[AudioMan2013]

Yeah, are you still using it now? So can i ask what is the other way to connect P1 to an amp other than 3.5mm port to prevent the distortion? 

You can use the optical out on the P1 to an external dac. I dont recommending connecting it to a home system especially if you have a high end system. You would do much better with an external dac.

I am still using it as a dap amped by a modified cayin c5 and to some high end headphones.

I just tried the optical on the p1 out to an Oppo HA1 using it as a dac and it sounds like crap on my system. The HA1 sounds much better playing music from a pc. The P1 is optimized for headphones and not for home systems. I found the same to be true with my old cowon s9. I have a highly modded home system and it is picky. So far no digital source has beaten the quality sound my turntable so it is easy for me to tell.

 

[sladewilson411]

You can use the optical out on the P1 to an external dac. I dont recommending connecting it to a home system especially if you have a high end system. You would do much better with an external dac.

I am still using it as a dap amped by a modified cayin c5 and to some high end headphones.

I just tried the optical on the p1 out to an Oppo HA1 using it as a dac and it sounds like crap on my system. The HA1 sounds much better playing music from a pc. The P1 is optimized for headphones and not for home systems. I found the same to be true with my old cowon s9. I have a highly modded home system and it is picky. So far no digital source has beaten the quality sound my turntable so it is easy for me to tell.

So can i connect it this way and switch to line out? Is it gonna bring best SQ from the P1? Cause i saw this on their own website and they use it as a dac to pair with the external desktop amp. I'm confusing right now cus i hav heard different things about it from you. 

 

[AudioMan2013]

So can i connect it this way and switch to line out? Is it gonna bring best SQ from the P1? Cause i saw this on their own website and they use it as a dac to pair with the external desktop amp. I'm confusing right now cus i hav heard different things about it from you. 

Yeah, it also says to turn on the volume to max with earphone mode. That causes distortion. They tried to fix it by adjusting volume when changing the different bbe modes. If you are using it for headphone listening then it is an ok buy but if you want to listen to it on speakers running it through an amp then I wouldnt recommend that. Try it, you may like the sound. Cowon really messed up the design when they tried to use headphone out as a line out. You may not be able to tell a difference on your system. Ibasso dx100 did it correctly - a true line out that sounds wonderful on my home system but their eq and user interface sux. I only use the dx100 at work to provide day long music.

 

[sladewilson411]

Yeah, it also says to turn on the volume to max with earphone mode. That causes distortion. They tried to fix it by adjusting volume when changing the different bbe modes. If you are using it for headphone listening then it is an ok buy but if you want to listen to it on speakers running it through an amp then I wouldnt recommend that. Try it, you may like the sound. Cowon really messed up the design when they tried to use headphone out as a line out. You may not be able to tell a difference on your system. Ibasso dx100 did it correctly - a true line out that sounds wonderful on my home system but their eq and user interface sux. I only use the dx100 at work to provide day long music.

Thank you very much for your experiences that you brought up for me. I just ordered the gold one. I will try it and report back to you as soon as i can

 

[AudioMan2013]

Thank you very much for your experiences that you brought up for me. I just ordered the gold one. I will try it and report back to you as soon as i can

Congrats! Looking forward to your report.

 

[Wilderbeast]

Any JH13 Pro owners out there? The warm, dark, soft sound of the P1 seems to match wonderfully with the crystal clear JH13 Pro. 
 
I had been using my Noble K10s but was a little frustrated with their sound out of the P1 - it was a little dark, stuffy and muffled. Classical music just didn't work at all. Enter the JH13 Pro (which, to be honest, had been in a box for months following the arrival of the K10). Really, really enjoying the sound. It's nicely balanced, open, clear (without sounding analytical) and musical. I've found the JH13 Pro a touch harsh and fatiguing in the past - the P1 tames them nicely.
 
My Plenue is used thus:
 
P1 > Jh13 Pro (traveling, around the house)
P1 > optical into Chord Hugo > K10 (desk, bed)
 
I have no problems with the optical output of the P1 at all...

 

[sladewilson411]

  Any JH13 Pro owners out there? The warm, dark, soft sound of the P1 seems to match wonderfully with the crystal clear JH13 Pro. 
 
