Soldato
Sublime headphones. Nice purchase 
Spec me some Shure SE425 earphones please
- Thread starter SexyGreyFox
- Start date
I've been in audio heaven this evening and then did an experiement.
I really dislike Coldplay but downloaded a couple of Flacs and even they sounded good
I really dislike Coldplay but downloaded a couple of Flacs and even they sounded good
Soldato
That's a bit of a reach even for Fidues
Soldato
The Fidues look Very good (make my sony's look bland!).... love the cabling - would look great on my rig
https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=29150325#post29150325
(apologies if you've already seen it )
https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=29150325#post29150325
(apologies if you've already seen it
)
The Fidues look Very good (make my sony's look bland!).... love the cabling - would look great on my rig
https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?p=29150325#post29150325
(apologies if you've already seen it
After your post & Easyriders I was checking the Oppo out and Googling whether I would hear much improvement over the Creative DAC!
I didn't get far because the Brown Burr is supposed to be a very good DAC but I like the looks of it.
I was also looking at DAPs - The FiiO X7 and Astell & Kern stuff but out of my league yet.
Oh my word - awesome.
I'm really impressed with the build quality and looks.
I put the Comply tips on and even though I've read they don't fit some people they fit me perfect even to the point of me head banging to some metal tracks.
I tried quite a few tracks that my Ultimate Ears weren't 100% with but these are in a different class.
Listening to the Brian Setzer Orchestra I though I was in the same room.
I'm seriously impressed so thanks everybody.
They look yummy, especially that cable.
Soldato
Indeed very yummy
It should be a good leap up from a creative DAC (which one do you have?).... I went from a Fiio E18 to a HA-2 and the step up simply blew me away.
Soldato
Good choice, the DX80 gets some very good reviews
Soldato
Don't get me started on DAPs! I honestly don't see the appeal in DAPs that allow you to store thousands of albums but only have enough juice to play 12 of them before having to recharge. Unfortunately, that seems to be the way the market's heading [all the while bumping up the prices]. But this isn't the thread for a rant
Spurred on by this thread, I've just ordered a Cowon Plenue D, which seems to be the only DAP on the market right now that fits my specific criteria [Good audio that's musically tweakable, non-******/flaky UI, expandable storage, 100-hour battery life]. Did you look at that, SGF?
Spurred on by this thread, I've just ordered a Cowon Plenue D, which seems to be the only DAP on the market right now that fits my specific criteria [Good audio that's musically tweakable, non-******/flaky UI, expandable storage, 100-hour battery life]. Did you look at that, SGF?
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So it still has a DAC and I can live without Bluetooth, line out etc.
That looks excellent.
I like to play my music very loud so please report on the volume.
Soldato
Well, it has a DAC, because it's a portable audio player.
It doesn't have the capability to be used as a DAC by plugging it into any computer's USB port, however; it's strictly a self-contained music player. So if you need through-DAC functionality, your only choices are one of those iBasso/Fiio type of devices. Sorry if I missed you stipulating that!
Will do
I don't foresee it being a problem, though - Cowons don't have any Euro volume caps or any of that nonsense. My previous Cowons have had no problems driving Triple.Fis and Dunus to 'excitable' levels, so if you're only going to be using IEMs or low-impedance full-size cans, I don't think it'll be an issue. I'll be testing it on a range of phones when I get it though, so will report back, yeah
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I've been reading loads on it since your post and it looks perfect.
I will just keep my Creative E3 in the PC so that's no bother.
I might sign up to Head Fi because there's a good thread in there about it - http://www.head-fi.org/t/789488/cowon-plenue-d
When you say excitable do you mean Slayer are in the room with you?
I will just keep my Creative E3 in the PC so that's no bother.
I might sign up to Head Fi because there's a good thread in there about it - http://www.head-fi.org/t/789488/cowon-plenue-d
When you say excitable do you mean Slayer are in the room with you?
