From what I've gathered during my stay on MP3 equipment sites, if the Cowon S9 is still a good player, then I guess his Samsung concurrent, the YP-P3 would be a good choice as well, and actually cheaper for the same sound quality, but less shininess
EDIT : According to
this test (in French) they're fairly similar.
Main points of the comparison are :
- Battery life : Better on the Cowon S9 (50 hours against 25 hours)
- Bluetooth available on the YP-P3 but not on the Cowon
- Similar audio quality
- Similar video quality
- The YP-P3's Radio has RDS, unlike the S9's
- The YP-P3 recognizes more file formats.
EDIT 2:
Now, however, concerning the J3 and the S9, the J3 is definitely better :
- µSD card support
- Better touch response
- Speakers
- Multitouch screen
- Subtitles on videos
- Search function
I'd definitely get the J3 if I had the money
Edited by CJ, 07 June 2011 - 22:57.