[Dukebb13]

Why start thinking to look for another sound so quickly. Thats the trap most if not all on HF falls into. In time youll go through gear without ever really enjoying the music. Many start focusing on gear and not the music. CV5 amp when I tried it was soso.

Thanks for the reply. That soso just cured me of that. Haha. I just really enjoy trying different sounds. I even enjoy trying cheaper things to get good sound for different reasons. I still use and old iPod touch for music at work, I'm in construction. I use Bose soundsport wireless earphones. They take a beating and keep playing good sound for me. I try to spread my purchases out over the year I know I am 100% happy with the P2 and vega sound though. It is like I am addicted to buying music items. I keep getting on this site to hear people's impressions of equipment and to be honest it doesn't do anything for me now. I read for fun about the SP-1000 and Hugo 2 and I have no desire to buy anything else like that. I keep hoping others will buy the P2 or Vegas just so I could read more about them. They are that good to me. The amp would just be for a different sound, a tube amp preferably. I don't need it but the warmth of tubes keeps calling. It is just me trying to get my next fix. Sorry for he rant. Thanks for the reply again.

 

[jmills8]

Thanks for the reply. That soso just cured me of that. Haha. I just really enjoy trying different sounds. I even enjoy trying cheaper things to get good sound for different reasons. I still use and old iPod touch for music at work, I'm in construction. I use Bose soundsport wireless earphones. They take a beating and keep playing good sound for me. I try to spread my purchases out over the year I know I am 100% happy with the P2 and vega sound though. It is like I am addicted to buying music items. I keep getting on this site to hear people's impressions of equipment and to be honest it doesn't do anything for me now. I read for fun about the SP-1000 and Hugo 2 and I have no desire to buy anything else like that. I keep hoping others will buy the P2 or Vegas just so I could read more about them. They are that good to me. The amp would just be for a different sound, a tube amp preferably. I don't need it but the warmth of tubes keeps calling. It is just me trying to get my next fix. Sorry for he rant. Thanks for the reply again.

I do like adding an amp yo my daps.

 

[AeroSatan]

IMHO the Plenue S is by far the best sounding DAP Cowon has right now. I wouldn't trade it for any other DAP on the market today

The Andromeda is DEAD silent on my Cowon's P1, PD and LGV10. I got/get way more resolution and details going to the Andromeda on all my players. Nothing much knocks my socks off these days but the Andromeda's did a little. Everything sounds better with great separation and layering. You can pick out where the artist is located and instrument positions which is great. I am hearing things in recording (songs Iv'e listened to over man years-FLAC) that were always there (of course) but not hearable with other IEM's (if it was there it's so little it's not noticeable). Andromeda's are stupid expensive (UGH) but I am done with IEM's and that was the goal. Was tired of climbing up the ladder of IEM's that disappointed in one way or another. The best saying is "Buy once, cry once" and that very much was true with the Andromeda. I doubt these can be outshined in the same price range unless you go 2-3x's the price.

Back to DAP's (Topic of thread): Now I know some DAP's are better at revealing details and that I what I am seeking but not want them to be harsh or hot up top. Some have said the Astell & Kern's are harsh and edgy. I know the Cowon is smooth but desire more detail if that is possible? I'm not sure if I was missing something with the P1 but I definitely was in NOT using TOTL IEM's! Now I hear the P1 I believe properly). Iv'e read that the A&K's are very revealing and some have said it equals the Mojo in resolution but the EQ distorts? I've read the P2 matches the Mojo also.

I love my P1 but feel ( I could be wrong) that it maybe too rolled off or not transparent enough? I have no idea. I'm trying to trust reviews but I have not really been able to decide as I'm not seeing many compare A&K with Cowon (No EQ) with TOTL IEM's. When someone does a review it's hard to figure out if they are getting the details and clarity from their IEM's or the DAP alone. I'm just stumped if it's worth putting down another $1000.00 with having better IEM's or not? The AK320 has the same DAC as the P2, and both are the same price and knowing it's all about implementation that is where I'm stuck deciding between the two. If the P2 is super revealing over the AK240 then I know I'm going for the P2 as many have reviewed the AK240 and said no difference between it and the AK320 or even the AK380?

If the P2 is is as detailed as the AK240 or AK320 then Cowon it is. Any thoughts?

The best post I've read said this of the Plenue S: "Anyway... it's the rage right now in Korea with people selling their AK380s to get this for sound quality alone (I'm curious certainly... much cheaper than the AK380 too)" I believe I read the P2 was more detailed than the S so that leads me to the P2 would be better in detail retrieval than the A&K's?

Edit: Irrelevant post- Ordered the P2.

 

[Dukebb13]

IMHO the Plenue S is by far the best sounding DAP Cowon has right now. I wouldn't trade it for any other DAP on the market today

I have not heard the S but have no doubt it is awesome. I chose the P2 because it seemed like a different sound than the P1. I have read people thought the P1 and the S sounded similar. The P1 sounds great to me so that sound with more detail I'm guessing is what the S sounds like. I would love to hear it someday. As for the P2 I wouldn't trade it for anything else either. It's great to have so many good options for great sound. We all are so lucky.

