[JeremyLaurenson]

Steve Guttenberg reviewed the Cowon Plenue P1 here:
http://www.cnet.com/news/the-outer-limits-the-cowon-plenue-1-music-player/
"the Cowon Plenue 1 music player is the best I've heard to date"
 
I tweeted at Steve Guttenberg just after that regarding the AK line of DAPs and his response is here: https://twitter.com/AudiophiliacMan/status/537769474129420288

 
 
So clearly one industry guy likes Cowon > Astell&Kern..
 
Later he checks out the pono and goes on to skewer the Pono vs X5... (http://www.cnet.com/news/the-ponoplayer-whats-up-with-that/)
 
So the net is that at least Steve, for what its worth, thinks "the Cowon Plenue 1 music player is the best [hes] heard to date"
 
PS: Mine arrives Wednesday and my AK100II is on eBay... last straw was horrific OS X support.

 

[JeremyLaurenson]

Sorry, just starting on this thread.
 
On the impedance discussion, take a look at the Innerfidelity post here: http://www.innerfidelity.com/content/musings-headphone-amplifier-output-impedance
 
My JH Audio IEMs are sitting at 28 ohms - by the rule of 1/8ths, 28/8=3.5 Ohms... The P1 is at 3, and so its just fine on JHA.
 
So basically if your CIEM with multiple drivers has an impedance of 24ohms or higher you're in good shape.
It turns out that better CIEMS usually with 3 drivers or more are above the 24Ohm mark.

 

[Gilles De Rais]

  a few more questions , as this seems like a great-sounding DAP and a potential next buy - help me out here , you kind P1 users


1 - i am gonna use it only with iems , will i be fine power-wise ? i saw some complaints regarding full-size headphones , any problems with iems ( K3003 and CK10) ?
2 - does it pair well with analytical/bright iems (like K3003 , ck10) ? i get a feeling that it is a mildly warm DAP , correct ?
3 - will there be any problems with using my mini-amp(arrow 4G) as it does not have a dedicated LO ?
4 - it uses SD cards like the ones used on DX90 (my current DAP) ?
5 - can you listen to music while charging the battery ?
 
i can not try the P1 where i live , so i need to be sure about it before i pull the trigger on such a costly DAP

thanx in advance

And in public now...
1. No probs.
2. No probs
3. Your Arrow (like my Pico slim and TTVJ slim) will be superfluous
4. No probs (I did that very swap and there are no issues with the cards)
5. Ah....not if you're charging via a usb port. From a power point yes.
 
regards,
 
Giles

 

[BartSimpson1976]

Hm... the P1 looks more and more attractive to me, especially for its current price on amazon. They charge nearly double for it from official distributors here in Singapore. 1699 SGD at treoo. That's ridiculous if it costs only 799 USD in US...
 
What;s actually the bateery life in reality when using IEMs?
 
But before I make my decision I wait for the Questyle QP1 and the iBasso DX80 to be released...

 

[flinkenick]

@proedros
I'd just like to add that I personally don't think the P1 is warm. I think a more accurate description is that it's neutral/analytical (allowing for lots of detail) but with a smooth tonality. I think it will pair nicely with analytical iems (although my Velvet isn't really analytical, more neutral) because you can here the smooth character of the P1 through them, providing a nice synergy. 
 
I also have an Arrow (5P) which pairs very nicely with the P1 even though the P1 doesn't have a real line out. 

 

[proedros]

  @proedros
I'd just like to add that I personally don't think the P1 is warm. I think a more accurate description is that it's neutral/analytical (allowing for lots of detail) but with a smooth tonality. I think it will pair nicely with analytical iems (although my Velvet isn't really analytical, more neutral) because you can here the smooth character of the P1 through them, providing a nice synergy. 
 
I also have an Arrow (5P) which pairs very nicely with the P1 even though the P1 doesn't have a real line out. 

 
this is good to hear , as my iems (K3003/ ck10) are more into detailed/analytical territory

i see you have dx90 as well , how much better would you say P1 is , sound-wise only ?

 

[BartSimpson1976]

How is the quality of the leather case which is provided?
 
I usually like the dignis cases, but what they have for the P1 is not my taste.
It's either orange which will look shabby after a while and the decent colours
have the snakeskin-leather appeal. 
 
Anybody using the tuff luv case?
 

 

[flinkenick]

   
this is good to hear , as my iems (K3003/ ck10) are more into detailed/analytical territory

i see you have dx90 as well , how much better would you say P1 is , sound-wise only ?
 

