DAP Review

Cowon Plenue R

Sound Analysis.

In my opinion, the ideal signature of any DAP is to be as neutral as possible so you can evaluate and enjoy the true sound signature of your headphones without additional coloring of the sound. But nothing is perfect, and you have variations of sound being skewed either toward the more revealing or smoother/warmer side of neutral.

PR has a more neutral-revealing signature, excellent dynamics of the sound (expanded rather than compressed sound). It has a relatively black background, with a minor hissing level when paired up with very sensitive IEMs. As a result, the transient response of notes is fast and with a clean on/off transition.

Soundstage is wide, especially with balanced output which is wider in comparison to SE output.

Balanced output sounds not only wider in soundstage, but I’m also hearing it as having a more transparent sound with a better dynamic expansion and layering.

My readers always ask me about the filters, so I spent quite some time going back’n’forth, trying to analyze it. Below is how I’m hearing a change of going from Normal filter setting, though the changes are very minor.

Normal to Low Latency – hopefully it’s not my imagination, but it feels like the attack speed of the sound is a touch slower now, with an overall sound being a little less aggressive.

Normal to High attenuation – I hear a very subtle change, feels like mids gain a little bit of depth (soundstage, pushed back), and a treble is a bit smoother.

Normal to Asymmetric FIR – very hard to detect a change, maybe some phase shift, something very subtle with a treble being a touch smoother.

cowon_pr-34

Comparison.

In this DAP comparison, I used multiple pairs of IEMs, volume matched, to have a more accurate comparison without a bias of one specific headphone tuning. I did mention that I find PR to be a lovechild of P2 and PM2, so I spend more time analyzing and comparing these 3 Cowon DAPs and found them scale up in order of P2 => PR > PM2. I’m not saying that PR is equal to P2, but there are a lot of similarities in sound, and the technical performance is not too far off either.

Out of these three, P2 has the blackest background, while PR has just a touch of hissing noise with sensitive low impedance iems. On contrary, I found PM2 to have more hissing noise.

With a soundstage expansion, P2 just a touch wider, but PR comes very close, especially with balanced output. I find PM2 to have a narrower soundstage.

P2 and PR share a similar more neutral-revealing sound, while PM2 has neutral-smoother tonality which is a little warmer. That’s why I found more often reaching out to use JetEffect with PM2, and not so much with P2 and PR.

In terms of technical performance, both P2 and PR have a good dynamics expansion range. P2 still has an edge with a little more dynamism and layering, and a blacker background, but not by a whole lot. Difference with PM2 is more noticeable where the sound is a little less dynamic (a little more compressed in comparison), a little smoother with less air between the layers. Also, I hear P2/PR as having a higher level of transparency and resolution. Again, P2 edges ahead, but PR is not too far behind it.

P2 and PM2 have more power, while PR is rated less. It’s noticeable when you switch between the same pair of IEMs or headphones where I had to raise PR volume 7-8 clicks higher in comparison to P2/PM2.

With other DAPs, here is how it compares.

PR vs Opus#3 – PR has a wider soundstage, both have a neutral baseline tonality but PR has a fuller more organic sound with a faster and punchier bass and more natural lower treble while #3 has a brighter sound with a little softer bass and crisper splashier treble, in comparison. Both have a dynamic presentation of sound, but I hear PR with a little more transparency and refinement. Both have a very low level of hissing with sensitive U18.

PR vs X7ii – Both have a similar wide soundstage, and neutral natural tonality. I’m only hearing PR bass being a touch faster and with a bit more rumble in sub-bass, but the difference is very minimal. They both have a natural treble extension, and overall excellent retrieval of details. Both have a dynamic sound, though here X7ii has a little better transparency. Again, very little difference, but I can hear X7ii pulling just slightly ahead. One thing that is more noticeable is X7ii having a little more hissing with sensitive U18.

