Home > Consumer Reviews > iAUDIO I5-256RD 256 MB MP3 Player with FM Radio and Voice Recorder (Ruby Red)

I have a lot of mp3 players. Apple, iRiver, Olympus, iAudio... Never thought there could be something so small light powerful and resistant like this player. I am just amazed.. Records Wav and mp3 (Line-in and voice--internal micro), Reproduces a lot of formats, 2GB flash (I got the 2GB model), Exceptional FM, PC Software, UMS (Mac and Linux compatible, works like Jump Drive), 1 AAA battery works 20 hours, lot of accessories, full equalization, VOX, and wow!! 1000 backlight colors... see bellow:
(I just uploaded the manual (see JetAudio page/site) to AMAZON and should appear soon in the 2GB model page (i5-2048BL 2 GB) , check it there for more info :-)

MP3, MP2, WMA, ASF, WAV (48khz, Stereo) and OGG (up to Q9) Playback, Voice Recording, FM Radio Receiver and Recording, Direct MP3 Encoding, Removable Disk
Basic Flash Memory Embedded (256MB/512MB/1GB/2GB)
4 Line Wide Graphic LCD
1,000 Color LED Backlight
USB 2.0 Interface
Long Playback Time: Up to 20 hours of playback time with one AAA battery (Based on Cowon¡¯s standardized testing)
(Playtimes may be reduced when visualizations are used.)
Multi language support (Embedded common fonts that can display 40,000 characters from various languages)
Enhanced Integrated Navigator
Play/Pause/Intro Play, Stop/Power OFF, Recording
Next Track/Previous Track, Fast Forward/Fast Rewind
Infinite Loop
Search Speed and Skip Speed Settings
40 Digital Volume Levels
Various EQ and Sound Field Effects
- User-Adjustable 5-Band EQ
- Normal, Rock, Pop, Jazz, Classic, Vocal, User
- Supports BBE, Mach3Bass, MP Enhance, and 3D Surround
Resume Feature, Auto Power OFF
Hold Feature, Backlight ON Dim Control, Scroll Speed and Backlight Color Adjustment
Firmware and logo download
Supports ID3V2, ID3V1, and Filename
Device Information (firmware version, memory usage)
Software
- JetShell (File Transfer, MP3/WMA/WAV/AUDIO CD PLAY, MP3 ENCODING)
- JetAudio (Integrated multimedia player software)
iAUDIO 5 Specifications
Supported Files
All ranges of MPEG 1/2/2.5 layer 3 (8kbps ~ 320kbps) (8KHz~48KHz) and VBR
All ranges of WMA7 WMA (20kbps~ 192kbps) (8KHz~48KHz)
WMA9 CBR (5Kbps Mono ~ 320kbps Stereo) VBR (Average 48kbps to 256kbps) OGG (up to Q9) WAV (Up to 48KHz Stereo)
Memory 256MB/512MB/1GB/2GB
PC Interface: USB 2.0
File Transfer Speed Max. 20Mbps
Battery 1 x AAA (Up to 20 hours of playback time based on cowon standardized testing)
Buttons 2 jog buttons (PLAY, FF, REW, VOL UP/DOWN, MENU), MODE button, REC button
Switch 1 Switch (Hold)
Display 128 x 64 full graphic LCD + Segment LCD
SNR 95 dB
Output 13mW+13mW(16 Ohm Earphone)
Frequency Range 20Hz ~ 20KHz
Size 76.8 x 35 x 18 mm (Height x With x Depth)
Weight 28 g (Excluding Battery)
* WMA9 Professional, Lossless Codec, and Voice Codec are not supported
* JetEffect is partially applied to Q9 when OGG is played.

I've researched many websites, I also reviewed Korean Website too, for about 2 month and came down to IAudio 5 and IAudio U2. I still think U2 has a better design but wasn't sure how long the rechargeable battery will last. I finally bought the 5 and love it!!! The only draw back I can say is...because it is developed for small people (Asian) it might be hard for people with big hands to control the buttons.

Size being relative, this a great secondary player for carrying just the songs that you want to listen to while running or working out. The compact size (not much larger than a big pack of Juicy Fruit) is also great in that respect. Navigation takes a bit of getting used to, but becomes second nature after a few days. One of the main selling points for me was OGG support. At first it was a bit sketchy, but after downloading a firmware update from the company's web site all is well. Speaking of OGG, I am also a Linux user and the player mounted just fine on my machine and it was literally a drag and drop operation to transfer files. I had heard that radio reception was a little weak, but I live in a small town were we have very few FM stations (much less high-powered ones) and I have so far found reception to be satisfactory. The company claims a 20 hour battery life, but I believe that is a little optimistic. I have not tried accurately measuring it but I'd say that I get about 12 hours of playback on a good day. Still beats the battery life on my iPod, plus it uses replaceable AAA batteries so you can keep a few ready on the charger. Display is nice and crisp, even for someone like me with weakening eyesight, and the interface is quite customizable. Overall, I can't really think of one bad thing to say about this player. Very reliable. Having said that, just be aware that it is not an "end all, be all" device. It has a niche with those who enjoy ultra-portability for on-the-go type activities, and it fills that niche very well.