NWZ-ZX1 High-Resolution Audio Walkman

[orbscure]

I'm no apple fanboy, but the having worked my way through several of their larger capacity iPods (currently 160gb Classic), I've never really felt the need to look elsewhere... until now that is:

http://www.sony.co.uk/product/nws-f-series/nwz-zx1?cpint=15044705
128GB
Files: MP3, WMA (Non-DRM), WMA (DRM), AAC-LC (Non-DRM), Linear PCM, FLAC, Apple Lossless, AIFF, HE-ACC, JPEG, PNG, MPEG4, AVC (H.264/AVC)
NFC-enabled device to stream music wirelessly
4-inch 845x480 pixel display
Brushed alluminium body with a leather effect rubber back
32 hours battery life

Build quality looks good and some decent images of it can also be seen here (http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/126736-sony-walkman-nwz-zx1-pictures-and-hands-on-the-high-res-audio-player-that-costs-550/gallery#photo-1). Apparently this is going to retail at £549 and will be on sale in the UK next month.

I would also be keen to use it to stream hi-res files to my home audio system... but what are other members experiences of Sony digital players and the interface software used for transferring data/files?

Cheers
Pete

[sq225917]

Their last hard disc based HD Atrac 7 players sounded better than anything I've heard since.

However that price is just silly money, £300 is my limit for a DAP. Seems like this is the gouging zone in audio what with the £2000+ thing coming from astel and Kern.

[orbscure]

Was the Atrac 7 a success? I wonder if Apples apparent vice like grip on the portable player market will mean that after any initial interest in this latest Sony player, the cost will fall? The £549 RRP is a bit rich for me too, albeit, if it can double up as a hi-res file player as part of my main system, it could be an interesting aquisition especially if the price falls...

[brucew268]

Over the years, I've noticed that Sony don't tend to come off of their DAP prices much. But I do know that pretty much all of their flash based, non-android players very good sound. Can't speak to the HD based players.

[Stratmangler]

Sony have managed to incorrectly identify the market they're trying to capture.
Truth is any Smartphone can play a whole stack of different media files, and a very large number of people already have a Smartphone.

It's destined to fail, and at £549 it'll sink faster than a brick in a swimming pool.

[orbscure]

I must be old school... despite having the latest smart phone, I still prefer having my music playback separate from my phone. It doesn't help when battery life and storage capability of these smart phones is still pretty poor...

As for the current price point, I couldn't agree with you more on that Chris... but aesthetically, this new Sony player does look the mutts... :)

[WAD62]

I must be old school... despite having the latest smart phone, I still prefer having my music playback separate from my phone. It doesn't help when battery life and storage capability of these smart phones is still pretty poor...


A 64Gb card is only £30 (I won't use a smartphone that doesn't provide an SD card slot), and music playback hardly takes much battery power...and with the E18 in tow (other thread) I've got a portable backup power pack

[technobear]

This Sony has a couple of major failings:

1) It's priced £300 more than it's worth

2) It doesn't have a micro-SD slot so that 128GB is all you get.

I won't be splashing any more cash on DAPs until I can have 256GB - internal or via cards - and at no more cost than £200. These types of device rarely last long enough in my experience to justify paying more. Indeed most devices of this type don't even have replaceable batteries so they are doomed to a short lifespan from the start.

iBasso seem to be going in the right direction with their latest DAPs. Replaceable battery, dual-cards, high quality sound, sensible price.

Fiio is one to watch too.

[sq225917]

Yeh, the astell and Kern pricing actually makes me feel slightly sick its such a blatant gouge. I have a half dead ipod that I'll replace when they upgrade the classic to SSD.

[technobear]

Thought I'd do a search to see how the price of flash storage is doing and found these:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/256GB-USB-Memory-Stick-Flash-Drive-IRON-MAN-Not-16GB-32GB-64GB-128GB-/151220977611?pt=UK_Computing_FlashDrives_SM&hash=item233578ffcb

...amongst many others. 256GB for £15 - £20. Are these for real?

EDIT: OK, a bit more searching shows they are not what they claim to be and should be avoided at all costs.

A real 256GB USB Stick costs around £150. A Sansa Clip+ is £30 - £40. Why can't we have a 256GB Clip+ for around £180?

Instead the best we can do at this price is a pathetic 32GB and some are less than this. Oh well. I'll check back in another 5 years.

[m10]

The current 160GB iPod Classic is the only serious contender in this market - marginalised as it seems to be even by Apple. So, okay it's limited to 16/44.1 (which is hardly a limit really, nice as higher resolution may be, do we really need it on the go?), but it has a nice headphone output (which can be improved) and it does do its job exceedingly well. My 120GB model has been used and abused and is still going strong. The romantic in me wants a Sony Walkman to be a success though, but I couldn't justify £550.

[nat8808]

But if you go over to head-fi.org (a portable audio forum), people are then splashing out on £150-£300 portable headphone amps bring the iPod's sonic performance upto scratch for their audiophile headphones like £700 JH Audios.

iPods are ok but they're certainly not the last word in sonic greatness - the headphone amps in them are rather standard chip affairs. They're considered to not be able to drive some headphones very well as standard. The Sony looks like it has an expanded lower section to contain the amplifier electronics.

The NWZ-ZX1 is more akin to the iPod Touch as it runs on android and so has all the functionality of a phone without the phone bits. iPod touch is RRP £330 with 64Gb, only 16/44.1 (does it do 24 bit?), no physical buttons and the usual Apple limitations (like using iTunes).

