Feiao X7, Astell & Kern AK100II and COWON PLENUE M
after the evaluation of Android flagship player Feiao X7, some friends very much hope to produce a comparative evaluation, so as to know what level the X7 sound is at at the price of 4000 yuan. In fact, the author also has this method, but he has not had a suitable comparison player. Now I have finally got two players with similar prices and functions: Astell & Kern AK100II and COWON PLENUE M. They are all current mainstream Korean brand high-end players. Similar to Feiao X7, they are all built with intelligent systems and have excellent operation experience. Therefore, not only the sound quality, but also the Feiao X7 can be used to compare the quality and operation with foreign excellent products.
Of course, many friends prefer to compare the sound quality with many domestic players, such as Kaiyin N6, HIFIMAN HM-802U and so on. If they have the chance to get these machines in the future, they will consider adding them.
basically has its own packaging and accessories style, but now the mainstream practice is to take a simple route, to put it bluntly, small packaging and few accessories, especially some high-end products will not give people a very luxurious and grand feeling, but introverted and low-key. Feiao X7, Astell & Kern AK100II and COWON PLENUE M all belong to this category to some extent. Among them, Feiao X7 is somewhat similar to AK100II packaging, while PLENUE M is the simplest.
the number of accessories, all three players are step-by-step. Although X7 is the flagship of Feiao family, the level of accessories is basically the same as that of X3 II and X5 II. The same is true of Astell & Kern AK100II, which is also at the same pace as the higher-end AK120II and AK240, but the standard leather bag grade is different. The COWON PLENUE M accessory is the simplest, just a USB data cable.
the size comparison between Feiao X7, Astell & Kern AK100II and COWON PLENUE M, the size difference is obvious, of which AK100II is the smallest, PLENUE M is medium, and Feiao X7 is the largest. The reason for this difference is that apart from the screen size, the main reason is that the design concept of sound quality hardware is different. In particular, Feiao X7, domestic players have always advocated stacking materials and large thrust. The author has seen the internal circuit board of X7, which contains a large number of parts, and X7 also uses a replaceable ear module design, which is also one of the reasons for the increase in volume.
fuselage thickness, COWON PLENUE M is obviously the thinnest, followed by AK100II, while Feiao X7 is the thickest, but the overall X7 is very different from the AK100II thickness.
workmanship, the three players are all CNC machined and cut out with a whole piece of metal. The technological level is very high. The appearance is generally square and square cuboids, but the sizes are different. The more distinctive ones are Feiao X7 and AK100II.
Feiao X7 has two characteristics. One is that the part of the screen frame combined with the chin (ear module) has a blue light bar, which will light up after starting up. It is very gorgeous and has a sense of technology. Another feature is that the back is not fully flat, and the top WiFi antenna part needs to be recessed. The reason for this design is to make the X7 look more layered and not monotonous.
Astell & Kern AK100II is a retro volume knob and a groove ear protection design inspired by strings. In terms of effect, on the one hand, the volume knob can increase the aesthetic feeling of the machine, on the other hand, it is indeed simpler and more direct to adjust the volume than with keys and touch screens, but the disadvantage is that the knob may be accidentally touched in the pocket to change the volume, so the groove ear protection design is AK100II used to improve this problem.
COWON PLENUE M is a cuboid, and there is no particularly eye-catching design in appearance, so it reflects its temperament through exquisite work.
interface, all three charge and transmit data through standard Micro USB. Only AK100II of the three have USB DAC function, which can be used as an external sound card after connecting to a computer, but there is no USB OTG function. Feiao X7 is the opposite. At present, it does not have USB DAC (USB DAC function will be added by upgrading firmware later), but it supports USB OTG function and can be externally connected with USB decoder to improve the sound quality or thrust of the player itself. COWON PLENUE M.
Headphone mouth side AK100II is the most characteristic. It provides a 2.5mm balanced headphone port output, which is also initiated by AK and has become a standard headphone interface. In addition, the AK100II 3.5mm ordinary earphone port and 2.5mm balanced earphone port can be switched to Line Out output in the setting, and can be connected to earphone amplifier and active speaker.
Feiao X7 comes standard with only a 3.5mm earphone port, its earphone module is replaceable. At present, officials have mentioned that there will be a balanced earphone module, and it will also have a balanced port after replacement. In addition, the Line Out and coaxial port of Feiao X7 are common and can be switched in the settings.
