[Achmedisdead]

Quote:

I have a Cowon S9, I've retired it for a Clip+ / E11 combo, because to my ears the Clip+ pairing sounds better. I have tried so many times to organize the EQ and enhancements giving it so, so many chances, it gets to a point you've bumped all the BBE up so much it sounds artificial. So you're not alone my friend. All my tracks played the same between each player at 320bps. One would think it simply doesn't make sense that a Cowon player could sound worse, but to my ears it does.

It sounds flatter, there's less clarity and bass roll off is very disappointing, it also lacks impact and dynamics, very unmusical. I thought it was my TF10 and GRO7 that were faulty however soon as I change over to the combo back in comes the sub-bass that is absolutely needed in my dubstep tracks.  I'm in no way trying to bomb the thread, it's what my ears tell me, and I know decent sound when I hear it. If this is the sound audiophiles need to become accustom too, I'm afraid, we have a missing link. 

Agreed 100%. I had no regrets trading my Cowon players away for this reason.

 

[caracara08]

i dont agree. i think people get too carried away with the EQ before actually giving their ears time to adjust.  i barely have my j3 eq'd and i think it sounds great.  for a single unit that doesnt need to be a brick or even the cliip+amp, i think its unbeatable.  also take into account the battery life and price?  

 

[autoexec]

Quote:

I have a Cowon S9, I've retired it for a Clip+ / E11 combo, because to my ears the Clip+ pairing sounds better. I have tried so many times to organize the EQ and enhancements giving it so, so many chances, it gets to a point you've bumped all the BBE up so much it sounds artificial. So you're not alone my friend. All my tracks played the same between each player at 320bps. One would think it simply doesn't make sense that a Cowon player could sound worse, but to my ears it does.

It sounds flatter, there's less clarity and bass roll off is very disappointing, it also lacks impact and dynamics, very unmusical. I thought it was my TF10 and GRO7 that were faulty however soon as I change over to the combo back in comes the sub-bass that is absolutely needed in my dubstep tracks.  I'm in no way trying to bomb the thread, it's what my ears tell me, and I know decent sound when I hear it. If this is the sound audiophiles need to become accustom too, I'm afraid, we have a missing link. 

1 - That's very accurate how you describe it.
2 - It's not a matter of preference anymore in this case, unless you prefer to hear less information.
 
 
 
Quote:

i dont agree. i think people get too carried away with the EQ before actually giving their ears time to adjust.  i barely have my j3 eq'd and i think it sounds great.  for a single unit that doesnt need to be a brick or even the cliip+amp, i think its unbeatable.  also take into account the battery life and price?  

 
I don't EQ any of my devices, and like H20Fidelity says, it lacks clarity, impact and dynamics, I don't look for EQ'd sound, actually I don't like it. First I think the J3 sounds great, which is true compared to some cheap players. But when I compared to the N2 (aka cube C30), I just can't stand it anymore. Maybe you haven't heard a real good sounding portable, or maybe you haven't compared them yet to your J3.

 

[doublea71]

I find myself eq-ing the J3 to offset fatiguing highs, but this may be due to mastering by MFSL, which dominates my collection. I'm trying to get that warmer sound that I got from the 5.5 w/rockbox...rockbox is in a different league compared to Cowon's UI. If only I were tech-savvy enough to rockbox the J3...That being said, I don't think it sounds "un-musical," but it lacks warmth. Vinyl rips fare better on the J3 - I have a very good vinyl rip of "Hemispheres" by Rush, and it has the warmth and depth I remember getting from my ipod. It's difficult to eq away the fatigue while maintaining great sound...still sounds quite good, just not enough to make me a complete fanboy.
 

 

[H20Fidelity]

My S9 doesn't sound terrible alone, it can supply decent sound, I could well of enjoyed it not hearing different players however, when I compare to other sources I notice straight away. I really wanted to enjoy my Cowon, I don't have much problem with UI either. For playing music / changing tracks I can run around fine. I did some more extensive listening last night, I'm not happy enough to justify keeping mine any longer. I think I was expecting  far to much when I bought this two months ago.

Although I did give some time to settle in, I persisted with it for a while, tried some amping went back to HO and actually was using S9 full time for a while with TF10 however, when I change sources I think what. was. I. doing.... I'm in this hobby now to enjoy music with the best possible sound I can achieve within my budget. Having the Cowon sitting there then A/Bing with a $30 Clip+ is becoming tiresome when Clip+ performs better imo. Just doesn't offer a sound I want to keep any longer. I love the soundstage of the Cowon it's by far wider then Clip+ - 3D surround effects work well though clarity isn't there in comparison, there's no omph to my music. if S9 could offer the same clarity as Clip+ with no bass roll off I would keep it.

She's getting the boot.

Sales in the sig. 

Winner!










 

 

[doublea71]

I'm going to hang onto mine - it's still quite good and has some really good features...I was listening to a vinyl rip of The Beatles catalogue by MFSL downsampled from 24/96 to 16/44 and it was probably the best it has sounded since I bought the J3 - it really was like hearing these albums for the first time or at least in an altered state of sorts.... It may be a placebo effect I'm experiencing, but I'll take what I can get.
 

