[Dodoman]

Basically I would like to know which one sounds best at stock settings without tweaking the equalizer a lot. I'm not too good with them and I am prone to making things sound worse. I'd be using Atrio m8s with them, but not immediately after the purchase. I'm not too fussed about size as I need only 4-8 GB of space.

And if this helps at all I like the mega bass setting on my P1i - makes me enjoy my music more.

 

[evilking]

The Sony A7/800 series by far. No low frequency roll off at all. Stock settings sound great and plenty of bass.




EK

 

[tds101]

To be honest I'd go with the Sony's as the feature set and SQ are almost on par w/the D2. Only thing I miss is themes and custom wallpaper for my A829. Everything else about it is pretty much peaches & cream. And the Bass is EXCEPTIONAL on the Sony players - crisp, clear, tight and controlled. It's a great lineup of players.

 

[Dodoman]

Ah sweet. Thanks for the help guys

 

[babya]

I agree-Clear Bass and Sony SQ is awesome.

 

[Beyerfan70]

Another vote for the sony from me too.
The SQ in the sony players just get better and better.

 

[RedSky0]

You're generally going to get people from both camps vouching for either player ... eventually. The Sony seems to be known for it's punchy bass, the D2 on other hand from personal experience is very articulate and detailed but does suffer from bass roll off as others have mentioned. Well to be clear, it does have bass and a bass boost function, but the frequency at which it boosts bass is not as low as it could be.

Ultimately it comes down to which factor is more important to you. Atrio M8s are reputedly already very bassy (coming from hearsay), so you may be happy with the D2 and appreciate the extended articularity, on the other hand if you want even punchier bass then Sony is great as well.

 

[shigzeo]

it is up to the person to determine what 'quality' means. personally, my sound 'quality' preference leans toward the sony.

 

[EugeneK]

i believe sony gives you better stock headphones too.

 

[tds101]

Also, the constant updates that come out for the D2 are a crap shoot. 1 minute it's adding functions and the next thing you know your flac usage is crippled. Too much of a headache. The Sony players all sound great AND provide a solid, reliable, easy to use, and thoroughly ENJOYABLE experience. I don't even use my D2 any longer. Sits on top of my desk gathering dust.

 

[geekchic]

Hi, would the NW-806 be a good player in the Sony series (link below?) And how would it be different from the 820?

The S16 is available cheaper, would it give the same SQ also?


eBay India: Sony Walkman Video MP3 player NW - A806 - 4GB (item 270258171377 end time 29-Jul-2008 10:41:20 IST)

 

[tds101]

@geekchic: That player is actually the 810 series, and it's GREAT. The SQ is top of the line and slightly better than the A820 series. You can even out the SQ by accessing the hidden service menu and adjusting the DAC settings - makes them pretty much indistinguishable from each other at that point IMO.
As for the S618 - I had it and it was my favorite - hands down. Also, the S618 has a radio - the others do not.

 

[geekchic]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nywytboy68 /img/forum/go_quote.gif @geekchic: That player is actually the 810 series, and it's GREAT. The SQ is top of the line and slightly better than the A820 series. You can even out the SQ by accessing the hidden service menu and adjusting the DAC settings - makes them pretty much indistinguishable from each other at that point IMO. As for the S618 - I had it and it was my favorite - hands down. Also, the S618 has a radio - the others do not.

Thanks! Sony's numbering system and number of models is driving me nuts

So to clarify - the 806 is part of the 810 series
And the S616 has same SQ as the 810 series + a radio? (they are both selling at exactly the same price so even more confused)

If I pick this up, I will get back to you on the SQ mod that you spoke about.

 

[soozieq]

Quote:

Originally Posted by geekchic /img/forum/go_quote.gif Hi, would the NW-806 be a good player in the Sony series (link below?) And how would it be different from the 820?

I have the 808 and the 829 and I don't think the 808 sq is superior. It's still very very good, but the 829 has a slightly bigger soundstage, and that gives better instrument separation. And I don't know that the 808/818 is considered to be top of the line anymore since the 82x was released.

You honestly wouldn't be unhappy with either of them. They're both fantastic little players. And as for the comments about the 829 sounding 'processed', well, I think it's a matter of opinion. Someone (earlier), posted a link to a review which said the 829 sounded processed with the Shure SE530, but no other specific earphones/headphones were mentioned. As the SE530 is often described as warm and bassy, and the Sony is also warm and bassy, it may not have been a good combination for the reviewer to use.

I use my 829 with the Triple.fi's and I much prefer it to my 808. I like it so much that I didn't bother to keep any of the DAC adjustments I played around with, it sounds just fine as it is. I also tried the S618 (when it was on sale at Argos), and sold it the following week because I like the 829 better. The differences between all three aren't dramatic at all, except that the 829 does have a bigger soundstage than the others. At this level of Sony players, there's no real winner' - they're all good. If you want FM radio, get the S618. It's cute, and quite a bit smaller than the other two.

EDIT: Geekchic - the 81x/80x series are the same. The 818 is just the drag and drop Atrac/SS-free version of the 80x.

 

[geekchic]

SoozieQ, I had posted that review of the Sony in the Triple Fi thread. So, I have been eyeing the Sony players for some time

Thanks for the info - I have not seen the 82X in India yet (may not be released here) but I think I will wait for that to come in.