Cowon X7 vs AK120

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Discussion

SGirl

Original Poster:

7,918 posts

260 months

Thursday 5th March 2015
quotequote all
I bought a Cowon X7 a couple of years ago and I love it, the sound quality is great. The only trouble is, every time I switch it on I expect it to be problematic. So far it's only had two oh-hell-it's-bricked-I'll-have-to-get-a-new-one moments, and both times I've managed to get it back with a little TLC and a lot of threats. wink I have all the files on it backed up to two or three other devices anyway so it's not a major problem if it does die, but it would be a pain to have no portable player apart from my old iPod Classics.

So I was thinking of making the switch to an AK120. Any opinions, views, thoughts? What's it like to live with? Presumably it doesn't have the same problems with bricking as the X7. If you've tried both, how does the sound quality compare?

Thanks in advance for any info. beer


Finlandia

7,803 posts

230 months

Thursday 5th March 2015
quotequote all
View the higher end DAPs as a supercar, they do their speciality very well, but there are (quite a) few annoyances and they may not be so user friendly.

The AK120 will sound very good (better than the X7), but will it be easier to use than the Cowon, or less problematic, that's the question.

Others to consider, for less money, but not free from annoyances, are iBasso DX90 or Fiio X5, or if you like to splash out more, the Calyx M.

I have the iBasso DX50, smaller brother to the DX90, running on dual boot Rockbox/original player, and it sounds stellar.

Oh, one thing you will miss about the X7 is the battery life, <20h or even <10h is the expectancy on the higher end players.


ETA, I have tried the AK100 and X7, AK100 sounds much better, but as said they both have their niggles and oddities.

Edited by Finlandia on Thursday 5th March 17:35

SGirl

Original Poster:

7,918 posts

260 months

Thursday 5th March 2015
quotequote all
Damn, I knew this would happen once I stepped outside the world of the iPod Classic! So much choice. hehe

My main requirements are superb sound (I can't stand muddy sound, sibilance, over-bassy reproduction or a multitude of other sins...), lots of storage space - and that's about it, really. The battery life of the X7 is brilliant, can't fault it - though I could compromise with a shorter battery life if I had to. The Calyx M looks interesting, plenty of storage. But I haven't found much info on its sound quality as yet - I'll have another look when I have more time. When you say not without annoyances, what kind of annoyances are we talking about?

Tricky one. Which would you choose? I know you're not me and probably won't have the same tastes as me, but you know your stuff so I'd be very interested to know your opinion. beer


Finlandia

7,803 posts

230 months

Thursday 5th March 2015
quotequote all
Thanks smile

Everything is a compromise, if absolute sound quality is the goal then Hifiman HM901 is the DAP to get, but it will drive you crazy to use it, battery, GUI, bulkiness are all big issues on it, but the sound is the best there is.

Annoyances with firmware upgrades etc, but, the Android based players are nearly impossible to brick beyond repair, just use RKBatchtool and force feed a working firmware on it. Other annoyances are heat, low battery life, weight, odd and counterintuitive GUI and less than great user friendliness.

I must say, I'm impressed with the iBasso DX50, there are plenty of different sounding FWs (Rockbox being my favourite), 2TB external storage limit with micro SD or HDD, digital out, headphone out, line out, can be used as a DAC on Windows, and so on.

If you ask me, take a close look at the DX90, just be aware of the oddities like the low res screen and once again the battery life.


StuH

2,557 posts

272 months

Friday 6th March 2015
quotequote all
Another option to consider is the chord Hugo.

I've been using an ak120 for the last year or so but recently bought a Hugo and the SQ is just superb. I use it to drive Senn ie800 on the move, and a range of full size cans at home.

Finlandia

7,803 posts

230 months

Friday 6th March 2015
quotequote all
StuH said:
Another option to consider is the chord Hugo.