COWON PLENUE M still embodies the concept of simplicity and supremacy. It does not have balanced headphone output or Line Out output. It is a music-focused machine without binding. And there is really a need for particularly high sound quality, you can use optical fiber digital output to connect an external decoder.
digital output, both AK100II and PLENUE M are optical fiber outputs, and the optical fiber output port is shared with the 3.5mm earphone port. Feiao X7 is a coaxial output and needs to use a random 3.5mm-RCA conversion line.
In addition, the interface design of Feiao X7 is not very humanized. Since the shape of the Line Out/coaxial port is the same as that of the earphone port, it is inevitable to insert the wrong interface during use. Especially for students who are used to the earphone port at the top of the machine, it is easy to insert the earphone into the Line Out port, and then they will hear a huge volume and panic. The author very much hopes that Feiao can pay attention to this problem in future players, as long as some simple small means, such as Line Out/coaxial port is not commonly used, so you can make a dust protection cover, open the cover to use.
key control, all three use the touch screen physical key design, and the physical keys are similar. They are all power key volume control key combinations, but only AK100II of them use a convenient volume knob design, and X7 and PLENUE M are both key volume.
worth mentioning that Feiao X7 is said to have initially considered a front and rear dual-screen design, so it adopted a completely symmetrical key design on the left and right sides of the fuselage (3 left and right each, and the position and size are exactly the same), but finally The back screen design was canceled, and the symmetrical keys were retained. What I want to say is that if there is only one player like X7 in my hand and it is used for a long time, there will be no problem after getting used to it. However, if there are multiple players in your hand, there may be misoperation, which will confuse the volume level with the cut song, because many players switch the volume on the right side, while X7 is on the left side, and the left side is the place where the thumb is most easily pressed. It is easy to adjust the volume, and it is found that the song is switched.
Feiao X7 uses a 4-inch (3.97-inch) IPS screen, which is the largest in size. Since the shipment volume of Feiao X7 is not very large, it is difficult to customize the ideal screen panel, especially the high-end screen like AMOLED. However, in terms of effect, the 4-inch large screen of X7 is excellent enough, especially compared with other domestic players.
Astell & Kern AK100II uses a 3.31-inch AMOLED screen with the smallest size and the resolution is also 480 × 800, so it is more delicate, and its color and display quality are also the best.
COWON PLENUE M uses a 3.7-inch AMOLED screen with a medium size. Some of its themes use a large number of black colors, while AMOLED screen black can achieve a pure black effect, so PLENUE M's UI is very cool with AMOLED screen.
is shown in the above figure. The brightness of the screen is adjusted to the highest level. As can be seen from the picture on the cover, the maximum brightness of COWON PLENUE M is lower than that of the other two, and the screen has some reflections. In terms of color, the AK100II screen is warm and the color restoration is more accurate. The author thinks the display effect is the best. The other two are slightly colder, of which PLENUE M has obvious AMOLED screen color style, which is rich to the degree of partial color. The screen of Feiao X7 is somewhat elegant and white.
talk about systems and operations, among which Feiao X7 and Astell & Kern AK100II are deeply customized Android systems, while COWON PLENUE M is deeply customized Linux systems. Since it is in-depth customization, it is already possible to experience functions and operations regardless of what the underlying system is.
intelligent system is that unnecessary functions can be eliminated, the operation is simpler, and the interference is less. However, on the other hand, it also lost its original powerful expansion performance, such as installing app and USB expansion. In order to obtain a balance point, Feiao X7 provides two sets of user interfaces, one is the Android interface, the new firmware has been released, users can freely install software, and it is worth mentioning that X7 also supports USB audio equipment. The author tried to connect OPPO HA-2 decoding earphones with X7, which can be successfully identified and used.
is a music playing interface. Booting is a music player and cannot be returned to the Android desktop. It is completely transformed into a pure music player. However, compared with AK100II, X7 under the music interface cannot be installed and run on other apps, but it retains USB support.
AK100II boot is the music playing interface. If it is not some clues in the setting menu, it should be difficult for people to see that it is based on the Android system. The connected computer cannot be detected by various assistants, app cannot be installed, and USB OTG support is removed. Therefore, it is meaningless to discuss whether it is Android or not, because AK100II is a pure music player.
