Sound Quality: iAudio A2 vs Creative Zen Vision:M

[Ofir87]

Hi,

Who sounds better? the Cowon iAudio A2 or the Creative Zen Vision:M?
By the way, the ZVM has 20mW each sides, whereas the A2 has 35mW.
BUT, the ZVM has 32ohms, whereas the A2 has 16ohms...
will the A2 hold an 32ohms Grado SR-80?

Thanks.

 

[AudioNoob]

what do you mean, has ohms?

 

[Ofir87]

Impedance on the specs.

 

[ILikeMusic]

For crying out loud, instead of asking people here to compare the ZVM to every other model just wait untill yours arrives and enjoy it!

Asking others what sounds best is like asking others what kind of art is best.

 

[Ofir87]

....
2 comparasion threads, thats what made you go insane? therapy is on the way!

Sorry, but for me this amount of money is'nt a little, and when I spend 2,000 New Israeli Shekels, I want to get the best for that range of price.
So, if someone serious would apriciate to help, I would be very thankful.

 

[The_Duke_Of_Eli]

I love my Zen Vision:M. It has great sound quality, even at higher levels. I wouldn't go for hte A2 unless you need big video.

 

[Epoch]

I do believe that the impedance you are getting from the spec sheet is how many mW were put into what resistance load. Therefore the A2 was tested into a 16ohm load and the Zen Vision:M was tested into a 32 ohm load. Using some math you could figure out then the output power of either into the load you are looking to use.

Which should mean that if you are looking at the A2 into a 32 ohm load (ie Grado SR-80 that you mentioned) it would be half the current of a 16 ohm load. That would mean half the power with the same voltage, so that would be 18mw for the A2 meaning the Zen Vision:M would put out more power to a 32 ohm load.

 

[lbholde]

For what it's worth, I have the Cowon iAudio G3 and the Grado SR-80. They are a great combination and sound wonderful together. There is plenty of power and I can make it very loud, much louder than is safe. Assuming that the amp in the A2 is the same as the G3, you should be fine with the A2.

 

[omendelovitz]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Epoch I do believe that the impedance you are getting from the spec sheet is how many mW were put into what resistance load. Therefore the A2 was tested into a 16ohm load and the Zen Vision:M was tested into a 32 ohm load. Using some math you could figure out then the output power of either into the load you are looking to use. Which should mean that if you are looking at the A2 into a 32 ohm load (ie Grado SR-80 that you mentioned) it would be half the current of a 16 ohm load. That would mean half the power with the same voltage, so that would be 18mw for the A2 meaning the Zen Vision:M would put out more power to a 32 ohm load.

just a quick correction here. power = square of voltage/resistance or square of current*resistance. Anyways, that means that if you do some simple algebra, you'll find that the A2 puts out power at about 1.05A for a 32 Ohm load (and the ZVM puts out 0.8A). Therefore, the A2 is still more powerful.

 

[proxops-pete]

My previous portable was the venerable Creative Zen USB 2.0 20 GB ... until it was stolen.

But since I've moved onto Cowon A2, I can't be happier! (Ok, i can be... if they'd support ID3 tags!) SQ is much better than Zen 20 GB. I know that is old model to compare to but I don't have Zen Vision M to compare with. Very clear in details and very neutral to the music (as long as you don't muddy it with EQ features).

I couple it with HD-497 at work or HD-535 at home and it's very good...