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Seeking Advice: HiFiMAN 601-HM Slim vs. HiSoundAudio RoCoo (and is the RoCoo P worth the extra...

post #1 of 16
2/26/12 at 2:42am
Thread Starter 

Hello, and thanks in advance for any help.  After years of faithful service my Sony NW-HD 5 recently died.  Having spent seemingly countless hours researching replacement options I've narrowed my choices to either the HiFiMAN 601-HM Slim or the HiSoundAudio RoCoo.  I've read many reviews (quite a few here; thanks to the authors) but been unable to find any direct comparisons, so I'm here hoping for experienced opinions.  Also, I was wondering if the RoCoo P would be necessary instead of the RoCoo D given that I use either Westone 2 earphones or amped external speakers to listen to music.  Thanks again for your time.

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post #2 of 16
2/26/12 at 8:33am

Well, I've owned the P and the original HM601, the slim version has the same internal components and shouldnt sound any different ( theoretically ).  Based on that, I would say the Rocoo has superior soundstaging elements, the hifiman has better overall clarity and is rockboxable.  With Rockbox you get great playlist support, much nicer EQ customization and even crossfeed.  The downside would be battery life, the Rocoo will give you more playtime.  Battery life on the HM series has always been terrible. 

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post #3 of 16
2/26/12 at 8:42am

I do not own rocoo or rocoo P, but I have Studio V.HM focuses on the vocal and smooth presentation and if the rocoo P has similar sound signature with Studio V then it is a little analytical, bright and transparent

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post #4 of 16
2/26/12 at 5:29pm
Thread Starter 

swbf2cheater:  thank you for your reply.  Have you actually Rockboxed your 601 and found it functional?  I ask because the website lists the 601 under "Work has begun on porting Rockbox to these players, but much remains before they are usable".

 

rianchaos:  thank you for your reply.  I prefer transparent to colored so I'll check into whether the Studio V and the RoCoo P and D have similar sound signatures.

 

Does anyone more knowledgable than I know if there's any point in paying for the RoCoo P over the RoCoo D given that I'm using either Westone 2 earphones or amped external speakers?

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post #5 of 16
2/26/12 at 5:50pm

I haven't ever used Rockbox on it. 

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post #6 of 16
2/26/12 at 6:47pm
Thread Starter 

Is the UI on the 601 as bad as some reviews describe it?

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post #7 of 16
2/26/12 at 8:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by LouieChuckyMerr View Post

swbf2cheater:  thank you for your reply.  Have you actually Rockboxed your 601 and found it functional?  I ask because the website lists the 601 under "Work has begun on porting Rockbox to these players, but much remains before they are usable".

 

rianchaos:  thank you for your reply.  I prefer transparent to colored so I'll check into whether the Studio V and the RoCoo P and D have similar sound signatures.

 

Does anyone more knowledgable than I know if there's any point in paying for the RoCoo P over the RoCoo D given that I'm using either Westone 2 earphones or amped external speakers?


I have the Studio V and the RoCoo-P. They do both share a similarity in sound signature, the possibility to switch between the available FW's on each player can alter this, but in general I do find that the Studio V has a slightly more meatier, punchier sound added to transparency that they both carry as part of their base signature. 

 

Regarding the RoCoo-P vs. RoCoo-D, since I don't have the D-version I don't really know, but from what I have picked up on this forum the RoCoo-D has a significant weaker power output and may sound even leaner than the R-P and S-V. So you may loose some of the sound quality 

that the Studio-V/Rocoo-P does slightly better than than the RoCoo-D. 

 

As I understand The RoCoo-D are somewhat designed to have less hiss with high sensitive IEM's which could be something you could experience with your Westone 2 and a RoCoo-P combo.  I'm sure others will share their opinion on this matter.  

 

Regarding the UI on the Studio/RoCoo vs the HF 601 I find them very equally good or bad!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Edited by Jupiterknight - 2/26/12 at 9:17pm
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post #8 of 16
2/26/12 at 9:12pm
Thread Starter 

Many thanks for your input, Jupiterknight.  I find myself a bit worried about the hiss issue and my Westones, so hopefully someone with direct experience will bump into this thread and leave a comment.

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post #9 of 16
2/26/12 at 9:47pm

I'm thinking about selling my HM-603.  Ping me

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post #10 of 16
2/26/12 at 10:18pm
Thread Starter 

Excuse my ignorance, timeslip, but what does "ping me" mean?

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post #11 of 16
6/10/12 at 6:50am

I have the HM-602 and the RoCoo P and I'm mostly listening to them with Westone 4 these days so I may be able to offer something to the discussion.

 

Firstly I would say that rumours of the RoCoo P being 'hissy' are, frankly, exaggerated. I don't notice any particular hiss through the Westones or indeed any other headphone, so I wouldn't worry about that if you are considering a purchase.

