Audio COWON D2+ OR SANDISK SANSA FUZE+ - Need Honest Opinions

sandynator

sandynator

Disciple
From 2005 my only source of music was my trusted Sony Ericsson K750i/W800 paired with HPM 75/70. After its demise in Aug. 2011 got the basic SE J108i cedar phone but it never satisfied my thirst for music even after changing Acoustic files. So now finally planned to get one dedicated compact PMP in budget of 5k INR.

There are only two option in front of me
Cowon D2+ 4gb Sky Blue colour:( @ Rs.5250/- [max card support is 16gb I guess nothing mention on website]

&

Sansa Fuze+ 8gb White @ Rs.4400/-[32 gb microsd card support]

Both players do not come with Power adapter but I guess fuze+ uses micro USB for data transfer & charging so I can use my SE mobile charger with it. Please confirm.

If I choose Cowon D2+ then need to buy charger @ Rs.450[but unavailable with Cowon India] + SD card 16 gb around Rs.1200 immediately. I wont get any protective case/cover or any accessory support from cowon for D2+:(

Both the player have their set of cons like U/I but fuze+ has pissed many guys with its below par touch controls moreover Fuze+ is less customisable.

I wanna know that does cowon D2+ live up to the hype, is it the best player out there & will the extra money spend be justified?? Also read on few international forums that older fuze was better out of box without any customization when compared to older D2

If we get Rockbox stable port for fuze+ by the end of this year so will it be better for custom eq than the cowon d2+

I'm not a technical person or audiophile for that matter but have experience & use BBE with Jet Audio pro on my desktop PC. I love good quality music with slightly more Bass[deep & punchy not too boomy but soft], Clean & Clear Vocal & smooth Treble. I want a player which will give justice to all genre of songs.

Audio gurus please help me with your views & experiences. Btw I will use PMP with my newly arrived Sound Magic ES 18 at least for next 6 mnths.
thanks in advance
 
Random Thoughts on your query

Before answering your query....


  • Though ES18 is a budget IEM, going for a dedicated source makes sense. I am hoping you'd be upgrading to better IEMs in the coming months.
  • For charging from the wall socket, you would just need a USB charger with 5V output. If your SE Mobile adapter outputs 5V, then it can be used. As per my understanding, Current rating (500mA, 1000mA, 2000mA) does not matter as the device will draw only as much as necessary.
  • There is no need to buy a Cowon charger. I had the Cowon charger with my S9 and that too was a made in China charger. Why pay a premium when my DX charger works fine? You can buy from eBay India as well. I have seen a few listings for it.
  • Cowon D2+'s max card support is far more than 16GB. Many have used it with 32GB for years (See: 32gb SDHC with new Cowon D2 - Cowon D2/D2+ - abi>>forums). Recently, people have even used 128GB microSDXC cards formatted as FAT32 (See: Cowon J3/D2+/... with 64gb+ (micro)SDXC card - iAudiophile.net Forums). It's true of most players with SD / uSD slot support as of now. When cards finally move to the full SDXC support (which has an extra pin), those newer cards will be no longer supported. We are still in the transitioning phase to the SDXC, so the cards bought now will and in the next few months will continue to work with older devices until SDXC standard support becomes prevalent.
  • Rockbox has an unstable implementation for D2+ too.
  • I don't think D2+ plays gapless. Though this is not a feature required by many, I thought I'd just mention that.

Secondly,


  • There are two components to Cowon's EQ. First is the Equalizer itself, which is fairly limited due to 5 fixed bands and only 4 user presets. This portion, IMO, is surpassed with Rockbox implementation on the Sansas with a full parametric EQ and unlimited user settings. Similar is the case with iDevices with eQu and equalizer applications. The second part is BBE with it's numerous effects. Though a limited form of BBE effects can be found in Nanite N2, Cowons offer a huge variety of choices. This portion is yet to be matched. To use both Rockbox EQ and eQu, you need to know how reducing / increasing frequency ranges affect the outcome. This can be learned by trial and error. Once you learn, it's highly useful as you can adjust it to your heart's liking. If you have more than a few IEMs, this does come in handy. On the other hand, Cowon's simplified interface is much easier to use and would be good enough to serve the purpose if you are going to use only one or two IEMs.
  • Cowons have a bass roll-off. This is not felt much when listening stand-alone, but sticks out when coming from Clip+. It's "Normal" setting may not be to every one's liking. Consider this mere speculation (no comparison done) at this stage: Sansas have better bass punch, but Cowons seem to do treble tad better (may be just more loudness?).
  • Output Power wise, Cowons are better. So if you upgrade to demanding IEMs later on, this additional power could come in handy.
  • Why not consider Clip Zip since all Sansas sound the same (as do all Cowons)? 4GB Clip Zip comes within your budget (lesser for Blue), a 32GB Class 4 microSD comes around 1000, so you could get a 36GB player within your budget (lesser if you can use coupons).
 
@esanthosh
will the Fuse Plus ( 8 Gb Rs4400/-) be different SQ wise to the sansa clip zip (4 Gb Rs.3876/-)...?
i.e. will it be a good choice to prefer those fuse + over clip zip
 
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As far as I know, all Sansa devices sound the same. There was a volume difference between Fuze V1 (and the original Clip which used the same SoC) and Fuze V2 (and Clip+). But other than that, it comes down to your choice between price, internal memory size, screen size, controls, battery life, album art support, availability and warranty - when Sansa devices is concerned.

Cowon too has been rehashing the same stuff. J3 was the last player which was very satisfactory on all fronts. After that, they manage to screw up on one front or the other. They all sound the same (would confirm if I have time to compare my X9 vs my friend's J3). There too, choice is down to the same factors as Sansa when choosing between their players.
 