 

[Sound Eq]

I have not heard the S but have no doubt it is awesome. I chose the P2 because it seemed like a different sound than the P1. I have read people thought the P1 and the S sounded similar. The P1 sounds great to me so that sound with more detail I'm guessing is what the S sounds like. I would love to hear it someday. As for the P2 I wouldn't trade it for anything else either. It's great to have so many good options for great sound. We all are so lucky.

few months ago I had cowon plenue s and then sold it and ventured into so many other daps, a friend of mine asked me if I can buy him one, and by coincidence someone ( thanks Boris ) contacted me that he is selling the cowon s so I went and got it, when I returned home I listened to it, and I was honestly amazed about how how great it sounds, so right now I am thinking to keep it for myself ( greedy me ) as it sounds so dam awesome. It trumps the AK KANN and all other daps I heard, I am seriously thinking to keep it and forget about buying the AK ultima

can anyone inform me what is the difference between balanced and single ended in cowon s as both have 3vrms

 

[Shure or bust]

few months ago I had cowon plenue s and then sold it and ventured into so many other daps, a friend of mine asked me if I can buy him one, and by coincidence someone ( thanks Boris ) contacted me that he is selling the cowon s so I went and got it, when I returned home I listened to it, and I was honestly amazed about how how great it sounds, so right now I am thinking to keep it for myself ( greedy me ) as it sounds so dam awesome. It trumps the AK KANN and all other daps I heard, I am seriously thinking to keep it and forget about buying the AK ultima

can anyone inform me what is the difference between balanced and single ended in cowon s as both have 3vrms

Without looking to much into it, I'd say it has to do with the grounding of the wiring.

 

[Hi-Fi'er]

Thanks for the reply. That soso just cured me of that. Haha. I just really enjoy trying different sounds. I even enjoy trying cheaper things to get good sound for different reasons. I still use and old iPod touch for music at work, I'm in construction. I use Bose soundsport wireless earphones. They take a beating and keep playing good sound for me. I try to spread my purchases out over the year I know I am 100% happy with the P2 and vega sound though. It is like I am addicted to buying music items. I keep getting on this site to hear people's impressions of equipment and to be honest it doesn't do anything for me now. I read for fun about the SP-1000 and Hugo 2 and I have no desire to buy anything else like that. I keep hoping others will buy the P2 or Vegas just so I could read more about them. They are that good to me. The amp would just be for a different sound, a tube amp preferably. I don't need it but the warmth of tubes keeps calling. It is just me trying to get my next fix. Sorry for he rant. Thanks for the reply again.

Anything CampFire Audio puts out is so efficient you don't really need an amp. I tried the Andromeda with a Ray Samuel's P-51 and

few months ago I had cowon plenue s and then sold it and ventured into so many other daps, a friend of mine asked me if I can buy him one, and by coincidence someone ( thanks Boris ) contacted me that he is selling the cowon s so I went and got it, when I returned home I listened to it, and I was honestly amazed about how how great it sounds, so right now I am thinking to keep it for myself ( greedy me ) as it sounds so dam awesome. It trumps the AK KANN and all other daps I heard, I am seriously thinking to keep it and forget about buying the AK ultima

can anyone inform me what is the difference between balanced and single ended in cowon s as both have 3vrms

Balanced means the grounds are not shared on each IEM which was stated and is correct. There are other advantages also you can read up on "Google/Heaf-Fi sarch". As for a sound impression you may read my post from when I tried balanced with the Andromeda's.

Hope that helps.

 

[Hi-Fi'er]

I have not heard the S but have no doubt it is awesome. I chose the P2 because it seemed like a different sound than the P1. I have read people thought the P1 and the S sounded similar. The P1 sounds great to me so that sound with more detail I'm guessing is what the S sounds like. I would love to hear it someday. As for the P2 I wouldn't trade it for anything else either. It's great to have so many good options for great sound. We all are so lucky.

That is what I read also that the S is very much like the P1 so paying more for something that sounds similar is pointless. It's not really a venture into anything new or different. Now the P2 I do have to say is very different and the more usage it's getting I have to say it's opening up more and more, or is it the Andromeda's? They are both fairly new so it could be a combination of the two. I have to say again though, going balanced made a great impression on me immediately! Not going back to SE unless the IEM comes that way, but it makes we want to chop them all and convert them!

 

[AeroSatan]

That is what I read also that the S is very much like the P1 so paying more for something that sounds similar is pointless. It's not really a venture into anything new or different. Now the P2 I do have to say is very different and the more usage it's getting I have to say it's opening up more and more, or is it the Andromeda's? They are both fairly new so it could be a combination of the two. I have to say again though, going balanced made a great impression on me immediately! Not going back to SE unless the IEM comes that way, but it makes we want to chop them all and convert them!

