[Whalesha]

I've done the research on these forums but I'm still trying to decide between buying a Cowon D2+ or a Sony Walkman NWZS545.

I'm currently using a Sansa Fuze and listening with MEElectronics M6, M9, Koss Portapros and JVC Air Cushions FX66. The Normal EQ of the Fuze is great, but I'm really looking for the next step up. I've narrowed my new player choice between the two above for their pricing (~$100 or so) and sound quality. My dream would be to just get a Cowon J3 and call it a day, but the reality of my budget brings me back down to earth a bit

Here are my requirements:

1. Best overall sound quality and best EQ offerings
2. Good with music across the board (probably related to the above, but see my music tastes below for more details)
3. Ruggedness (I don't treat my DAPs poorly, but you never know)
4. Stable official firmware (no Rockboxing for now)

Here are my current music tastes:

1. World music (Brazilian, African, etc.)
2. Indie Pop/Adult Contemporary (She & Him, Regina Spektor, Norah Jones, etc.)
3. Jazz, Bebop (John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Cowboy Bebop OSTs, etc.)
4. Dance, R&B, Hip-Hop (Mariah Carey, Kanye West, MF Doom, Lady Gaga, some things on the current pop charts, etc.)
5. Downtempo (Air, Tahiti 80, etc.)
6. J-pop/K-pop (the span of DJ Max Portable songs basically ;D)
7. Electronic (Daft Punk, Chemical Brothers, etc.)
8. Etc.: (Eagles, The Ventures, Cat Stevens, Elton John, hair bands, Janet Jackson, 70's, 80's, 90's, and on and on...)

Many thanks in advance!

 

[1audioz]

In my experience, Sony players (NWZ-S616 et. al) tend to have a very rich sound signature, the highs are sparkly and bass is quite smooth. I own a Cowon D2+, and while the sound is impeccably clear, it's not always engaging - so in a sense more of a pure sound signature than a rich one. My Cowon D2+ is warmer than my 6G iPod Classic, but it doesn't match up to the warmth of the last Sony player I tested out.

The Cowon D2+ is made completely from plastic and I use the Korean 3.1 firmware which allows flash themes and things like that. As for music itself, I'd go with the D2+ if you need to play around with sound enhancements as BBE+ is quite good and will offer lossless support, which the Sony will not have (maybe LPCM?). The Mach3 Bass enhancement gives you more thud, but it doesn't really mud it up like say the iPod EQ does or SRS. Kpop sounds pretty good on the D2+, I'd say.

User interface wise, I'd think the Sony would thrash the D2+ GUI. I really don't like flicking my finger on a tiny little screen, but I've gotten used to it. While the GUI elements are small, it's still quite usable single-handed, but two handed would be much better.

 

[Whalesha]

Thanks for the terrific comments, 1audioz! It turns out that the day you responded was the day I found the last NWZS545BLK at my local Toys R Us for only $109 - 16GB to boot, too!

You and everyone else were spot-on about the sound. It's nice, warm sound signature as you said. So far it pairs well with my MEElectronics M6, M9 and Koss Portapros. I'm going to give these a whirl with my Jlabs J3 earbuds soon. I've baked them for at least 75+ hours (that's being conservative) and I think they're as good as they're going to get. They have detail and can have good detail and bass with the right tips (at least to my amateur ears), but they still sound cold overall. Here's hoping the NWZS545 can thaw them a little bit more

Back on topic, I will definitely get a Cowon player sometime since BBE+ sound enhancement seems nice to play around with. I will always love my Sansa Clip and Sansa Fuze for the flat EQ, but I've come to realize that I'm the type that likes pleasant EQ'ing depending on my mood and the genre.

 

[1audioz]

Glad to know you enjoy your sony player.

 

[Solrighal]

I realize I'm a bit late but the D2 does FLAC, the Sony doesn't.

 

[h1a8]

lame v0 is good enough, flac is overkill.

 

[Dreamnine]

FLAC is a waste of space on a portable player.

 

[Solrighal]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dreamnine /img/forum/go_quote.gif FLAC is a waste of space on a portable player.

What nonsense.

 

[tjumper78]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zorrofox /img/forum/go_quote.gif What nonsense.

+1

 

[h1a8]

-2

 

[Head Injury]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zorrofox /img/forum/go_quote.gif What nonsense.

I'm with them. I can't tell the difference in an ABX test, and definitely not on a portable setup. So why use it? FLAC for the desktop, LAME V0 for the DAP.

My iPod decided it wanted to bite the dust on me, and I'm strongly considering a D2+ purchase when I get IEMs (probably RE0). Not thrilled about BBE+ or anything, but has more features than a Clip+ and isn't as expensive as other alternatives like S9.

 

[Hero Kid]

Some people have ears that can easily notice the difference between FLAC and a LAME encoded mp3. For those lucky people, FLAC is the most favorable format.
For the other 95% of us who can't, I'm with Head Injury. FLAC for desktop and -v0 mp3's for portable.

 

[Ypoknons]

I'm pretty sure I can hear some differences between 320kbps mp3 and FLAC, but it doesn't 'bother' me as such, so I'm not inclined to spend time and money to fix that.

 

[Solrighal]

It's certainly not a huge improvement over mp3 but it IS better, at least to my ears. Space isn't an issue as I can still get something like thirty albums on the D2 and I'm only out for a couple of days at best. Each to their own though.

 

[h1a8]

Quote:

Some people have ears that can easily notice the difference between FLAC and a LAME encoded mp3. For those lucky people, FLAC is the most favorable format.
For the other 95% of us who can't, I'm with Head Injury. FLAC for desktop and -v0 mp3's for portable.

Actually no one on Earth can notice a difference. Its a placebo. To prove it one must abx.