SONY NW-ZX100
gerelmx1986
Headphoneus Supremus
Nice, I think i will keep my current one a 200GB card
supersonic395
100+ Head-Fier
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Will wait for SanDisk to release a higher than 256 card as I got the 200gb one for £49
Tassie Devil
100+ Head-Fier
I'm perplexed about the ZX100. It was expected to be better than the A20 series but not as good as it has turned out to be.
I put that down to the ZX100/Sennheiser HD800 combination having the X factor we so often search for in vein. It sounds crazy but I'm enjoying music on this combo more than I have for years and more than on the main rig with balanced feed from a M2Vaughan/Headroom Blockhead amp combination.
And the FLAC files all come from the same source - a Meridian Sooloos server.
Yes the ZX100/Sennheiser HD800 combination is not inexpensive but it is a lot less than the M2Vaughan/Headroom Blockhead amp combination and is portable!!!
When I disliked the AQ from the A&K Jnr I was starting to think these old ears had deteriorated too much to become enthralled by classical music any more and nearly gave up. But an interstate friend, who took the A&K Jnr off me advised not to give up so, with deep breath I took another shot with the ZX100 fortuitously got for me when a local friend unexpectedly took a brief holiday to Singapore.
Life has some strange twists and turns at times.
Yes the ZX100/Sennheiser HD800 combination is not inexpensive but it is a lot less than the M2Vaughan/Headroom Blockhead amp combination and is portable!!!
When I disliked the AQ from the A&K Jnr I was starting to think these old ears had deteriorated too much to become enthralled by classical music any more and nearly gave up. But an interstate friend, who took the A&K Jnr off me advised not to give up so, with deep breath I took another shot with the ZX100 fortuitously got for me when a local friend unexpectedly took a brief holiday to Singapore.
Life has some strange twists and turns at times.
Chickifat
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any comparison between the zx100 and shanling m5 ?, i really like the Sony brand but i generally don't use the extra features like Bluetooth.
any different ? In terms of battery life, SQ.
any different ? In terms of battery life, SQ.
gerelmx1986
Headphoneus Supremus
@Tassie Devil is right Harpsichord is smoother in the ZX100 also for pipe organ with certian registers
Been following this thread for almost 3 months and read all the posts and i have to thank you guys for all the positive reviews and posts regarding the ZX100! The first reviews i´ve read about this player left me with mixed feelings, mostly because of the price tag they are being sold in Europe. As time passed i was struggling between the AK jr and the ZX100, but since i´m not an Android fan and one of my goals was to have the maximum battery duration i started to feel the huge urge to acquire the ZX100 and i was lucky to score a 2nd handed japanese model from a user of the forum. Had to wait 1 month since the player was held at Portuguese customs since it came from the USA. Once i´ve got it and after loaded it with almost 128GB of music from all sorts of genres i was blown away by the detail and clarity i was able to get from the ZX100 paired with the RHA T20. Still i decided to go for a CIEM and scored a great deal on acquiring a 2nd handed pair of Earsonics EM32, once i received them and after being reshelled, again i was blown away by the Zx100/EM32 combo. It was an huge upgrade from my previous Fiio x3 ii and i´m glad i bought this!! Just my 2 cents
Tassie Devil
100+ Head-Fier
Been following this thread for almost 3 months and read all the posts and i have to thank you guys for all the positive reviews and posts regarding the ZX100! The first reviews i´ve read about this player left me with mixed feelings, mostly because of the price tag they are being sold in Europe. As time passed i was struggling between the AK jr and the ZX100, but since i´m not an Android fan and one of my goals was to have the maximum battery duration i started to feel the huge urge to acquire the ZX100 and i was lucky to score a 2nd handed japanese model from a user of the forum. Had to wait 1 month since the player was held at Portuguese customs since it came from the USA. Once i´ve got it and after loaded it with almost 128GB of music from all sorts of genres i was blown away by the detail and clarity i was able to get from the ZX100 paired with the RHA T20. Still i decided to go for a CIEM and scored a great deal on acquiring a 2nd handed pair of Earsonics EM32, once i received them and after being reshelled, again i was blown away by the Zx100/EM32 combo. It was an huge upgrade from my previous Fiio x3 ii and i´m glad i bought this!! Just my 2 cents
Well done. The price being asked by SONY is a bit high when you look at what the A25 is selling for but then a bargain compared to the (reviews say sluggish) Z2 and certainly more attractive than a used Z1. Like you I pondered for a long time and did daily net searches looking for one at a good price. The problem with that was most owners of the ZX100 are hanging on to them so used ones are as scarce as hen's teeth. That is why I initially opted for a used A&K Jnr but hated it, so quickly sold it, eventually ending up with a new ZX100.
