iAudio M5 review
iAudio’s iPod rival has a joystick and can record from external sources. But will that be enough?
Aren’t we getting a bit bored with products with a ‘i’ on the front of their names? It’s a bit like hanging on to Apple’s coat-tails, isn’t it? Oh well, despite the cheesy name, at least the iAudio M5 works with both Windows PCs and Macs, has a 20GB hard disk and connects via USB 2.0.
Stick with it
It also supports MP3/WMA/FLAC and OGG file formats, and has pretty good – if unfamiliar – Jet Audio software to rip music from CDs and dump it onto the built-in storage. It’s even easy to use with its simple joystick control, and can record from external sources via an adaptor or the built-in mic.
The M5’s headphones look cool – but they’re cheap and tinny, and lack conviction, even with the bass boost deployed. Upgrade the ‘phones and the M5 sounds a lot better, with a decent midrange, but it’s beaten by superior rivals.
Stuff Says…
StuffTV
