire for recording from other sources with mini-jacks
-iAudio USB Cord
-iAudio Power Adapter
-Two Extra Clear Plastic Covers for the Remote's Screen
I didn't even look at the M3L's manual, for I had downloaded the manual online and read it before buying the player. I definitely recommend reading through the manual before using the M3L because there are many features that aren't obvious. Also there are warnings that are given in the manual. By the way the Manual provided has all the instructions in English, French, German, Spanish, Swedish, and Russian.
2. Differences between iAudio M3L and iRiver H120
After getting acquainted with the M3L I noticed that there were some difference between the M3L and H120. Some of the differences were good while some of the differences were not so great.
The first comparison would have to be the M3L's and H120's LCD remote. Before buying the M3L I thought that the M3L's LCD remote would be inferior. When seeing the M3L's remote up close it was hard to decide which was really better or worse. Both LCD remotes are very well built, but I knew that many iAudio M3 (iAudio has three different M3s: M3 20GB, M3 40GB, and M3L 20GB with extended battery life) remotes were defective. I will get into detail on this in the Flaws... section.
After comparing the remote I starting thinking of the differences between the H120's and M3L's build quality. They both fell very solid. And both feel heavy and seem to be able to handle a drop if they were dropped. (I wouldn't recommend dropping a HDD player though.) Even though both players are of great quality the M3L would last longer in the end. What I mean by this is that the M3L will be able to handle the test of time better than the H120. Without the LCD screen to crack or break the M3L's longevity is greater than the H120's. I wouldn't be surprised if both players were to last longer than 3 years though.
Another difference is that the M3L doesn't have any line in/out jacks, USB jack, or plug for recharging right on the player. The H120 has all these jacks right on the player at all times. The M3L requires either the cradle or the sub-pack. The sub-pack and cradle have the Line In/Out plug, Power Adapter plug, and USB plug. This would be inconvenient if you need to transfer files, record, recharge, or use the line out and forget to bring either the sub-pack or cradle.
Also both M3L and H120 are UMS (USB Mass Storage). This means that both can be loaded with data/information. Neither one requires the use of a program to transfer files.
3. Description of how I use my MP3 Players
When buying an MP3 Player consumers, such as me, want a player that meets their needs. In this section I will identify the reasons why the iAudio M3L is the perfect player for me. Also this may help readers consider whether or not the M3L is the player they want.
I use my portable music player just about everyday. The amount of time I use my player per day ranges from 1 hour up to 8 hours. Although I do use my player at home I listen to my music on my M3L mostly on the go.
I must say that HDD Players, such as the M3L and H120, are great for on the go listening. They're skip protection is wonderful. Both the M3L and H120 fill up their buffers within seconds. Also the hard drive is able to fill up the buffer even when undergoing small movement. For example, when walking, with player in pant pocket, the HDD player can still fill the buffer up. Although if running the HDD will have a harder time filling the buffer. I've been using HDD players for about a year and never have I had it skip. I really cannot say this for my former CD players.
My MP3 player sits in my jean pocket probably about 90% of the time it's in use. This is the reason why the remote alone, without a screen on the main unit, does not bother me. The screen on my H120 did not get much attention, for it too was always in my pocket.
When first considering the M3L I did not like the idea of the M3L not having the USB plug and Line In/Out on the player. The thought of the cradle or sub-pack being required for file transfer or recording made me list this as the M3L's flaw. After some thinking I realized that I do not transfer files outside my house nor do I record outside of my home. These facts made me understand that it would not be a problem to have to use the cradle or sub-pack for transfers and recording through the line in.
Basically I use my player everyday and it is usually never out of my pocket. The M3L definitely meets my needs for daily use as a music player.
4. Features
The M3L supports just about all the audio formats one uses in a portable music player. The supported audio format list is fairly large. Some audio formats supported include: MP3, OGG, and FLAC. Very few DAPs (Digital Audio Players) support the format FLAC. Though the FLAC format does not compress the file size by much, it also does not lose ANY quality. MP3 and OGG are examples of audio formats that do lose some quality, but also compress the file size much more than FLAC. Although you would have to have VERY sensitive hearing coupled with high quality audio headphones to hear a difference.
The supported audio formats can be played non-stop with the M3L. The 35 hour battery life really does last! I only use 320 kbps MP3s and I get about weeks worth of battery life. (That's with using the M3L about 1-3 hours a day on average.) The 35 hour battery life claim comes from playback of 128 kbps MP3s. This is the Cowon's way of doing their tests. Other companies, such as Sony, claim longer battery life, but their methods usually consist of using the lowest quality files. This would increase battery life, for the use of low quality files would use less CPU power and the HDD would spin up less often. For example, Sony's NW-HD5 claims a battery life of 40 hours. This is actually only true for files that are in Atrac, Sony's proprietary audio format, 48 kbps or some low quality similar to this.
