[Artmuzz]

I own both the Cowon D2 and the Sony S639f and IMHO the Sony has much better SQ than the D2. The sound on the D2 is a bit too muddy and dull and the sound of the Sony is full of life, detail and great bass. I even tried the two players with the same earphones and the Sony S639f still sounds better than the Cowon D2.

Artmuzz

 

[dura]

I am interested in this threat because I'm a satisfied Sony user (NW-HD1, A3000, now A808) but am attracted by the D2's FLAC and SD-expansions.

Interesting to see that this threat started with this-number-is-higher-then-that-number-so-this-is-better giving the advantage to the d2.
But then the userexperiences point out that the Sony's sound better, despite the fact that the D2's has the better factsheet.
Since I use my DAP's for listening and not for reading the manual I'll keep my Sony (there are more threats here and on Audiophile pointing out the D2 sound 'thin' into low imp. headphones. Pity, the idea of a 48 GB(16+32 SD) FLAC-DAP sounds great.

 

[majkel]

I am using ogg Vorbis Q10 on my iRiver E10, encoded by Lancer SSE3, and for me it is indistinguishable from lossless when tried on home headphones and laptop, so I don't care. The same happens with Nero AAC, max VBR quality - again transparent for me and can be used with the Sony's.

 

[abitdeef]

Quote:

Originally Posted by majkel /img/forum/go_quote.gif iRiver E10, Teclast T39, RAmos RM850. From the two in the topic - Sony definitely. mp3 320kb/s from the aforementioned players gives better sound quality than lossless from the D2, and numbers tell you nothing. Measurements show strong bass roll-off on low impedance headphones when using the D2, and it has got higher than average in its class IMD distortion. Audibly, it's nothing more than good sounding player, far from the best.

I agree about the D2, I think my sony s738, zune (16 gig) and even my touch 2g sound better overall than D2. At least with my cans.

 

[tds101]

I have the Sony A829, S639, and the D2. For overall loudness the D2 is best. But the Sony players are a bit better in the SQ dept, especially the S639. It's virtually static free, and it's a bit louder than the previous models.

Overall, the Sony's have the slight edge IMO. But, as stated, this is subjective. I may love 1, but you may totally hate it. You need to listen for yourself, as all opinions differ. I vote Sony.

Or, as stated, for excellent SQ on a budget, the Sansa Fuze or clip. Cheats the "Sorry For Your Wallet" comment big time.

 

[younglee200]

Quote:

Originally Posted by majkel /img/forum/go_quote.gif I am using ogg Vorbis Q10 on my iRiver E10, encoded by Lancer SSE3, and for me it is indistinguishable from lossless when tried on home headphones and laptop, so I don't care. The same happens with Nero AAC, max VBR quality - again transparent for me and can be used with the Sony's.

does that mean it would be wrong for me to expect a sound improvement from my now broken E10 to the sony 639 that's on order?

I thought the E10 was supposed to be sounding just average.

 

[Cowon_1]

I own The Cowon D2, Sony S616, and the clip. All known for good sound Quality.

And my D2 beats them all by a long shot. I liked the Sony sound when I first got it but got tired of it's aggressive sound signature and hiss. The Sony sounds like the eq is turned all the way up across the entire spectrum. So much so I don't even listen to it anymore. I like the sound of my clip better than the Sony.

The D2 has a more airy, more transparent, more clean sound signature. Great for Jazz which I listen to most.

 

[majkel]

Quote:

Originally Posted by younglee200 /img/forum/go_quote.gif does that mean it would be wrong for me to expect a sound improvement from my now broken E10 to the sony 639 that's on order?

Will sound slightly different, they are comparable and I prefer the iRiver.
Quote:

I thought the E10 was supposed to be sounding just average.

Why? almost nobody knows this player (here).

 

[lbholde]

I can't locate the Sony S639 with Google. Even Sony's search engine can't find it, on the Sony web site. Is that the correct/complete model number?

 

[DunninLA]

The Sony S639 isn't available yet in the U.S. try amazonUK or www.advancedmp3players.com

 

[lbholde]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DunninLA /img/forum/go_quote.gif The Sony S639 isn't available yet in the U.S. try amazonUK or www.advancedmp3players.com

Ah! Got it. This site looks like it will even ship to the US. 89GBP for a 16gb model = $134. Very tempting, as I want to upgrade beyond my 4gb but will have to wait till next year.

 

[justaguy93]

Dang, I should have waited. I paid $150.

Rumor has it the price is going up after the holidays.

 

[RedSky0]

Hey majkel, I was meaning to ask since you'd heard both the irivers and sonys, how would you compare them? I've got an iriver H320 at the moment and am kinda thinking of getting either than new Sony player that's coming out or the S639. I'm guessing they both have pretty deep/punchy bass but which does it better, and how does the soundstage compare in particular? Cheers.

 

[majkel]

The H340 is more punchy and colder overall than the Sony. I'd stick with the Sony, The E10 is more prominent in lower treble region compared especially to the H340, and compared to the Sony, it's a bit brighter and more lively but Sony is very good, actually. I mean the NWZ-A828 - to be clear.

 

[RedSky0]

Alright, cheers for that. Definitely gonna grab a Sony once they bring out a 32GB+ model