[jmills8]

and copared to x3 II?

I still love the original X3. Great line out .

 

[taffy2207]

  and copared to x3 II?

I've heard the X3ii for 50+ hours now. IMO the Plenue D is better audio wise but the X3ii has a dedicated lineout and supports DSD.
 
It depends what you're looking for. If you want versatility go for the Fiio X3ii, If you want portability go for the Plenue D.
 
As ever 'better sound' is subjective but 3 people I know IRL (and me) think the D sounds better, no-one chose the X3ii.

 

[mhoque]

can anyone tell me if Cowon Plenue D supports dsf file ?

 

[Despotes]

For some reason I just can't place the PD in my cart. The battery life is great, but I still doubt the sound quality. As I understand it, the PD does not use a physical DAC, but simply a codec?
There isn't a DAP out there that has most of what I want. Great sound (yes, subjective to a point). Replaceable battery(paying >$600 is not disposable. I'd use the DAP for at least 5 years.) AMOLED screen. Compact. WiFi. Reasonable price. The top DAPs are way too expensive for what they are and they're still not complete. You can get a decent home heater receiver for the cost of some of the DAP"s out there.
How does the P1 compare to the PD? Slightly better sound for $600 more? Onkyo DP-X1, but need balanced IEM's/cord ect to take advantage of the better sound?
Enough ranting. More coffee.

 

[Hi-Fi'er]

  For some reason I just can't place the PD in my cart. The battery life is great, but I still doubt the sound quality. As I understand it, the PD does not use a physical DAC, but simply a codec?
There isn't a DAP out there that has most of what I want. Great sound (yes, subjective to a point). Replaceable battery(paying >$600 is not disposable. I'd use the DAP for at least 5 years.) AMOLED screen. Compact. WiFi. Reasonable price. The top DAPs are way too expensive for what they are and they're still not complete. You can get a decent home heater receiver for the cost of some of the DAP"s out there.
How does the P1 compare to the PD? Slightly better sound for $600 more?
Enough ranting. More coffee.

Where did you get that info that is does not have a DAC?
 
"

The PLENUE D is equipped with a high-quality, 24bit/192 kHz stereo DAC found in Hi-Fi audio systems to deliver outstanding sound performance including 123dB of SNR, 0.004% THD+N, and -105dB of stereo crosstalk. Featuring powerful performance in a small form factor, the PLENUE D is a portable Hi-Fi audio device that provides excellent lossless, high-resolution sound quality."​

 

[taffy2207]

  can anyone tell me if Cowon Plenue D supports dsf file ?

 
File Formats
 
FLAC / WAV / AIFF / ALAC / APE / MP3 / WMA / OGG
 
Audio Codecs
 
FLAC, WAV, AIFF, ALAC : ~24bit/192kHz-
32bit WAV, WAV Tag Supporting
MP3 : MPEG 1/2/2.5 Layer 3, ~320kbps
WMA : ~320kbps, ~48kHz
APE :Fast, normal, and high compression rates (~16bit/48kHz)
OGG : ~Q10, ~44.1kHz
 
http://www.cowonglobal.com/download/file/manual/PLENUED/PLENUE_D_EN_manual_v1.1.pdf

 

[Despotes]

  Where did you get that info that is does not have a DAC?
 
"

The PLENUE D is equipped with a high-quality, 24bit/192 kHz stereo DAC found in Hi-Fi audio systems to deliver outstanding sound performance including 123dB of SNR, 0.004% THD+N, and -105dB of stereo crosstalk. Featuring powerful performance in a small form factor, the PLENUE D is a portable Hi-Fi audio device that provides excellent lossless, high-resolution sound quality."​

Update: The fan community meanwhile knows: There is no classic DAC built in the D, COWON uses a so called "codec": the Wolfson WM8998. I don't want to dive into technology just telling you it is a very good chip from one of the three/four leading audio chip making companies.
 
Also it appears that the PD employs the Wolfson WM8998 Audio Hub (codec) vs. dedicated hi-fi DAC (as in P1, PM, PS).
 
The above quotes from reviews on Amazon.
 
http://www.amazon.com/Cowon-Plenue-Resolution-Music-Player/dp/B01A8NU5CG

 

[Hi-Fi'er]

  Update: The fan community meanwhile knows: There is no classic DAC built in the D, COWON uses a so called "codec": the Wolfson WM8998. I don't want to dive into technology just telling you it is a very good chip from one of the three/four leading audio chip making companies.
 
Also it appears that the PD employs the Wolfson WM8998 Audio Hub (codec) vs. dedicated hi-fi DAC (as in P1, PM, PS).
 
