Amping my Cowon J3 - Page 2

Quote:

Originally Posted by DotChannel 

I'm curious about the Studio-V but at the same time I have heard that it doesn't do gapless. Which I'm not sure if I'm willing to part with. lol I'll look into the bid for sure.
 

 

The transition between tracks is like a split second. I never did find gapless playback to be a deal breaker. Although on my Hifiman 601 with rockbox, it was a very nice feature but still not as big of a deal like people make it. Unless you have certain albums where its a must (Pink Floyd, Linkin Park).

Yo, I like all the advice in the thread this far.  What would everyone recommend for a HiFiMan RE262 on a J3?  I'm looking for something below $130.  The FiiO E7 looked to be perfect but once I read the reviews I realized it's better for a direct out line and not a portable player like the J3.

Any help?

(I don't mean to jack the thread but I didn't want to create a new one just to ask the same question)

Quote:

Originally Posted by DotChannel 

It's no problem man. I'm curious how does the RE262 in-ears sound with the J3 unamped? I'm using some UE 700 in-ears.

 

 

They're quite nice.  I've burned them in with ~100 hours of playtime and I have to say I did hear a rather large difference between when I initially opened the box and right now.  These are my first good IEMs and I love them.  I bought a random no-name pair while traveling a few years back when my old buds died and it was not a good experience.

The soundstage is good already and like I said the instrumentals and vocals are close to top tier. The main reason I am getting this is because, like all the reviews say, the bass leaves much to be desired.  It's not really a huge thing for me, but I would like it to be a little bit heavier.

As a side this is also my first foray into amps.  I knew that an amp was recommended with this set but I wanted to give it a try before searching for one. I also listen to my music with BBE EQ turned on.  BBE when in my car and BBE Headphone when at work.  I feel it brings out a richer texture and makes the instruments shine more.  I am very interested in seeing how it would sound flat + an amp vs flat vs just BBE.

Very interesting that you want a flat, neutral sound, but you are using UE 700's -- they are very colored, IMO.
 

I am also of the opinion that the J3 does not need any amplification.  Over the past 2-3, I tried several different portable amps with my J3 + ER4P combo -- I could not discern much of any "improvement" in SQ other than some volume increase.  The J3 sounds very good all by itself, IMO.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by kmhaynes 

Very interesting that you want a flat, neutral sound, but you are using UE 700's -- they are very colored, IMO.
 

 

I am also of the opinion that the J3 does not need any amplification.  Over the past 2-3, I tried several different portable amps with my J3 + ER4P combo -- I could not discern much of any "improvement" in SQ other than some volume increase.  The J3 sounds very good all by itself, IMO.

 

 

Generally a neutral DAP will pair quite nicely with headphones with its own added sound signature or coloration while a neutral IEM/headphone will pair good with a colored DAP. Its all about finding that balance and synergy.

Any help for my request?

Well for a portable amp I've already recommended the UHA4. It is quite neutral with a hint of warmth and clarity on the mid range. It has low impedance so it plays very nicely with IEMs (black background no hiss on low gain at all). It also has cross feed and low and hi gain settings. Its very powerful for such a small amp. It has a DAC inside so you can also plug and play with your PC. To answer your question about headphones well I use IEMs on the go as headphones are too cumbersome (kinda looks ridiculous to wear them in public IMO). I use Sennheiser IE80 and FX700 for portable use. I also have a pair of TF10s that I am currently having custom re-shelled. I generally don't use the UHA4 much anymore as I have a Studio V which is more than enough power to power my IEMs and even enough to power my Denon 5000s. It also has an ability to use its internal amp as an external amp for other sources. This amp sounds very similar to the RSA mustang (which goes for $375.00). It does have a bit of hiss so I am using it with a 75ohm adapter and no hiss to be heard. The device is extremely sturdy, made out of aluminum, has micro SD card support, and has a super long battery life. I've heard up to 55 hours on FLAC playback and 85+ hours on lower bit rate music. The UI is very simple to use and it actually faster to use than Rockbox UI.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DotChannel 

I think the J3 needs amplification. It could at least have the signal redirected to a one with more bass.

 

Just curious, why do you think the J3 needs amplification?  Even if you get the extrememly expensive Ed. 8 phones, they are only 30 ohm, making them fairly easy for the J3 to drive.

Another question is why would you want to combine the J3, as good as it is, with a $1500+ headphone for a portable rig?  Are you actually going to wear the Ed. 8 out on the go??  I would think you would want to drive the Ed. 8 phones with a pretty serious source and desktop amp at home, not use them in a portable rig.  Just my $.02.
 

I had a couple of Cowons, and I saw no benefits to amping them. They had plenty of power, unless you're planning on using them with 600ohm 'phones.....lol

Why would I make it out to be that way? I don't find it to be over hyped at all. I bought it based on reviews and it really surprised me. If I thought it was **** I would be making that clear. I found my Hifiman 601 superior to my Sflo2 and I can say the Studio V is superior to the 601 in many aspects and superior to the Sflo2 in all respects. From a synergy standpoint I will be keeping the 601 still as not all IEM/headphones will pair well with the Studio V. The same applies to the Hifiman 601. I've recommended the player to a few headfiers and they have all confirmed the Studio V has met or exceeded their expectations. Now the device isn't perfect but for an audiophile player it is near perfect IMO. Most of these types of players have really lousy UI support, short battery life and reliability issues. Not sure how long this device will last though but I also bought a 2 year warranty from square trade so I am not worried the least bit. It also comes with a year warranty standard. I also agree with amping the cowon. There really is no point as the cowon has no true line out and its sound quality is okay for a mainstream player but its nothing special. Its EQ is about second to non but I see no need in using EQ anyways, at least that is the case with my portable rigs.
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by DotChannel 

The Studio V sounds like a beautiful player. I've seen it before and it looks like it has amazing build quality. I'm curious of what the Studio V's RMAA tests would look like. Dfkt should check it out. I don't want my ears to entirely decide whether a DAP is accurate, but rather a physical test. I definitely think it has a lot of potential. I can tell you that you have thought about your rig for awhile, and kinked out the problems in it. You seem to really care about your audio quality. How would you describe the sound of the Studio V versus an amped Cowon J3? Also, what 75 ohm adapter would be best? And what would be a balanced pair of cans for one of the Leckerton Audio amps?

 

UPDATE: Are you sure that the Studio V isn't just really over hyped? HiSoundAudio seems to be a rather fishy company to me, and I've seen some review where they're saying that the sound quality isn't that good and that they're lying about the "Class-A Amp" inside. I'm not sure that I would be willing to buy that. They do not seem reliable in my opinion. I won't trust them until I see an RMAA test of that player confirming it actually has that good of SQ.

 

(source: http://www.trustedreviews.com/hisoundaudio-studio-v_Portable-Audio_review_sound-quality-value-and-verdict_Page-3)