I've been using an ak120 for the last year or so but recently bought a Hugo and the SQ is just superb. I use it to drive Senn ie800 on the move, and a range of full size cans at home.
I've only heard good about the Hugo. Are you using the AK120 to feed it?

StuH

2,557 posts

272 months

Friday 6th March 2015
quotequote all
Finlandia said:
I've only heard good about the Hugo. Are you using the AK120 to feed it?
I have but tbh fed with an iPhone the Hugo still outperforms the AK! well at least with redbook. I thought it would be years until something better than the AK's came along but the Hugo is quite a leap ahead - just so musical, and non-fatiguing. A cliche, but just very analogue in presentation nerd

Podie

46,630 posts

274 months

Friday 6th March 2015
quotequote all
As my first foray into this world I picked up a Fiio X3 and some Shire SE425s.

Cue a lot of time re-ripping stuff to lossless hehe but when you find true hidef audio you really do notice it.

Wondering if I should have spent a bit more and got the X5 and SE535s now. irked

Finlandia

7,803 posts

230 months

Friday 6th March 2015
quotequote all
Podie said:
Wondering if I should have spent a bit more and got the X5 and SE535s now. irked
Do it! Then you can wonder if you should have gotten the Fiio X7 and Shure SE846... hehe

Podie

46,630 posts

274 months

Friday 6th March 2015
quotequote all
Finlandia said:
Podie said:
Wondering if I should have spent a bit more and got the X5 and SE535s now. irked
Do it! Then you can wonder if you should have gotten the Fiio X7 and Shure SE846... hehe
hehe

I'm listening to music on the train, I think it's pitched at a sensible level. smile

Finlandia

7,803 posts

230 months

Friday 6th March 2015
quotequote all
StuH said:
Finlandia said:
I've only heard good about the Hugo. Are you using the AK120 to feed it?
I have but tbh fed with an iPhone the Hugo still outperforms the AK! well at least with redbook. I thought it would be years until something better than the AK's came along but the Hugo is quite a leap ahead - just so musical, and non-fatiguing. A cliche, but just very analogue in presentation nerd
The iPhods (see what I did there wink) are actually very good transports for sound, just the amps and stuff used are not so good when compared to other stuff.

Enjoy the Hugo, I know I would smile

Podie

46,630 posts

274 months

Friday 6th March 2015
quotequote all
Finlandia - I've seen "upgraded cables" for Sure headphones... ever tried any of these? (I can't imagine they're any good, but interested to know your thoughts)

Finlandia

7,803 posts

230 months

Friday 6th March 2015
quotequote all
Podie said:
Finlandia - I've seen "upgraded cables" for Sure headphones... ever tried any of these? (I can't imagine they're any good, but interested to know your thoughts)
I haven't tried them, but to be honest, I kind of treat them as cosmetic upgrades. There may be some small differences in sound, but are they even big enough to notice?

I've found the biggest difference in sound on IEMs comes from the use of different sleeves/tips, my favourite is the long Westone Startip.

Podie

46,630 posts

274 months

Friday 6th March 2015
quotequote all
Finlandia said:
Podie said:
Finlandia - I've seen "upgraded cables" for Sure headphones... ever tried any of these? (I can't imagine they're any good, but interested to know your thoughts)
I haven't tried them, but to be honest, I kind of treat them as cosmetic upgrades. There may be some small differences in sound, but are they even big enough to notice?

I've found the biggest difference in sound on IEMs comes from the use of different sleeves/tips, my favourite is the long Westone Startip.
Thanks. Still using the supplied rubbery things - which are pretty comfy smile

Will look at sleeves / tips in due course.

Finlandia

7,803 posts

230 months

Friday 6th March 2015
quotequote all
Podie said:
Finlandia said:
Podie said:
Finlandia - I've seen "upgraded cables" for Sure headphones... ever tried any of these? (I can't imagine they're any good, but interested to know your thoughts)
I haven't tried them, but to be honest, I kind of treat them as cosmetic upgrades. There may be some small differences in sound, but are they even big enough to notice?