Soldato
up to 100 hours playback but only if you are playing MP3s, it drops to 51 if you play FLAC files for some reason but that is still excellent.
I had a Cowon D2 for years and loved it and the only reason I gave it to my sister was that it didn't support FLAC files. It sounded great and the battery was insane, I could charge it up and I could either play it for 50+ hours or sling it in a drawer and forget about it for months on end - and it would come out with just as much charge as when it went in.
I had a Cowon D2 for years and loved it and the only reason I gave it to my sister was that it didn't support FLAC files. It sounded great and the battery was insane, I could charge it up and I could either play it for 50+ hours or sling it in a drawer and forget about it for months on end - and it would come out with just as much charge as when it went in.
Soldato
Just a quick update for SGF: it turns out that I'm not going to receive the Plenue D I ordered until the beginning of March, as [possible competitor but would love to name them]'s website lied about having it in stock.
So it's going to be a few weeks before I can get my hands on one and give any sort of first impressions, sorry
So it's going to be a few weeks before I can get my hands on one and give any sort of first impressions, sorry
No problem.
It will be at least 2 months before I buy anything.
It will be at least 2 months before I buy anything.
Just a quick update for SGF: it turns out that I'm not going to receive the Plenue D I ordered until the beginning of March, as [possible competitor but would love to name them]'s website lied about having it in stock.
So it's going to be a few weeks before I can get my hands on one and give any sort of first impressions, sorry
Have you had it yet?
Soldato
Yeah, it eventually turned up. I've been using it for the past two weeks, I just didn't want to write anything until I was out of the honeymoon period.
Summary: It's what the Cowon M2 should have been. For the first time ever, I get *exactly* what I want from a portable music player without any compromises
Point-by-point:
Build quality: feels like a solid item of quality in the hand. Has some heft to it; it doesn't feel like lots of plastic bits creakily assembled. Buttons have a positive feel, with very little movement or sponginess. I have to admit, I wasn't expecting it to be quite this well built!
Sound: If you can't get an engaging fun sound out of the Plenue D with all the JetEffect tools it gives you, you might as well give up listening for pleasure. There are no obvious flaws with the default sonics, but as soon as you start tweaking the JetEffect stuff, it really comes alive.
Hiss: Nope - just a black background. Even the more extreme JetEffect settings don't introduce noticeable noise, like they used to with previous Cowon players.
Volume: On sensitive IEMS - like my Dunus, and I presume your Fidues - if you like it loud, you will not be disappointed! The volume scale goes up to 100, and I've found my comfortable IEM level is around 40. When I put the Plenue D through my high-impedance HD800s, I had to crank the volume up to 90, but the sound quality was surprisingly close to my PC setup.
Battery life: I am still on my first charge. After two weeks. This is how it should be!
UI/Screen: The achilles heel of previous Cowons, I really was expecting to be a bit disappointed. Nope! It's a capacitive screen at last, with a no-frills/understated but sensibly-designed user interface. Virtual buttons have enough room, text is readable - it really feels that someone actually put some thought into the UI for once. I should add that it's not quite as lightning-fast responsive as some UIs, but not once have I become frustrated - and I'm definitely getting more impatient as I get older!
Grumbles: Only a few, all 'admin' rather than performance-related...
Firstly, USB transfer is only 2.0 speeds, so if like me you want to fill up a 128GB card, be prepared to sacrifice an evening or two! Once it's done it's done, though.
Secondly, I've experienced a few tag-reading or artwork-reading problems with the odd file, and some OGG files won't play. Anyway, these are really few and far between, and I guess out of 15000 files, there were bound to be some hiccups. Maybe this will be fixed with new firmware.
Finally, every time you switch it on, it does a database update which lasts up to 30 secs, even if you haven't added/removed any files. It's not a problem for me - that's the time I'm inserting my IEMs and trailing the cables anyway - but I guess it's the price paid for having so much music stored. Once it's up and running [or when it reawakes], it doesn't need to do it again, so it's never been intrusive.
