Originally Posted by moseboy
So does this mean the A829 and the A729 both sound better than the A808 and the A818? Because I was under the impression that the A818 is exactly the same as the A808 except the A818 doesn't require the use of Sony's ATRAC software.
If the A818 sounds exactly the same as the A808, I would then assume that the A729 sounds exactly the same as the A829.
The 808/818 are the same!!! Sony released the 800 series first (with SS/Atrac), then just a few months later they released the 810 series to cater for those who wanted drag and drop. They even described the 818 as the SS/Atrac-free 808. The
only difference is in the software used for transfer and that Atrac got dumped. It was a good move for Sony since there was a lot more interest in the drag and drop version. You only have to look at the reviews for the 818 on Amazon to confirm that. The 808 got fantastic reviews for sound (on Amazon UK) - but dire reviews for the software. So rest assured, the 810/800 are the same model.
The 720/820 are the same model too. Only Bluetooth separates them.