If I had the money I would go for a P2 Mk2 mainly because of the 256GB internal and the look of it, I have a P1 and
while the S is similar sounding from what I've read, I couldn't ignore the price of the S currently so have one on the way,
the reviews about how it sounds made it too good to ignore - have "lusted" after a P2 since they were released but an S
for $700 - no brainer as far as I'm concerned - but that is just one man's opinion.
The onboard memory isn't something im used to, so I don't really care about the difference. Mainly the 3.5mm balanced out is strange and the older DAC. $1200 for the p2mkii versus $700 for the s is a big difference. Or the S better than the original P2? I see some conflicting things....
And for the answer you would need to ask someone who has listened to both, the S remained the flagship Plenue until the recent model L was released,
some argue that the DAC used in the S is one of the best.
Haven't used either P2, but did grab the PS- IMO shouldn't fixate too much on original MSRP when considering PS, due to its "luxury design" price scheme (also, although I doubt SQ could ever be considered outdated, recent comprable DAPs have become much more fully featured). Not a very critical listener but on initial impressions it doesn't strike me as exceptional compared to more quotidian sources like my Opus1 or LG V30 - however its very clean with good presentation, fully extended & smooth sounding without loss of detail, (almost a little too smooth/"undynamic" at times but judging by the PD & PS, Cowon seem to like this since the Jet Effects, EQ & BBE allow tweaking w/ minimal compromise, though I am preferring PS unaltered so far) .
BAL has been prioritized at cost of SE I think- SE somewhat lackluster (comparatively "closed in" sounding and with some of my IEM oddly "midsy", though others like ER4S work quite well)- may even prefer Opus1's SE (v30 not too far away either, though for differnt reasons). Was hoping for better because Op1 does SE so well and I'm dubious the BAL is offering something that hasn't been achieved in SE only sources.
Other notes: USB DAC mode latency (~1/2 second maybe). Short battery life, (think I got about 6 hours on first charge, though a lot of track skipping & fair amt of screen-on time). Doesn't quite cut it for full size cans I've tried. Would have been nice to include a small adapter to access line out from the dock connection.
Summary: Looks cool, seems built well, sounds (mostly) good, but this is probably where it should have been priced to begin with, only now it's 2+ yrs old. (also, IMO, balanced adapters are PITA). I'd put it in the category of "oddball DAP"- enjoyable but limited, nonpragmatic gear.
PS: To anyone with Sony N3 & a balanced cable- this is a really good pairing IMO.
Haven't used either P2, but did grab the PS- IMO shouldn't fixate too much on original MSRP when considering PS, due to its "luxury design" price scheme (also, although I doubt SQ could ever be considered outdated, recent comprable DAPs have become much more fully featured). Not a very critical listener but on initial impressions it doesn't strike me as exceptional compared to more quotidian sources like my Opus1 or LG V30 - however its very clean with good presentation, fully extended & smooth sounding without loss of detail, (almost a little too smooth/"undynamic" at times but judging by the PD & PS, Cowon seem to like this since the Jet Effects, EQ & BBE allow tweaking w/ minimal compromise, though I am preferring PS unaltered so far) .
BAL has been prioritized at cost of SE I think- SE somewhat lackluster (comparatively "closed in" sounding and with some of my IEM oddly "midsy", though others like ER4S work quite well)- may even prefer Opus1's SE (v30 not too far away either, though for differnt reasons). Was hoping for better because Op1 does SE so well and I'm dubious the BAL is offering something that hasn't been achieved in SE only sources.
Other notes: USB DAC mode latency (~1/2 second maybe). Short battery life, (think I got about 6 hours on first charge, though a lot of track skipping & fair amt of screen-on time). Doesn't quite cut it for full size cans I've tried. Would have been nice to include a small adapter to access line out from the dock connection.
Summary: Looks cool, seems built well, sounds (mostly) good, but this is probably where it should have been priced to begin with, only now it's 2+ yrs old. (also, IMO, balanced adapters are PITA). I'd put it in the category of "oddball DAP"- enjoyable but limited, nonpragmatic gear.
PS: To anyone with Sony N3 & a balanced cable- this is a really good pairing IMO.
Can you tell what are the full size headphones you used? I decided to buy the S mainly because of more power (for my HD650s) than the P2 and smoother sound.
Is it Opus#1 or 1S? 1S is quite powerful than the 1.
I tried Opus#1 and Cayin N5II, I liked N5II because it has better bass response. In fact best of all the players I tried, my 6 year old Cowon Z2 is not far behind when compared. That's the advantage of Cowon DSP, you can tweak the sound for your liking without effecting the tonality.
