I have the iPod classic 160GB (late 2009 version) and after I heard my friends Cowon S9, so I decided to get a new one. After some research, I narrowed my list to the Cowon S9, iAudio 9, Sony A84x, or the Walkman S-series.
I would never look at the S9 again after using a J3. The tactile buttons, better UI, expansion slot, flat back, batter battery life,etc just demonstrate the amount of thought that has gone into the players design.
As I keep saying, it is a truly polished player as far as design is concerned. Sure it is more expensive but man does it have more to offer.
Might as well get a Cowon J3 if your thinking of buying the S9 but personally I like the sound of Sony better. I remember someone in head fi saying that the Cowon S9 sounds like having one speaker in front of you which is great for hip hop and rap whereas the Sony X1061 sounds like having multiple speakers and I felt that was very true. I had a Cowon S9 and compared it with my Sony X1061 and I gotta say that the Sony sounds more musical, more emotional. So with that I'll say go with a Sony X1060.
Might as well get a Cowon J3 if your thinking of buying the S9 but personally I like the sound of Sony better. I remember someone in head fi saying that the Cowon S9 sounds like having one speaker in front of you which is great for hip hop and rap whereas the Sony X1061 sounds like having multiple speakers and I felt that was very true. I had a Cowon S9 and compared it with my Sony X1061 and I gotta say that the Sony sounds more musical, more emotional. So with that I'll say go with a Sony X1060.
hmm very interesting, others have reported excellent sq with sony as well. but what about the eq on the sony x1061? the whole reason i was considering a j3 was because of the 7-10 band(i forget) eq, if my ipod had that i would be happy but it dosent and i hate it for its pre set eq. and lack of analog control
sansa clip vs sony x1060 or iriver vs x1060 is also of interest.
regards
J3 has a 5 band EQ but it is better than the EQ on a Sony unless they have improved since my ownership of the A828 and that was a while ago so it is possible. The Sony dap I had was only flat +1, +2, -1 or -2 as their custom EQ and they had a clear bass option which sounded like it lowered the highs a bit so it sounds like there's more bass. The J3 also has other EQ options other than the 5 band as well. Both sound good it really depend son budget and preferences such as battery life, screen, etc.
I dont mind the EQ of the A828 and find "clearbass" goes well with the RE0 & the RE_ZERO, however i wish the db increment steps were a little smaller.
Sometimes its like "too little" then "too much"
and all in increment.
I also had the S544 and felt the A828 had better soundstage and warmth, but it also has more background hiss on low impedance IEMs.
Still i prefer it over the S544. Once the music is playing the hiss is unnoticeable.
What headphones are you using? If you use iems, the Sony may annoy you with hissing backgrounds (audible at all volume levels), but it does drive low impedance earphones better than the Cowons do.
I had a Cowon S9 and compared it with my Sony X1061 and I gotta say that the Sony sounds more musical, more emotional. So with that I'll say go with a Sony X1060.
I always wanted the Sony A845 but its not available in Canada but I believe both the Sony X1060 and A845 should sound the same. Its best to ask Shigzeo since he has heard both.
i was wondering, how does the Digital Noise Cancelling on the sony players fair? the sony stores around here never let me try the earphones that are supplied, they either let you use some sony MDR headphones or you can plug in your own....
Both sound good but the A series has a slightly higher level of hiss and can 'tick' in the background. Overall, if you are in for sound, the X is probably better. The A doesn't even drive low ohm earphones as well as the X. Sony have marketed the same with the same piece of marketing drivel: s-master, but that doesn't mean anything.
That's like buying a bottom end nikon point and shoot because it shares the same marketing term as the d3s top DSLR.
Both sound good but the A series has a slightly higher level of hiss and can 'tick' in the background. Overall, if you are in for sound, the X is probably better. The A doesn't even drive low ohm earphones as well as the X.
The Sony line out isn't very good especially in the A series. Just having a line out does not mean you get quality. The only consistently good line out is the iPod line out. The sflo is very good, but who knows about the next version. Sony players change from generation to generation. My old A828 is much better than the new A series. Ive not tested the line out of the X series, but After the A series, I don't have much faith.
The line-out on my X1050 is stellar compared to the line-out of my Ipod Photo, Cowon X5 (duh) and Sansa Fuze. I enjoy the Sony's sq over all my other daps. Fuze is second.
I'm merely talking about performance and audio quality. Of course, I can't talk about your own sound preferences, which may tend to another style.
The iPod has a much more neutral line out than the Sony A series, much much better than the A84x. In ever metric, it is better: noise, stereo, frequency response and more. Of course, a lot of people like the sound of distortion, so I'd imagine that the A series could have some fans.
Personally no matter how bad the HPO may be or how heavily accented it is, I like to rely on a neutral line out. Sony's line outs are not neutral.
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