The above quotes from reviews on Amazon.
 
http://www.amazon.com/Cowon-Plenue-Resolution-Music-Player/dp/B01A8NU5CG

"

The PLENUE D is equipped with a high-quality, 24bit/192 kHz stereo DAC found in Hi-Fi audio systems to deliver outstanding sound performance including 123dB of SNR, 0.004% THD+N, and -105dB of stereo crosstalk. Featuring powerful performance in a small form factor, the PLENUE D is a portable Hi-Fi audio device that provides excellent lossless, high-resolution sound quality." is right off COWON's product page.​

 
http://www.cowonglobal.com/product_wide/PLENUED/product_page_1.php
http://www.cowonglobal.com/product_wide/PLENUED/product_page_2.php?movearea=area_22
 
Anyways, the D could not pull off these values with a CODEC. There would be noticeable distortion; Read this:
 
http://www.headfonia.com/a-case-for-the-cowon-plenue-d/
http://ohm-image.net/data/audio/rmaa-cowon-plenue-d-24-bit
 
 
Better than Amazon people guesses.

 

[kawaivpc1]

  I've heard the X3ii for 50+ hours now. IMO the Plenue D is better audio wise but the X3ii has a dedicated lineout and supports DSD.
 
It depends what you're looking for. If you want versatility go for the Fiio X3ii, If you want portability go for the Plenue D.
 
As ever 'better sound' is subjective but 3 people I know IRL (and me) think the D sounds better, no-one chose the X3ii.

How can D sound better when D has no DAC chip but X3 has one? 
 
I have X3 1st gen here... and it sounds alright... I think it's a little behind iBasso R10 in terms of gain power. Its UI is better than that of iBasso R10.

 

[Hi-Fi'er]

Right? It fairs against a AJr. in the post I read. I doubt a "codec" can pull off such high levels. Someone prove me wrong please and show us that the D has no DAC. That would be interesting!

 

[taffy2207]

  How can D sound better when D has no DAC chip but X3 has one? 
 
I have X3 1st gen here... and it sounds alright... I think it's a little behind iBasso R10 in terms of gain power. Its UI is better than that of iBasso R10.

Honestly, I have no idea what's under the hood and I don't really care. There's been plenty of comparisons between the Cowon and other models and in the majority of cases the Plenue D more than holds it's own. I don't trust reviews or technobabble but I trust my own ears.
 
The poster asked for a comparison, so I gave an honest impression. As a portable option it's hard to beat in my opinion. But, it's just that, my opinion.
 
Honestly, I don't care if someone buys it or not, it's not my job to sell it, just to give an opinion on it after extended use.
 
2 interesting reviews.  :-
 
http://www.headfonia.com/a-case-for-the-cowon-plenue-d/2/
 
http://www.golden-ear.net/?_escaped_fragment_=Cowon-Plenue-D-and-Cowon-Plenue-1-A-Look-At/cmbz/56fa72cb0cf2e3ce9bb23f63#!Cowon-Plenue-D-and-Cowon-Plenue-1-A-Look-At/cmbz/56fa72cb0cf2e3ce9bb23f63

 

[batmanwcm]

Isn't it nuts that no one can figure out what DAC is in the Plenue D? Anyway, I ordered it since I love the form factor and the touch screen. Time to sell the X1.

 

[Hi-Fi'er]

Isn't it nuts that no one can figure out what DAC is in the Plenue D? Anyway, I ordered it since I love the form factor and the touch screen. Time to sell the X1.

This is the best I can find:
 
http://www.golden-ear.net/#!Cowon-Plenue-D-and-Cowon-Plenue-1-A-Look-At/cmbz/56fa72cb0cf2e3ce9bb23f63
 
"Clarity and detail are the words that better describe the Plenue D. Detail and clarity from top to bottom, good levels of micro-detail with great low end definition/texture and mid/top end superb levels of resolution for a 270€ DAP. From memory I don't think FiiO X5 II and even iBasso DX80 are at this level. Call it poor EQ implementation or whatever, they don't sound this good. I've been listening alot to my ASUS Strix DLX (ESS SABRE 906 DAC) lately with my Alesis 2.1 PC Speakers and I don't notice a shocking difference when I take the Plenue D and the FLC8S (silver cable). There's a great proximity between these 2 totally different setups (Speakers/sound card vs DAP/IEM), even thought the ESS SABRE DAC wins for a small margin. This is very interesting and shows how good this little player sounds and can give you an idea of what Cowon has done here. A little gem that sounds excelent with mp3 and scales magnificently with uncompressed and High Definition material. It uses a Wolfson DAC (unknown model) and with the help of Cowon's EQ and BBE, can sound almost as good as an ESS SABRE 906. My only advice is: don't buy it if you don't have a really good headphone/IEM. You'll be missinig too much of what this player is capable of delivering."

 

[batmanwcm]

Unknown Wolfson DAC. I just wish Cowon would just plainly list the DAC in their specs like the rest of their line up.

Either way, I'm seeing price drops now on eBay and Amazon so that is a good sign for those on the fence.

 

[kawaivpc1]

But this thing costs twice more than Fiio X3 1st gen... I paid 120 USD for Fiio X3
 
I hope Cowon reduces D's price to $150 USD.