Cowon Plenue R2
Feb 18, 2020 at 7:58 AM Post #136 of 296
Are these common issues, or just a bad device?

I don't think Cowon are different to any other Manufacturer. They have the occasional DOA device but it doesn't seem to be that prevalent (Sunova seems to have been really unlucky). I've got the D & D2 and haven't had problems with either. You get the occasional software glitch which Cowon usually corrects with Firmware updates. Cowons have many idiosyncrasies due to using older parts or connections but the sound is rarely condemned by users.

A lot of the time it is the person who actually buys it that's at fault, not knowing how to use them or expecting usability to be like Android. I bought my D2 as an open box for £160 and there's not much wrong with it bar a few software glitches which firmware updates should correct. It still had the film on the screen and looked like it hadn't been touched.​
 
Last edited:
Feb 18, 2020 at 8:29 AM Post #137 of 296
Can anyone compare / contrast the sound and sonic traits against the Opus#1s? And just for confirmation, this dap isn't fat 32 like the D2, correct?

From a bal output (using U18t for testing), soundstage expansion is noticeable wider in R2. In terms of tonality, #1s is a little brighter and more revealing while R2 is smoother and more musical/natural. #1s is still oldie but goodie, but its technical sound performance is inferior to R2, especially in vertical sound dynamics where #1s sounds little compressed in comparison to more expanded R2.
 
Feb 18, 2020 at 11:45 AM Post #139 of 296
Are these common issues, or just a bad device?

You mean the R2 right. It was coming directly from the EU distributer. The J as well actually. I don't know if it's common. I have read here on Headfi about the loud sound issues on the D2 thread as well. So it happens someone before. And still I bought myself a D2 after the R2/J and I have not any problems at this moment. So I am happy. :)

The D2 have 2/4 Vrms output as well. So there should be something wrong with the R2 when I had it. And hey, sometimes there can be a faulty device. But you can understand when I received the J as well in a bad optical condition, I was dissapointed that time. And I keep in mind that the R2 is a brand new product, so maybe it was a device of the first batch or something.

PS. If you consider the R2. It was a pleasure to hold in the hand, build with nice solid materials. So you can give it a try, ofcourse.
 
Last edited:
Feb 18, 2020 at 4:27 PM Post #140 of 296
From a bal output (using U18t for testing), soundstage expansion is noticeable wider in R2. In terms of tonality, #1s is a little brighter and more revealing while R2 is smoother and more musical/natural. #1s is still oldie but goodie, but its technical sound performance is inferior to R2, especially in vertical sound dynamics where #1s sounds little compressed in comparison to more expanded R2.
Winner winner, chicken dinner. Thanks, this nudged me a little closer to pulling the trigger. I listen to mostly rock and metal, with some relatively poorly recorded albums in the mix. So less revealing sounds good to me. More musical, better dynamics - exactly what I'm looking for. Much appreciated
 
Feb 21, 2020 at 1:14 PM Post #142 of 296
Winner winner, chicken dinner. Thanks, this nudged me a little closer to pulling the trigger. I listen to mostly rock and metal, with some relatively poorly recorded albums in the mix. So less revealing sounds good to me. More musical, better dynamics - exactly what I'm looking for. Much appreciated

Should have my full R2 review in a day or two. It's going to be a long one...
 
Feb 21, 2020 at 9:17 PM Post #144 of 296
Has anyone heard anything about other cases? I'm not digging the color of the Cowon case.

Never seen other R/R2 cases, only the one from Cowon.

cowon_plenue_r2-13.jpg cowon_plenue_r2-14.jpg
 
Feb 21, 2020 at 11:16 PM Post #145 of 296
Feb 22, 2020 at 9:42 PM Post #146 of 296
As promised, here is my review of Plenue R2. Yes, it's a rather long read, but I partitioned and indexed (at the end of each page) the write up into multiple pages so you can skip to what interests you the most. Enjoy the read!

cowon_plenue_r2-15.jpg
 
Feb 22, 2020 at 11:37 PM Post #147 of 296
As promised, here is my review of Plenue R2. Yes, it's a rather long read, but I partitioned and indexed (at the end of each page) the write up into multiple pages so you can skip to what interests you the most. Enjoy the read!

cowon_plenue_r2-15.jpg
Great review, very thorough! I don't suppose you have the D2 at hand do you? I've previously had both the original R and the D2. I'd be curious at to whether the sound is different at all from the D2 (given they've both got the same dual dac-amp chips), or if the only difference is the bigger screen/better UI etc. of the larger players.
 
Feb 23, 2020 at 12:32 AM Post #148 of 296
Great review, very thorough! I don't suppose you have the D2 at hand do you? I've previously had both the original R and the D2. I'd be curious at to whether the sound is different at all from the D2 (given they've both got the same dual dac-amp chips), or if the only difference is the bigger screen/better UI etc. of the larger players.

Sorry, never had D or D2.
 
Feb 23, 2020 at 7:08 PM Post #149 of 296
As promised, here is my review of Plenue R2. Yes, it's a rather long read, but I partitioned and indexed (at the end of each page) the write up into multiple pages so you can skip to what interests you the most. Enjoy the read!

cowon_plenue_r2-15.jpg


Thanks for the great review!
Could you tell me if it's possible to sort by Year on the R2?
This is a feature that's available on the Plenue D (and the J3 as well, if I remember correctly) but not on the Plenue R.
It's something I definitely miss when I move between the two players.
 
Feb 24, 2020 at 12:20 AM Post #150 of 296
Thanks for the great review!
Could you tell me if it's possible to sort by Year on the R2?
This is a feature that's available on the Plenue D (and the J3 as well, if I remember correctly) but not on the Plenue R.
It's something I definitely miss when I move between the two players.

Sorting by year is certainly not very common in DAPs, don't recall I have seen it in any of the DAPs I've tested in the past, not in R2 for sure. Just curious, who do you access it in D?
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top