What Cowon has better SQ than Sony S63X series?
Nov 18, 2008 at 5:19 AM Thread Starter Post #1 of 14

Jussa Audio Dude

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hi guys,

Just bought the Sony S638, 4GB CLIP, and now the old timer called Cowon U2 (the cowon was on clearance at staples canada, 99 bucks)

Right now I like all three, each one is different in their own unique way..but..

Has anyone listened to the U2 compared to new U5, or the IAudio7 or D2?

If I am going to return any of them, I'd return the U2 if it didn't sound better than the other Cowons..

thx kindly
 
Nov 18, 2008 at 7:34 AM Post #2 of 14
Check my sig for link to my comparison. It's not through as i didnt go in detail all the functions on both player. It will be few pages long if i decide to write in detail.

Hope that help.

Ps: if i got the resources and space, i will keep both players.
 
Nov 18, 2008 at 4:31 PM Post #3 of 14
i would say if you use portable iems or canals there is no cowon product that will come close to a sony. big phones on the other hand should be much better (i mean by a small percentage really but for the sake of colour i say much better) than the sony.

cowon just do not make a player than can drive an iem for good stereo compared to many other manufacturers. that could be software as they have similar hardwar to other manufacturers who provide better stereo. the bass is also deficient. not quantity: quality. it is very rolled of producing a boom and echo rather than a resonating wave.

sony do not have that problem but they do hiss more unless the s639 has resolved that.

i would love to hear from a um2 owner about the s639 as my 800 and 600 series are serious hissers from every single portable iem i have.

edit: i saw the um2 owner's review but i heard the same about the d2. hiss is just something i really hate.
 
Nov 18, 2008 at 4:41 PM Post #4 of 14
Shigzeo, get a reistor adaptor if you can. I have an Oelhbach, plug type, at 120 Ohms and its compact size, plus what it provides sonically make it well worth it. It eliminates hiss- on my Sony A829- and, at the expense of some size to the sound, refines and resolves the sound considerably.
 
Nov 18, 2008 at 4:53 PM Post #5 of 14
The D2 sounds nicer with large impedance (instead of low impedance) headphones. So for one, if you decide to get a D2, try to pair it with headphones that have impedances greater that 50 ohms.

The Iaudio X5 does not suffer from bass rolloff if I remember correctly if the headphones are less than 50 ohms, but it has been such a long time since I had one.

I have not played with an Iaudio7 and different headphones enough to comment.

It really depends on your headphones.

Not all IEMs will perform badly with the D2. I like the ER4S with my D2.
 
Nov 18, 2008 at 5:20 PM Post #7 of 14
Quote:

Originally Posted by Styrbjorn /img/forum/go_quote.gif
It does:
RightMark Audio Analyzer test: comparison



ahh thanks, I forgot how it sounded. But seems like all of the cowon players can't handle low impedance headphones very well. You sort of need

1) high impedance headphone with very high sensitivity, i.e., Shure E5 to avoid need of an external amp. However, the D2 is able to drive high impedance cans with low sensitivity. Not sure about Iaudio7.

2) Use external amp, which is the best solution to this mess.
 
Nov 18, 2008 at 5:28 PM Post #8 of 14
Shigzeo, rest assure. The new Sony S630/S730 doesnt hiss that much with UM2, compared to D2 with hisses even on low volume.

But there's report on other thread that there are hiss on the new sony but it scale with volume. I didnt notice it when i still have my UM2. I tested the volume till 50% for UM2+S630 using silent track, only faint hiss, about the same amount on D2 volume 5!

U can curse me if u find serious hiss on new sony :p
 
Nov 18, 2008 at 5:38 PM Post #10 of 14
Quote:

Originally Posted by DJGeorgeT /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I can live with the D2 hiss. However, my e280v1 sucks!


Is that a sansa/sandisk, the e280 v1? Can I clarify something?- apologies for the brief hijack!- do the clip, fuze, view and e200 series all have different sound signatures/differing components and circuitry?
 
Nov 18, 2008 at 5:47 PM Post #11 of 14
In terms of sound quality:

Fuze = clip = best sounding and better than e200, c200, c100 and view series. Not sure about express and shaker.

e200 v2 is better than e200 v1

c200 v2 is better than c200 v1
 
Nov 18, 2008 at 5:53 PM Post #12 of 14
Quote:

Originally Posted by DJGeorgeT /img/forum/go_quote.gif
In terms of sound quality:

Fuze = clip = best sounding and better than e200, c200, c100 and view series. Not sure about express and shaker.

e200 v2 is better than e200 v1

c200 v2 is better than c200 v1



Cheers for that DJGeorgeT!

You've very succinctly detailed that for me and clarified it up. I'm auditioning a fuze, along with the Sony S639, Cowon D2 (gona give it another shot with a resistor adaptor I now have and with more bass prominent phones I have in triple fi's and SE530's), ipod classic, samsung YP-Q1 and ipod nano. Ordering from advancedmp3players.com so that confirmation is good.
 
Nov 18, 2008 at 7:34 PM Post #13 of 14
i have used 75ohm resistors with the d2 that came in a nice flexible (safe for the output jack) package from headdirect.com but eventually just sold the d2. it could not reliably drive my c700 or atrio (though it did much better with the atrio).

i am very now with the ipod touch 2g. im sure there are some better but for a perfect gapless playback with very good bass definition and as low hiss as i have heard from any dap, i am fully pleased.
 

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