Overall? Well, I've taken to listening to the Cowon through IEMs around the house since I got it - something I've never done with any previous portable music solution - just because of the sheer leisurely enjoyment of listening. And I've just preordered a not-cheap Noreve case for it too, which must display some sort of commitment!
For the money, I personally think it's a no-brainer - Cowon have stepped back up to the plate and hit one out of the park, in my opinion.
Hope this helps - if you want to know something specific, just ask
Summary: It's what the Cowon M2 should have been. For the first time ever, I get *exactly* what I want from a portable music player without any compromises
Point-by-point:
Build quality: feels like a solid item of quality in the hand. Has some heft to it; it doesn't feel like lots of plastic bits creakily assembled. Buttons have a positive feel, with very little movement or sponginess. I have to admit, I wasn't expecting it to be quite this well built!
Sound: If you can't get an engaging fun sound out of the Plenue D with all the JetEffect tools it gives you, you might as well give up listening for pleasure. There are no obvious flaws with the default sonics, but as soon as you start tweaking the JetEffect stuff, it really comes alive.
Hiss: Nope - just a black background. Even the more extreme JetEffect settings don't introduce noticeable noise, like they used to with previous Cowon players.
Volume: On sensitive IEMS - like my Dunus, and I presume your Fidues - if you like it loud, you will not be disappointed! The volume scale goes up to 100, and I've found my comfortable IEM level is around 40. When I put the Plenue D through my high-impedance HD800s, I had to crank the volume up to 90, but the sound quality was surprisingly close to my PC setup.
Battery life: I am still on my first charge. After two weeks. This is how it should be!
UI/Screen: The achilles heel of previous Cowons, I really was expecting to be a bit disappointed. Nope! It's a capacitive screen at last, with a no-frills/understated but sensibly-designed user interface. Virtual buttons have enough room, text is readable - it really feels that someone actually put some thought into the UI for once. I should add that it's not quite as lightning-fast responsive as some UIs, but not once have I become frustrated - and I'm definitely getting more impatient as I get older!
Grumbles: Only a few, all 'admin' rather than performance-related...
Firstly, USB transfer is only 2.0 speeds, so if like me you want to fill up a 128GB card, be prepared to sacrifice an evening or two! Once it's done it's done, though.
Secondly, I've experienced a few tag-reading or artwork-reading problems with the odd file, and some OGG files won't play. Anyway, these are really few and far between, and I guess out of 15000 files, there were bound to be some hiccups. Maybe this will be fixed with new firmware.
Finally, every time you switch it on, it does a database update which lasts up to 30 secs, even if you haven't added/removed any files. It's not a problem for me - that's the time I'm inserting my IEMs and trailing the cables anyway - but I guess it's the price paid for having so much music stored. Once it's up and running [or when it reawakes], it doesn't need to do it again, so it's never been intrusive.
Overall? Well, I've taken to listening to the Cowon through IEMs around the house since I got it - something I've never done with any previous portable music solution - just because of the sheer leisurely enjoyment of listening. And I've just preordered a not-cheap Noreve case for it too, which must display some sort of commitment!
For the money, I personally think it's a no-brainer - Cowon have stepped back up to the plate and hit one out of the park, in my opinion.
Hope this helps - if you want to know something specific, just ask
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EXCELLENT, looks like my next toy.
Can you put the SD card into your PC and enjoy a faster transfer?
Can you put the SD card into your PC and enjoy a faster transfer?
Soldato
I don't have a card reader, so I wasn't able to try. Plus I'd read on HeadFi that keeping the card in the Plenue for formatting and transfers seemed the best route to avoid database problems, and my experience seems to confirm this.
It's a slow process, but transferring 100GB+ is realistically something you're only going to do once
It's a slow process, but transferring 100GB+ is realistically something you're only going to do once
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