[Larethio]

Cowon Plenue 1, Plenue M, Plenue D and Plenue S are all excellent. Their cheapest version in the Plenue series, the Plenue D, is a great value at $300 USD, but the M and the 1 are among the best for their respective prices as well. All have very low noise floors for the sensitive Empire Ears lineup, feature a warm, analog-esque sound, and the best EQ in the business. I've owned the D, 1 and now the S, and I loved all three.

Damn. Those DAP's have a nice black simple look I adore. Plus a warm sound signature looks like a cool feature too.

 

[Spamateur]

Damn. Those DAP's have a nice black simple look I adore. Plus a warm sound signature looks like a cool feature too.

Yup, they're by far my favorite out of all the DAPs I've owned, particularly with the Empire Ears lineup. To my ears, I've never heard a more dynamic sound out of a DAP with the Plenue S, but I found the Plenue 1 was not far behind at all at half the price. It's definitely a warmer sound signature... strong, well-defined bass and great detail and timbre through the mids, with a smooth, never-fatiguing treble section. It just sounds natural and dynamic with everything I've thrown at it.

 

[Larethio]

Yup, they're by far my favorite out of all the DAPs I've owned, particularly with the Empire Ears lineup. To my ears, I've never heard a more dynamic sound out of a DAP with the Plenue S, but I found the Plenue 1 was not far behind at all at half the price. It's definitely a warmer sound signature... strong, well-defined bass and great detail and timbre through the mids, with a smooth, never-fatiguing treble section. It just sounds natural and dynamic with everything I've thrown at it.

I know that the transducers and the recording itself affect it the most, but how would you say that the soundstage of the Plenue series is?

 

[Larethio]

Yup, they're by far my favorite out of all the DAPs I've owned, particularly with the Empire Ears lineup. To my ears, I've never heard a more dynamic sound out of a DAP with the Plenue S, but I found the Plenue 1 was not far behind at all at half the price. It's definitely a warmer sound signature... strong, well-defined bass and great detail and timbre through the mids, with a smooth, never-fatiguing treble section. It just sounds natural and dynamic with everything I've thrown at it.

I know that the transducers and the recording itself affect it the most, but how would you say that the soundstage of the Plenue series is?

 

[Spamateur]

I know that the transducers and the recording itself affect it the most, but how would you say that the soundstage of the Plenue series is?

The Plenues have a smaller soundstage, but certain EQ settings make a big difference in that regard if you play with the DSP. I tried the Fiio X7 briefly (returned it after one day) and that had an impressively wide soundstage. The Plenue 1 and S are much better than the X7 at spatial depth and layering, but with a smaller soundstage.

 

[Larethio]

What made you return the X7?

 

[Cagin]

Pardon me if this was discussed already. But what DAP do you guys recommend that has a good pairing with the Zeus and has a great sound quality-price ratio? I want better sound quality than my HTC One M9 and don't want to carry it with a Fiio e18 connected to it. When attached they are quite a brick. Thank you

no bull. I used my Onkyo DP-X1 for 1 or 2 weeks and haven't even powered aside for music aside from update its firmware. Ever since I've gotten the Cowon Plenue D, it's just so damn convenient and easy to use that I don't even listen to the Onkyo at home.
 
If on a tighter budget, I'd strongly suggest you try to get an audition time with the Plenue D. But make sure to play with the EQ and DSP. Jet Effect Audio is truly amazing at how good it improves the sound.
 
Mind you, I've ordered my first aftermarket cables (Norne Therium 8conductor 2.5mm TRRS) just to connect my Zeus to the Onkyo before I had the Cowon Plenue D. They are at Empire with my Zeus. Once I get receive them, I'll of course listen to the Onkyo again, but I've no shame admitting that if the Cowon Plenue D is good enough thanks the sublime prowess of the Zeus, well I keep leaving the DP-X1 in its Dignis coffin and use the stock non BTG 3.5mm TRS cable with my Zeus ^^

 

[Spamateur]

What made you return the X7?

To my ears the X7 sounded really boring and unpleasant with the Zeus. It was brittle and overtly "digital" to me without any natural qualities to the music, and it ended up being quite fatiguing to listen to for more than a few minutes at a time. The X7 was somewhat better than other Sabre-based DACs I've heard in this regard, but it still sounded thin and had noticeable treble glare. If you like a highly analytical sound the X7 or other Sabre-based DACs are not a bad direction to go when looking for a DAP, but I definitely prefer the warmer/lusher sound signature that my Plenue S brings in spades.
 
The X7 also had some EMI noise issues when the WiFi was turned on, and that was literally the only feature that I would be buying it for. The Cowon Plenue DAPs don't have the extra bells and whistles like wifi or bluetooth connectivity which leads a lot of people to not look at them seriously when shopping for a DAP,. I found that 99% of the time when I'm using a DAP I either am using it as a USB DAC from my work computer streaming Tidal while at the office, or on a plane where I won't be streaming music anyway, so I didn't need the extra connectivity.
 
