Customer Reviews
Very versatile! 
2008-01-11
The Cowon D2 is an excellent portable player. I upgraded mine to the latest v2.53 firmware, which supports all the standard audio formats, along with FLAC, APE, OGG, and even adds welcome support for AAC, which had been dropped from earlier firmware revisions (note that AAC files must have .aac file extension - .mp4 extension is not recognized) NB: I suggest steering clear of the v2.51 firmware, it is full of bugs...
Due to the Cowon D2's powerful sound output, it should ideally be paired to regular (ear-muff style) headphones. The problem with using the supplied Walkman-style earbuds is that they must be operated at a lower volume setting, and this leads to a *drastic* and very noticeable reduction in audio fidelity.
The Cowon D2 works MUCH better with standard headphones. Since they need more power to drive them, this means the volume can be set much higher (without necessarily being louder), yielding correspondingly better sound quality (I hope that makes sense).
In this respect, the Cowon D2 differs significantly from older generation MP3 players. Prior to the Cowon D2, I had been using a 1Gb Apacer Steno MP3 player, which sounds absolutely FANTASTIC when paired with Walkman-style earbuds. The reason being that the Apacer's power output is perfectly matched for this type of mini earphone when operated at standard volume levels, having been engineered with their use in mind...
So you can imagine my surprise when I discovered that these exact same earphones plugged into the Cowon D2 sound utterly crap. This is due to Cowon D2 having a much higher power output compared to older generation MP3 players - meaning that you are forced to set the volume to a rather low level when using Walkman-style earphones. Low volume setting = DRASTIC reduction in audio quality !!
So the first thing to do when you get your Cowon D2, is to DITCH the supplied earphones, and invest in a pair of regular headphones. These will be a MUCH better match for the Cowon D2's higher power output. Trust me, you won't look back!
I find Cowon D2's interface to be superb, and the touch-screen/LCD display very gee-whiz yet practical. On the minus side, it does not come with a protective pouch (fortunately they can be purchased cheaply on ebay).
Although the Cowon D2 itself is worth 5 stars, I will only rate it 4 stars, due to the lack of a pouch. And in my belief, the Cowon D2 ought to come supplied with regular headphones instead of Walkman-style earbuds. The high power output of Cowon D2 is a very poor match for earbuds, plain and simple!
Very good now, could be excellent soon 2008-01-07
I got myself one of these for Christmas, to use while working out. I'm a Linux-only kind of guy. Transferring files was no problem at all, since it just presents itself as a USB storage device same as a thumb drive, but it took me a while to figure out how to convert video for it (especially how to get the audio and video sync'ed properly). This is apparently a common and much-discussed problem; the d2-convert script that's out there on the web seems to do a good job for both DVD content and avi/mp4 stuff I've downloaded from the web. A little more flexibility or at least better documentation would be a big plus here; that cost them half a star.
Since figuring out how to get video onto it, my experience with the device has been very pleasant. The screen is simply beautiful, the sound is good, the battery life is excellent, the interface is intuitive (though it does often seem to require a tap or two more than it should). However, Cowon does lose another half-star because yesterday the unit appeared totally dead for no apparent reason. It didn't respond to power-on, or to connecting via USB to my computer (which normally results in the screen waking up to tell you you're connected). The reason this only cost them half a star is that I was able to find the solution pretty quickly on Cowon's web site; there's a reset button between the power and USB ports which, if pressed with a paper clip, puts the unit back into its normal power-off state. Voila, my little companion was back. While it would be better if such things never happened, the fact that it was easily solved kept it from being a disaster.
The reason for my review title is that I believe the D2 is only a firmware/documentation update or two away from being darn near perfect. If I were designing a device in this category at this price point, this - with the couple of changes already noted - would be it. This is the second Cowon device I've owned, BTW (the other's a G3). They might not be the most familiar name in the business, but because of these experiences I've come to think they're one of the best.
Cowon D2 - A definite "do not buy". 
2007-11-20
I purchased the Cowon D2 after it received a wonderful rating in the San Francisco Chronicle. I thought that this would be the perfect player for my upcoming trip to Europe. The battery life is fantastic. I could download various books as well as music either on the internal 4 GB of memory or I could download it onto an SD card; however, the instructions were terrible and Cowon's support for a broken machine is extremely poor/non existent.
First, the directions that come with the unit leave a lot to be desired. They are severely lacking. I use a Mac G5. Although this is supposed to be compatible with a Mac, no Mac information was given in the instructions.
When I struggled though and thought I had figured things out, I down loaded music as well as books. Although the information did get down loaded, the chapters of the books did not flow in order. Chapter 8 might follow chapter 3 or chapter 5 may follow chapter 15. This happened consistently and was very aggravating. I did not have this problem with my iPod.