Can you tell what are the full size headphones you used? I decided to buy the S mainly because of more power (for my HD650s) than the P2 and smoother sound.
Is it Opus#1 or 1S? 1S is quite powerful than the 1.
I tried Opus#1 and Cayin N5II, I liked N5II because it has better bass response. In fact best of all the players I tried, my 6 year old Cowon Z2 is not far behind when compared. That's the advantage of Cowon DSP, you can tweak the sound for your liking without effecting the tonality.
Sure- I tried HE560 from BAL and Focal Clear from SE. I only have a basic Corda Rock FF desk amp, PS didn't seem to get as much from these cans as that so I didn't spend too much time trying. HE560 wasn't too terrible from BAL, Focal Clear SE was disapointing- perhaps it would be much better from BAL but I don't have that cable.
Just the orig Opus#1 not the 1s. I am very accustomed to its sound so possibly I compare it more favorably. I did not do direct comparison, I think probably PS is better in bass extention and quality of detail. It is just from the Opus1 SE vs PS's SE that I think I prefer Op1, because it does not seem to compromise the spatial quality of presentation much, while maintaining the sound signature- PS SE compromises presentation and the sound signature seems consistent with BAL but the change in presentation affects my perception of it - of course this could possibly be emphasized by the IEMs I was trying.
Sounds like an AK product... Not even necessarily better than the competition at a 60% discount.
I'd be using almost all IEMs in balanced mode with whatever one is worth it. I can also get a plenue R for $350 just to see if I like Cowons DSP and flavor in general, but based on the DAC I think I might be disappointed in the amount of detail....
If the power werent quite a bit lower on the p2 than the S or mkii, I think that might be an obvious choice at the price...
It's all so subjective though, you're saying that you like the opus 1s better in ways ($400 DAP) and earlier I saw someone say the S is MUCH better than the $1100 Sony WM1A ... Man I wish I had somewhere to Audition stuff.
Sounds like an AK product... Not even necessarily better than the competition at a 60% discount.
I'd be using almost all IEMs in balanced mode with whatever one is worth it. I can also get a plenue R for $350 just to see if I like Cowons DSP and flavor in general, but based on the DAC I think I might be disappointed in the amount of detail....
If the power werent quite a bit lower on the p2 than the S or mkii, I think that might be an obvious choice at the price...
It's all so subjective though, you're saying that you like the opus 1s better in ways ($400 DAP) and earlier I saw someone say the S is MUCH better than the $1100 Sony WM1A ... Man I wish I had somewhere to Audition stuff.
I also agree AK DAPs are over rated. Plenue S sounds much more musical, lush, textured and with better resolution than AK380. It's between WM1A and WM1Z soundwise. If you consider the amazing EQ and the extreme portability it can somehow rival them as an overall product. It truly is underrated....
Just a thought:
Any fellow US based Head-Fier willing to help me get an AMAZON.COM Plenue S and ship it to the UK. Maybe I buy AMAZON.COM vouchers and send them to you then paypal you the shipping etc.
I've messaged Jetaudio and they said Amazon would be fulfilling to the UK within 2 weeks. That was 3 weeks ago. Don't want to miss out on a bargain
After a ton of reading (and seeing this same question asked over and over, usually with no response), I've decided to go with the P2 (v1, mkii goes for $400 more). From the sounds of it, the S is more musical and has more power, while the P2 has better detail retrieval and is a bit colder and more neutral.
From the posts, using jeteffect and eq you can replicate either on the other device.
I don't think you can replicate detail, so I'll take the more detailed player 8 out of 10 times. It also has a 2.5mm out (although not fully dual mono balanced) so I need no adapter. The S originally cost more, but doesn't seem to be on another level in any real manner. And the DAC on the P2 is newer and "better", at least in my opinion.
After a ton of reading (and seeing this same question asked over and over, usually with no response), I've decided to go with the P2 (v1, mkii goes for $400 more). From the sounds of it, the S is more musical and has more power, while the P2 has better detail retrieval and is a bit colder and more neutral.
From the posts, using jeteffect and eq you can replicate either on the other device.
I don't think you can replicate detail, so I'll take the more detailed player 8 out of 10 times. It also has a 2.5mm out (although not fully dual mono balanced) so I need no adapter. The S originally cost more, but doesn't seem to be on another level in any real manner. And the DAC on the P2 is newer and "better", at least in my opinion.
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