[PaganDL]

It's true, I didn't find that comparison either. But based on all the reviews I read about D2 and DX160, I could conclude that the DX160 is better at all, sound characteristics, etc. Going to a D2 would be a setback, unless you love "jet effect" then stick with D2

@Cat Music, @My Little Phony,

I will add it all depends on a person's needs & usage so unless one needs a no frills DAP, PD2 is excellent otherwise if one needs WiFi & BT, then DX 160 is a better choice.

Sonically, couldn't tell you as I don't have the DX 160 but from experience, this will depend on people & how biased their perceptions are.

Hope you have a great day !

 

[My Little Phony]

@PaganDL

Thanks, hope you had a great day too.


I just found the following opionion on the german amazon site and translated it into english.


*** In 2016 I bought my first Cowon Plenue D, then the Plenue M.

2017 I switched to Astell & Kern. The entry began with the AK240, then came the AK380 and 2018 of the SE100. Late last year then the (I thought) coronation, the SP1000. Unfortunately, I was never satisfied with the change. The sound was good, but the equalizer at A & K is unreasonable. Furthermore, the device is a block (stainless steel) and to heavy on the go.

When Cowon introduced the plenue D2, I could not resist and got one of the first from England. The device is nice and small, handy and very light. The sound is a dream and finally I have a full bass again.

I have sold the SP1000 from AK and use the SE100 with AK CD-Ripper MKII only to rip the CD's (FLAC). I recommend anyone who wants to buy a high-quality DAP, only to listen to all devices first. Who wants to save money, no Wi-Fi (Tidal etc.) or Bluetooth needed and does not necessarily need a high display resolution, can buy the P2 without hesitation. Assuming you have a very good headphone. If you live near Cologne, you should plan a visit to Vision Ears. The Cowon Plenue D2 in combination with the VE8 is a dream. ***


I also owned the P1 (awesome EQ) long time ago, switched to an AK70MKII and sold it. I used the small Shanling M0 with my Denon AH-D5200 since then. I always thought "i want a new Plenue D model with 2.5 TRRS connection on the top of the device to get happy". Now its on the market and i still havent pulled the trigger to buy it because there are so many interesting DAPs on the market these days.

Maybe i will give the P2 a try. I will have a look if theres a store not too far from my hobbit hill house where i can listen to it. Reading about DAPs is fun but the very own ears have to decide

But the DX160 is ver tempting. Never had an iBasso device.

 

[PaganDL]

As said, @My Little Phony,

All depends on you & your needs,

As tempted as I am by the DX 160, I don't really see the need to shell out for it since I'm perfectly happy with my PD nor is the current price X 1.9 exchange rate for me particulary fun either when there are more worthwhile things, like food, etc.

Honestly, you're not missing that much but that's just my opinion.

Hope you have a great day !

 

[Cat Music]

@PaganDL

Thanks, hope you had a great day too.


I just found the following opionion on the german amazon site and translated it into english.


*** In 2016 I bought my first Cowon Plenue D, then the Plenue M.

2017 I switched to Astell & Kern. The entry began with the AK240, then came the AK380 and 2018 of the SE100. Late last year then the (I thought) coronation, the SP1000. Unfortunately, I was never satisfied with the change. The sound was good, but the equalizer at A & K is unreasonable. Furthermore, the device is a block (stainless steel) and to heavy on the go.

When Cowon introduced the plenue D2, I could not resist and got one of the first from England. The device is nice and small, handy and very light. The sound is a dream and finally I have a full bass again.

I have sold the SP1000 from AK and use the SE100 with AK CD-Ripper MKII only to rip the CD's (FLAC). I recommend anyone who wants to buy a high-quality DAP, only to listen to all devices first. Who wants to save money, no Wi-Fi (Tidal etc.) or Bluetooth needed and does not necessarily need a high display resolution, can buy the P2 without hesitation. Assuming you have a very good headphone. If you live near Cologne, you should plan a visit to Vision Ears. The Cowon Plenue D2 in combination with the VE8 is a dream. ***


I also owned the P1 (awesome EQ) long time ago, switched to an AK70MKII and sold it. I used the small Shanling M0 with my Denon AH-D5200 since then. I always thought "i want a new Plenue D model with 2.5 TRRS connection on the top of the device to get happy". Now its on the market and i still havent pulled the trigger to buy it because there are so many interesting DAPs on the market these days.

