Again, as in my other portable review, I don't claim to be an expert. Look at Duncan's überthread if you want 20 pages devoted to each player

Anyway, got this in perfect condition with original wallwart, earbuds, and tape adaptor for $40. Very nice condition. On with the review.


[size=small]Specs[/size]


Dual DACs (unknown make)
Headphone/Lineout shared jack
Analog rotary volume pot
Dynamic Bass Boost (On or Off)
Hold
Powered by 4AAs (more on that later) or 6v wallwart
Extremely basic LCD that displays current track
Shuffle, but no Pause.
~18x16x3 cm (7x6x1") HxWxD
~.7kg dry, .9kg w/ Alkaline batteries (1.5 and 2 lbs, respectively)
5mW@32 Ohms according to Duncan (couldn't find anything on the Internet)
Digital Servo Processing (more on this later)


[size=small]Sound[/size]


Bass: It doesn't quite have enough oomph unamped with HD280s, but it is very tight and un-bloated. With DBB on, it becomes even more horrific than Sony's Mega Bass, if that's possible. Seriously, it's like someone threw 100-250Hz up 12dB. Becomes overpowering and awful. Beyond muddy.

Midrange: Vocals are quite evenly produced and beautiful. Guitars sound smooth and yet detailed. And yes, heavy distortion is reproduced well. Metalheads rejoice.

Treble: The treble actually seems a bit harsh sometimes, much moreso when amped. However, when playing older CDs, (even as late as '91) I didn't notice this problem at all. So perhaps it's due to the hyper compression employed on modern CDs.

Soundstage: Instruments are very easy to place, and stereo seperation is excellent as well. Pink Floyd's Interstellar Overdrive is a lovely example of this. Swirling 'round and 'round your head... so beautiful.

Power: This is actually fairly wimpy for power output; I can somewhat comfortably listen at 10 with my HD280s (64 Ohm). I wouldn't recommend it for very long, but I'd imagine it's just at 90dB, if maybe a few decibels over.


[size=small]Design[/size]


Aesthetics: If you're a fan of all black, this is your player. Other than that, it's pretty much a square, with the front panel sloping slightly down and rounded. I like it, anyway.

Build Quality: Entirely built of plastic, as is usual for most, but it doesn't feel as cheap as my D-141. Everything has a fairly solid feel to it, although, as Duncan noted, the lid doesn't seal quite perfectly, so there's about a .5mm gap. Doesn't affect sound any, but some people might be bugged by this. Of note, I just managed to drop it onto a linoleum floor from about 1 meter, and it suffered no ill effects.

Skip Protection: No real skip protection to speak of, but there is the afore-mentioned Digital Servo Processing. I'm not exactly sure what this is or how it works, (Googling didn't turn up much) but it makes it much more resilient to skips than a 'normal' Discman with ESP or what-have-you turned off. It also recovers extremely quick from shocks that do manage to make it skip. I actually prefer this to my D-E551's ESP2, as 2 seconds isn't really enough to do much while walking, and it skips horribly, forcing you to get into a certain rhythm to keep your music playing. The AZ6832 didn't complain much at all, unless I started running or walking on really bumpy ground.

Battery Life: First, a word about the batteries. It takes 4 of 'em, and stores them in a nifty little magazine. When I first tried putting batteries in, my inital thought was that the engineers were sadists. It's extremely difficult to put batteries in with the magazine still in the player. However, once I discovered you pull up and out on the battery tray, it all became much easier. It's really a brilliant idea, and there's something satisfying about slamming home a 4 pack of batteries into a Discman with a lovely 'ca-chunk'

As for the actual life, I'm not sure, as I haven't run through a full set yet. Duncan says 8-10 hours. I'll trust his judgement.


[size=small]Overall[/size]


This is, without a doubt, an awesome PCDP. Screw the others, if you have to get one, this is it. Once amped, the sound is wonderful, (with the exception of the occasional harsh treble) As for travelling, well, it can be done if you cushion it well enough and don't mind bringing along an amp, or the relatively short battery life.


Notes on testing:

I used HD 280s and an AD823AN powered CMoy as my test bed. (no other cans or amp, sorry) Music used was Metallica's self-titled album (better known as The Black Album), Pink Floyd's Piper at The Gates of Dawn, Switchfoot's The Legend of Chin, Kevin Max's Stereotype Be, and Eisbrecher's self-titled album.


As always, mucho props to Duncan for his master of a review, and for a few specs I couldn't find.

(-:Stephonovich

Hi Stephanovich...

Glad you like the AZ6832... it was a dodgy gamble for me to go out on a limb, and recommend a player that had never even been mentioned on head-fi, let alone recommended

The occasional harshness you note, I may not have noted due to me using OPA627 op-amps in my meta... although, probably more just a case of listening style differences.

Either way, its plain, it looks boring... but it sounds good... yeah?

Yes, Analog Devices tend to be a bit more revealing, or so I've been told. I've only compared the 832AN and 134PA, but even those fairly low-end chips, there was a fairly noticeable difference. Just tighter overall with the AD, I thought.

Looks boring? Nah, I like simplicity. That being said, I also like insane amounts of buttons and such. One day, I will have a D-555. So many buttons. So pretty. I just don't like players that fall in the middle; for instance, I think my D-33 and D-141 to be rather boring looking. My D-E551 isn't bad, but then, it's pretty thin, and silver. All the others are black and large.

As for sound, though, yes, it sounds awesome. I'm going to take it down with me on Friday to Lincoln for an Engineering Day at University Nebraska-Lincoln I'm going to with a friend. AZ6832 in one pocket, CMoy in the other, HD280s on my head... I'll have to keep a tally of how many weird looks I get


(-:Stephonovich

Great review, Stephonovich! I agree it's a great sounding player. Too bad the design and build quality are so unexciting. Yet though it's plastic and light, it feels surprisingly sturdy. It's just so aesthetically unexciting.

I actually found the player slightly on the warm side.

As for the bass, I tried an older Philips/Magnavox unit (the AZ6816 I believe) that had the weightiest bass of any PCDP I've ever tried.

I recently picked up the AZ6849 and the AZ6813 so I'll post some impressions. Quick notes.. the 6849 looks EXACTLY like the 6832 but feels slightly heavier. This can be perceived as good or bad I suppose. Light is good in a portable, yet the AZ6832 was ridiculously light and the 6849 feels weightier and more substantial. The 6813 is an interesting unit. It's got the same trademark 4AA tray, but it also accepts a rechargeable battery. Also has a dedicated line out.

im getting two from mcircle the az6832 and 33 ... will be doing a review of both ... will hook them up to my ppa setup and give a full review when i get them sometime soon, there seems to be almost no information on these players other than of course what we've read here on headfi.

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No... just when I think my buying sprees are ended, you have to bring these up. I was perfectly happy in my ignorance that the 6832 was identical to pretty much all the other models, with mostly cosmetic differences. Now you're telling me they sound different. You had better both post that all the others either sound the same or completely suck, or I'm screwed

Oh yes, insomniac, yes, overall, it was warm sounding. I didn't mention that in my review. Ought to. Perhaps make a sub 'Overall' category under each reviewed feature. Sound, Design, the like. It's just the treble was a tad overbearing sometimes, and as I pointed out, only on newer CDs, which leads me to believe high compression is a contributing factor to that.

(-:Stephonovich

The 6816 which I no longer have (I believe the person who I sold it to posted his opinions here on this forum) sounded very similar to the 6832 except for the weightier bass. It was also a much bigger and heavier unit than the 6832. Although heftier, it had a more aesthetically pleasing design and the chassis had more metal. It was interesting unit. Same limited LCD showing just track number.