it is mentioned in an indirect way, I explain the role of the downsampling option which is exactly to let people use DSPs while playing hires. at the cost of the file not really being hires anymore, so all in all very dumb option^_^ .

i have EU version and i can confirm, that there is a limiter, which wont let you go further than 15/30 BUT you can turn it on/off in settings. So nothing to worry about.

Great stuff and really appreciate your effort! Mine should land later this week and i dont expect any miracle. All i want is a DAP that is able to drive my jh13pro well enough with plenty of storage and great battery life. Like u i dont care for my little A17 to work over time to drive the HD800 bc i have a dedicated amp for that.

thanks purk, let me know if you're troubled by the hiss on the jh13(freqphase or not? mine is the old one).
 
@vincik there is the 15/30 fake limit for 1second every full reboot(when you don't use it for more than a day), and there is the AVLS(automatic? volume limit? something? ^_^) option where you limit the loudness on purpose. very very useful when you use headphones with all kind of sensitivity or when other people play with your stuff. with AVLS ON when I use the DAP after someone, worst case scenario the volume will be at 15, much too loud for some IEMs, but not ear bleeding loud ^_^.
for that the X3 has a volume level you can set in memory and each time you turn ON the DAP it goes back to that volume. that is a really great feature to save your ears when you use all kinds of headphones. I don't know if it's on the X5 too?

nice review, thank you for the effort

nice review, thank you for the effort

I don't mind the hiss with my A17 and SE846. I find the hiss almost identical to my AK100 MKII (2ohm output impedance). Do you find it to be louder than AK100? 
 
Great review btw, I agree with most things.

@Scorpion667 I was referring to the first AK100 for the hiss, I never listened to ak100 mkII.
I mentioned it because I was sure it would be audible on the 846 that is very sensitive and low impedance, but audible doesn't have to mean annoying. after all a lot of people still enjoy listening to vinyls and they usually make a lot of noises.
I'm a little maniac on the subject and I know a few people like me so I mentioned it for those guys mostly. but as I said, for the majority of people on the majority of headphones, it's a non issue.

 thank you

How does it compare to the Fiio x5? Also whats the difference between the A10 and A17? 

@trunolimit I kind of answer both you questions in the review, the A10 bit being explained in the very first lines ...

So you did. It's what I get for skimming. 

I haven't noted any hiss at all on mine, not even after turning on EQ and DSEE HX (to smooth harsh and fatiguing harpsichords recorded badly in 16/44.1)

depends only on how sensitive your IEM is. if it's 15db more sensitive than another IEM(and same impedance), then you will have a hiss 15db louder, while at the same time you would lower the music by 15db to get the same loudness in your ears. making in effect the signal to noise ratio wort by 15db.
so it's really all about the IEM used.
 
as for DSPs, I wasn't troubled by any distortion of artifacts on the HO, but sometimes you can get some clipping on the LO. really depends on how close to 0db your track really is and if you boost the EQ a lot. but in most situations it's all good.

i hear hissing from Sony ... but don't mind it
my F806 which i loved its clarity and neutrality had a slightly harsh treble ... not softly extended ... kinda metallic treble ( best description ) ... does that player suffers from that too ? 
this is GREAT review ... actually it is the most detailed and honest one i saw for a sony walkman from a while 

@Mmet thanks a lot, I'm always afraid of pushing people away from the stuff I review because I don't put unicorns and rainbows in my descriptions.
I've only tried the F806, never owned it, so I'm not confident about my memories of it. I mainly remember the hiss. I would be tempted to say that they have about the same sound(more neutral than all the older sony DAPs I think). maybe go PM @purk, we tend to share the same opinions on most walkman and he may still have the 806 to directly compare with the A17.

thanks a lot

Nice review,ive got the A16 and E585 and I will say the A16(Japanese) is louder,more powerful and sq is improved,I would say line out is similar.Works great with the Sony SBH80 bluetooth headset which was the main reason I bought the player, although I prefer it overall to the f886 which I had.

I also prefer the A10 to the F886 that I sent back, but to be honest I loved the sound of the F886. my preference goes to the A10 really because of the battery, form factor, and µSD slot.