[limathy]

ok, the decisions have just been made that much harder for me....
D2 - cheaper
S9 - almost like an updated D2 minus expansion
Clip plus - so tempting... though difficult outside US, and well battery life.
and well the touch - has wifi?

honestly getting more and more tempted by the S9 the more i consider it.
Native Xvid could be useful....

 

[A_Dying_Wren]

Do you need video? If yes, go with the S9. If no, grab a clip+ or two. They're insanely cheap and the battery life's not THAT bad. You will need to charge every night or other night though.

D2 is kinda neither here nor there. Both the S9 and the clip+ sound better.

Touch can be used with a lod and an amp which would be by far the most expensive option but could be the best in SQ if a bit bulky

 

[Rip N' Burn]

I've installed D2+ firmware on my original D2 so I can take advantage of BBE+. I also have rockbox installed as well which is a nice bonus. You can also replace the battery very easily. I don't think it is possible with the clip+.

 

[iPoodz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rip N' Burn /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've installed D2+ firmware on my original D2 so I can take advantage of BBE+. I also have rockbox installed as well which is a nice bonus. You can also replace the battery very easily. I don't think it is possible with the clip+.

Replaceable battery? Wow. I didn't know about that.

anadin, Rip N' Burn, you both have emphasized Rockbox, but what really does it add to the Cowon firmware? (I'm not challenging it's usefulness, I'm just curious.) Also, on the Rockbox website, it says that the D2 port is unstable; have you experienced any sorts of problems with it?

limathy, I'm in the same situation as you, considering the possibility of getting the D2, leaving the extra cash toward some HD 25-1 (possibly!). However, the thing that's stopping me is how I'll probably feel about the device in two years. With the S9, I think it's safe to say that Apple will have caught up by two years in terms of SQ and screen, but I doubt the codec support will ever really be there. Also, I don't care too much for the looks of either the D2+ or S9, but given the choice, I'd go with the S9.
On the other hand, swappable SDs are going to get really cheap in the future, allowing you to pretty much buy a new D2+'s worth of memory for <50$ in a few years.

I think it'll come down (for me at least), to what types of deals are available in the coming weeks of thanksgiving/holiday season, and make my decision off of it.

(I'll be pissed if I buy a S9/[or even a D2+ for that matter], and then Cowon releases a S9 with swappable memory a few months later.)

 

[anadin]

I am no expert on Rockbox but I have encountered no problems whatsoever, I leave all the sound settings i.e EQ on flat and it sounds like a veil has been lifted compared to the factory firmware.

You can dual boot the firmwares so you have the best of both worlds, here in the UK we have DAB radio and my D2+ has this function so basically I use the factory firmware for listening to the DAB radio and Rockbox for my musical pleasure.

 

[Acreo Aeneas]

The D2/D2+ is cold and analytical (and the same could be said of the S9 even with it's flat unEQed sound). The same EQ band adjustments are available on the D2/D2+ as they are in the S9. Though, there isn't JefEffect 3.0 which includes a few new presets (like VIVA, VIVA2, etc).

I personally like the S9's EQ sound over my D2's. Going back to the D2 with the same EQ settings, it just seemed colder. Though the D2 does have a more powerful built-in amp (at least comparing mW ratings - which isn't very reliable).

The S9's screen is a whole new ballpark. The OLED makes just about most videos look great and with an extra .5" of screen real estate, watching widescreen videos are also far more enjoyable than on the D2. Both do support DivX and Xvid (obviously since xvid is built off of divx). Of course, if you have a poor video bitrate, the screen can make it glaringly obvious by showing you pixelation or blurriness.

 

[Rip N' Burn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iPoodz /img/forum/go_quote.gif Replaceable battery? Wow. I didn't know about that. anadin, Rip N' Burn, you both have emphasized Rockbox, but what really does it add to the Cowon firmware? (I'm not challenging it's usefulness, I'm just curious.) Also, on the Rockbox website, it says that the D2 port is unstable; have you experienced any sorts of problems with it?

Here is a link for a guide to replace the battery: http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f15/co...-guide-435668/

I haven't had any issues with the latest release. It takes a bit of time to get used to. Rockbox helps with the bass rolloff issue and makes it sound warmer. With D2+ firmware, I set BBE+ to 10. I only turn on the crossfeed feature in rockbox.

 

[limathy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iPoodz /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think it'll come down (for me at least), to what types of deals are available in the coming weeks of thanksgiving/holiday season, and make my decision off of it. (I'll be pissed if I buy a S9/[or even a D2+ for that matter], and then Cowon releases a S9 with swappable memory a few months later.)

Thats pretty much exactly what i'm thinking right now. wait for sales
An S9 with a slot would be ideal

 

[Aevum]

im wondering about I7 sales now that thet I9 is out, the 16gb I7 is quite a nice clip killer at its current 99 euro price on mp3-player.de

 

[jjsoviet]

Bump

I'm currently contemplating on what DAP to buy... whether a Cowon S9 or a D2+. If I decide to go the S9 route, then that's the only one I can buy as my budget is limited. If I'll go the D2+ route however, I will have extra cash for a new headphone (Shure SRH 440 or Sennheiser HD 448). I just want to experience high quality music as well as watch video on-the-go.

Please help me out, thanks.

EDIT: Is the bass rolloff issue that bad? If I dual boot to Rockbox, will it help warm up the "cold and analytical" sound signature of the D2+? I usually don't like harshness in DAP's so that's why I don't like my iPod's that much.

 

[righteousball]

I wonder if the user interface isn't a major difference between the D2+ and S9, as in the S9 is a lot more fluid, and also allows customization, whereas... would anyone like to confirm they filled the D2/+ with 48GB of music and have no issues with browsing? Not critisizing, I'm just curious.

 

[jjsoviet]

Both the D2+ and the S9 have customizable interfaces, so it's hard to accurately pinpoint each one's differences. I'm also with righteousball here. Will filling up the SD card slow down the browsing experience?

 

[righteousball]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jjsoviet /img/forum/go_quote.gif Both the D2+ and the S9 have customizable interfaces, so it's hard to accurately pinpoint each one's differences.

Yeah, but if you actually look at the customized themes, they obviously allow for very different degrees of polish. On more than one occasion I was about to spring for the D2+ assuming I can just customize the look and feel to my liking, then I was like "ah so you HAVE to stick to just that one font for this entire class of things" and so on. Granted, everyone probably picks up a D2+ for its good value and not its affinity to moco design flavors, but i'm just sayin.

Once I did my previous post, I wondered if the browsing question is irrelevant, if you're using the file browser method and not browsing by tags.

 

[jjsoviet]

I'm actually wondering if the SD card will slow down the D2+ if it's nearing its maximum capacity. Some devices don't have that kind of snappy navigation when the memory cards are full.

Regarding the custom themes, I really don't mind it. I just want it to be easy to use.

 

[Punnisher]

I never noticed any slowdown. Boot times are slower by a couple seconds. Browsing is not impacted by a full SD card.

You need to use the Panasonic SD formatter for things to go smoothly.

I grew tired of my D2 after a couple years. I think it's a combination of knowing about the bass rolloff issue and becoming annoyed with the interface.