[kurt_fire]

I need a FLAC playing DAC and was thinking about getting a 4GB Cowon D2. I'd love to save some money and get the Sansa Clip is only it supported FLAC. Ugh! I can't justify paying for the 8GB D2, or even the 16GB with the 80GB and 160GB Ipod Classics not much more. I'll be using this for mainly gym use with Koss Portapros, KSC-35, and KSC-75 headphones.

How's the FLAC playing using the Cowon firmware? Does Rockbox make the D2 better? Any sound quality differences between the two? I know since it's a touch screen Rockbox may not be that good.

Also, any idea when the D2 "upgrade" will release from Cowon? I'm assuming it will be called the D3. What are it's better features if the info has leaked out yet.

 

[LeftyGorilla]

FLAC is totally fine on the Cowon firmware for the D2. It's not gapless, but nothing on the D2 is.

Rockbox is not yet functional for the D2.

No news I've found reliable about the D3, but seems hard to really think it's coming as Cowon just put out a 16GB D2 and modded the firmwares to deal with larger memory capacities. Used to be it topped out at a couple thousand files.

I just picked up an 8GB SD card for my 4GB D2 and am feeling like that is really all I need for a portable player. I can't even really keep track of 160GB of music at once. But I know some people need that large capacity thing...

You might also consider that the D2 does not have a true line-out...but for that use, you're probably not thinking to amping.



Oh, I just got a Sansa Clip as a present for a friend and they're really great, unbelievably small with really nice sound. If you can stand listening to MP3s through your portapros while working out, it might be a very well-spent $50.

 

[chinesekiwi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeftyGorilla /img/forum/go_quote.gif No news I've found reliable about the D3, but seems hard to really think it's coming as Cowon just put out a 16GB D2 and modded the firmwares to deal with larger memory capacities. Used to be it topped out at a couple thousand files.

4000ish with the latest firmware (2.57).

 

[Goldenpig3888]

Does the lastest firmware make D2 sounds better?

 

[Punnisher]

Some say it does but I don't believe it. It has always sounded great.

You should use the latest firmware anyway. They've really improved things the last few releases. I recommend 3.57, so you can mess around with flash skins.

 

[Goldenpig3888]

Thanks for your recommendatin!I'll try the 3.57 firmware!

 

[RedSky0]

New firmware seems to make the low bass a bit more solid and distort less and cloud the rest of spectrum less when you EQ it although I could be imagining it. Certainly not something amazingly black and white.

 

[robojack]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeftyGorilla /img/forum/go_quote.gif FLAC is totally fine on the Cowon firmware for the D2. It's not gapless, but nothing on the D2 is. Rockbox is not yet functional for the D2. No news I've found reliable about the D3, but seems hard to really think it's coming as Cowon just put out a 16GB D2 and modded the firmwares to deal with larger memory capacities. Used to be it topped out at a couple thousand files. I just picked up an 8GB SD card for my 4GB D2 and am feeling like that is really all I need for a portable player. I can't even really keep track of 160GB of music at once. But I know some people need that large capacity thing... You might also consider that the D2 does not have a true line-out...but for that use, you're probably not thinking to amping. Oh, I just got a Sansa Clip as a present for a friend and they're really great, unbelievably small with really nice sound. If you can stand listening to MP3s through your portapros while working out, it might be a very well-spent $50.

The D2 may not have a TRUE lineout, but its HP output is incredibly clean, and with the right settings, can almost exactly mimic a line-out signal. There have people who used spectrometers (if that's what the machine's called) to arrive at this conclusion. Furthermore, it sounds pretty much the same on my Predator DAC/amp, when compared to the USB DAC connection. That's pretty impressive, in my books.

 

[LeftyGorilla]

Quote:

Originally Posted by robojack /img/forum/go_quote.gif The D2 may not have a TRUE lineout, but...

Yeah, I've been very happy with it at vol 34, both through the iBasso D2 (D2 + D2!) and into my home and car stereo. I go back and forth sometimes between vol 49, but I can't really hear a difference so I don't think it's worth the battery life.

Even sometimes I'll throw a little BBE effect on there. So, no, it's not TRUE line out, but it sounds great.