Here is a list of other features to be covered later in the review:
-FM Radio with recording
-Line In for recording
-Line Out
-Firmware
5. M3L's uniqueness
This section is fairly simple to write, for it is obvious that the M3 line up is a one of a kind. The entire HDD DAP market has never seen such a player. The M3s were the first of its kind and I would imagine them to be the last also. With no screen on the main unit, the M3s look like a retro audio player. Although this is not true, for its features has it lined up against dominant HDD DAPs in the market.
When the M3s are on eBay, very rarely, they are not many interested buyers. The prices do not get any higher than $200 with shipping. I would blame this on the public's ignorance towards the M3s' strengths. I do not plan on selling my M3L and I am VERY pleased with it.
6. Flaws...
The M3L surely has flaws that other players do not have. The main unit only consists of three LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes). These diodes let the user know what mode it is in, whether the M3L is charging, or if the HDD is spinning. Although this seems to be a major flaw for the M3L, I do not have a problem with it being screenless. The remote LCD is all I really need.
After over a year of ownership the iAudio LCD wired remote died on me. As of now I am using the M3L main unit to navigate my music. Though it is not convenient as using the remote, it is not impossible to navigate my music collection with the main unit.
Before buying the M3L I read about many reasons why I should not buy it. A major reason was the faulty remotes. iAudio remotes were known to go bad in only a few months of easy use. After about a month of use my remote began to act up. The screen would go blank sometimes. I contacted iAudio to have it replaced. iAudio did not have a problem with replacing it. They issued me a RMA, but I never sent it back. The remote just started working all of a sudden. I haven't had a problem with the remote until about two months from this writing. The remote died after about a year of pretty rough use.
7. Firmware
The M3s are firmware upgradeable. This means Cowon/iAudio can add features and fix bugs with new firmware releases. All that needs to be done is upgrade the firmware. This only takes about 5 minutes from start to finish. One of the great features that have been added is the support of the FLAC audio format. It would be great for those who want the highest audio quality. Though there wouldn't be much room for a large music collection.
The latest firmware version is 1.38. It is available at either www.iAudio.com or www.CowonAmerica.com. I personally am happy with the use of version 1.36. I believe it is the most stable firmware version. When using the Korean version of 1.38, my M3L froze numerous times. With 1.36 my M3L never froze.
8. Sound
Quite simply the M3L's sound is marvelous. At first my M3L's sound seemed lacking when compared to my previous HDD DAP, the iRiver H120. The major difference I noticed was the M3L's lack of bass. My H120 had serious bass with my Sennheiser PX 200s. With the M3L the bass was not completely lacking, but much less noticeable. After time to adapt, I realized that the bass was more accurate. It all depended on the track that was playing. With the M3L some tracks had less bass, while others had much more bass.
I've extensively used three headphones with my M3L. The headphones are: the Sennheiser PX 200, Shure E2c, and Westone UM2. The Sennheiser PX200 and Shure E2c sound good with the M3L, but the Westone UM2s sound GREAT! There is basically NO hiss when using the Westone UM2 straight out of the M3L's main unit. The Westone UM2s are known for picking up hiss from audio sources. Actually all sensitive IEM (In Ear Monitors) are known for picking up hiss. I've heard this hiss in other players and it is annoying when in use.
What I noticed that really improved was the bottom frequencies. The bass with the UM2s is FULL and very vivid. The bass has much detail and dips down very low. This is the main reason why I purchased the UM2s. They are known for their bass production. With my M3L, I knew the UM2s would bring out the bass more. The dual driver design truly shines with the M3L.
9. Recording
Recording with the M3L is fairly straight forward. There are three ways of recording with the M3L. These would be: through the line in, internal mic, and FM Radio. The M3L can basically record any audio source that has a mini line out. As for the FM Radio, it is pretty cool to record the radio. If you hear a song you like, all you do is press the record button. As for voice recording, the internal mic is helpful. I haven't used it extensively, but it definitely works for low quality and short recordings. An external mic can be added through the line in for more serious recordings. The external mic will have to have an amplifier though.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 350
Recommended for: Music Lovers - High Capacity Storage for an Entire Album Collection
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lsportline43
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Reviews written: 5
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