The Plenue S might be a bit of an overkill if you already have the Plenue 1 and mostly listen in unbalanced set up. But once you start using it in balanced mode, it reaches its impressive pinnacle. It sounds as good if not better than my Sony PHA3 in a much smaller overall package. If there's a better more EQ customizable Dap out there, I haven't seen it.

 

[irrefleumas]

Im curious to this DAP. I had cowon Plenue M, easily put against AK100ii and AK120ii.

Anyone want to trade their P2 with Opus #2 or JH Roxanne Performance Series?

 

[Hi-Fi'er]

The Plenue S might be a bit of an overkill if you already have the Plenue 1 and mostly listen in unbalanced set up. But once you start using it in balanced mode, it reaches its impressive pinnacle. It sounds as good if not better than my Sony PHA3 in a much smaller overall package. If there's a better more EQ customizable Dap out there, I haven't seen it.

Yes the Cowon have cornered the market in the DSP/EQ arena. No one can top it. AK and Onkyo have more EQ frequencies which is one thing I would love the Cowon to have.

 

[jmills8]

Yes the Cowon have cornered the market in the DSP/EQ arena. No one can top it. AK and Onkyo have more EQ frequencies which is one thing I would love the Cowon to have.

But AKs eq doesnt work.

 

[Hi-Fi'er]

But AKs eq doesnt work.

Well yes and no. The AK EQ's do work but not how you would want or expect it to like Cowon. Apply very little EQ gain on a frequency and they distort. Does it work yes. Does it work well? No. Some say AK sound great without EQ so it's a mute point to point out their EQ distorts or is useless and they sound better with out it engaged. That is why many say they do not use EQ and say it's blasphemous to do so. I don't feel that way with Cowon. I prefer the ability to have the flexibility and to be able to adjust what I want according to the genre, IEM and or my sound preference.

Now on the flip side, if AK would license Cowon's EQ and implement it into their DAP's and have all the frequencies they provide it will be a killer DAP and a no brainer go to for me.

 

[XP_98]

Could someone test the pairing with Fitear Togo334 in balanced mode ?

 

[coolcat]

I'm going to try the P2 very soon
In the last week, I bought and sold some daps, including Opus2, Opus3, QP1R and Dx200 (DX200 stay, but I must admit I still like QP1R the most and just wait for the Ibasso amp3 )
Of all this dap I've found Opus2 boring, because of the lack of bass impact compared to the other 3. The soundstage is not as good as the Dx200, but better than the other 2. Opus2 sounds soft compared to the 3 daps.
Opus3: is a nice dap with great bass (impact) and sounds fun and very color compared to the neutral dap like Opus2,DX200 and QP1R. But the problem of opus3 is that the detail retrival, soundsatge and instruments separation are not as good as the 3 other dap. I like the opus3 sound and I think it provide a very good price/perfromance ratio.

DX200 : everything is almost perfect to my ears detail , soundstage width and depth etc.(the best soundstage out of all 4) except,
1 lack the absolute bass impact of the QP1R (the best bass ever in my whole experienced with iems is Witch girl 12 driver +QP1R, note that I owned tralucent ref 1,K10, Vega,Roxanne, asg 2.5) . With the Dx200, the bass of my witch girl 12 lacks the ultimate punch and a bit slower than with the QP1R
2 Out of these 4 daps , DX200 is the brightest dap to my ears, even brighter than the QP1R. The treble is often too hot in many songs I listen to and it's difficult to find some nice upgrade cable to use with my iems, because the after market cables often add clarity and treble energy to the sound and it leads to sibilant (I owned effect leonidas, effect mars, Labkable pandora and some others cable and I would say I wish the treble can be tamed down a bit).
Conclusion I am now waiting for the Amp3 to come out and see if it can solve my problems with DX200.

QP1R: is a really great dap I've found the QP1R is almost perfect especially if you talk about tone,timbre and Dynamic. QP1R has the best dynamics of all these 4 daps, the bass hits harder than the opus 3 (QP1R>Opus3>DX200>Opus2) If you listen to Opus 3 side by side with the QP1R you will see how color the opus3 is. Out of the 4 daps, I've found the QP1R gives the most accurate tone (natural), which can show the real characteristics of the iems . The problems of the QP1R are the UI and the Soundstage depth and instrument separation,compared to the opus2 or DX200, The different is clear to see and this make me move on to try the DX200 (and I bought it )

@twister
Actually after I read the your review , I wonder how you say that the soundstage of the P2 is similar too the Paw gold and at the same time you said similar to DX200. I dont think the DX200 and the LPG (I used to own it) has a similar size soundstage. DX200 has a lot wider soundstage to my ears (or because you use the AMP2 with the DX200), I am just confused how big is the P2's soundstage ?
If the soundstage is as good (depth width ) as the DX200 then the P2 is a very interesting dap to me , because it should be less bright and with a stronger impact in bass section right ?