 

[caracara08]

yea sometimes im confused on what other people are hearing. ive had ipods, sansas, cowons, hifimans, s:flo, etc and i dont hear all the issues iwth the cowon that other ppl are hearing. the s:flo did sound a little better but everything else about it sucked (bat life, ui, warranty issues, etc).  i guess for those looking for a brick to carry around, there are better options but also more expensive options. as a stand alone player, with amazing bat life, i dont think there is anything that flat out beats the j3 sound.

 

[Migou67]

For me the s:flo aka T51 sound also a little better, but too many inconvenients compared to J3 for a daily usage.

 

[olear]

I have been using a Clip+ with many iems are pleased with the SQ.  From what I've read from credible sources such as NAAVguy, the Clip+ is considered a standard  or reference which other DAPs are measured against.  Aside from the multitude of EQ settings and  sound enhancements and long battery life, I would prefer to get an ipod touch. The ipod has it's share of drawbacks, but my understanding from some HFer's and Amazon reviews, the UI on the ipod is more intuitive, easier to use and  has after sales assistance directly  from the company.
 
As much as I like the Clip+, I would prefer to have a larger screen with more battery life.

 

[autoexec]

I wish NwAvGuy measured the J3. I'm getting tired too A/B'ing J3 and N2... N2 clearly sounds better. But, what I like about my J3 is that it doesn't clip at max vol like most players do (even N2 clips from about 3 notches below max), and SQ really improves once paired with my E17. At least it beats the N2 when amped.

 

[doublea71]

Quote:

I wish NwAvGuy measured the J3. I'm getting tired too A/B'ing J3 and N2... N2 clearly sounds better. But, what I like about my J3 is that it doesn't clip at max vol like most players do (even N2 clips from about 3 notches below max), and SQ really improves once paired with my E17. At least it beats the N2 when amped.

Double-amped with an E17, eh? I guess there are players that sound as good or perhaps a smidgen better, but as an all-around product, I don't think anything matches up with its combo of sound, battery life, size, UI, and storage capacity. That being said, I can't wait for the successor to the J3 - I'm guessing they're going to the route of Android, for better or worse.

 

[autoexec]

Quote:

Double-amped with an E17, eh? I guess there are players that sound as good or perhaps a smidgen better, but as an all-around product, I don't think anything matches up with its combo of sound, battery life, size, UI, and storage capacity. That being said, I can't wait for the successor to the J3 - I'm guessing they're going to the route of Android, for better or worse.

At least J3 is real and doesn't 'mimic' a line-out like other players do. It's clean at max so I don't care if I double amp at all. I tried amping the N2 at it's max vol that doesn't clip (26) and I don't like the result. I guess that's when the 'double amping' idea is bad. but so far on J3 it really is good and I'm happy with it. Maybe I don't want to replace J3's amp at all, just add some power or current reserve or anything like that, I'm just new to this but the important is I hear my DT 1350/GR07 sound effortless mobile when paired with my E17.

 

[Kizune]

Quote:

[...] I'm guessing they're going to the route of Android, for better or worse.

 

I strongly disagree with this statement. For Android players, Cowon created the "Plenue" series (D3, Z2), but they don't consider the D3 or Z2 as successors of the J3.
 
This is the unofficial indirect announcement by Cowon:
 
"He said that they (Haldex) will be continuing to support the J3 in terms of repairs etc, and that he was confident that Cowon was going to continue producing parts for it. He also said that he has been told by Cowon that they are going to release a replacement model for the J3 in October (he said, knowing Cowon, expect it next February in Australia.) Cowon has told him that the reason for the gap between discontinuing the J3 and announcing its replacement was because, when they released the J3, Cowon was left with large numbers of the S9 in its warehouse, which are still sitting there unsaleable. Apparently they are making sure that this doesn't happen with the J3."
 
"replacement model for the J3" - if the D3 or Z2 had been the J3's successor, the statement would have been "replacement model for the Z2" since the Z2 is Cowon's latest Android player.

 

[Migou67]

This is a very good news ! I dont want to use an Android device with limited battery life just for listening quality music

 

[doublea71]

Quote:

 

I strongly disagree with this statement. For Android players, Cowon created the "Plenue" series (D3, Z2), but they don't consider the D3 or Z2 as successors of the J3.
 
This is the unofficial indirect announcement by Cowon:
 
"He said that they (Haldex) will be continuing to support the J3 in terms of repairs etc, and that he was confident that Cowon was going to continue producing parts for it. He also said that he has been told by Cowon that they are going to release a replacement model for the J3 in October (he said, knowing Cowon, expect it next February in Australia.) Cowon has told him that the reason for the gap between discontinuing the J3 and announcing its replacement was because, when they released the J3, Cowon was left with large numbers of the S9 in its warehouse, which are still sitting there unsaleable. Apparently they are making sure that this doesn't happen with the J3."
 
"replacement model for the J3" - if the D3 or Z2 had been the J3's successor, the statement would have been "replacement model for the Z2" since the Z2 is Cowon's latest Android player.

 I'm glad to learn that I'm completely and utterly wrong 

 . I actually remember reading the same comments from Cowon awhile back and just forgot about it. I know people have salivated over the possible improvements to the next-gen J3, but what do you folks think will be the likely/within reason improvements? Would a better dac be possible? How about 24/96 compatibility?