PR vs i5 – Both have a very similar soundstage expansion, and neutral natural tonality. Here, bass also matches the speed and the quantity, and the same with mids and treble having a neutral natural tonality. I’m also hearing both as having a very similar technical performance in terms of dynamics and transparency. With sensitive U18, both have a very little level of hissing.

PR vs AK120ii – Both have a similar soundstage expansion, and while PR is more neutral natural and smoother, AK120ii sounds brighter in upper mids and lower treble. Also, PR bass is faster and with a little more punch, while AK bass is more relaxed in comparison. From technical perspective, they sound the same, similar dynamics, transparency, layering, and separation. Also, with sensitive U18, PR has a very little hissing, while AK is dead silent.

Pair up.

In my pair up test I had PR set in high (headphone) gain, and noted volume level in every case.

U18 – (67/140), wide soundstage, balanced signature with a more neutral natural tonality, fast punchy bass, detailed layered mids, and crisp well-defined treble. Very good pair up.

TIA Fourte – (67/140), wide soundstage, balanced signature with a revealing brighter tonality, great sub-bass rumble, punchy fast mid-bass, neutral mids, revealing layered upper mids, very crisp airy extended treble.

RE2k – (86/140), wider soundstage, balanced revealing signature, excellent sub-bass extension, softer mid-bass punch, neutral mids, revealing micro-detailed upper mids, crisp airy treble.

W900 – (69/140), wide soundstage, balanced signature with more bass emphasis and smooth neutral tonality. Actually, bass impact here is a little stronger, spilling a bit into lower mids which adds to the body of the sound. But upper mids are detailed and layered, and treble is crisp and well defined.

UERR – (85/140), wide soundstage, nicely balanced signature with a revealing natural tonality, transparent, layered sound, punchy fast bass, detailed mids, crisp airy treble.

ES80 – (83/140), balanced detailed sound, punchy bass, neutral mids, crisp treble, the sound is very natural, a little less dynamic in this pair up, but still quite resolving and layered.

VEGA – (65/140), wide soundstage, powerful bass impact, making sound more L-shaped, smooth analog bass, punchy mid-bass, full bodied lower mids, clear detailed upper mids, crisp airy treble.

Zen – (99/140) volume set higher to drive these 320 ohm earbuds, soundstage is a little above average in width, smooth organic sound, softer bass, detailed natural mids, clear smooth treble. Sounds a little congested.

EL8C – (105/140), soundstage a little above average in width, smooth, natural sound, punchy bass, organic mids, crisp treble without metallic sheen, very good pair up, though I do have to push it a little harder in headphone gain to get these planar magnetic cans to a good listening level.

R70x – (120/140), soundstage of these open back cans is “open”, expanded; smooth, natural sound, organic tonality, a little more on a warmer side, not as revealing; need to push a lot harder these 470 ohm cans to reach their full potential.

Overall, I noticed that PR doesn’t drive as well high impedance or more demanding cans, making tonality warmer, smoother, and less revealing.

cowon_pr-17

Other connections.

USB DAC.

I’m not a big fan of using a dedicated DAP as USB DAC because I usually look at a DAP as a portable standalone source. If you are not happy with an audio output of your computer, there are plenty of dedicated USB DAC choices. But in some cases, when you are traveling and don’t want to bring multiple pieces of equipment, using DAP as USB DAC has its advantage.

Here I found PR to pair up flawlessly with my laptop, and, as expected, to improve a sound quality of my aging T430s Thinkpad. The drivers were installed automatically, no need for a manual installation of any 3rd party files. One very useful feature is when you connect PR to your computer, when connection is detected you have a choice from the touch screen to either select USB DAC or USB MSC (for a file transfer). Once you select USB DAC, my laptop volume was set to the max and I adjusted the volume from PR. The only negative here, DSP effects are disabled when in USB DAC mode. When connected, red led light indicated that P2 was charging while being used as USB DAC.