The worst part was that the machine's volume button got stuck after only having the unit for three weeks. I could not get the volume to turn down. I had to wait until I returned home before I could figure out what I needed to do to get the unit fixed. There aren't any instructions that tell you where you can ship your unit to when it is broken. You have to fill out a ticket on Cowon's website. It automatically designated my issue as "low priority". I have been waiting for quite some time with no response from Cowon. They do not provide you with a telephone help line that you can call to follow up or to talk to someone.
So here I sit with a useless broken machine collecting dust.
Terrible, terrible customer support! I wish I had never purchased the unit. If I were to do this again, I would purchase a machine that was widely sold at various retail outlets. Then I know that the manufacturer would have some type of support that I could get to.
way better than a nano 
2007-08-31
Buying an 4gb SD card made this an awesome player. Very portable and convenient to run with. Love the touchscreen but also how you can operate the player "no look" while on hold. People love asking me about the D2 so if you want an eye catching device this is it. The player was very easy for me to use even though it may look confusing at first. The battery life is awesome and lasted me an entire week without having to charge. Sound quality was excellent and has many options to customize. NEED to have screen protector.
Great Muli-Purpose Player 2007-08-15
Wow! Nice player. Easy downloads and nice conversion software. Plays downloaded movies from internet after coverting through the included software. Some online posters have had problems with firmware updates so read before downloading - thus the 4 stars and not 5. Have not had a problem with the player myself. Included stylus/kickstand is also a nice addition.
Awesome MP3 Player 2008-03-25
This is by far the best MP3 player on the market. After reading many reviews of assorted MP3 players, I bought the Cowon D2 and am sure glad I did. The ease of use is great while working out, downloading music, and sorting music. I would definitely buy this again.
Go ahead and buy it! 2008-03-01
Having owned a number of MP3 players before, I must say that the sound on this one blows me away. Even when I tried to stock earbuds. The touch screen is awesome, just remember to get a screen guard (I don't know if it scratches, I haven't used mine without a screen guard). The video functions are pretty good as well, except for the cumbersome conversion using bundled software. This devise is much smaller than you would think, and the battery is really awesome: it *really* lasts forever. I have had it or a few weeks, and had to charge it on the wall only twice: once when I got it, and once when I left it on in my bag accidentally. The rest of the time, it just charges when I upload new music, and I am good to go for many more hours! Beats a nano hollow!
Excellent device 2008-02-28
I'm really quite happy with my Cowon D2. I chose it because its one of the only players that can play FLAC files (perfect lossless compression), and because it can record from both a mic and a line-in.
It does everything really well. Recording quality using the line-in is excellent, and general sound quality has got to be the best or one of the best that there is out there.
There are also many downloadable themes on the net that can totally change the look and feel of its interface (I have mine set up to look like an ipod touch), and the Cowon keeps coming out with new firmware releases that add new features.
Its a good buy. I got one, and added a 16gb card to it, so I have plenty of room for all my music.
Why be a Sheep?? 2008-02-22
This is for all of you who would compare this to the omnipresent iPod - It's NOT an iPod. It's something beyond said Mp3 player.
To decide if you need this product, you need to look at your own self. How do you like your music? If you like your tunes laden with DRM, presented in auto-generated playlists, and you let a program called iTunes run amok on your computer, whisking away your music files from where YOU put them and tossing them in some folder you can't access directly, then save yourself the pain and go get an iPod. You won't have to deal with a lot, just a player that is compatible with a paltry 3-4 audio & video formats, has no radio, no expandable memory, no software expandability and so on...
BUT...
If you are like me, someone who refuses to go with the mindless masses, and has his own way of dealing with a 30 gigabyte music collection, listens to Uncompressed FLAC and OGG audio, and demands the best audio quality available from any Mp3 player, you'll understand the raison d'etre for the Cowon D2. Sure, the interface is not as smooth and polished as the iPod's and there are a few quirks in the D2, such as a wanton shuffle mode, but the sound of the music flowing into your ears will drown out all that noise.
More importantly, everyone else has an iPod. Why be a sheep?
LOVE LOVE LOVE this PMP! 2008-01-24
OK -I am not so much of a techie-- what I am is a librarian trying desperately to keep up on my reading -- by 'reading' audiobooks. I have a Mac at home and a PC at work and this little player allows me to download books from both Audible and NetLibrary (not Mac friendly). It has a great bookmarking feature. Took me a bit to understand the process of updating the firmware, dowloading and transferring book files, but now it is a snap. I have 'read' at least 8 books over the past 3 weeks since I purchased this. Coupled with the iRiver FM transmitter I bought this makes my 50 minute commute a dream, and a much better use of my time in the car. Additionally, I think the sound on this Cowon rivals my ipod, and the video and pix I have added look fabulous on this player.I love the fact that it also has FM radio capability. I say- don't let the unfamiliar name throw you -- this is a great little product.
