[gerelmx1986]

I saw recently in sony japan the ZX100 (and zx2) project members voices
 
 
They state that the uber expensive zx2 uses the same board substrate as the A10 walkmen  line.... zx100 was derived from zx2 but the board substrate was made from scratch, also zx100 has more uF's in the capacitors than zx2... zx2 may have 7 oscon caps vs 4 on the zx100... assuming they are connected in series.... 7*47 uF = arround 329 uF total vs 4*100 uF = 400 uF total

 

[EagleWings]

  Thanks for the response. I did not find Joe's comment before but it's good to know that the E17k and X3ii are comparable in SQ. I did see zilch0md's post and messaged him about his setup before making this post. 
 
Regarding portability, my purpose is more for using on a bus for work commute and at my desk at work.
 
The dimensions are as follows:
E17k: 4.1 x 2.5 x 0.5" (104.1 x 62.2 x 12.8 mm)
A15 (similar size to A25?): 0.34 inches x 1.72 inches x 4.29 inches
 
As such, it ends up being roughly a 4.5x2.5 rectangle that's about an inch thick. That is suitable for me as I typically carry a bag for me on the bus. I can see that being thicker than wanted if just looking to dump it in a pocket.
 
I think for now I'll be ordering a A25 when I'm in HK the next few weeks and then letting you all know how it goes. Thanks!

 
Yeah, 4.5 x 2.5 x 1 inches shouldn't be cumbersome as you would have your bag with you. And even during times when you need ultimate portability, A25 alone should do a good job by itself.
 
I have read that HK versions of the Walkman have some kind of volume cap too. But I may be wrong here. I think I know someone who can confirm that.
 
@gerelmx1986, do HK versions of WM have volume caps too? 

 

[EagleWings]

  I saw recently in sony japan the ZX100 (and zx2) project members voices
 
They state that the uber expensive zx2 uses the same board substrate as the A10 walkmen  line.... zx100 was derived from zx2 but the board substrate was made from scratch, also zx100 has more uF's in the capacitors than zx2... zx2 may have 7 oscon caps vs 4 on the zx100... assuming they are connected in series.... 7*47 uF = arround 329 uF total vs 4*100 uF = 400 uF total

 
My knowledge in electronics is pretty limited, but is it safe to guess that ZX100's performance is almost on par with the ZX2's performance? And I have heard ZX2's performance (although few people do complain), is on par with some of the top class DAPs in the market.
 
And with such a performance and the added advantage of Sony's Walkman OS, ZX100 sounds like an ideal player for my use. Too bad I can't afford it.

 

[gerelmx1986]

 
 
@gerelmx1986, do HK versions of WM have volume caps too? 

No they don't have any cap
 
I bought comply foamies acoustic plugs to "cap" really the movie theater volumes... prefer to blast my ears with nice music than Godzilla Fx LOL or James Bond's explosions, tires screeching gun shots

 

[headwhacker]

I just compared A15 against Fiio X3ii with my Beyer T51p. I find the exact opposite as what you guys are saying between the 2 DAPs. With all sound FX in A15 all off. Clarity, detail resolution is better on A15 than on X3ii. Find X3ii boomy and conjested while the A15 is wider and airy. I end up taking the A15.

 

[EagleWings]

  I just compared A15 against Fiio X3ii with my Beyer T51p. I find the exact opposite as what you guys are saying between the 2 DAPs. With all sound FX in A15 all off. Clarity, detail resolution is better on A15 than on X3ii. Find X3ii boomy and conjested while the A15 is wider and airy. I end up taking the A15.

 
You are not the first person to actually say that and that is really good for you. You must consider yourself lucky as you get to have the best of both worlds. Good Sound and Good UI. To be honest, when I was comparing the A15 and the X3ii, I was secretly wishing that the A15 to sound better than the X3ii. But it ended up otherwise. Not that I don't like the other aspects of X3ii, it's just that, when it comes to reliability aspects, Fiio falls short with its Scroll Wheel issues.
 
Also bear in mind that as I was using a sensitive IEM. With the A15, there was background hiss which actually contributed to affecting the overall sound quality.

 

[nekromantik]

For those who think X3ii is better then A17, by how much?
Big difference? 

 

[EagleWings]

  For those who think X3ii is better then A17, by how much?
Big difference? 

