[SilverEars]

Sounds like it maybe a transparent player.  Do you feel that it scales based on quality of the mastering of the track?  Do you notice a quality difference in the output of pop music vs well recorded tracks?  Does the sounds get more dynamic with better recorded tracks?

 

[kawaivpc1]

I have used the P1 with some over the ear phones. I usually prefer IEM's for lack of sound leakage (my wife prefers not to hear music leaking from my open back phones). I have the Grado RS-2i and Sennheiser HD-598 as well as the B & W P7. It performs well with all of them but sounds especially good with the RS-2i as does the dx100. Both are musical nirvana with the Grado's and while they benefit with amping (I use a tube headphone amp) they don't really need it. The P7's also sound great with the P1 again especially with hi-Rez files.

sounds perfect It must a superior player to any of previous units you have mentioned. 
I'm waiting to get this from Amazon.com this year. I'm not a big fan of its stock leather case, but the Diginis case backs it up, making it look like AK100 II. 

 

[kempneal]

SilverEars,
I have it loaded with well mastered tracks from HDTracks as well as some flac conversions of SACD's and DVD-A's.

 

[kempneal]

Sorry I posted before I was finished. In regards to Dynamics with well recorded files it excels with jazz and classical tracks as well as with acoustic music. With rock and pop selections it does better than my other DAP's but I prefer it with music with a large dynamic range. A good example is Cafe Bleu by Patricia Barber. You can hear the bass strings hit and vibrate on the fret on "The ode to billy joe" and in selection with a lot of high hat percussion there is just the right amount of decay.

 

[akhyar]

^ excellent news and nice write-up.
Hope Cowon can start selling the P1 in overseas market soon

 

[SilverEars]

Most importantly, how does the sound compare to X5?

 

[kempneal]

I prefer it to the x5. In terms of SQ as stated before it really outshines the x5 with hi-Rez files (24/96). They both really do have different sound signatures. Is it worth $700 more? I don't know. Probably not unless better SQ is your only priority and price does not matter. The x5 does a lot of things very well and with OTG does give you more available storage space. The P1 gives me dx100 performance with x5 convenience.

 

[SilverEars]

X5 and P1 has the same DAC chip (PCM1792).  Just wanted to know if they would sound the same because of the identical chip.

 

[kempneal]

To me the P1 sounds more spacious and transparent without being shrill. It almost has an analog sound to it, but still has plenty of detail without being harsh.

 

[kawaivpc1]

To me the P1 sounds more spacious and transparent without being shrill. It almost has an analog sound to it, but still has plenty of detail without being harsh.

Can't wait to hear that... have you heard any other DAPs such as AK240, Calyx M, AK120, HM901? I wonder how would you compare them to P1. 

 

[kkcc]

To me the P1 sounds more spacious and transparent without being shrill. It almost has an analog sound to it, but still has plenty of detail without being harsh.

Thanks for sharing your first impressions! SQ looks promising, and seems UI is not troublesome. Just seems the battery life is a bit on the shorter side. It should hit my local stores in another two weeks and will share my impressions when it does.

 

[kawaivpc1]

Thanks for sharing your first impressions! SQ looks promising, and seems UI is not troublesome. Just seems the battery life is a bit on the shorter side. It should hit my local stores in another two weeks and will share my impressions when it does.

Cool. Please compare the unit with AK240, Calyx M, Chord Huge, etc. If it sounds better than Calyx M, I'll buy it. 

 

[warrior1975]

Thanks for sharing... sounds promising.

 

[bcarr112281]

To me the P1 sounds more spacious and transparent without being shrill. It almost has an analog sound to it, but still has plenty of detail without being harsh.

 
Hi, kempneal -
 
Do you know if the P1's battery is user replaceable, or would I need to send it to a service center? Indeed, some DAPs are designed such that the battery can't be changed even by a technician--they have to discard the entire unit. I hope it's not a problem with the Cowon, expensive as it is.
 
Best regards,
Brian

 

[kempneal]

Hi, kempneal -

Do you know if the P1's battery is user replaceable, or would I need to send it to a service center? Indeed, some DAPs are designed such that the battery can't be changed even by a technician--they have to discard the entire unit. I hope it's not a problem with the Cowon, expensive as it is.

Best regards,
Brian

I
It is not user replaceable.