 

As for which player you will prefer that's very difficult to say. The HiFiMan 60x sound is pretty unique and is not to everyone's taste. It's dark, bassy, and somehow more "analogue" sounding than the average player. Personally I love it but I can understand why some don't. You're going to want very good headphones to get the best out of it - the resolution is extraordinary. As for the UI being "bad", it's not. It's just basic. If you want pet-sitting apps and HD movies then you're looking in the wrong place. Oh and the RoCoo's UI is even more straightforward.

 

The RoCoo P is of course much smaller, a bit cheaper, and with a longer battery life, and is at the moment the player that I take out with me most days  (leaving the new Cowon Z2 gathering dust at home, which tells you something). I think it's a great little player with a really nice midrange presentation and no shortage of power (50mW per channel is quite something). I certainly prefer it to any of the big name brands' current offerings, and it's good value for money.

 

So, to the OP: If you can, have a listen to the 601 before buying if possible, as there's half a chance you won't like the sound. But if you do, it will put a big smile on your face. The RoCoo P you almost certainly will like, just as long as you understand that all it does is play music.
 

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post #12 of 16
9/19/12 at 3:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by nickosiris View Post

I have the HM-602 and the RoCoo P and I'm mostly listening to them with Westone 4 these days so I may be able to offer something to the discussion.

 

Firstly I would say that rumours of the RoCoo P being 'hissy' are, frankly, exaggerated. I don't notice any particular hiss through the Westones or indeed any other headphone, so I wouldn't worry about that if you are considering a purchase.

 

As for which player you will prefer that's very difficult to say. The HiFiMan 60x sound is pretty unique and is not to everyone's taste. It's dark, bassy, and somehow more "analogue" sounding than the average player. Personally I love it but I can understand why some don't. You're going to want very good headphones to get the best out of it - the resolution is extraordinary. As for the UI being "bad", it's not. It's just basic. If you want pet-sitting apps and HD movies then you're looking in the wrong place. Oh and the RoCoo's UI is even more straightforward.

 

The RoCoo P is of course much smaller, a bit cheaper, and with a longer battery life, and is at the moment the player that I take out with me most days  (leaving the new Cowon Z2 gathering dust at home, which tells you something). I think it's a great little player with a really nice midrange presentation and no shortage of power (50mW per channel is quite something). I certainly prefer it to any of the big name brands' current offerings, and it's good value for money.

 

So, to the OP: If you can, have a listen to the 601 before buying if possible, as there's half a chance you won't like the sound. But if you do, it will put a big smile on your face. The RoCoo P you almost certainly will like, just as long as you understand that all it does is play music.
 

Does RoCoo P support Micro SD Card 64G?

In term of product quality & reliability, how did you find Hisoundaudio RoCoo P?

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post #13 of 16
9/21/12 at 6:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by cyberalpha11 View Post

Does RoCoo P support Micro SD Card 64G?

In term of product quality & reliability, how did you find Hisoundaudio RoCoo P?


64GB card - Haven't tried one, sorry.

 

RoCoo P is ok as far as reliability goes. Had to recover it a couple of times early on (see my comments earlier in this thread) but being generous that could well have been down to moody memory cards. Also the plastic fascia is now scratched up pretty bad, but I still prefer the sound to Cowons and most of its competitors.

 

Just to update my comments that you have quoted there: These days when I'm out and about I take the HiFiMan 801 if I can carry it, or the Colorfly C3 if I can't. RoCoo P may get sold but I'm hanging onto it for the time being.

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post #14 of 16
9/21/12 at 10:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nickosiris View Post


64GB card - Haven't tried one, sorry.

RoCoo P is ok as far as reliability goes. Had to recover it a couple of times early on (see my comments earlier in this thread) but being generous that could well have been down to moody memory cards. Also the plastic fascia is now scratched up pretty bad, but I still prefer the sound to Cowons and most of its competitors.

Just to update my comments that you have quoted there: These days when I'm out and about I take the HiFiMan 801 if I can carry it, or the Colorfly C3 if I can't. RoCoo P may get sold but I'm hanging onto it for the time being.

At the moment, I striped off the RoCoo product from my consideration due to some design flaws that I read somewhere. DX100 is way beyond my budget.

HifiMan 801 and Colorfly C3 are in my consider list.
May I know between 801 and C3, which has better sound quality?
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post #15 of 16
9/22/12 at 7:08am

HiFiMan 801 is by far the finest DAP I've ever heard, but it's enormous.

 

The C3 isn't even close to that but I really like its honest, straightforward presentation, and it's an absolute bargain. Pairs really well with my Radius DDM too.
 

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Head-Fi.org › Forums › Equipment Forums › Portable Source Gear › Seeking Advice: HiFiMAN 601-HM Slim vs. HiSoundAudio RoCoo (and is the RoCoo P worth the extra cost over the RoCoo D?)