[AudioMan2013]

Update - I tried the P1 with the lcd-2 when I first received the P1 and it only had a few hours of use. I knew thought at that time it had nowhere the power to drive them.

Well after about 50 hours of burnin and use o, I again tried the LCD-2. Now it doesnt sound half bad. No where it would sound with an amp, but its night and day difference since last time

I think the P1 may need a long time for burn in. Tomorrow I will try again with my home systems and determine how the line out sounds.

 

[Papajoe]

I do not own high end cans but the p1 drive my ath-m50x n hd598 well without amp...

 

[gadgetheaven]

Hi folks I ended up returning my K702 Annis and going with Beyerdynamic T51p.  It sounds great with the P1 unamped.  Volume around 100 and its really delivering the goods now.

 

[drunkncrunkpunk]

Sorry if this has been already answered, but did anyone on head-fi review all hi-end portable players compared one to another?

 

[RAFA]

I do not know, if anyboy is aware of this here in this thread, but there seems to be a BETA firmware, that enables this player to use USB-DAC function. Go and see for your self
 
http://board.cowon.com/zeroboard/zboard.php?id=C08&no=1047
 
Still I do not have this Cowon. Must really save up money.... aiaiaiai

 

[Spamateur]

Sorry if this has been already answered, but did anyone on head-fi review all hi-end portable players compared one to another?

I dont think there's been any comprehensive comparison versus all high-end players as new ones keep coming out every other month or so, but several users compared their personal experiences with the P1 vs. other DAPs they've owned. Mimouille in particular left some impressions vs. the AK240 a few pages back. I think the P1 is far superior to the AK120 and ZX1 that I owned. I actually sold my AK120 after buying the P1. There was simply no contest between the two in sound quality and detail.

 

[Spamateur]

I do not know, if anyboy is aware of this here in this thread, but there seems to be a BETA firmware, that enables this player to use USB-DAC function. Go and see for your self

http://board.cowon.com/zeroboard/zboard.php?id=C08&no=1047

Still I do not have this Cowon. Must really save up money.... aiaiaiai

Great find! If this comes into production it will solve one of my few feature gripes with this device. I was considering buying a separate DAP for work listening as my work laptop (Macbook Pro) hisses like a snake with sensitive IEMs.

 

[Wilderbeast]

So, I've had the P1 for a couple of weeks now. I've sold my AK120.
 
I'd been looking for a new player for a while and went for the P1 for a number of reasons, but mainly because it has optical out, which the Chord Hugo plays very well with. I'm not bothered about streaming, adding apps or having line-out so the exclusion of these was also welcome.
 
In my opinion the Plenue P1 is better than the AK120 in the following departments:
 

1. UI - much easier and quicker to navigate
2. Search function - not quite as good as an iPhone but the P1 beats the AK120 hands down
3. Loading/starting times - almost instant, compared with a couple of minutes each time tracks are added the AK120
4. Artwork & tags - not a single problem with the P1. When I first put music on the AK120 much of the artwork wouldn't display and I spent weeks re-tagging into a format it could read
5. Equalizer - I don't normally use the equalizer but I had a play with the P1's. It subtly changes the sound as you would hope. With the AK120 you had to wait for the equalizer to kick in, then adjust the volume. 
6. Gapless - I could never get gapless to work properly on the AK120. No such problem on the Plenue P1. There is even a setting to shorten gaps between tracks

 
The AK120 beats the Plenue P1 in these areas:
 

1. Looks
2. Size

 
 
Sound-wise, I wouldn't say the P1 is better. Wait. Yes I would. After just a few minutes with the P1 I realised I'd been missing bass. Bass on the AK120 is too quiet, and the sound overall is too cluttered and coloured. The P1's bass booms nicely (a little too elevated perhaps?) and its sound is much cleaner and more neutral. It doesn't reach the clean, natural, analogue output of the Hugo, but it's much closer than the AK120 gets.
 
Let's face it, the P1 isn't the prettiest and in comparison it's a bulky unit, but its performance exceeds what I'd hoped for. It sounds and feels like a finished product - something the AK120 could never claim.

 

[Spamateur]

Agree with everything you said as I also came from an AK120. Was considering getting an AK120II or AK100II instead, but I was never blown away by the original AK120 and wanted to try something different. The sound quality difference is shocking between the 120 and the P1. I really wasn't expecting as big of a difference as there is, but the P1 sounds so much more dynamic and detailed than the 120 ever did. Considering I bought the AK120 new at full price, I feel that the P1 was a much better price/performance ratio for me.

 

[drunkncrunkpunk]

Guess it's time to sell my Cowon X7 and upgrade to P1. 

 

[BigAund]

Defiantely agree. P1 > Ak120, by a large margin.
 
The firmware (1.40) on my Ak120 is, frankly, a disgrace. for a premium product that cost in excess of £1000 I expect better (not to mention the lack of support from iRiver). The P1 just works, where the Ak120 labours - it takes about 45 seconds to a minute for mine to start, over about 5 seconds on the P1. The sound of the P1 is also much more to my taste - I find the sound on the 120 a bit... polite, unengaging.
 
My one complaint would be the battery - on my P1, playing almost exclusively FLAC files through Cosmic ears CE6P, I get maybe 7hrs. The Ak120 has run for 11hrs+ for me.
 
Just a note on the CE6P, they have a wonderful synergy with the P1 and sound fantastic from it. 

 

[Francky]

  I do not know, if anyboy is aware of this here in this thread, but there seems to be a BETA firmware, that enables this player to use USB-DAC function. Go and see for your self
 
http://board.cowon.com/zeroboard/zboard.php?id=C08&no=1047
 
Still I do not have this Cowon. Must really save up money.... aiaiaiai

Hi,
 
Thanks Rafa for the link. I installed this beta.
 
I'm presently trying the Plenue 1 as a DAC with Audirvana Plus and Q701 headphones (no external amp). It works flawlessly. Great sound.
 
The fact Cowon didn't implement the DAC function initially was the greater gripe against Plenue 1 for me.
 
Plenue 1 was a great device, it is now better.
 
Franck

 

[Spamateur]

  Hi,
 
Thanks Rafa for the link. I installed this beta.
 
I'm presently trying the Plenue 1 as a DAC with Audirvana Plus and Q701 headphones (no external amp). It works flawlessly. Great sound.
 
The fact Cowon didn't implement the DAC function initially was the greater gripe against Plenue 1 for me.
 
Plenue 1 was a great device, it is now better.
 
Franck

Out of curiosity, does the beta firmware contain English as a language option? I'm afraid of updating thinking it might only be in Korean.

 

[Francky]

Yes there is english language and I think all the languages of the 1.26 firmware.

 

[Spamateur]

  Yes there is english language and I think all the languages of the 1.26 firmware.

Wonderful. Have you noticed any sound signature differences with the updated firmware? I would hope there wouldn't be any, but just curious. Appreciate the feedback!