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post #31 of 115
2/27/07 at 12:55pm

Portable audio sound

Between us we have 11 different ipods. The best SQ by far comes from the 1G shuffle (we use 256 kbps VBR), something to do with its output stage design, I'm told. The new shuffle is particularly bad. Alternatively, a 5G video ipod running lossless files.
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post #32 of 115
2/28/07 at 4:45am
Does the D2 support Ogg Vorbis gapless?
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post #33 of 115
2/28/07 at 5:16am
I am looking for a DAP and have the following requirements:

1) Flash-based (minimum 2GB)
2) Native support for Ogg Vorbis up to Q10 (including gapless), and FLAC

Would anyone be able to print a list of all DAP that meet these requirements? Thanks.
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post #34 of 115
3/1/07 at 11:29am
Quote:
Originally Posted by bloodandsoil View Post
Does the D2 support Ogg Vorbis gapless?
Ogg Vorbis? Yes
Gapless? It's Korean. The gap is very short though - but it's there.
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post #35 of 115
3/1/07 at 11:30am
teclast t29 uses a wolfson dac too
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post #36 of 115
3/1/07 at 12:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by stereophile View Post
Sound quality is my main criteria.
Flash-based - minimum 2gb.

At this point, my 2 top contenders are Cowon's U3 and D2.

D2 has slightly higher output to the headphones (74 mw vs 60 mw); but that doesn't necessarily mean it will have better sound. Any advice on which of these 2 have better SQ?

Are there any other brands / models I should be looking at?
I have the D2 (4GB). My main reason for choosing it was the sound quality of Cowon and the battery life. The screen is absolutely amazing. Haven't seen anything as clear besides on cameras. If you should go for the clix or D2 I don't know. I haven't tried the clix - but it does look like a nice player. If you plan to operate your player in your pocket, you might want to go for the clix or U3. The SQ on the D2 is the best I have seen on any player and it should be easy for to find settings matching your headphones. Personally I am happy about the FLAC support on Cowon. With the D2 I just carry an SD card. To me that's not a problem.

Good luck with finding the right DAP for you!
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post #37 of 115
3/2/07 at 5:48pm
hey all.
i'm happy so far with my cowon u3 (2 gb).
sq, size and in pocket controlling is great!
am looking for an upgrade storage wise.

was thinking of the sensa e280, maybe an "older" samsung (less expensive then the yp-t9), creative zen v plus or heaven forbid an ipod .

small size, sq, battery life are paramount!

(concerning the ipod: do any nanos have good sq (like 1g shuffle) but in pocket wont work i think..)?

video is irrelevant.
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post #38 of 115
3/2/07 at 7:06pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sayrum View Post
(concerning the ipod: do any nanos have good sq (like 1g shuffle) but in pocket wont work i think..)
The 1st generation Nano has a wolfson DAC that has a good reputaton for SQ. But to take advantage of it you really need a lineout dock and a small amp which may defeat the idea of ultra portable.
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post #39 of 115
3/2/07 at 9:20pm

Audiophiles: What is the best flash-based Mp3 player available?

To me the Cowon D2 sounds great. I use a 4G version with FLAC and the sound is truly amazing, with E500 and UE superfi 5 pro. I even tried it with AKG 501 and 701 unamped and it managed well, which tells a lot about its capability. I had experience with various generations of Ipods with Apple Lossless, I get the best sound out of the D2 with FLAC by a big margin.
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post #40 of 115
3/2/07 at 9:28pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by unclebull View Post
To me the Cowon D2 sounds great. I use a 4G version with FLAC and the sound is truly amazing, with E500 and UE superfi 5 pro. I even tried it with AKG 501 and 701 unamped and it managed well, which tells a lot about its capability. I had experience with various generations of Ipods with Apple Lossless, I get the best sound out of the D2 with FLAC by a big margin.

do you get any hissing when using the E500 and super.fi 5 pros?
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post #41 of 115
3/2/07 at 9:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MarcusL View Post
You got it smack down!!!

I have the D2, VibeZ, 1st gen shuffle, 1st gen Clix, meizu m6, zvm and the Samsung Z5 among others. My 8gb T9 is equal to the Z5 but these two edges the rest. The T9 is easier to use than the Z5 and has better capacity, although I like the looks of the Z5 better. I am still looking forward to the SQ of the Kenwood 10gb which I might get this March together with some sweet Westone 3s. Something tells me the Kenwood would come out stronger based to user reviews. We'll see. If it's less stellar than the sammy flash units, you'll see them on the for sale forums by the end of March . Comparisons done with the e500.
What's the headphone out like on the T9 when paired with the E500s? Any hiss?
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post #42 of 115
3/5/07 at 12:24am
Quote:
Originally Posted by chowk View Post
What's the headphone out like on the T9 when paired with the E500s? Any hiss?
No presence of hiss on the background of the T9 when used with the E500. Although I noticed that the Ety er4s+prII catches the presence of sound (not a hiss) when connected with the player at volume 0. The T9 may not have a black noise floor but can only be audible when amplified.
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post #43 of 115
3/5/07 at 3:30am
The Cowon D2, U3, or the U2. They all have awesome sound quality out of the box.
The D2 and the U3 can play OGG Vorbis and Flac.
The D2 can also play .APE lossless and unprotected AAC files.

Another nice thing about the Cowon in which I couldn't live without is seeing what codec and bitrate is playing on the screen. I can't imagine a player without that.

Also unlike the Samsung YP-T9 and ipod which uses proprietary cables, the Cowon flash player's use a standard usb to usb mini. So that way if your staying at a friends house and you forget your cable it's more than likely your friend has a usb cable. But with the other's your out of luck.

Also with the Cowon there is no need for memory robbing software to be running when loading music on the player.
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post #44 of 115
3/5/07 at 9:16am
Thanks MarcusL. Some more questions for you (since you have all the DAPS ):

- what's the SQ of the D2 like in comparison to some of your other DAPs (like the Z5 and T9).
- The D2 has lots of things going for it. Are there any flaws / issues / gripes you've found from your experiences with it?

Ta
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post #45 of 115
3/5/07 at 12:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by chowk View Post
Thanks MarcusL. Some more questions for you (since you have all the DAPS ):

- what's the SQ of the D2 like in comparison to some of your other DAPs (like the Z5 and T9).
- The D2 has lots of things going for it. Are there any flaws / issues / gripes you've found from your experiences with it?

Ta
I have the D2, k5, clix, t9, nano 2g and had the kenwood hd10gb7, straight out of the headphone jack I would say in this order

kenwood
k5
nano
D2
clix
t9

hiss wise- from lowest to highest
k5
t9
nano-D2
clix
kenwood

Oh, used with E500s.

The d2 has a nice overall sound and is just filled with goodies and features, it is one of my favorite daps easily. The list is very tough because I feel all these daps sound very good.

The best combo has to be what you have in you sig, a nano -line out -tomahawk will destroy any of these units Unless your looking for geek appeal and many mnay features, then it's D2 all the way.
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