WHICH COWON PRODUCT HAS THE BEST SOUND QUALITY ?

I like most my D2+;I fixed 128G SD card in it and I do not need to lug X7 around,which is bulky.But X7 sound quality is the best if you do not mind its bulk.,

I used to carry it attached to my belt - now I have D2+144G in shirt pocket. And damage? together - 200US$.I play it through Victor FX700 and M50.

most people like J3,apparently - same sound as X7,for you to admire.

S9! Im rockin' it everyday, its amazing but lacking one thing, SD card slot. Thats fine, 64GB is enough. Love it!

I love my S9, I do not love the proprietary USB slot :(

 

I keep losing cables, and you can't find these anywhere in Australia.

I've owned / own S9, C2, D2+ and that's how I rate them in that order. I wasn't overly impressed with D2+ SQ, it seemed a little congested in soundstage missing that airy sensation S9 has. I sold the D2+ and purchased a C2 which I find sounds better than D2+ but not the S9.

What the S9 has in advantage over C2 is a slightly wider soundstage, more obvious imaging and of detail and there's a better black space behind the music.

The C2 is no slouch and I rate it very highly, not far behind the S9. The D2+ however while I loved the look and feel, didn't meet the others in SQ. IMO.
Edited by H20Fidelity - 10/8/12 at 6:49pm

Well i'm kinda going to hijack this thread.

 

My cowon J3 is failing on me. When i move it around too much the sd cards disconnects or something and my player thinks my headphone is disconnected. I can be fixed by disabling speaker mode and by not usen an SD card but it's not the smoothest solution. I'm looking for an upgrade too, but I was thinking about rocoo products since I will be using them with custom iem's. And I think they will be sensitive.

 

Or are there cowons out there that don't have the hiss my J3 has?

You may probably want to consider the Z2.

http://www.head-fi.org/t/594395/cowon-z2-the-complete-review-from-izzi-going


if you're concerned about hiss with your Cowon J3 I cannot recommend Hisound players they're notorious for hiss, not just a little bit either. if you do some searching around you will see what I mean.

you can also send your j3 back for repair, even if it is out of warranty. but seeing your country the cost and shipping might cost almost the same as a brand new dap but im not so sure what exactly is the problem with your unit.

 

my friend had a dead screen with his j3 (or was it s9) and it costed around 150usd including shipping to repair it.

 

although it is not as worse with an old sony walkman mp3 player (nw-e016) replacing battery which costs around 150usd in an official sony repair center locally lol

I don't think repair is an option. I'm not willing to spend that much money. You'd know why when you see the state this thing is in. 

 

Is that Z2 better that my J3?

my best Cowon experiences are:
J3 probably the best one
X5L great sound and excellent material
D2  the sound is real great, but don't like the touch part (small for my fingers)

As far as i know - all latest Cowons have same hardware for sound, so it almost makes no sense what will you choose:c2, j3 or z2.
I've tried j3 and i want to say that it sounds really good with EQ on.

so the i10 is as good as the j3?

That's not true, they sound different I know between owning C2 and S9 at the same time, they vary in soundstage, separation, dynamics. the higher models have a more refined sound including more of of each areas I mentioned. The Cowon S9 is slightly smoother, warmer, has a better black space behind the music, the C2 is a touch brighter and rather energetic. They all hold a similar Cowon sound sig like Sony, but there are definite increases in certain areas.
Edited by H20Fidelity - 11/7/12 at 5:30pm

Well, i googled it, and find out that c2 and j3(and d3) use exactly the same DAC - Wolfson 8960, so difference between them should be minimal, z2 uses 8960g(should be a little bit better than previous one), s9 - 8750S

 

I was talking about c2, j3 or z2