And the most important aspect of this pair up, when using PR as USB DAC from my laptop, the sound was nearly identical when comparing it directly from a standalone PR.

cowon_pr-36

Optical Out.

PR vs PR + Micro iDSD (optical) w/RE2k – here with optical connection the sound is crisper with iDSD, more revealing and more neutral vs direct connection to PR where I hear a little smoother body and deeper sub-bass extension, as well as a more natural treble.

In general, it’s a great option to be able to use PR as a digital touch screen transport to drive external DAC/amp supporting optical input since PR’s 3.5mm HO port is shared with optical digital output. In my previous tests, I always found optical link to be superior in sound quality to electrical coax cable.

cowon_pr-35

Bluetooth.

Wireless pair up was painless as well. It quickly connected to Sennheiser Momentum 2 Wireless headphones and I was able to use it in an open space about 40-50ft away from PR. The same pair up with my Note 4 covered 50-60ft range. Up to 50ft wireless range coverage is great in my book. And the sound with Momentum was nearly the same between PR and Note 4, certainly thanks to aptX codec support.

Conclusion.

When I say this is NOT just All-Round DAP, I really mean it. As a reviewer, I get a chance to test and to compare many different DAPs. So, when people ask me “what is your favorite DAP”, I don’t have a simple answer but certainly do pick one of the flagship choices. But when you are a consumer on a budget, looking to buy a new DAP, you are faced with many choices and a hard decision to pick one. That’s where you start looking for the best value to suite your needs.

So, if your needs don’t include the streaming or app support, and if you want something portable on the go without a requirement to drive more demanding headphones, Cowon Plenue R is one heck of a value. You get 128GB of internal storage with 256GB (and possibly 400GB) uSD expansion. You get Bluetooth with aptX codec support. 2.5mm TRRS balanced and 3.5mm single ended and Optical output. Very responsive touch screen with customizable GUI, a ton of Setting options, and fantastic JetEffect dsp effects. And on top of that, 16-17 hours of battery life.

There are many DAP choices out there, and mid-fi market is starting to get saturated with players that cost less than PR. But when you are deciding on your next DAP, make sure you don’t just look at the price, but also compare everything else it has to offer. In case of Plenue R, it offers a lot!

 

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55 thoughts on “Cowon Plenue R”

  1. Great review, I really like your informative and spot on reviews.
    Silly question, with Bluetooth, will the PR hook up and player with the BT audio player in the car? Thanks, God Bless, Wayne

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    1. Good question, Wayne. It will depend on BT protocols supported by your car stereo. For example, if you can connect your phone to stream audio from a phone to your car speakers, by the same token using PR as a your source – I don’t see why it can’t stream audio to your car stereo, if it’s supported.

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      1. Thanks!
        I have the PM2, love it. Do you think the new 400 GB microSD will work in it?
        God bless,
        Wayne

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  4. One more question! I’ve been looking at other DAPs and I came across the AK70 MK2. Thoughts on that? Which would you go for in terms of audio performance compared to the Plenue R. Thanks again!

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  5. Sorry, I have another question! Going through your review again, I noticed you didn’t mention anything about sorting songs by playlists. Was it overlooked? Is there an option to access playlists that I’m not aware of? Thanks again!

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    1. PR gui is identical to PM2 and P2, and I literally nearly copy and paste it, but maybe something got lost. Yeah, you can tag songs as favorites and also create custom playlists.

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    1. I don’t have access to ZX300, but that thought crossed my mind, would be a good comparison. Maybe after I’m done with WM1Z review, I can ask Sony for ZX300 review sample. Or perhaps, in a few month when I attend CanJam NYC, I will take a listen to ZX300 to evaluate it there.

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      1. Thank you very much for your feedback. I’m torn between PR and ZX300. For design and battery strength, ZX300 is superior, but for performance I’m not so sure. I have tested ZX300, the sound is natural, clear with bright sound stage but somehow I found it quite flat. I currently have PD so I want to move up. The sound of Cowon always gives me pleasure instead.

