Some of the best advice I received was from Currawong, it's the sum if the parts that go to make a good rig it's not always the best gear that wins out, it is what suits your ears & how you want to hear your music that matters.
Here's a good example... my new Sony F887 is a superb bit of kit (I don't expect any major improvements with the ZX1), it has better definition in the highs and a equal depth but punchier bass compared to my old Z1070 so why do I miss my WM-Z so much... here's the rub, the Z1070 was superb with soul music from the 60/70/80's you do not need overtly detailed players for this music genre as it will take away the silky warmth of the recordings from that period (owners of the WM-F/Z & WM-X will know what I'm on about). The Z1070 was not as rich sounding as the famed WM-X but it had a lot more detail whilst retaining some of its warmth... pairing the F887 with the PHA-2 via h/o brings a certain amount of warmth back to the proceedings but it's not Z1070 warm, my personal dream team for old soul music Z1070/FiiO E12 it's the dogs-bollox to these ears.
Many of us Sony owners have known how good these new Walkman's have been for a year or so now, many of us have compared them to the best and come to similar conclusions in red-book lossless formats the Sony's are equal to the best so it really doesn't shock me that they're equally good as Hi-Res/DSD players.... same old, same old as they say over here.
Welcome to the best kept secret on Head-Fi it's just a bit embarrassing you all took so long to join the party...
