Customer Reviews
Everything you need and more. 
2008-04-29
The battery life is simply amazing. I have charged it once, when I first put music on it. It has been 26 days since and it's still running after daily use.
All you need for this player to work on any computer is a USB cord. There is no software required and it can charge via USB. It's nice to be able to drag and drop any audio file and have it play. It plays long OGG files without any problems. (My last Cowon product, the X5, could not seek properly because 30 minute OGG files show up as being only 10 minutes.) But there is one small bug when playing FLAC files. For example if I listen to Opera Singer by Cake, the album name reads as "ARTIST=CAKE" instead of "Comfort Eagle". It does this for all FLAC files that I have, the same error is not present when they are played on my computer so I know the files are fine. The hold feature s something you must be in the habit of using. The moment you slip this player into your pocket multiple touch-sensitive buttons are bound to be pushed. It does play video but the screen in so small I don't know why anyone would want to watch anything on it. Viewing pictures is very limited and slow; again the small screen only makes it worse. I haven't even tried to view a text file. It's a music player and that's the only thing it does well. That's fine because the only reason I got was to listen to music. I suppose those other features are only there for bragging rights.
The sound quality is amazing. If you have high quality sound files and need something to play them with, get this audio player. If not this one then something else from Cowon. I recommend going the extra mile and getting high quality headphones to take advantage of all of the playback features that all Cowon products have. If you are an audiophile then no portable player will ever been good enough, not even this one, however this is one of the best, if not THE best player out there for you.
I have seen reviews for many Cowon products that complain about the provided headphones being asymmetrical. Everyone who says that does not realize that the longer cord goes around the back of one's neck. If worn properly they fit without any problems.
Good As a High-Storage, Multipurpose Device 
2008-04-21
I purchased this MP3 player because of the positive reviews on sound quality.
Pros: High storage, multipurpose device; compact size; and better than average sound quality.
Cons: Difficult to navigate due to small screen and ultra-sensitive controls.
I would not recommend this MP3 to someone with bad eye sight because the screen is too small. The ultra-sensitive controls also make it difficult to navigate through the music selection. These two negative issues outweigh this product's better than average sound quality. I kept this MP3 because I do not like to return items that are not defective. Unfortunately, I purchased another MP3 for half the cost (~$100), which I prefer to use most of the time.
How do I love thee? Let me count the ways 2008-04-18
I was lucky to chance on someones review on this, and caustiously ordered it to replace my cramped but venerable iFP-iriver 790.
Stuff I look for and loved in this player:
1. Excellent sound quality a little better than my old river.
2. Auto-off timer during play---useful for sleeping with it on.
3. Hold funtion still allows you use the volume and ffw/rew keys if you wish.
4. Cool swing-touch control that let's you scroll thru music quickly. Some have complained that this is too sensitive, and it is. But I am one of those people, who liks to have their mouse/trackpad on maximum speed & acceleration.
5. Fade-in: that slowly increases the volume of music on first play. Useful for getting shocked with sudden loundness for my weak heart.
6. 40-60 hours battery life. Woo hooo!
7. Some cool music effects: BBE that improvies quality without coloring the music.
Stuff I'd have liked but not deal breakers for me:
1. only a single playlist supported,
2. can't synch song play frequecies (so no support for scrobbling and last.fm users will be dissapointed),
3. firmware-upgrade requires data backup & restoration,
4. Cowon doesn't supply a case.
I haven't tried the supplied earphones since I prefer my Grado SR-60 at home & Sony MDR-EX90LP on-the-go.
Highly reccomended!
Pretty much the best sound available, BUT.... 
2008-04-17
Anybody who reads my reviews or visits my websites knows that I am partial to the Cowon iAudio products. I've owned at least a dozen, including the 4 GB and 8 GB versions of this unit. The sound quality of the iAudio 7 may not be "true audiophile" quality, but it's about as close as you're going to get for under $700. For most earbuds (I normally use Ultimate Ears super.fi 5s) and open-air headphones, the power output is more than adequate. The EQ functions also offer an amazing range of flexibility in compensating for headphone deficiencies. But if you're going to use a better headphone (like my Sony MDR-SA3000s), then you really do need a quality headphone amplifier. This is not a deficiency in the iAudio 7; I'm not aware of any portable media player that will drive the Sonys even as well as the Cowon products. But you simply have to be realistic. I use a C&C XO headphone amp and get excellent results.
Three other very positive features need to be noted. First, the iAudio 7 will play several file formats that many others will not, including OGG and FLAC. Second, the DRM restrictions on the player are very generous and you normally don't have any problems loading any files that you have created yourself. Third, the battery life is absolutely phenomenal...doubtless the best I've seen.
However, there ARE downsides to the unit. The controls and user interface are not only too sensitive, but they're also not very intuitive. If this is your first Cowon unit, allow some extra time to get used to them. Also, the USB transfers on the 16 GB unit are noticeably slower than on the 8 GB unit (which probably remains your best value.)
One comment on the lack of "true playlists"...I don't care. Frankly, I grew up listening to vinyl albums and it would never even occur to me to make a playlist. I don't use them and never have. This is a big difference between those of us who grew up in the 60s and 70s and those who now download a single track at a time. Call it the "AOR Syndrome" or whatever. I simply think in terms of album sides. When I convert music to put on my player, I rip the entire album and catalog it that way.
