Agree that it's all a matter of personal taste. I've posted before but I have found that Focal Stellias pair magically with the DMP-Z1 (using the balanced connection). Puts a smile on my face every time that I listen.

Hi everyone, I'm a proud owner of a new copper Kimber Axios cable that pairs when my Focal Stellias. Love the boxing, build quality and overall experience of using these cables. I have never seen cables braided so beautifully and they are a joy to look at and to hold. But (and I hope this...

Want to echo this as I found the DMP-Z1 to very much possess Sony's "house" sound which leans towards warmth. Have been listening to the Z1 fairly extensively over the last month or so and have come to better understand its sound signature in ways that I wasn't able to appreciate during in...

Just received a pair of gently used SZ2Ks and contrary to my own expectations, they are actually quite musical! Was expecting bass cannons that obliterated the mids and highs but they are all very much present with the added "oomph" on the low end. Must say that I am very impressed with these...

Have tried connecting to the Z1 via LDAC and concur with the above. One wish would be if the Z1 could display the actual LDAC transfer rate the connection is currently operating at though? I understand that the max transfer rate is 990Kbps but the actual transfer rate could be less depending...

Thank you so much! That did the trick and completely missed this option!

Had a brief session with the Stellias and the DMP-Z1 today and came away extremely impressed with the combination. The Stellias were well powered and (as expected), there was plenty of low end power and slam, without being overwhelmingly bassy. Some headphones have a tendency to emphasize the...

1000% agree with this. For me to discern any difference with amps, daps, etc. compared to audio straight out of my phone, I need a quiet environment. For portable on-the-go listening, best return will be to upgrade the headphones / earphones that you use and this will generally trump the use...

So I went ahead and purchased the DMP-Z1 and have had a chance to play with it a bit. Still in the early stages of testing but one of the fun things I've done is gone back and forth between battery and AC mode with various headphones. Using battery power significantly reduces the noise floor...

Has anyone had a chance to try the DMP-Z1 with the focal stellias yet? Very close to pulling the trigger and purchasing from my local Sony shop but unfortunately don't have a pair of Focal Stellias to bring in and try it directly!

To me, I don't see the value proposition for the DMP-Z1 in the laptop / desktop analogy. Not that it is wrong if that is what you value, but to me the beauty of the DMP-Z1 is that the entire system was built purposefully to work together. The fact that it is a transportable system is an...

Really appreciate Sony sending Sato-san and others from the Walkman team to CanJam Singapore. After speaking with the team, the Z1 is becoming much more tempting, partially because of the engineering marvel that it is. I am currently looking for both a DMP/AMP and a pair of headphones and was...

Could anyone let me know if the xDSD supports multiple device pairing? i.e.: If I have both my iPad and my iPhone paired with the xDSD, will it automatically switched between devices depending on which device happens to be playing audio? Apologies if this has been covered already but...

A little late to this thread but just picked up the W80 Gen2 package that comes with the bluetooth v2 cable and have the exact same issue buzzing in the right ear. It's definitely a fault of the electronics because if no music is playing for a while (20-30 seconds or so) the electronics go to...

FYI - while the severeity of screen touch issues has been reduced on my DX200 with the new firmware, I am still getting phantom touch issues.  Interestingly, the location of the phantom touch has changed.  Before it was primarily focused on the bottom of the screen but now it is at the top.  ...

Want to add that I too am experiencing screen issues with phantom presses and swipes on my DX200.   If a firmware fix is on the way that will address this, I can wait.  There are periods where the screen works perfectly (for a few minutes) but inevitably, the presses and swipes start...

I use the MH335DW with the Chord Mojo.  There is definitely an improvement in sound quality - bass is more defined and midrange has more presence.   However, main drawback seems to be the excessive amount of electrical interference that the unit suffers from when paired with a phone.  Not sure...

A little late to the party but finally received my MH335DWs.  Fantastic earphone and echo the sentiments of everyone else.  With the isolation and the resolving power of the earphones, am actually finding that a lot of the music in my Spotify playlist just wasn't recorded very well so off to...

  I've tried it with the bluetooth cable.  While you will certainly get better sound with a separate amplifier or even coming straight out of an iPhone, the convenience of using bluetooth often outweighs any deterioration in sound quality (particularly in situations where there is a lot of...

It's hard to say without trying out the stock cable first.  I would probably look into an amp before upgrading cables.  And my cable choices are driven primarily by ergonomics and build quality - with the types of music I listen to and in the environments I listen (noisy streets, planes, etc.) I...

Got about half way through this giant thread before deciding to pull the trigger on a pair of MH335DWs!  Placed the order and did fittings today so hopefully they will arrive in a month or two.   Tried out the universal version of the MH335DW and was absolutely blown away.  My "go to" song for...

Thanks for the tip.  I find the sound signature for the Z5 similar to the discontinued A4 - it's a pity the M1BT1 cable doesn't work with those earphones though.     Completely agree about the lack of ability to drive volume / soundstage.  While great for convenience, I believe that the sound...

Am a bit late to the Z5 party but just picked up a pair along with the M1BT1 bluetooth cable.  Sound signature is very "Sony".  Very satisfying bass but although I have noted a hint of sibilance in the treble.  Still, a very enjoyable sound signature to these earphones that pairs well with the...

BTW, thanks for the excellent review a_recording, it was a primary factor in my decision to initially purchase the XBA-4s in the first place!

My player right now is an android phone (HTC Sensation XE) running PowerAmp.  I was surprised as well given the bass heavy nature of the XBA-4s but I've found the mild bass boost significantly tightened up the bass and gave it that extra kick that seemed to be missing with neutral equalization. ...