The ‘MP3 player’ hasn’t exactly gone from hero to zero in the past few years, but the market for portable media players has certainly been hit by phones and tablets.
Cowon, however, has a loyal fan base hooked on its superior-sounding portables and prepared to make do without the frills and features of Apple rivals.
The Z2 is Cowon’s attempt to meet their fans half-way. Using the Android platform, it offers web browsing, access to apps, a new touchscreen interface, Bluetooth streaming and, it hopes, top-notch sound.
In the hand, while it feels solid and well-built, it’s noticeably chunkier than rivals. The big screen is welcome but it’s not as bright or sharp as others around, which makes video performance pretty average.
Loading on music is a simple drag-and-drop affair on a PC. It’s not so Mac-friendly, but there are workarounds. You have 16GB storage (there’s a 32Gb model for £50 more) plus an SD card slot for expansion, too.
There’s good file support, with AAC, FLAC, MP3 and WAV available, and battery life, at around 22 hours, is solid.
Cowon Z2: Sound quality
And the Cowon Z2 does sound great. The tonal balance is spot on, sounding crisp and clear, but not bright at high volume. There’s good detail to voices, decent dynamics and bass notes are solid but not overpowering. It’s a comfortable, enjoyable listen.
For usability, apps and other extras, you can do better, but if all you want is a music player, then this will do a fine job.
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