Overall, I'd rank this as perhaps the "second best buy" in a portable media player. The 8 GB unit is still tops in my book, primarily due to the faster USB transfer speeds. And do yourself a favor...either use a higher efficiency set of headphones/earphones or invest in a decent headphone amp. This unit is very, very good, but it's no miracle-worker.
UPDATE: A recent firmware upgrade and a FAQ on the Cowon website have addressed the issue of slow USB connection and file transfer. I'd now rank this unit at least half a star higher.
Disappointment Central 
2008-03-31
Good: Small, sufficient memory to hold my entire meager collection, FM tuner
Bad:
1) Battery life is much overestimated - ? 15-18 hour max when either on tuner or playing music.
2) buttons more awkward than one would anticipate
3) FM tuner is weak and 'wanders' off of listed wavelength/frequency
4) Interface with PC is slow.
5) Takes a long time to boot/startup sometimes - I have waited over 10 minutes on occasion. This is not why you buy an MP3 player.
6) When 'hold' is used, then turned off, the reverse scroll function is continuously engaged. This results in jarbled rewind of songs, or continuous tuner scrolling. Device has to be rebooted after being hard-started to stop this problem. This process takes over 30 min. Pain in the neck.
I would NOT recommend this product until the software glitches are resoundingly altered.
I wasted good money on this item.
Good, but some bugs 
2008-06-26
This was a cool little player. The only problem was I had problems with the music that I transfered over to it.
It especially had issues with ones that I had bought online, that had the digital rights. It wouldn't play them, when I tried, it would just spin alittle while, like it was looking for the file. Then it would play the next, non-protected song, but all the descriptions would disappear or be change to korean letters. Weird. One I turned it off and then back on, the descriptions would re-appear (in english).
So back to Amazon it went. The positive part of my story is Amazon's quick, very few questions asked return policy. Sometimes I worry about ordering things online, but I never have to with Amazon!
Amazing!!! 2008-06-02
The player is simply amazing. About 60 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE. Can't beat that. I've had this player for a few months already and I only recharged it fully only twice. And the player does not use battery when it's off. Another good aspect about it is that even when the player is "locked" or on the "hold" position, you can still program the top buttons to put the volume higher or lower and pause the song you are playing. The sound is excellent. You just need to buy good headphones. Yes, the slide function can be a little annoying at first, but I quickly got used to it. You can customize the folders in your player and you could record the radio which is pretty cool. Very simple. The screen is kind of small for videos, but the quality is clear. You can also just drag and drop music into the player. Videos need to be transfered by the use of the jetaudio program. Definitely worth the money.
No playlists?! 2008-05-15
This device is good in all the way people claim it is. It's small, has a lot of storage, has an amazing battery life, supports a huge variety of file types (including OGG and FLAC), and the sound quality is fine. But it doesn't support playlists, other than its single playlist that you build and manipulate on the device itself. I find that to be very frustrating, since I usually don't listen to full albums but rather to playlists that select a few songs from many albums. None of the professional reviews mention that, and so I was completely blindsided by this major failing. The iAudio 7 would have gotten a 5-star rating from me if it only had playlist support.
Cowon IAudio 7 - 16GB 2008-05-04
The Good
--------------
1) Linux Friendly - Works like a regular USB device, no need for any software.
2) Plays Ogg and flac files.
3) Good sound quality.
4) You can create your own play list by creating sub directories.
5) Size but see below.
6) Long battery life but it doesn't seem to be the 60 hours claimed.
7) Storage - 16 GB's.
The Bad
------------
1) Non - Replaceable Battery.
2) Only records in WMA format. I find this baffling.
3) Does not come with a separate wall charger, just the USB cable.
4) The interface takes a lot of getting used to and is not user friendly (IMO).
5) Size-Small screen is tough to see especially for those of us over 55.
6) Virtually impossible to see in sunlight.
7) Controls are way too sensitive.
The Conclusion:
All things considered this is a very nice unit, especially if you have sharp eyes. Not needing any additional software for transferring files is a big plus, I only wish it had a replaceable battery. I'm not an audiophile, but it does sound very good with a good sound stage and details for ear bud headphones. The sensitivity of the controls is a pain in the neck since I am constantly switching from locked mode to unlocked mode. If I don't put it in locked mode, the song will change by the time I get it into my pocked or even from train vibrations. I'm not the only one who has been frustrated by the interface, but after a while you start to get used to it. Sometimes I find it easier to create a playlist in a sub-directory than to use the dynamic playlist feature of the device. Being able to browse music by artist or other tags would make this device much easier to navigate. A lot of the interface problems might be due to the small size of the unit.
Great sound, great price, great battery life, low weight, can't ask for more! 2008-05-03
If you're looking for an mp3 player that combines good looks with GREAT sound, fantastic battery life (the battery STILL has yet to lose one bar after several WEEKS of use), good picture quality, and ease of use, then this is your mp3 player. I like bass-intensive music, and this bad boy DELIVERS.