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  7. I have PR myself. I tested ZX300 not long ago. From my memory, ZX300 is bright with good sound stage, bringing the feeling like “sparkling”. I’m familiar with the sound of Cowon (here is the D) which is warm and smooth to the ears. Actually I tested Cowon P2 and got jaw drop =)) . P2 is heaven but the price is … hell. So I think of getting PR instead of P2. The problem is: I have not tested the PR yet.

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  8. My Plenue R arrived today and yeah, you are right with the sharp edges on the corners. Gladly i also ordered the leather case which will be delivered soon.

    Do you know the exact dimensions for the screen protector? I think i will buy a larger one and cut it myself to fit it on screen but it would be great if i don’t have to cut it. I don’t find the protector or screen dimensions on the official products.

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      1. Thank you, well i guess i will wait for the case to arrive^^
        I transfered all my music collection and have he following issue:
        When using the matrix browser (with album cover arts) most are not visible. I use this order structure: Artist -> album title -> song name. Files are either mp3 or flac for each album. In my flac albums I stored the cover art as cover.jpg to make sure its correctly shown and when i choose from one of the albums that have no art in matrix bowser the cover art is still shown on the music screen itself…
        I owned a J3 before so i thought having a cover.png in a flac album folder would be enough, what am i doing wrong?
        I restarted the player and also toggled the db update in system settings but its still the same. I will check my files again.

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      2. I only browse by folders, not even paying attention much to proper sorting or album art. So, I wouldn’t be the right person to ask about it 🙂 Try to ask this question on head-fi in Plenue R or any Plenue threads. The gui and os is identical across all their Plenue daps.

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      3. Hey 🙂 I wanted to let you know that i fixed the problem myself and want to let you know about the solution so others who might read your review get it too.

        The solution is to embed the cover art into the flac files themselfes (as a tag) with programs like mp3tag.

        So they changed the matrix browser using the cover.jpg of the same folder to Tags-only.
        ^-^

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  10. Hey it’s me again 🙂
    Last week i got my new pair of headphones, the sennheiser momentum 2 wireless and now i face a little volume issue: Once connected via bluetooth the volume is so much lower than compared connected via cable. Do you face the same problem?
    My guess is, that the “headphone mode” on plenue r is not working on bluetooth. Even if i toggle it nothing changes volume wise.
    And before you might ask: yeah i raised the headphone volume to max^^
    Oh and my case arrived today after 2 whole months. Very good quality and it came packaged in a black box like the plenue does. Time to take the dap out! 😀
    Greetings Ratchet ^-^

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  11. Hello!
    I’ve just purchased this player and was unpleasantly surprised of it’s power output. I used Sennheiser HD380 Pro Audio-Technica ATH-700 and M50X and the sound volume was too quiet in any mode. I’ve increased it to maximum and could hear people talking.
    Fiio X5 and Cowon X9 didn’t have that problem.
    Do you have any ideas how to fix it?

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    1. though PR is not the most powerful DAP, it still has a ton of power to drive even demanding headphones. If you can see from my review, on 3rd page, I have different pair up examples and the volume level I had. Do you have any of these headphones to confirm it? Another thing, make sure Headphone Mode is on (it’s the high gain mode). Plus, if you bought EU unit, they sometime add a volume cap to make it quieter. I think when you first start the DAP it ask you about your region? Double check all that. But as an example, my hardest to drive headphones (open back 470 ohm ATH-R70x) – I was able to drive it with volume set to 120/140 without a problem.

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      1. Thanks for a lead! I’ve resetted the device and chose Non-European English and it works as I thought it should!

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      1. Thanks for the reply. Currently looking at a few daps the space is quite competitive at the moment.

        The dx200/x7ii are being considered atm as well. From reading your comparison of those they seem to be similar with the dx200 to have the slight edge in sq. Although the dual card slot of the x7ii is a big selling point for me at moment as i don’t use streaming services on portables.