As I posted before, headphone quality is very important with the ZX100 if one is to appreciate just how good it is. Previously happy with the HiFiMan 400S connected to the A series I discovered just how much music I was missing when I finally got around to silver soldering a 3.5mm plug on a quality cable used with the Sennheiser HD800 and using those headphones with the ZX100. It really was as if a curtain had been lifted from in front of the music. It might seem over the top to use HD800s with the ZX100 but I can assure owners it is not. With the HD800S now released (and yes, I have one of them too) used HD800s are around for around the $800 mark now so are more affordable. No doubt there are other top headphones just as suitable and the ZX100 deserves them.
Bottom line is that a ZX100/quality headphone combo can offer far better AQ than most hi-fi systems for much less outlay with the added advantage it is portable!
But I'm talking to the converted here so will shut up.
I´m guessing for those who can afford the tag price for a new unit will not be disappointed. As for the Headphone/In Ear quality i totally agree, for one to be able to fully enjoy the SQ that the ZX100 has to offer one must invest on a good pair of headphones. For me my last part will be the cable upgrade, and once i´m able to invest on new cables i´m set for the next years until my combo permits, and i hope this combo lasts for years!!
Tassie Devil
100+ Head-Fier
SONY MP3 players do seem very reliable. The only problem can be the battery but that can be a long term problem with any DAP. As I posted earlier, I have a very old (by MP3 standards) SONY which is still going strong. The battery might be a bit worn out but if it lasts 3 hours that is all I want for the outside use I give it. There are posts on the net showing how to replace its battery anyway. In my experience SONY DAPs are more reliable than CDP players of just about any brand - not surprising as DAPs have no moving parts. And the A series & ZX100 have the added bonus of no touch screen, the Achilles heel of some DAPs.
Well as for the battery i know that on the ZX100 it can be swapped, also with the amazing 70h (or 40h according with the music format) of playing time is more that enough for me. As for the touchscreens i dont´t think it is necessary on a DAP, since it will only drain the battery faster! The same with the Android, i think Sony choose wisely on this native UI, it works properly, the only thing most people can complain is the fact that you cannot delete songs directly from the unit, something i think Sony should take in consideration on a future sw update
Tassie Devil
100+ Head-Fier
Agree that deletion from the player would be a bonus but I can understand why it was decided to omit that function. Those who are only partially PC literate could, too easily, delete the lot. I know of a couple of friends who would fall into that camp. One guy I have helped out really has no clue about connecting A to B and seems unable to grasp simple concepts. I've gone to great lengths and spent many hours composing simple instructions but he obviously never fully comprehends (maybe never fully reads) them. My wife is also challenging in this area but I have finally got together a set of A25 playing instructions for her she follows without trouble. I'll append them here FYI.
Agree that deletion from the player would be a bonus but I can understand why it was decided to omit that function. Those who are only partially PC literate could, too easily, delete the lot. I know of a couple of friends who would fall into that camp. One guy I have helped out really has no clue about connecting A to B and seems unable to grasp simple concepts. I've gone to great lengths and spent many hours composing simple instructions but he obviously never fully comprehends (maybe never fully reads) them. My wife is also challenging in this area but I have finally got together a set of A25 playing instructions for her she follows without trouble. I'll append them here FYI.
Nice Tutorial!!
soccerdude84
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Zakalwe
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Same here. According to people who could read the Vietnamese tear-down (http://www.head-fi.org/t/779340/sony-nw-zx100-dap/1725), the battery is soldered. So I guess to some people with good soldering skills the battery can be swapped, if they manage to find a replacement, but for us others it is fixed. :/
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