With that said, I've heard the Lotoo Paw Gold is amazing too and is a bit warmer sound signature. I know that @Mimouille owned the Plenue 1 for quite awhile, and then sold it when he got the LPG. Mimo, can you comment on the differences between the sound of the P1 and the LPG?

 

[Rollk2]

To answer a question above, I've heard both the Spartan and Savant, very similar signature, Spartan being a little more musical and less analytic. To me if using for casual listening Spartan won out my purchase.

Now I've sold my Noble Savant and bought the Spartan IV I can say you were right @boblauer. But the truth is the Spartan are way better than the Savant, technically and musically. The Spartan has much more extension in the low end, without being overwhelmed, staying subjectively neutral, and all the frequencies are more textured. The imaging is excellent without being on the analytical way, not like the Savant and that's great ! 
Two things are meh, but I can live with that , the Spartan need a bit of power to show what they're able to deliver and they don't like hiss. Jack suggested me to exchange mine for a lower sensitive version, but I'm afraid to lose that transparency on the mids because of the dampers... 
 
Edit : just a pic of mine with EarSonics eartips, the best I've heard for instance
 

 

[Larethio]

To my ears the X7 sounded really boring and unpleasant with the Zeus. It was brittle and overtly "digital" to me without any natural qualities to the music, and it ended up being quite fatiguing to listen to for more than a few minutes at a time. The X7 was somewhat better than other Sabre-based DACs I've heard in this regard, but it still sounded thin and had noticeable treble glare. If you like a highly analytical sound the X7 or other Sabre-based DACs are not a bad direction to go when looking for a DAP, but I definitely prefer the warmer/lusher sound signature that my Plenue S brings in spades.

The X7 also had some EMI noise issues when the WiFi was turned on, and that was literally the only feature that I would be buying it for. The Cowon Plenue DAPs don't have the extra bells and whistles like wifi or bluetooth connectivity which leads a lot of people to not look at them seriously when shopping for a DAP,. I found that 99% of the time when I'm using a DAP I either am using it as a USB DAC from my work computer streaming Tidal while at the office, or on a plane where I won't be streaming music anyway, so I didn't need the extra connectivity.

With that said, I've heard the Lotoo Paw Gold is amazing too and is a bit warmer sound signature. I know that @Mimouille
 owned the Plenue 1 for quite awhile, and then sold it when he got the LPG. Mimo, can you comment on the differences between the sound of the P1 and the LPG?

There really needs to be a smartphone that is designed for audiophiles and has a built in dac/amp that actually isn't mediocre like what the current smartphones have. But then again I'm not surprised there isn't because there isn't as many audiophiles and audio lovers like there are casual listeners (who dont give a damn about audio quality). But I guess for now I'll just settle for the Plenue D

 

[Larethio]

no bull. I used my Onkyo DP-X1 for 1 or 2 weeks and haven't even powered aside for music aside from update its firmware. Ever since I've gotten the Cowon Plenue D, it's just so damn convenient and easy to use that I don't even listen to the Onkyo at home.

If on a tighter budget, I'd strongly suggest you try to get an audition time with the Plenue D. But make sure to play with the EQ and DSP. Jet Effect Audio is truly amazing at how good it improves the sound.

Mind you, I've ordered my first aftermarket cables (Norne Therium 8conductor 2.5mm TRRS) just to connect my Zeus to the Onkyo before I had the Cowon Plenue D. They are at Empire with my Zeus. Once I get receive them, I'll of course listen to the Onkyo again, but I've no shame admitting that if the Cowon Plenue D is good enough thanks the sublime prowess of the Zeus, well I keep leaving the DP-X1 in its Dignis coffin and use the stock non BTG 3.5mm TRS cable with my Zeus ^^

How does the DP-X1 stack up against the Plenue series sound wise?

 

[Watagump]

How does the DP-X1 stack up against the Plenue series sound wise?

 
 
John at Noble went from a Cowon P1 to the DP-X1, might want to ask in that thread also.

 

[Spamateur]

How does the DP-X1 stack up against the Plenue series sound wise?

I think @Jack Vang and company use the DP-X1 to demo their line at audio shows. I also know @Cagin has one as he mentioned above. Not sure if either have heard the Cowon P1, but Cagin does own the PD.

 

[Mimouille]

 
With that said, I've heard the Lotoo Paw Gold is amazing too and is a bit warmer sound signature. I know that @Mimouille owned the Plenue 1 for quite awhile, and then sold it when he got the LPG. Mimo, can you comment on the differences between the sound of the P1 and the LPG?

I sold the P1 to keep the AK240SS, comparable perfornance with more clarity on the SS. The P1 was a bit more spacious and engaging, but I chose the SS. After I kept the LPG over the SS because it is just better all around to my ears. More resolving, more powerful, much more 3D sound.

 

[Jack Vang]

**ATTENTION ALL ZEUS XIV OWNERS**​

**PM ME**​