What Hifi said:

"Next we tried the same files on an iPod Touch, and it sounded brash compared with the ZX1.

We’ve always raved about the Apple’s performance, but the Sony was ahead at every turn, offering greater subtlety with better timing and a greater dynamic range."

So, essentially it is a much better spec iPod touch with much better sonics - if Apple were to put the same specs to market they'd probably charge the same £550 RRP !


Still too much money for me but I'll wait for the DSD version to come out in the future (as Sony says will happen) - unless it's only a software thing? - and save up...

I've been eye-ing up used Korg MR-1s on ebay - about £200 - with DSD64. Really designed as portable DSD recorders so not really a great interface for replay.

[Mr Kipling]

Amazing to think that originally a 1G SD card cost in the region of £400!

[Mr Kipling]

Last year you could get a 500G Archos 48 for £130. I got one!

[nat8808]

People over on head-fi.org have already been importing from Japan and giving it a go, though no big reviews on there yet.

Having said what I said, seems they are still strapping their £300+ headphone amps to the back of the ZX1 anyway!

[starbucksboss]

I'm no apple fanboy, but the having worked my way through several of their larger capacity iPods (currently 160gb Classic), I've never really felt the need to look elsewhere... until now that is:

http://www.sony.co.uk/product/nws-f-series/nwz-zx1?cpint=15044705
128GB
Files: MP3, WMA (Non-DRM), WMA (DRM), AAC-LC (Non-DRM), Linear PCM, FLAC, Apple Lossless, AIFF, HE-ACC, JPEG, PNG, MPEG4, AVC (H.264/AVC)
NFC-enabled device to stream music wirelessly
4-inch 845x480 pixel display
Brushed alluminium body with a leather effect rubber back
32 hours battery life

Build quality looks good and some decent images of it can also be seen here (http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/126736-sony-walkman-nwz-zx1-pictures-and-hands-on-the-high-res-audio-player-that-costs-550/gallery#photo-1). Apparently this is going to retail at £549 and will be on sale in the UK next month.

I would also be keen to use it to stream hi-res files to my home audio system... but what are other members experiences of Sony digital players and the interface software used for transferring data/files?

Cheers
Pete

I just got their new version two HPA2 hi res headphone amp / dac. Only listened for a couple of hours and its the 1st time Ive used an off board DAC with my ipod. My first impressions are very mixed. Resolution , detail , weight , etc all superb!
One issue and its a biggy...I just found it sterile?. Although I am getting the best resolution I have ever had eg weight , imaging etc it was just un involving. Im hoping that either it needs a burn in time like my Ray Samuels amp did or my QC2 phones are the problem now. I'll listen through my better AKG head phones this weekend and let you know.
Cheers John.

[nat8808]

'Sterile' can well be the result of a very neutral and flat response if you've been used to something that blooms unnaturally in one area or other.

I remember Joachim Gerhard (excellent speaker designer amongs other things) saying something about that in the high-end speaker market, that brands deliberately go for a 'flavour' of sound so as to get followers of their brand, each brand has a different flavour.. so when something neutral and flat responsed comes along, those exagerated aspects of sound are no longer present and everything feels.. bland! So his philosophy was to stick with neutrality until people's ears fell into his 'flavour' of sound which eventually paid off and now has a following of his own.

[nat8808]

Although weight, imaging and detail etc sound to me like a recipe for involving sound! But we all have different tastes..

Is the HPA2 in the UK yet or is it import only? Sounded interesting with its DSD128 (does it go to dsd256?).

[starbucksboss]

I bought mine HPA2 in the US.

I appreciate the comments about neutral...but do far its do neutral is goring. Seriously...I found myself daydreaming...clicking from album to album and nothing engaged me. I hoping my AKG far better headphones react differently. Although I use the QC2 s regularly in flight
I have never found them particularly good. The other issue might be burning in ( although
I have always been skeptical). I should have mentioned the build quality is awesome. I really hope this 'warms up' as I am hearing detail never heard before from an iPod...just not musical yet.

[nat8808]

I bought mine HPA2 in the US.

I appreciate the comments about neutral...but do far its do neutral is goring. Seriously...I found myself daydreaming...clicking from album to album and nothing engaged me. I hoping my AKG far better headphones react differently. Although I use the QC2 s regularly in flight
I have never found them particularly good. The other issue might be burning in ( although
I have always been skeptical). I should have mentioned the build quality is awesome. I really hope this 'warms up' as I am hearing detail never heard before from an iPod...just not musical yet.

Well fingers crossed because the HPA2 looked really interesting and I know that feeling of the music not keeping your attention as inexplicable as it can be sometimes. I have actually had that with a normal iPod but my iPod Touch is ok in that regard (although shouldn't be any different), my phone too (an old Nokia N900) and Blackberry Playbook especially good in comparison to both those - I use Shure SE530s.

I wonder if it's about driving your headphones properly, impedance matching etc? Stanley Beresford (has his own Beresford section on this forum) would probably be able to tell you all about that! I bet there would be some good info about driving headphones properly in this thread: http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?21031-What-headphones-are-you-using-with-the-Bushmaster

[starbucksboss]

Thanks!...FYI there are two settings re gain...simply high / low. I use high. The info as Ive described is stunning in terms of grabbing more from iTunes lossless I have ever heard. Its that feeling of just not being musical. I must say my reference was an plane flight through QC2 s...both not the best ti accurately test this set. I'll try again at home and give an update. Cheers John.