I had been using my Noble K10s but was a little frustrated with their sound out of the P1 - it was a little dark, stuffy and muffled. Classical music just didn't work at all. Enter the JH13 Pro (which, to be honest, had been in a box for months following the arrival of the K10). Really, really enjoying the sound. It's nicely balanced, open, clear (without sounding analytical) and musical. I've found the JH13 Pro a touch harsh and fatiguing in the past - the P1 tames them nicely.
 
My Plenue is used thus:
 
P1 > Jh13 Pro (traveling, around the house)
P1 > optical into Chord Hugo > K10 (desk, bed)
 
I have no problems with the optical output of the P1 at all...

Hi, I am using JH Angie and my plenue 1 is on the way to me so i can test it with Angie and give you some feedback. The JH audio sound signature is warm and neutral, i think it will be a perfect match, beside i love the analog sounding and the plenue 1 can satisfy it. 

 

[Wilderbeast]

  Hi, I am using JH Angie and my plenue 1 is on the way to me so i can test it with Angie and give you some feedback. The JH audio sound signature is warm and neutral, i think it will be a perfect match, beside i love the analog sounding and the plenue 1 can satisfy it.

 
Would be good to hear your thoughts after you've had it for a while.
 
I'm surprised at the lack of P1 owners around these parts. I much prefer it to the AK*** players I've had. The sound won't be to everyone's taste but I'm sure some people would love it. Great UI, the quickest start-up/load time of any player I've had, no tagging issues, plays well with mac & PC, huge internal storage, plays any type of file you throw at it.

 

[Gilles De Rais]

Probably cause we're all listening to our P1s...

Bought mine a few months ago, compared with existing DX90, AK120ii, Calyx M, Cayin N6, Sony ZX2. Phones were AKG K3003, Beyer DT1350, Ortofon eq7, Senn HD25-ii. Music ranged from polyphonic chant to dubstep. Easy decision on sq alone, only one that really conveyed the snap as well as the timbre of drums - the AKs had the timbre, but the impact sounded a half beat off - sort of "thwack", not "THwack", losing the leading edge. The Calyx (good sound) blew it onUI, I mean 15 mins for a card read, please. The other options sadly fell down on a variety of sound and ui flaws. The DX90 was exposed for the mid-range dap that it is in comparison.

Only strange thing for me is that low impedance iems like the K3003 sound better on headphone as the earphone mode turns them into bass cannons.
Great device that makes my train commute so much more pleasant.

Regards,

Giles

 

[vilhelm44]

Probably cause we're all listening to our P1s...

Bought mine a few months ago, compared with existing DX90, AK120ii, Calyx M, Cayin N6, Sony ZX2. Phones were AKG K3003, Beyer DT1350, Ortofon eq7, Senn HD25-ii. Music ranged from polyphonic chant to dubstep. Easy decision on sq alone, only one that really conveyed the snap as well as the timbre of drums - the AKs had the timbre, but the impact sounded a half beat off - sort of "thwack", not "THwack", losing the leading edge. The Calyx (good sound) blew it onUI, I mean 15 mins for a card read, please. The other options sadly fell down on a variety of sound and ui flaws. The DX90 was exposed for the mid-range dap that it is in comparison.

Only strange thing for me is that low impedance iems like the K3003 sound better on headphone as the earphone mode turns them into bass cannons.
Great device that makes my train commute so much more pleasant.

Regards,

Giles

 
How would you compare the sound of the N6 to the P1?

 

[Gilles De Rais]

How would you compare the sound of the N6 to the P1?

I felt that the Cayin had a good instrumental timbre - for example I felt that the flute part on Baudo's recording of Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune was captured best by it of all the daps. Unfortunately i felt that it was a little dynamically soft, so that that track with its limpid melody was its best showing in classical- stuff like Janacek's Sinfionetta just didn't have the punch to the brass the track needs. Similarly in Jazz, mid-period Miles Davis like Kind of Blue and Milestones with its focus on modality and long sinuous lines shows the Cayin in a good light, late electric Miles like Agharta and Pangea turn into an arhythmic mess on the Cayin. Things like EDM, Krautrock and funk with their emphasis on the beat sounded bland on the Cayin.