@esanthosh

Thanks a ton brother

Actually I had planned for clip zip only but its not available freely, even pristine note is not having them.:( I want to have a demo before purchasing & moreover Grabmore pricing of clip zip 8gb works out to be more than fuze+ from pristine note. So I shifted my focus on Cowon D2+ but fuze+ 8gb pricing is quite luring me.

In september cowon is stocking 8gb version of D2+. Will get a demo of sansa before taking any decision.By that time if pristine note stocks clip zip then that will be final choice for me.

Thanks a lot again..
 
esanthosh said:
Before answering your query....


  • Though ES18 is a budget IEM, going for a dedicated source makes sense. I am hoping you'd be upgrading to better IEMs in the coming months.



  • Output Power wise, Cowons are better. So if you upgrade to demanding IEMs later on, this additional power could come in handy.
Click to expand...

esanthosh
I was busy yesterday so could not type more.
Though es 18 is budget IEM its slight improvement in SQ for me from my earlier acquired Sony Ericsson HPM 75 which costed me Rs.1450/- in Nov. 2007.

In next 7-8 mnths I'll definitely upgrade to better IEM with budget around 1.5k.
I've few option in my mind please mention if they could be easily driven by ClipZip OR Fuze+
1. Vsonic GR 99
2. Tekfusion - Twinwoofers
3. Vsonic GR02 Bass Edition - if its real improvement over GR 99
4. Sennheiser CX 180
5. Sound Magic E10

Finally If given an option without any budget constraints what would be your personal choice?
Rockboxed Cowon D2+ OR Rockboxed Sansa Fuze+

- - - Updated - - -

sbuch said:
esanthosh
will the Fuse Plus ( 8 Gb Rs4400/-) be different SQ wise to the sansa clip zip (4 Gb Rs.3876/-)...?
i.e. will it be a good choice to prefer those fuse + over clip zip
Click to expand...

Read fellow member Brendon's review
http://www.techenclave.com/reviews-previews/review-sandisk-sansa-fuze-114991/

Here are the link to buy ClipZip model if you are interested
4gb model
http://www.grabmore.in/products/619659067793/SanDisk-SDMX22-004G-A57K-Sansa-Clip-Zip-4-GB-Black.html

8gb Model
http://www.grabmore.in/products/619659067809/SanDisk-SDMX22-008G-A57K-Sansa-Clip-Zip-8-GB-Black.html
 
Why is the choice between only Fuze+ and an age old D2+? I will choose neither, actually! Rockbox port is unstable for both of them and considering how old D2+ is, may never be stable (but may be usable).

If budget is no bar, I'd rather look at J3 on the Cowon side and Clip Zip on the Sansa side (or wait for Fuze++ or Clip Zip+ later on).

Sansas do not really struggle with any IEM. It should be possible to drive any of the listed IEMs without dropping a sweat.
 
esanthosh said:
Sansas do not really struggle with any IEM. It should be possible to drive any of the listed IEMs without dropping a sweat.
Click to expand...
+1

My old Fuze is able to drive even HPs comfortably. The AD-700 is a piece of cake even at -30 dbFS; however it struggles a bit with the HD-650, driving it to only 'normal' listening loudness at full volume (0 dbFS). But then again, the HD-650 is a very difficult to drive HP (300 Ohms if I'm right).

It has handled all IEMs I've thrown at it with ease: MP21, PL-50, CX-300, M4, B2.
 
sbuch

Brother grabmore seems to be authenticate. They are based in chennai & have huge stocks of sansa clip zip imo

go thru this page
Sansa Clip plus at 2650 - DesiDime, India's Shopping Community for Best Deals

Almost 90% I'm going to get 4gb clip zip in my favorite black colour from them now just need to find one clear silicone case for it less than 500 INR. also have to look for good deal on 32gb card till time being can use my 16gb class 10 card from my tablet
 
I have bought my Clip+ from grabmore and the experience has been a pleasant one! Even though the shipment took about 2-3 weeks to be delivered but tracking information was accurately provided. And the device was in perfect shape! I feel Clip+ is better purchase if only music is the requirement.
 
ksameer said:
I have bought my Clip+ from grabmore and the experience has been a pleasant one! Even though the shipment took about 2-3 weeks to be delivered but tracking information was accurately provided. And the device was in perfect shape! I feel Clip+ is better purchase if only music is the requirement.
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot :)
I'm not comfortable with their RMA policy of shelling out 1500 inr for one way shipping. Waiting for @PristineNote to stock Clip Zip model.
I'm caught up with some personal stuff so could not get any player but mostly by end of this month will get one.
 
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Finally after long wait got myself an Mp3 player from ProAudioHome. :)

Nationite NaNite N2 4GB MP3 Player With Built In Amp Chip

U/I not upto the mark & buttons sometimes unresponsive. Takes more time to understand the menu structure but ones understood its a breeze. Music management only thru folder/file browsing.
Sound Quality is just amazing for my untrained ears. In fact I feel SQ of N2 will be slightly above sansa range of players thanks to BBE Eq options & a powerful Amp.

Service from PristineNote is superb delivered in excellent packing within flat 44 hrs after ordering[29hrs after depositing amt.] Aramex tracking was ok & delivery could have been quicker. The delivery boy took 6 hrs to reach to my place which is hardly 1 hr distance from their office.

If you can compromise on U/I part like me its a tremendous audiophile grade player. Amazing Stuff from the stable of Mp4 Nation who owns brainwavz. The bundled earphones Brainwavz Alpha are gr8 surprise for such a budget player.

P1040016.jpg
 
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