Maybe i will give the P2 a try. I will have a look if theres a store not too far from my hobbit hill house where i can listen to it. Reading about DAPs is fun but the very own ears have to decide

But the DX160 is ver tempting. Never had an iBasso device.

I wanted to ask you if you can recommend the D2 for headphones with few bass, mid or treble? I was also thinking about P2, but I'm not lucky enough to try it before buying

 

[My Little Phony]

I wanted to ask you if you can recommend the D2 for headphones with few bass, mid or treble? I was also thinking about P2, but I'm not lucky enough to try it before buying

Sorry, i havent tried the Plenue D with a headphone that was lacking in bass/mids or treble. I use my Denon AH-D5200 headphones nearly all the time. They deliver in every department. I call them neutral. But when you get crazy using the Plenue EQ or any other EQ (for example to elevate the bass) this headphone can handle it too.

 

[Plutopants]

Sorry, i havent tried the Plenue D with a headphone that was lacking in bass/mids or treble. I use my Denon AH-D5200 headphones nearly all the time. They deliver in every department. I call them neutral. But when you get crazy using the Plenue EQ or any other EQ (for example to elevate the bass) this headphone can handle it too.

Does anyone have an opinion on whether the Plenue D2 is worth sticking with - it does most a of what I want - now the Astell & Kern Kann seems to be discounted to £599 in the UK?

Aside from the size difference, is the Kann a step up for someone who simply enjoys listening to their lossless (mostly ALAC) albums on 'phones.

Not interested in streaming or Bluetooth. The D2 has astounded me with its performance and is a little powerhouse of a thing. Does size matter?

Any thoughts anyone?

 

[PaganDL]

Does anyone have an opinion on whether the Plenue D2 is worth sticking with - it does most a of what I want - now the Astell & Kern Kann seems to be discounted to £599 in the UK?

Aside from the size difference, is the Kann a step up for someone who simply enjoys listening to their lossless (mostly ALAC) albums on 'phones.

Not interested in streaming or Bluetooth. The D2 has astounded me with its performance and is a little powerhouse of a thing. Does size matter?

Any thoughts anyone?

@Plutopants,

Honestly, in my humble opinion, just stick with the D2, can't get better for a no frills DAP since that's what you're after.
I still use mine more than even the D2 as to my ears, they are essentially sonically the same.
D2 has less battery life & slightly lower noise floor. I also own the Plenue R & I still like the PD more.
I have tried many DAPs over the years, especially a lot of high end DAPs & sonically, I still prefer the PD.
But in answer to your question, subjectively & personally, no, the Kann isn't a step up in sound, just price, even with the supposed discount, Activo CT 10 is closer to AK High End but once again, subjectively & personally, PD still has the better sound, as it's hard to beat Cowon Sound, everything else sounds bog standard or worse after listening to a Cowon DAP.

Not to mention, JetEffects, Cowon's DSP Sound Enhancement system, subjectively beats most EQ & PEQ systems from other DAP manufacturers as it is actual DSP, not just or only EQ.

Hope this all makes sense.

Feel free to ask more if you need.

Hope you have a great day !

 

[Plutopants]

Thank you, PaganDL for your insight into this.

There are so many temptations to upgrade that come along and we all, I would guess, have fallen foul of spending more money on something we perceive as better and shinier.

Interesting that you rate the PD2's sound so highly. It is re-assuring as I find it superb myself. But, never having owned a higher end DAP I have nothing to compare it to.

One feature that does appeal on the Kann is the added capacity. Currently I rotate my collection of five 128GD micro SD cards holding my ripped ALAC music collection. The lure of having the two card slots on the Kann with 512 plus 256GB storage on board is a factor. But, sound is the most important.

The Kann also promised to replace my ageing desktop for playback through my hifi. But, even at £599, I have to remember the Kann is £300 more than the Plenue D2, and that doesn't include memory cards.

So your voice of reason does make sense at the moment.

After all... who knows what is round the corner?

