Music Dedication

For the best sound quality on the move, there’s no substitute for a dedicated portable music player. These three are all Award-winners

The Cowon Plenue D is compact, relatively inexpensive and its sound quality immediately justifies the price tag. Just a few centimetres tall and a little narrower than an iPhone 8, it weighs 94g and its aluminium body looks sleek and feels comfortable in the hand. It is capable of handling files up to 24-bit/192kHz lossless in FLAC, AIFF, ALAC, WAV, WMA, and MP3 formats, and it has a touchscreen, which we find easier to use than buttons – navigating the menus is relatively straightforward.

A capable all-rounder The Plenue D plays classical music with delicacy and sophistication, while still being more than capable of rocking out, with solid control of tonal balance and a tight grip on every strand of a track. Musical organisation is good. And, when you consider Cowon claims that the Plenue D has 100 hours of battery life when playing MP3s, and 51 hours for hi-res lossless files (depending on the volume you play them at), you’re looking at a pretty impressive all-round package.