 

[Shad3925]

Quote:

Originally Posted by LeftyGorilla /img/forum/go_quote.gif FLAC is totally fine on the Cowon firmware for the D2. It's not gapless, but nothing on the D2 is. Rockbox is not yet functional for the D2. No news I've found reliable about the D3, but seems hard to really think it's coming as Cowon just put out a 16GB D2 and modded the firmwares to deal with larger memory capacities. Used to be it topped out at a couple thousand files. I just picked up an 8GB SD card for my 4GB D2 and am feeling like that is really all I need for a portable player. I can't even really keep track of 160GB of music at once. But I know some people need that large capacity thing... You might also consider that the D2 does not have a true line-out...but for that use, you're probably not thinking to amping. Oh, I just got a Sansa Clip as a present for a friend and they're really great, unbelievably small with really nice sound. If you can stand listening to MP3s through your portapros while working out, it might be a very well-spent $50.

Can you explain the section relating to 'True line-out'
The UK spec I have looked at on the Iaudio(Cowon) 8GB version describes it as having 'Line-in & Line-out'

 

[LeftyGorilla]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shad3925 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Can you explain the section relating to 'True line-out'

Not with any degree of technical competence.

But basically, a real line-out is an audio signal that does not pass through an amplifier. The quality of the amplifier is a big part of the end quality of sound. So the better the amplifier, the better the sound. With portable consumer-grade electronics (ipod, D2, etc.) you don't get an "audiophile" quality amplifier. Moreso if you are looking to use headphones that have high impedance and are designed to run on a lot of amplification.

So enter the headphone amp, which amplifies the signal out of your portable player to make your headphones sound like the dog's bollocks.

Cowon D2 does not have a true line out. The signal passes through an amplifier and this particular player is designed with the idea that you will heavily tweak the sound with built-in equalizers and sound effects (BBE, extra bass, etc.).

To a really audiophile purist, this is not acceptable, as you are introducing changes in the audio stream from a sub-standard amp before amping it again with an "audiophile" amp. This camp says, "if you can't amp a true line out, don't bother."

Other camp says you can get a very transparent sound out of the D2 and then amp that and it's all good.

Other other camp says the D2 doesn't really need an amp except if you're using it for phones that weren't really meant as portable anyway.

Except for the bass roll-off on the D2, which makes most low-impedance IEMs sound muddy around the bottom.


But the short answer, is that the D2 does not have a dedicated, un-amped line out that is separate from the headphone jack.

 

[Shad3925]

Many thanks, I was considering the D2 as one of a few possibles for my next purchase.Would it do my Predator and ER-4P's justice considering it does not have a line-out

 

[robojack]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shad3925 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Many thanks, I was considering the D2 as one of a few possibles for my next purchase.Would it do my Predator and ER-4P's justice considering it does not have a line-out

Absolutely. I use a Predator with my D2, and I can't go back to using my D2 unamped nowadays.

Because of the D2's very clean HP output, it's great for amping.

For amping, you'll need to do the folllowing:
- turn off ALL JetEffects (I use BBE from time to time, but it does change the sound away from a lineout sound)
- Volume to 49 or 50 (50 eats more battery power, and little to no audible difference in SQ)
- EQ set at normal (0/0/0/0/0)

 

[LeftyGorilla]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shad3925 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Many thanks, I was considering the D2 as one of a few possibles for my next purchase.Would it do my Predator and ER-4P's justice considering it does not have a line-out

Very likely, yes.

Lots of opinions out there, but I think you would be hard pressed to make a case that it's not going to sound good. You might want to check out the D2 forum at iaudiophile.net to get some other views and experiences. There are some people who have taken a lot of time to run comparisons on various volume levels, etc.

I just picked up an iBasso D2 boa and don't have the experience to compare it to a predator, but the amp certainly helps both my esw9s and even cheap IEMs, which I used to use with 75Ohms resistance added in. Better sound stage and just overall fuller sound. But still the (cowon) D2 on its own is quite nice.

Sorry if my posting that the D2 did not have a true line-out caused you fear, uncertainty, doubt. I find it a non-issue. It's a great player. Lots of "extras."

 

[Envoy of Light]

If you don't want to spend much money for the D2, you might want to take a look at the iAudio 7. It is cheaper and it also supports FLAC. Take a look here: Amazon.com: iAudio 7