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Buying Advice Needed (Sony) - Coupon Included!

post #1 of 5
8/31/09 at 12:19pm
Thread Starter 
I'm debating between the following options:
(1) Pre-order the Sony S545 now @ $135 CAD ($25 coupon)
(2) Wait until Sept. to see if the X-Series drops in price (currently $499 CAD)
(3) Wait indefinitely for Sony to release new models

I will be using this DAP strictly for audio playback, so SQ and battery life are most important. While the S-Series is geared more toward my needs, it has a limited capacity of 16GB (my library is currently 12GB) and lacks the S-Master Digital Amp found in the X-Series.

So, here is the problem:
The S-Series is at an incredible price, but I would be making some sacrifices with SQ and storage space. The X-Series has great SQ and acceptable battery life, but it's extremely overpriced and "overkill" for my needs.

My Questions:
- How likely is it that the price of the X-Series will drop come Sept.?
- How much should I reasonably expect for a price reduction?
- Does Sony have any new models in the works that would best meet my needs?
- If you were in my position, what would you do?

*** COUPON: Spend $100 or more at Sony Style Canada and receive $25 off with the code "BTS25" (exp. Sept. 17, I think)***

Thanks for the help
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post #2 of 5
8/31/09 at 12:48pm
IMO , spend extra and get X.. It is worth the money spent if you really looking the SQ. It sounds definitely better than 729 which i think S series shares sound sig with. As to whether price comes down .. no one can answer that.. It is anybody's guess.
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post #3 of 5
8/31/09 at 1:00pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the response.

I'm fairly certain the X-Series will see a price reduction, but I'm not sure what the amount will be. This assumption is based on the fact that competing products are about to be released (e.g. Zune HD), and Sony has an android based player just around the corner.

While I'm sure that the X-Series has superior SQ, I'm still not convinced that it's worth the extra $340. I probably won't use any of the extra features, so buying the X-Series is equivalent to spending 3x more for only a marginal improvement in SQ (and a moderate reduction in battery life). Realistically, I will only buy the X-Series once the (outrageous) price is reduced accordingly.
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post #4 of 5
8/31/09 at 2:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by jferreir View Post
Thanks for the response.

I'm fairly certain the X-Series will see a price reduction, but I'm not sure what the amount will be. This assumption is based on the fact that competing products are about to be released (e.g. Zune HD), and Sony has an android based player just around the corner.

While I'm sure that the X-Series has superior SQ, I'm still not convinced that it's worth the extra $340. I probably won't use any of the extra features, so buying the X-Series is equivalent to spending 3x more for only a marginal improvement in SQ (and a moderate reduction in battery life). Realistically, I will only buy the X-Series once the (outrageous) price is reduced accordingly.
True .. BUT IMO the sound improvement is huge not marginal( i don't use any of the other features also).. Again YMMV..A729 sounded more digital where as X1060 sound very natural.. So i can never go back to A729 ever ( as a matter of fact i don't think there is any other player out there that sounds this good) . So if you are saying $340 over S series or A series than IMO it money well spent as you will not have to upgrade for a while and you get 32 GB.
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post #5 of 5
8/31/09 at 2:30pm
Thread Starter 
Is this view shared by the majority of HiFi members? That is, do you think the SQ of the X-Series warrants the additional $340 over the S-Series?

I would appreciate any insights you can offer.
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