NEW Sony Walkman Z Series mini review!!! - Page 200

 

thanks. i never liked whiterabbitexpress because they charge 15% of the item, while pricejapan only charges 5% =)

Take more pics when you open it.

I've come to this thread a bit late, and I can't be bothered reading the whole thing, but I see some people are wondering if it plays lossless. I can confirm it can play flac and alac with the Poweramp app (truly gaplessly too). I apologize if this has already been covered here.

hey.

first of all, thanks for the link :D

Every time i open nw-z1000_v2_00_0000 it says : "Connect the device to update the software."

Do you know anyway to fix this? thanks :D

umm... you need to connect your Z to your computer using the cable supplied with the Z? before running the firmware.

It is a requirement.  So follow the instruction.

Wow, that totally worked for me. Thank you so much for sharing this tip.

 

In the interim, frustrated with the FLAC delay bug, I have loaded the Neutron player and got sold on its exceptional sound. Looks like I've got an evening of A-B comparisons between Sony and Neutron players ahead of me. I'm not complaining :-)

 

Particularly interested to hear how my 48k flac files (from vinyl) sound in this comparison. The Neutron help info was very helpful in pointing out that Android cannot handle 48k natively and therefore Neutron offers configuration options for downsampling 48k to 44k in real time playback.

The bad news is that Poweramp is a woefully inferior player. Despite all the claims and features, it delivers very poor sound quality on the Walkman. Recommend you use Neutron if you wish to avoid the stock player. However, as noted above, there is a very simple solution to getting the stock Walkman music player to perform with FLAC.

The Neutron is a close second. I don't personally use it because I sort of feel that surround effect. The instruments feel like they are being played at a distance. However, the Sony player has more of that "in the face" type of sound.

Moreover, I don't think the sound sig requires any tweaking. It's perfect for me, but if you like to play with those handles and knobs, go for Neutron player. Poweramp just sucks.

try jetaudio, they sound very close to the walkman app with lower volume so you may have to crank up the volume abit. it also has almost the same features as poweramp and it has the scrolling speed of the stock walkman player.

 

the 10band/20band eq helps too if youre into EQing. i dont like poweramp and neutron because they sound too digital to me when paired with the walkman

My head is spinning. After doing the "clear data" thing to tidy up the Sony player post-ICS upgrade, I was completely seduced by its sound. Switched over to Neutron and found myself wondering what I thought it was so good. Very confused. Did "clear data" fix up a sound quality issue with the Sony, or were the playback delay issues prejudicing me.

 

Anyhow, right now I agree with Dyaems that Neutron sounds "digital" in comparison (though not outright distorted like Poweramp). In contrast to sicko, I would describe the Sony player sound as "rich analog", rather than "in the face" (which is a description I would associate with harsh cheap digital). With the Sony player I actually had to check the EQ settings to make sure I hadn't bumped the mid-bass to give the pleasing sound. Perhaps the Sony player delivers a mid-bass hump by default to give that pleasing rich effect? Regardless, the natural sounds of cymbals on acoustic jazz recordings are another factor in the Sony player's favour. Shimmering, not etched.

 

In addition, I am now finding that the Sony player settings for DSEE and Clear Phase add an artificial unpleasant edge to FLAC recordings... which should come as no surprise to anti-knobs purists like sicko! :-)

 

These impressions were via AKG 501 headphones (as per my avatar) and Fiio E11 Kilimanjaro headphone amp. Comparisons via Etymotic HF5s were less conclusive (and less pleasing). Please treat my comments as conversational. I am still working this through.

Haha!
I actually am pretty bad at describing sound. When I compare the two, I dont get that "WOW" with the Neutron. It is because some tweaks reside in the 'sound enhancements' app which is linked with both the Sony app and the Google Music one. Sometimes, the link is somehow broken and even on changing the EQ you get the same raw/flat sound, which is (as I put it) less pleasing. That is the problem. Sony has not allowed that "enhanced" sound to be transferred into third-party apps like Neutron. They just pass on the raw signal produced by the amp.

Plus, when I listen to Evanescence (rock) or other metal bands via the Sony player, I feel the guitars are really rich and fuller and you can hear each and every vibe. This is not the case with poweramp or neutron. I think that clearbass is the thing that makes this difference.

Haven't tried Jetaudio, will give it a shot and give feedback.

About the decision freeheelpete, you just have gotten used to Neutron, that's all :P

Just tried Jetaudio as per the suggestion of Dyaems. The app totally blows away the rivals, namely, poweramp & neutron.
Comparing to the Sony player, it still falls a bit short. The grounds for my claim are as follows:

- The Jet is a tad warmer, while the Sony is more neutral. For me, this is a con of Jetaudio as I prefer originality.
- The Sony has provides more instument individuality compared to the competition
- When turning the bass up, there is a bit leakage into the mid range when using Jetaudio, I think the ClearBass accounts for this.
- The guitars are more pronounced on the Sony but the Jet does very well compared to Neutron. The drums are also more punchy on the Sony app.
- The Sony interface is totally out of the league. It's minimalistic and intuitive.

So, i'd say that the Sony is the winner here but i'd recommend everyone to try the jetaudio aswell as your liking and opinion might differ from mine.

P.S. I tested the two using default EQs.

all good

 

but the sony doesnt most of the features than the jetaudio/poweramp has. the sony player IMO get more forward midrange/upper midrange as you crank up the volume. i agree that the jetaudio is a tad warmer but when making the sony app's volume go lower, matching the jetaudio's volume, the difference is somewhat negligible. although im using a walkman F, not a Z hehehe...

 

i love the sound of the stock app + Z and i wont replace it with a different app if ever i have one!

Greetings all.

I am coming in on the tail-end of this thread, so forgive me for not trawling it's entirety first for answers.

I'm tossing off between a used Z1050 (AU$150) vs Cowon D3 which also has S/PDIF out.

My questions here:
a) what is the max. sample-rate of audio data the Z1050 can process?

b) with the latest firmware, can the USB connection drive off the shelf USB DAC's?

c) The latest firmware update from sony.com.au:
The product page - specifications, state Android OS v2.3.
Whereas the latest firmware update says - Android 4.0.

If that is correct, are the product pages (specifications etc.) be updated?

"NWZ-Z1050/Z1060 Firmware Update
Article ID 530025 modified 06 Dec 2012
What does this download do?...
Contents of the update...
Android 4.0 ..."

Thanks for answers.
Michael.
Edited by Nozomi - 1/15/13 at 9:03pm