 

[Jmop]

Is this worth looking into if I’m not interested in EQ or balanced? I just want a small DAP that’s above entry level and has as close to zero noise floor as possible. That said, does balanced introduce any noise on the D2?

 

[cdsa35000]

Yes. According to reviews D2 has no hearable amp noise, where D1 has amp noise, I also dont hear amp noise/hiss on my D2. But in real life portabilty any noise/hiss will be drawn out by environmental noise anyway and your earbuds/headphones SQ.
No, balanced D2 dont have any noise to my ears using nightowl/th900/earbuds, balanced = L/R amped separately = 2x louder output = able to drive/hear high impedance home/studio headphones that needs separate headamps.
If you dont use/hear/modding the balanced output, the balanced SQ is the same as SE SQ.

 

[Jmop]

Thank you for the message, although I wouldn’t consider over ear headphones good determiners of noise levels.

 

[taffy2207]

Well, I've used iems, over ears and on ears and the background is black on all of them if that's any help, I haven't tried balanced yet.

 

[Jmop]

It’s alright, I’m mostly concerned with SE. Thanks.

 

[PaganDL]

Thank you, PaganDL for your insight into this.

There are so many temptations to upgrade that come along and we all, I would guess, have fallen foul of spending more money on something we perceive as better and shinier.

Interesting that you rate the PD2's sound so highly. It is re-assuring as I find it superb myself. But, never having owned a higher end DAP I have nothing to compare it to.

One feature that does appeal on the Kann is the added capacity. Currently I rotate my collection of five 128GD micro SD cards holding my ripped ALAC music collection. The lure of having the two card slots on the Kann with 512 plus 256GB storage on board is a factor. But, sound is the most important.

The Kann also promised to replace my ageing desktop for playback through my hifi. But, even at £599, I have to remember the Kann is £300 more than the Plenue D2, and that doesn't include memory cards.

So your voice of reason does make sense at the moment.

After all... who knows what is round the corner?

Hi @Plutopants,

No problem, happy to help.

I actually rate both PD & PD 2 equally high with the PD edging ahead slightly.
Honestly, I wouldn't too much about added capacity on any DAP though saying that, it is nice when a DAP can support higher capacity cards. Personally, I would be more concerned with the actual source quality & recording quality which I find more important than any particular format, especially if you're after good sound quality.
I have heard a lot of supposed High Res & aside from little to choose from, it is severely lacking more often than not in SQ.
For that reason, as a personal choice for both sound quality & decent file size, I choose .ogg.
It also tends to be more stable than other formats & if there is a problem, it is usually the original recording.

Have you tried using the PD2 for playback instead as that is also possible?

Hope this adds to your insight.
Feel free to ask more when you need.

Hope you have a great day !

 

[Plutopants]

The more I listen to the Cowon Plenue D2 on my SoundMagic E1 in ears, the more I am amazed.

Partly this is helped by the Incredible EQ settings on the unit. On my John Williams (guitarist) excellent remastered CDs, ripped lossless, the separation of the instruments on his tracks from Travelling and Changes is incredible and the different EQ settings allow you to vary how far each instrument sounds across the soundstage. It really is amazing and has opened up my ears to how superb this little DAC is.

The headphone out port can also be configured as a line out for playback as you say, PaganDL, and I'm rather unbelieving that this little gem can indeed achieve this.

I'm beginning to ask myself whether I want or need anything else. For what it does, the price is incredible value.

No frills, no uneeded wireless clutter - just a great quality little music player. It even makes some of my more compressed CDs sound more bearable and absolutely helps my earlier 80s disks shine.

I'm quite a fan of this little Cowon as you can see. I had the PD first and that was great as well. This PD2 version adds the balanced and more internal storage, but feels very similar. Battery life is impressive - partly because it is wifi and BT free. Its also small enough to not make my jeans too bulgy - not a good look these days!

I might give .ogg format a go to see what it can offer. As you may guess, I rip with a Mac currently. The Cowons were my first escape once Apple abandoned iPods and, frankly, I have never looked back or felt the need to mourn my iPods. Freed from the big A, I have learnt to simply manage my music tracks myself and to think more universally, file transfer and tag editing being achievable by many different combinations. It has been liberating.

thanks