        Will become less of an issue with the 400gb cards become more common and come down in price i suppose. My preference would be similar to yours in gravitating towards neutral daps with the addition of large soundstage.

        Currently using the ak t8iemkii, it03 and pm-3 and while i feel the opus1 pairs great with these my opus1 is faulty unfortunately.

        Either way i’d assume all of the above would be decent upgrade. I’d say i more looking for good synergy with my current earphones/headphones. Decisions, Decisions.

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    1. Pm3 will be harder to drive and the sound is a little more veiled, Xelento and IT03 pair up great, with a sound more V-shaped, PR gives them a good low end emphasis.

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  14. Hey Twister6, didn’t quite know where to ask this so thought I’d post it here. I was wondering if you’ll get the Plenue V to review?

    I’ve had the Plenue R a few months now (purchased partly thanks to this helpful review), and just picked up a Plenue V after curiosity got the better of me. The SQ is impressive. I’ve previously owned the D, P1 and M, and so far after a few hours of listening I’d rate it as the best Plenue I’ve heard. I don’t think it’s just ‘new toy syndrome’ talking either! I haven’t heard the P2 or S.

    So I’d be curious to hear your thoughts on the V if you’re getting one? Obviously I still have plenty of burn-in to do on mine, but will put a review up on head-fi after a few weeks of familiarizing myself with it better.

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    1. Sorry, I have no plans to review Plenue V, was hoping for their next flagship, but haven’t heard anything about it yet. But here is a thing. If you have both PR and PV and hear them the same – that’s all that matters! We all hear things differently due to a different hearing level, not everybody has a golden ear, and also it will depend on IEMs/headphones you are using. If you have a warmer/smoother/bassier headphones – they are not going to pick up details or soundstage cues as good as more reveaing headphones. I probably won’t get a chance to test/review PV, but if you are enjoying it – you are the final judge of it! 😉

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      1. Great, thanks for the reply. I’m hearing the V as more detailed and with a fuller low end than the R, wish I had a P2 to compare. So yeah sounds great to my ears and puts a grin on my face 🙂

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    1. Not a big fan of x5-3, too warm, smooth, and flat dynamics of the sound. So, PR is definitely an upgrade. Plus, you gonna love Jeteffect DSP effects in PR, awesome transformation of the sound.

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  16. Hi T!
    Thanks for your review which helped me to make up my mind for R 7 months ago. Since you’ve mentioned that P2 leads R in different respect but the gap is small, do you think it’s wise to upgrade to P2? I don’t have the opportunity to listen to P2 but the price of P2 has dropped quite a bit after the birth of MK2.

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      1. That’s what I was wondering, too. I will just wait for the next version of S then.
        Thanks again for the advice!

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  17. Hi Twister,
    Thanks for such detailed review!
    Can you tell, how about synergy with Westone’s Universals like UM Pro 30/50 and W60?

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    1. It has a great synergy since its signature is more neutral revealing which brings up more details from a smoother tuned Westone’s. Though it works great single ended, I personally have a preference for PR balanced output with Westone’s to push soundstage a little wider.

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  19. Pingback: Cowon Plenue L DAP – Twister6 Reviews

  21. I have the R partly based on your recommendation. I have been happy with it however it has one major flaw. It does not take a 256 GB card. When I first got it I picked up a 256 GB card and it work just fine. After that I bought four more, none of them work. I tried to contact Cowon they were completely unresponsive. So I tried to contact the seller they did get back to me they told me to use a smaller gigabyte card. So I purchased a 128 GB card it works just fine. I’ve since bought six other 128 GB cards they have all work just fine. I bought five 256 GB cards and only the first one work. The others would not accept the file or if it did many times it would just shove it into a unknow category not able to read the artist name or track name or album name. So because of that I am thinking of getting the Hiby 5. Have you heard this player yet and how would you compare it to the R. Thanks, love your reviews.

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