Sony NWZ-F806 mini review (& F-series player reviews / impressions / discussion)

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purk said:

 
Well, you will need to audition the two side by side for yourself and then decide.  The Z has better bass while the F is focus more on clarity.  The Z is more energetic but slightly darker tonally while the F is flatter and very neutral.  This leads to the Z being less accurate but more enjoyable to my ears.  Still, they are in the same level sonically, but just different.  Turok should share his impressions as well.  Operation wise, the F is much quicker and better interface.

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Yes Purk , I agree with you.
 
The F, sounds more refined, and this shows that Sony is experimenting with different/better SQ.
 
 
For me, the Z is more fun and less fatigue, but if you want the pie in your face with all the extensions , F is your answer, and what a clarity. I am still amazed by the sound I am getting from the F.
 
I think Sony was smart to change/tinker/enhance the SQ of the F and distinguished it from Z, as this will satisfy more people, and for me both are enjoyable.
 
There is no one better than the other, but I like this better than the other is a better way to put it.
Hope this ends the "F vs Z'.

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purk said:

 I didn't say that the F is lifeless.  However, it is more neutral than the Z, and the A in a direct comparison.  If you prefer clarity and details, I would choose the F over the Z & A...but if like bass and more energetic sound, the Z will give you the best punch among the three players following by the A.

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+1

O'well.... sorry OK-Guy, 3.Ai funds are put on hold while I gather the funds for my "F"... then sell off my "Z" to fund the 3.Ai again... Woot!

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waytoocrazy said:

O'well.... sorry OK-Guy, 3.Ai funds are put on hold while I gather the funds for my "F"... then sell off my "Z" to fund the 3.Ai again... Woot!

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As an owner of the TF10, I enjoy it with Z better than the F!!!!! so take this...

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ok-guy said:

la-la-la-la-la... Traitors one & all... I shall be residing in the WM-Z thread, if ever you feel the need. 

 
>sulks off outta thread<

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sorry bro! cant say "no" to the price xD
 
maybe ill trade it with a Z once my friend goes back to japan with his Z =)

Should be picking up mine today.

i hope the F i bought doesnt sound like the A i auditioned last time or i will be a sad panda

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dyaems said:

i hope the F i bought doesnt sound like the A i auditioned last time or i will be a sad panda

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The F has better clarity and better treble extension than the A.  Tonally the F is brighter than the A while the A has more low bass extension but not as tight compared to the F.

Both turorock & purk are bad influence. I'm actually waiting in Sony Ginza whilst my NW-F807/S is being engraved now.

I sold my X1060, well practically gave it away, and have regretted it immensely. Am looking for another Walkman, and I kind of have an idea of what am looking for so any assistance would be appreciated. From what I can make of the few impressions in this thread, am beginning to think the Z might be more to my liking, but first a few questions.
For those of you who might be familiar with the X, to me it had a very extended, but delicate treble which made for a very natural presentation. Which would you guys describe as more natural/organic/effortless? The F, or the Z? Where would you rate the X in this comparison?

The X, when listened to at times give the impression that musical notes were being projected from a silent "blackground". It didn't quite achieve this fully, but compared to my IPod touch, IPad,... it was quite noticeable. Which device gives a better impression of this, that is, a sense of air between instruments etc.?

Hi Purk am interested as to why you consider the Z as more "energetic" despite it being darker than the F. I would have suspected that the F, with a brighter treble would have given the illusion that it's more energetic. So my last question is how do they present their details? I am looking for something that is subtly detailed, in that all the details are there, but they're coherent as a whole, and not forced upon the listener or standout too much.Thanks!

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honeyboy said:

I sold my X1060, well practically gave it away, and have regretted it immensely. Am looking for another Walkman, and I kind of have an idea of what am looking for so any assistance would be appreciated. From what I can make of the few impressions in this thread, am beginning to think the Z might be more to my liking, but first a few questions.
For those of you who might be familiar with the X, to me it had a very extended, but delicate treble which made for a very natural presentation. Which would you guys describe as more natural/organic/effortless? The F, or the Z? Where would you rate the X in this comparison?
The X, when listened to at times give the impression that musical notes were being projected from a silent "blackground". It didn't quite achieve this fully, but compared to my IPod touch, IPad,... it was quite noticeable. Which device gives a better impression of this, that is, a sense of air between instruments etc.?
Hi Purk am interested as to why you consider the Z as more "energetic" despite it being darker than the F. I would have suspected that the F, with a brighter treble would have given the illusion that it's more energetic. So my last question is how do they present their details? I am looking for something that is subtly detailed, in that all the details are there, but they're coherent as a whole, and not forced upon the listener or standout too much.Thanks!

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I also have the X walkman and continue to think very highly of it even after I upgraded to newer models. All newer models with S-master Pro MX digital ampfier do sound better than the X1060 to my ears.    These models continue to excel in extra sense of air between instrument and its natural presentation.  They however differ from one to another but generally, they are on the same level of sound quality.  The improvements from X include better depth of soundstage, more musical details in recordings, and better extension on both end of the spectrum.  Whether you will be able to discern these difference depending on the type of music you listen to, file types, and most importantly, your phones of choice.  My JH13pro sure come in handy at differentiating them apart as it is ruthlessly accurate.  Whether you buy the A, F, or Z, you will be rewarded with noticeably improvement over any "i" devices out there.  Heck, I don't feel my DX100 is that much better at playing regular lossless songs than what these walkmans are capable off if you primarily using a highend universal or custom IEM.  The improvements become more obvious on harder to drive phones as the Ibasso DX100 has a stronger and beefier amp section.  The gap grows even larger when playing hi-rez material on the DX100.  
 
On the issue of which is more energetic b/w the Z and F.  I do feel that the Z's superior bass response and better PRAT do make it more energetic and fun to listen to than the F.  The F wins on clarity, details, and top end extension though as previously mentioned by Turok and others in this thread.  So pick your flavor and go with it.
 
I also want to add that the transfer rates on the newer models are at least 6 to 8 times faster than those of the X1060.  That alone is a lot less frustration.

anakchan said:

Both turorock & purk are bad influence. I'm actually waiting in Sony Ginza whilst my NW-F807/S is being engraved now.

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Thanks a lot purk, that was helpful! My gut tells me that I'll enjoy the Z more, but perhaps the F, might be a better match for the already very warm and relaxed sound signature of my IE8s...a tougher choice than I was hoping for...will try find a place to try em'.

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anakchan said:

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Wow....that is way nice!!  Congrats.  My back panel looks vanilla in comparison.  What do you think of it sound wise?  How about a mini-shoot out b/w the F walkman vs. the DX100 using regular lossless file via a custom IEM?
 
 
@ Honeyboy:  Don't forget that the F supports FLAC and has much better and faster interface than the Z.  Compared to your X walkman, the F still has noticeably more explosive dynamics.  So it still better than the X in that regards.

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purk said:

 
Wow....that is way nice!!  Congrats.  My back panel looks vanilla in comparison.  What do you think of it sound wise?  How about a mini-shoot out b/w the F walkman vs. the DX100 using regular lossless file via a custom IEM?

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I think this ain't gonna happen . Silly me for not checking, it won't play my 24/96 of course not 24/192. I should have checked first before buying it!! Looks like I'll be putting this up for sale in the next few hours. Anyone interested, please PM me. Will sell at cost.