I've found the biggest difference in sound on IEMs comes from the use of different sleeves/tips, my favourite is the long Westone Startip.
Thanks. Still using the supplied rubbery things - which are pretty comfy smile

Will look at sleeves / tips in due course.
I'm pretty sure you can get custom made tips for them too, maybe worth checking out.

StuH

2,557 posts

272 months

Saturday 7th March 2015
quotequote all
Podie said:
As my first foray into this world I picked up a Fiio X3 and some Shire SE425s.

Cue a lot of time re-ripping stuff to lossless hehe but when you find true hidef audio you really do notice it.

Wondering if I should have spent a bit more and got the X5 and SE535s now. irked
I had Shure 535 as my main iem for a couple of years, then se846! (Alongside ue's, phonaks, jl's etc) However I'm now using senn ie800 and they are just stunning. I would go as far as to say they are my favourite irrespective of type, so not just best iem, but best headphone period! And cheaper than many high end products - relative bargain wink

Finlandia

7,803 posts

230 months

Saturday 7th March 2015
quotequote all
StuH said:
I had Shure 535 as my main iem for a couple of years, then se846! (Alongside ue's, phonaks, jl's etc) However I'm now using senn ie800 and they are just stunning. I would go as far as to say they are my favourite irrespective of type, so not just best iem, but best headphone period! And cheaper than many high end products - relative bargain wink
Out of curiosity, didn't you have the Phonak Pfe232 at some point? How would you say the SE846 and Pfe232 sounded in comparison?

I've only heard the SE846 briefly so can't really tell.

StuH

2,557 posts

272 months

Saturday 7th March 2015
quotequote all
Finlandia said:
Out of curiosity, didn't you have the Phonak Pfe232 at some point? How would you say the SE846 and Pfe232 sounded in comparison?

I've only heard the SE846 briefly so can't really tell.
I was quite dissPointed with the 846's - fatiguing and harsh on anything less than excellent recordings. 232's a better daily proposition. Plus I think the ie800's make all other premium iems seem very over priced.

C&C

3,281 posts

220 months

Thursday 12th March 2015
quotequote all
Finlandia said:
Thanks smile

Everything is a compromise, if absolute sound quality is the goal then Hifiman HM901 is the DAP to get, but it will drive you crazy to use it, battery, GUI, bulkiness are all big issues on it, but the sound is the best there is.
Glad you also agree on the sound quality.
I'm just about to upgrade to the 901 - had the 801 for a few years and compared to many other players, it just seemed the best for SQ. Had chance to compare quite a few at a head-fi meet a couple of years ago.
Also totally agree on the niggles - UI takes quite some getting used to, and the battery life at a max of 8 hours is short.
Size is also a potential issue, but I carry it in a belt mounted compact camera case which works well.
I guess for me the SQ makes the other compromises worth it.
Only initial disappointment was that I could not get on with IEMs (Mrs C&C is also into sound quality and went with JH16Pro). I also wanted them for the isolation (especially on the tube), but eventually found closed back Ultrasone Signature Pro full size phones after trying lots, and these are great. Fortunately the Hifiman is easily able to drive them. Mrs C&C says they are close to her IEMs for SQ, but I'll have to take her word for it, as I can't try hers!! smile.

SGirl

Original Poster:

7,918 posts

260 months

Friday 13th March 2015
quotequote all
Well, that's all put the cat among the pigeons. Thanks lads. hehe

I have no idea what to buy now. Although I've just taken Stax SR-207s on trial, so I might forget about buying a portable music player and just get these instead! They're great.

Although a new player would be nice... I'll have to do some more research. The Hifiman sounds interesting as an alternative to the AK120. I'll read up on both and go from there.

Thanks for all your input! thumbup


Edited by SGirl on Friday 13th March 14:05