The Cowon handles all these pieces much more coherently and certainly has to my ears, a broader musical range than the Cayin. Don't get me wrong I think if you like light jazz, folk or French impressionist classical it would be hard to argue that the Cowon was worth twice the money of the Cayin. If your tastes are broader, than the equation changes. To some extent you can see the similarities in the PCM1792A dac chip in the approach to timbre, I think the Cowon amp circuit is better at bringing out the inherent PRAT and dynamics of the chip. I'd also be remiss if I didn't say that I felt that the AK240 was the best dap I've heard for dynamics - another league over the Cowon, but another league in price...

Regards,

Giles

 

[vilhelm44]

I felt that the Cayin had a good instrumental timbre - for example I felt that the flute part on Baudo's recording of Prelude a l'apres-midi d'un faune was captured best by it of all the daps. Unfortunately i felt that it was a little dynamically soft, so that that track with its limpid melody was its best showing in classical- stuff like Janacek's Sinfionetta just didn't have the punch to the brass the track needs. Similarly in Jazz, mid-period Miles Davis like Kind of Blue and Milestones with its focus on modality and long sinuous lines shows the Cayin in a good light, late electric Miles like Agharta and Pangea turn into an arhythmic mess on the Cayin. Things like EDM, Krautrock and funk with their emphasis on the beat sounded bland on the Cayin.

The Cowon handles all these pieces much more coherently and certainly has to my ears, a broader musical range than the Cayin. Don't get me wrong I think if you like light jazz, folk or French impressionist classical it would be hard to argue that the Cowon was worth twice the money of the Cayin. If your tastes are broader, than the equation changes. To some extent you can see the similarities in the PCM1792A dac chip in the approach to timbre, I think the Cowon amp circuit is better at bringing out the inherent PRAT and dynamics of the chip. I'd also be remiss if I didn't say that I felt that the AK240 was the best dap I've heard for dynamics - another league over the Cowon, but another league in price...

Regards,

Giles

 
Thanks for the very descriptive response, much appreciated! I have owned both and sold them on and thinking of buying one or the other again, and I think it's leaning towards the P1, as that's the better package by far. I would love to give an Ak240 a whirl but it's way out of my price range unfortunately. Maybe one day

 

[zerodeefex]

Will most likely be selling my P1 + blue dignis case. 
 
Spending more and more time with my transportable setup (geek out SE > Leckerton) and it doesn't make sense to keep such an awesome player almost unused :/

 

[Sound Eq]

Probably cause we're all listening to our P1s...

Bought mine a few months ago, compared with existing DX90, AK120ii, Calyx M, Cayin N6, Sony ZX2. Phones were AKG K3003, Beyer DT1350, Ortofon eq7, Senn HD25-ii. Music ranged from polyphonic chant to dubstep. Easy decision on sq alone, only one that really conveyed the snap as well as the timbre of drums - the AKs had the timbre, but the impact sounded a half beat off - sort of "thwack", not "THwack", losing the leading edge. The Calyx (good sound) blew it onUI, I mean 15 mins for a card read, please. The other options sadly fell down on a variety of sound and ui flaws. The DX90 was exposed for the mid-range dap that it is in comparison.

Only strange thing for me is that low impedance iems like the K3003 sound better on headphone as the earphone mode turns them into bass cannons.
Great device that makes my train commute so much more pleasant.

Regards,

Giles

can u tell me in what way the p1 was better than the zx2

 

[Gilles De Rais]

My predjuduces against the Sony were primarily motivated by my dislike of Android as an OS, the ZX2 seemed to me to have a serious bloat ware issue. That being said I felt that the ZX2 was not as precise as the p1 in capturing subtle audio cues - particularly in classical, nor did it have the drive that I seek in my music. Again I'd stress these are MY musical tastes and emphases and may not reflect yours. As I point out on other topics, at this price-point it really is about personal preferences, capabilities (eg Bluetooth, wifi, storage or eq) and flavours, technically there isn't a huge degree of difference. You may like the flavour of an A&K, Lootoo or Sony. You really need to listen to each to work out what you like in terms of sound.
I note that you seem to seek comparison opinions on a lot of the DAP topics. It may help people to answer your question if you clarify a few things, such as what iems/headphones you use, what kinds of music you listen to, what the role of the device will be (ie commuting, study, desktop, etc). Identify your priorities in each of those elements and you may find the issue resolves itself. For example I note from your profile that you hadanve sold the Chord Hugo. Clearly something about it wasn't to your preference or need and so it didn't stay in your inventory. Advising our colleagues of things to consider or to avoid is a help.

Regards,

Giles