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Summer nights
 

A really small PMP and one that’s exceedingly well built though admittedly a lot of the rugged feel is on account of its compactness. The iAudio 7 is livered in glossy black and has a nice translucent look to it. The player is really small and the touch-based controls are nicely laid out. Although minimal, these controls are sufficient and they’re ultra-usable thanks to the intuitive indents in the body which means your fingers never goof up. The silver strip running around the body is a welcome relief from the black and this gives the player a nice look. Video playback is very basic; videos need to be resized, and the display is inadequate for any sort of photos. On to the audio component then; we noticed that the bass on Where The streets Have No Name low was less detailed than the iPod Touch and Classic – sounds loose and lacks that extra impact. Treble is harsher with noticeable sibilance – this is slightly worse than the iPod Classic and Touch where the harshness is kept at bay by a hairsbreadth. Cymbals have very good detail to them. Guitar and piano accompaniments in Layla are nice although drum bass is boomy; good impact but not as punchy as we’d like. Ozzy’s No More Tears has some heavy bass in the beginning and this sounds slightly weak on the iAudio 7, not to mention the bass sounds loose and kind of woolly. All in all a performance that seems lack lustre but then nitpicking is my job and many will be happy with this grade of sound quality if they know no better.

Priced at Rs. 4,999 the iAudio 7 hits the sweet spot for someone looking for a really affordable PMP with good music quality. It also fits the bill when it comes to compactness. It’s a winner – as long as your ears aren’t too discerning.

Pros:

• Superb build quality
• Compact
• Good music quality
• Neat touch controls
• Good value for money

Cons:

• Useless screen for videos
• Not audiophile-grade

Click here for a list of all PMPs reviewed

	Apacer AU824
	Compact and affordable
	Apple iPod Classic
	Size matters
	Apple iPod Nano
	Diminutive powerhouse
	Cowon D2 Plus
	The chunky wonder
	Cowon iAudio 7
	Pocketful of sound
	Cowon S9
	Jack of all trades
	iPod Touch
	The apple of our eye
	Philips GoGear Aria
	No use hanging around this aria
	Philips GoGear Opus
	Not major league material
	Samsung YP-P3
	Oh boy! Was our reaction
	Samsung YP-Q2
	Affordable for sure, but we expected more