 
I posted it somewhere earlier I think.. I thought the DX90 was a huge step up from an ipod, and I really enjoyed its imaging. It gave me the feeling of really hearing a quality dac for the first time. To be honest when I got the P1, the first few days i didn't really hear a big difference. Then I switched back to the DX90 for the first time after two weeks and I was really shocked at how much better the P1 sounded.
 
For starters I think the imaging is pretty different. The P1 projects more in front of you in depth, while the DX90 just throws everything up against a wall, only in width. Some people say that the Burr Brown dac sounds congested. I tended to think that at first, until I realized that it was only because the P1 provides much more detail so you're just simply hearing more, in combination with that often tones are projected more in depth, so in front and behind of each other.
 
Concerning the sound, I read a review saying that they thought the P1 was created to be artificially analogue. And often people say it sounds analogue, I guess because it gives it a kind of retro romantic feel. But I disagree - I think Cowon's main goal was to create a natural sound. They did that by adding a very natural decay to sound, which is especially apparant with cymbals etc. (Giles also wrote a more detailed post about this earlier). This natural sound is what makes it smooth, and is what people are referring to as analogue. Anyways, once you get used to this more natural sound, the treble of the DX90 suddenly sounds artificial and somewhat spikey, just as the soundstage feels more flat instead of 3D.
 
So like I said earlier, the P1 doesn't really have an overall warm signature. I initially started looking at the P1 because I was looking for a warm dap. Instead the P1 has a pretty neutral (detailed) signature, but with a very characteristic smooth tonality (but not exaggerated). Especially when playing synthesized music (like EDM) you can hear its character - then it indeed sounds very analogue, again giving it a very classy sound.
 
One last thing is its bass, if you're into that (like I am). The DX90 in comparison has near to no bass. I used to always amp the bass up with my Arrow, miminal +9db or up to +18db for bassy genres. The P1 has incredible bass as is - with the Arrow connected, bass becomes a bit more controlled, but I don't add more bass because it isn't necessary.
 
Hope this helps.

 

[proedros]

@flinkenick you   rock thank you

 
 
one last question, P1 or ZX2 , which sounds 'better' ? or are they in the same league ?

 

[flinkenick]

Haha thanks 

 
I was looking into both and was also having trouble deciding between them. To be honest, for me in the end it came down to availability in the classifieds. A P1 popped up for a decent price so I got it, but if a ZX2 had showed up for a good price I might have gotten it instead..
 
One review said that if you listen to jazz or classical go for the P1, and EDM or rock go for the ZX2. I actually don't listen to any classical or jazz, but I can understand why the P1 would be very well suited for it; because of the amount of detail, precise instrument definition and separation, and type of soundstage. Unfortunately I haven't heard the ZX2 so I don't know what would make it good for EDM or rock (that I do listen to, among a lot of other genres).
 
If it comes down to these two and you too do not have the option of auditioning, I'd suggest pm'ing people that have owned both. I've come across a lot of classifieds of people saying I owned all these daps (ZX2, P1, AK240 etc.) and this one is one of the best but I still have to sell bla bla. Also the first owner of my P1. They might give an in depth description of the differences, because I agree its very hard to find anything concrete on head fi or the web in general.
 
But I think they are without a doubt in the same league. They probably have some minor differences in their signature (without sounding better or worse), and also a lot of non-sound differences like UI, battery life etc. I've read that the ZX2 has a somewhat laggy UI because it uses an older version of android, while the P1's UI is excellent, as is its EQ. Battery life on the other hand is a lot worse of course..

 

[johnwamp55]

Both (zx2 abd P1) are reall nice but the P1 is a bit better in all the important areas. zx2 us a bit heavier and cool looking.

 

[proedros]

Both (zx2 abd P1) are reall nice but the P1 is a bit better in all the important areas. zx2 us a bit heavier and cool looking.

 
which are ?

 

[johnwamp55]

Sound, Sound, UI, Options to tailor the sound, amp.

 

[proedros]

i know that zx2 has a much better battery life , but i need some people who owned both zx2/p1 to share their opinion of which one sounds better in the music quality/signature department

 

[vilhelm44]

I would personally take the ZX2 over the P1 anyday. To my ears the ZX2 has a more natural timbre with plenty of detail, you hear every nuance, and I love the way the music plays around you. The soundstage is wider and deeper, the frequencies sound more balanced with superb seperation and imaging. It's truly engaging and atmospheric, I'm currently listening to The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds and it's like being there with Brian Wilson and the band playing around you. It really has it all and a great battery to boot.
 
As good as the P1 was for me, it's no contest for me when I put it up against the ZX2.