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cowon s9 vs iphone 3gs w LOD

post #1 of 40
9/28/09 at 2:29pm
Thread Starter 
I just got an iphone 3gs and I hooked it up to my Ibasso D10 using a head direct LOD and it sounded AWESOME!

It could just be that I am generally in love with my new phone but the SQ sounded quite good using apple lossless files and 320kbps mp3 files, comparable or better than with my S9.

I still think my S9 sounds good, but since I have 4x the capacity on my iphone I don't see many instances where I would use it other than on long trips, and in that case I can just get a cheaper player like the Sansa clip.

Since I'm feeling a bit biased towards my 3GS right now I'm wondering what you guys think. Which device has better SQ in your opinion? I'm looking for people that have used or own both of these devices, please chime in.
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post #2 of 40
9/28/09 at 2:34pm
Thread Starter 
if anyone is curious, this is the LOD i bought
Zn7II i-touch Dock-Mini Cable
Head-Direct.com | YUIN
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post #3 of 40
9/29/09 at 9:55am
so which one would you use when you are in the mood to squeeze out the best possible sound? oh please i really want to know this..
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post #4 of 40
9/29/09 at 4:17pm
not just yet another phone then, as expected from my experience though. I haven't compared the 3gs to other daps but I sure like the sound coming out of the hp-out. Good to hear the LOD is a good one too.
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post #5 of 40
9/29/09 at 6:02pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by dippyboy_87 View Post
so which one would you use when you are in the mood to squeeze out the best possible sound? oh please i really want to know this..
Well. At the moment the 3Gs is giving me really great sound, it surpasses or is equal to what my cowon can do with lossless flles. I made this thread because I'm wondering if anyone else has a more "objective" view because I just got the 3Gs and I'm in love. After a week I'll try some A/B testing...
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post #6 of 40
9/29/09 at 7:27pm
Wait, so are you saying that the headphone out from Cowon S9 might be comparable or close to SQ from Iphone 3Gs + LOD + D10?

I'm contemplating whether to buy Ipod/Imod + LOD + amp or Cowon S9
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post #7 of 40
9/29/09 at 7:55pm
I know it defies all possible logic, but the iPhone 3G and 3GS (I've had both) has one of the best, if not best straight HP outs. I have been kicking around getting an amp for it, but I honestly think it would be a waste of money.

For reference I have owned an iAudio 7, A bunch of recent Sony's, and a Clip - as well as boat load of iPods (most of which I will admit had sucky SQ).

The iPhone has an incredibly spacious, crisp and robust sound.
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post #8 of 40
9/29/09 at 8:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pangaea View Post
I know it defies all possible logic, but the iPhone 3G and 3GS (I've had both) has one of the best, if not best straight HP outs. I have been kicking around getting an amp for it, but I honestly think it would be a waste of money.

For reference I have owned an iAudio 7, A bunch of recent Sony's, and a Clip - as well as boat load of iPods (most of which I will admit had sucky SQ).

The iPhone has an incredibly spacious, crisp and robust sound.
x2. For reference I've owned the much-lauded Cowon iAudio X5, Meizu M6 SP, iPod Touch 1G, iPod Video 5.5G, and a bunch of crappy phones. And I still own a Rio Nitrus. I think the 3GS whoops them all.

I did not find the line-out -> Meier Corda XXS to be much of an improvement over the headphone-out, which was shocking.

Nonetheless I will probably invest in a Sony X in due time.
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post #9 of 40
9/29/09 at 8:04pm
Yes, it really is crazy. Of all the models Apple makes you would really think the iPhone's SQ would have been the biggest after thought (esp. with everything else it has going on). Another thing I would add- and I am not generally a firm believer- is that it really does need a good 24-48 hours of burn in. It is a tad congested at first.

3X0 - that makes me feel better to hear you say that as a Meier amp would have been something I would have gotten. I am a big fan of Jan's sound. However for all the added hassle of hooking an amp to a phone, I think I will just keep it simple.
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post #10 of 40
9/29/09 at 8:09pm
I sometime wonder why the hell Apple decide to improve SQ on cellphone rather than their music player
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post #11 of 40
9/29/09 at 8:27pm
As happy as I am with the iPhone, I don't see the SQ as being an intentional effort. Almost a happy accident as Apple probably had to go with different DAC/ Amp combinations to make room for other stuff and it just worked.
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post #12 of 40
9/29/09 at 8:32pm
Maybe thats how they come up with innovation... Oh well, I think I'm gonna purchase Cowon S9 tonight since Iphone is no go for me (t-mobile user and love G1)

EDIT: Just purchased it will compare it against sansa clip and ipod 3g nano
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post #13 of 40
9/30/09 at 12:28pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DC5Zilla View Post
Wait, so are you saying that the headphone out from Cowon S9 might be comparable or close to SQ from Iphone 3Gs + LOD + D10?

I'm contemplating whether to buy Ipod/Imod + LOD + amp or Cowon S9
No, I always use the S9 with an amp. In this case the D10, so I'm comparing the S9 with the D10 and the iphone 3gs LOD with the D10.
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post #14 of 40
9/30/09 at 12:31pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pangaea View Post
I know it defies all possible logic, but the iPhone 3G and 3GS (I've had both) has one of the best, if not best straight HP outs. I have been kicking around getting an amp for it, but I honestly think it would be a waste of money.

For reference I have owned an iAudio 7, A bunch of recent Sony's, and a Clip - as well as boat load of iPods (most of which I will admit had sucky SQ).

The iPhone has an incredibly spacious, crisp and robust sound.
Have you tried it with an LOD? I still haven't directly hooked my headphones up to the headphone out since I'm using full sized headphones right now (Denon moded D2000). How do you think the Clip's SQ compares? I'm thinking of selling the Cowon if I'm finding that I enjoy the iphone a lot more and picking up a cheap Clip for a backup player...
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post #15 of 40
9/30/09 at 12:33pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by DC5Zilla View Post
Maybe thats how they come up with innovation... Oh well, I think I'm gonna purchase Cowon S9 tonight since Iphone is no go for me (t-mobile user and love G1)

EDIT: Just purchased it will compare it against sansa clip and ipod 3g nano
It a nice player but...the touch screen sensitivity sucks, doen't play AAC or max compressed APE or FLAC, and it doesn't have an line out option like some older Cowon players.
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