COWON PLENUE M cannot show the shadow of any intelligent system, and there is no wireless support such as WiFi and Bluetooth. But from the interface, it should also be the coolest, providing a variety of different styles of themes, and has a level meter indicator, which is very professional.
interface and operation, the three players are all excellent. They can be operated by touch screen or keys. They all have powerful song classification and management. They can quickly locate specific music with keyboard input, so the difference in this respect is not big.
built-in storage, domestic players have always liked to use memory cards to store music. The built-in storage space is optional, and the general capacity is not too large if there is, while the 32GB built-in space of Feiao X7 is already a large capacity in domestic players. For foreign brand players, the space capacity is usually an important aspect of the grade, so even if both AK100II and PLENUE M are entry-level, they also have built-in 64G storage space and can also support TF card expansion.
music support, all three can support mainstream MP3, WMA, WAV, APE, FLAC and other mainstream lossy and lossless formats, all have 24bit/192KHz or higher decoding capabilities, and all support DSD music playback, so there is not much difference in music support.
sound effects, Feiao X7 and Astell & Kern AK100II pursue the original flavor. EQ sound effects are available, but they are not key functions. In particular, AK100II only provides a set of preset EQ, and the rest is customized by users. Feiao X7 provides 6 sets of preset EQs and a set of user customization.
COWON PLENUE M is good at sound effects. It provides a powerful JetEffect 7 & BBE sound effect system, including 50 different preset sound effects including BBE, EQ and Chorus. When you open the sound effect page, you may be shocked by several pages of sound effects, each of which has different listening senses, so it is difficult to say how PLENUE M sounds, because it has hundreds of different sound combination schemes.
and remove 50 default sound effects carefully modulated by COWON, PLENUE M also provides 4 sets of custom sound effects. There are many adjustable parameters for custom sound effects. The options are divided into EQ, BBE and SE tabs according to categories. EQ provides 10 adjustments. BBE and SE also have multiple sets of adjustment options. There are many schemes that can be combined. Ordinary users may have a headache when they see these, but they really like music. It is also a sense of accomplishment to modulate their satisfactory sound through continuous attempts.
, let's look at the basic hardware specifications. In terms of performance, the RK3188 quad-core A9 processor used by Feiao X7 should be the most powerful, and the number of cores with higher dominant frequency is also more. Apart from music playing, it can also meet the use of certain third-party app. The Astell & Kern AK100II and COWON PLENUE M are both dual-core A9 processors, which may be worse in terms of running scores, but the three are not mobile phones but professional players, so the performance can be completely ignored, and the operation is very smooth anyway.
three use different DAC chip schemes. Feiao X7 uses a single full version of ES9018s. Not many manufacturers dare to use it on Walkman. Feiao is one of them. The AK100II uses a monolithic CS4398 DAC, while PLENUE M uses a monolithic PCM1795. The specific specifications and performance parameters of the three DAC chips may be different, but it is not the main reason for the sound difference between the three players. It mainly depends on the specific design and optimization. In addition, according to rumors, ES9018s DAC scheme is the most difficult to do well, some enthusiasts may have more doubts about X7.
thrust part also knows that Feiao X7 is the most powerful. The official data is used when the standard AM1 earpiece module is used. The output power of 32 ohm load is greater than 100mW, the output power of 16 ohm load is greater than 200mW, and the 300 ohm load is greater than 10mW. It is powerful enough to cope with small earplugs and portable headphones. However, the official specifications of Astell & Kern AK100II and COWON PLENUE M do not provide a similar marking method for the output power size, but there is no doubt that the power of bricks is smaller than that of bricks in China. After all, their design concepts are different.
batteries, the battery capacity of the three players is in the range of 3000-3500mAh. Although the screen size, CPU and DAC chips are different, the actual battery life for playing music continuously is about 10 hours, and the performance is relatively consistent.
audition, the author mainly uses two small earplugs DN-2000J Sennheiser IE80 and Dayinke, as well as OPPO PM-3 headphones. At the same time, the three players do not turn on EQ or sound effects.
when matching small earplugs, if you only listen to popular songs, the author thinks that the level of the three players is roughly the same. although the styles are slightly different, it will not make people feel that anyone is obviously better or worse. On the other hand, the tuning of the three is not very different. Generally speaking, they all pursue accurate restoration. For example, the sound thickness of the three is not as mellow as HIFIMAN and Sony. Their thickness is moderate or thinner.