 
I have a Sennheiser IE80 which is a sensitive IEM and the difference was quite apparent because of the difference in the noise floor. While the X3ii had a almost clean background, the A15 had a background hiss. And also I found the A15 to be warm and because of that, it did not pair well with my already warm IE80. These two aspects aside, the difference in instrument separation, layering and details was not huge. Soundstage was similar on both. And remember, like I mentioned in the previous post, the hiss on my IEM affected A15's clarity. 
 
So if at all I had a headphone that did not have a warm sound and had an impedance rating anywhere between 30 Ohm to 70 Ohm, I probably would have kept the A15 and returned the X3ii.

 

[nekromantik]

I got Fidue A73.
AJ still not shipped my A25.
Not sure if I should cancel and spend extra on X5ii.

 

[EagleWings]

Fidue A83 is a low impedance balanced armature IEM. I have not tried the A25, but based on what I have read it is just the A15 + Noise Cancelling feature. If that is true, you are going to hear a background hiss on your IEM. If I were you, I would get the Fiio X5ii. I just tried the X5ii, it sounds slightly better than the X3ii. But if you are on a tight budget, X3ii will be a good choice.

 

[headwhacker]

   
You are not the first person to actually say that and that is really good for you. You must consider yourself lucky as you get to have the best of both worlds. Good Sound and Good UI. To be honest, when I was comparing the A15 and the X3ii, I was secretly wishing that the A15 to sound better than the X3ii. But it ended up otherwise. Not that I don't like the other aspects of X3ii, it's just that, when it comes to reliability aspects, Fiio falls short with its Scroll Wheel issues.
 
Also bear in mind that as I was using a sensitive IEM. With the A15, there was background hiss which actually contributed to affecting the overall sound quality.

 
I was surprised myself. I expected X3ii to be better, especially when I had the original X5 before. I was looking for a source to my incoming Mojo and I thought the X3ii would be a better pair because of the size. 
 
A15 having the better GUI and better feature set sound awful when I initially heard it. But when I turned off all sound fx settings, that's when it revealed how good it was over X3ii using my T51p. It may have a higher noise floor than X3ii as evident by using a sensitive IEM but that is moot with on-ear headphones to my ears it sounded way better than X3ii. 

 

[EagleWings]

   
I was surprised myself. I expected X3ii to be better, especially when I had the original X5 before. I was looking for a source to my incoming Mojo and I thought the X3ii would be a better pair because of the size. 
 
A15 having the better GUI and better feature set sound awful when I initially heard it. But when I turned off all sound fx settings, that's when it revealed how good it was over X3ii using my T51p. It may have a higher noise floor than X3ii as evident by using a sensitive IEM but that is moot with on-ear headphones to my ears it sounded way better than X3ii. 

 
I am glad the A15 is working out great for you. Will you be feeding the Mojo from the A15? If yes, please do share your thoughts here after you try it out.
 
If I am not wrong, you are one of the principal members who helped in the development of the DX90's rockbox right?

 

[headwhacker]

   
I am glad the A15 is working out great for you. Will you be feeding the Mojo from the A15? If yes, please do share your thoughts here after you try it out.
 
If I am not wrong, you are one of the principal members who helped in the development of the DX90's rockbox right?

 
Yes I plan to pair A15 as a source for Mojo. Yup, I did help porting Rockbox to DX90 primarily due to firmware issues of the iBasso stock firmware at the time.

 

[nekromantik]

  Fidue A83 is a low impedance balanced armature IEM. I have not tried the A25, but based on what I have read it is just the A15 + Noise Cancelling feature. If that is true, you are going to hear a background hiss on your IEM. If I were you, I would get the Fiio X5ii. I just tried the X5ii, it sounds slightly better than the X3ii. But if you are on a tight budget, X3ii will be a good choice.

Too late they shipped the A25
Its from HK so wont be cheap to send back.
 
I got A73 not A83.
No info on impedience though. 

 

[EagleWings]

  Too late they shipped the A25
Its from HK so wont be cheap to send back.
 
I got A73 not A83.
No info on impedience though. 

 
Fidue A73’s sensitivity and impedance rating is almost as same as the A83. Sony A25 definitely is not a bad device. Chances are you would love it for its many strengths and convenience. Once you receive it and if you do hear the hiss and you are not happy with you could always sell it. If you are in Europe you could easily find buyers for the A25 HongKong version as it does not have the volume cap. If you are in the US, it should still be fairly easy to sell because there are not too many retailers who sell the item as it was never really officially launched in the US.