specifically, among the three, PLENUE M has the thinnest sound, Feiao X7 is medium, and the AK100II is thicker and richer than the other two, and the thickness is also reflected in the low-frequency sense of quantity. AK100II has the best low-frequency performance, more sense of quantity, and the depth and strength are the best. Feiao X7 is the second place, with a certain sense of quantity and stretch, which can ensure a strong sense of atmosphere, but the diving intensity is lighter, while PLENUE M low frequency is thin, with a small amount of line feeling more obvious, and the intensity is relatively gentle. Such sound can cater to the tastes of Japanese and Korean female voices and ACG lovers. The same is true for medium and high frequencies. The brightness and extensibility of high frequencies are roughly the same. The three are still mainly due to the difference in sound thickness. The AK100II sound is still the fullest and strongest, followed by X7, which is also very full and stretched, and the sound field is wider, but the vocal position is not very forward. The sound of PLENUE M is the thinnest line and the most obvious. The human voice is more prominent and it is easier to produce dental sounds compared to the other two headphones, but this is also regarded by some enthusiasts as one of the characteristics of human voice poison.
in the classical and symphonic music that examines the quality of the player, we will find that the hard quality of PLENUE M is slightly insufficient and will show some. The main reason is that the texture of the sound begins to appear rough, and the other two are not full. However, in terms of analysis and separation, it is roughly the same level. The characteristics of the AK100II are still balanced and meticulous, with no obvious characteristics and no obvious shortcomings. The sound field is not very large but the taste is strong, and the hearing and quality are very stable. The hard quality of Feiao X7 is good, the horizontal sound field is very large, the sound stretches naturally, and the analysis and positioning are also good. However, the dynamics under the AM1 earpiece module are slightly insufficient relative to the AK100II, and the sound is somewhat bland, not very deep and stereoscopic.
When driving OPPO to PM-3 this pair of headphones with a little thrust, the performance of the three began to show obvious differences. There is no doubt that the thrust of Feiao X7 is the largest in both parameters and reason. The effect of driving PM-3 headphones will obviously surpass that of AK100II and PLENUE M, and it is no longer on the same level. It can be said that Feiao X7 will show great power only when matching headphones with thrust, this is also the consistent advantage of the current domestic player, although this kind of toughness is exchanged for volume.
AK100II and PLENUE M have no specific output power value because the official parameters have no specific output power value, so they can only rely on subjective feeling. The author thinks that the driving force of AK100II and PLENUE M is roughly the same. If you push small earplugs or easy-to-push portable earphones, it is still the same level as Feiao X7, but when you push large earphones, it will open the gap.
briefly summarize the three players:
Feiao X7: Recently, the top quality of domestic players, its biggest breakthrough is not that it has many sound qualities and can leapfrog PK or something, but that its workmanship, system and operation experience can finally compete with foreign top quality players, and it has also made great efforts in scalability and playability. Feiao X7 adopts the design of replaceable ear placement module and can be matched with a special base to strengthen the capability of digital turntable and meet the needs of different users. The overall quality of Feiao X7 is not low in sound. The default AM1 earplug and earplug module already has a relatively strong thrust, while the tuning is still a balanced but slightly bland style. Heavy-tasting fans may find it light, but such sound will be more versatile or more suitable for expansion.
Astell & Kern AK100II: The entry-level model of AK II player is the most compact and portable, with the best hand feeling and operation experience. There are many features of the AK100II, such as the support of the original balanced earphone, the most powerful balanced earphone and wire lineup at present, and the playability is also very high. All kinds of analog output and USB DAC functions are basically complete, and there are also accessories of the original base and external optical drive. The sound of Astell & Kern AK100II is not what many supporters of domestic players think. Its strength is actually good, and its tuning is relatively neutral and exquisite. However, the thrust of foreign players is certainly far less abnormal than that of national bricks. Therefore, compared with national bricks, the biggest difference is mainly reflected in the thrust of directly pushing headphones.
COWON PLENUE M: The player that seems to be the least distinctive, but it is also the player that adheres to its own characteristics and does not follow the crowd. The concept of COWON PLENUE M is somewhat different from that of the above two players. Although they are all aimed at high-end users, PLENUE M is aimed at music lovers who do not like tossing and turning. Sufficient hardware, sound quality and ever-changing Effect 7 & BBE sound effects are enough to enjoy music. PLENUE M's sound style is more personalized. It is fresh, ethereal, and has a powerful JetEffect 7 & BBE sound system, which is most suitable for pop songs and vocal songs.
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