[cn11]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canman /img/forum/go_quote.gif The X is bringing back enjoyment to my portable listening. The richness of tone reminds me of some of the classic vintage Sony Discmans. The sound is colored on the warm side of neutral but by no means does it sound thick or bloated. Rather its tight and spacious. I like how its enjoyable at low volume levels. I got so used to pumping up the volume with the iPod in order to get some dynamics.

^^ Couldn't have said it any better... The X just keeps impressing day in and day out....

 

[soozieq]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canman /img/forum/go_quote.gif The X is bringing back enjoyment to my portable listening. The richness of tone reminds me of some of the classic vintage Sony Discmans.

I never got to hear any of the Sony Discmans, but I know they were considered to have great sq.

If the X sounds similar, then maybe I haven't missed out at all

Quote:

I like how its enjoyable at low volume levels. I got so used to pumping up the volume with the iPod in order to get some dynamics.

Oh yes!!! That is so true. It doesn't lose anything as you turn down the volume (well, except volume!). With my Touch and Zune 80 I used to crank them up just to get the dynamics. But the X retains great clarity and detail at lower volumes, which means I don't have to blow my ears out all the time. And when I do want to push it louder, I like how it doesn't struggle. It just keeps pace and never sounds forced or anything, like it still has loads of room to play with

 

[midoo1990]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FortisFlyer75 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Been a little while since i have listened to the Touch on my LOD actually, but i would say which i mentioned previously is through a lod it is a different beast, hard to imagine it is the same machine to an extent and i would have to say yes it brings it on par with the X, but the sound sig is still a lot different. I would need to do a bit of time listening though wether my opinion would be different if i compared the X through it's dedicated line out vs the Touch lod, which i will do and get back to you on that, as i said been around 2 months since i listened to my Touch through the lod. So by the looks of it, you are contemplating the X, but not 100% sure as you own the Touch? If you are only using it at home and you are like you said looking at an amp and lod then by all means stay with the Touch i would say, but if you want it on the go as well outside of home, commuting etc then the Sony is the nearest thing to a portable hi-fi i have heard yet when hooked up to my SE500's or IE8's (now i have good isolation with comply foams!) All i can add also is despite the X lacking on the wifi userbility side, ommision of apps like the Touch and still having a couple of more of its own issues i am still pleased i got the X as the SQ really is it's saving grace, fortunetely for Sony! Like i said who will win the race to make the best perfect all round player with no issues for us fussy perfectionist out there that are not jst content on crappy low compressed tunes from the net with crappy little white ipod buds? Anyway, will get back to you with my comparison on the Touch LOD vs X lineout dock in the next day or two ; )

thx again.i am tempted to buy the X only for its SQ and not anything else.the reason i am confused of what to get is that the X here in my country is $600 for the 32gigs,and i am thinking instead i can get a nice amp the shadow or the tomahok or even RSA and a nice LOD and connect it to my touch and ie8 and maybe in the future HD600.if the touch+amp equals to or better than the X headphone out(no amp), then i will go for the amp as it is cheaper of course.i dont know why i wanna upgrade to an amp or the X,as the touch sounds fantastic and neutral with my ie8,but you know headfi,the curiosity eats you alive

 

[FortisFlyer75]

Quote:

Originally Posted by midoo1990 /img/forum/go_quote.gif thx again.i am tempted to buy the X only for its SQ and not anything else.the reason i am confused of what to get is that the X here in my country is $600 for the 32gigs,and i am thinking instead i can get a nice amp the shadow or the tomahok or even RSA and a nice LOD and connect it to my touch and ie8 and maybe in the future HD600.if the touch+amp equals to or better than the X headphone out(no amp), then i will go for the amp as it is cheaper of course.i dont know why i wanna upgrade to an amp or the X,as the touch sounds fantastic and neutral with my ie8,but you know headfi,the curiosity eats you alive

Hi, had a listen tonight with the Touch LOD and X - hp out and just bearing in mind i have just got over a cold last week which ended over the weekend, but i want to just make sure by doing another listen in a couple of days just to make sure my ears are not decieving me in some way with my synasis in some way, but what i heard tonight was quite a surprise really.

Despite the Touch with the LOD being a lot more detailed, tighter with highs, lows & mids more refined and seperated compared to the Touch through hp out and the LOD been a good quality ALO SXC cable i have to say the X was just a tad bit more defined, punchier yet controlled bass with soundstaging having an airyness about it with slight more precision with certain instruments like symbols and hi-hats which in all makes the Sony sound that bit more musically natural, fluid and dynamic.

It's not until now i am starting to realise how good this portable player is with it's digital amp, which almost has made me forgive Sony for it's non SQ issues with the player until i remember how much £ it cost me!

I would have to say it is a close run thing, but i do prefer the X just on hp out to the Touch LOD which has surprised me a bit, as i think the lineout dock for the Sony gives it a further 10% improvement bolstering up the sound from that, but in your current circumstance or dilema you find yourself in Midoo1990, i would say as you already enjoy the sound of the Touch SQ and you have no issues with it, i would maybe look at the amp with a lod as you can then benefit from the amp with different sources and all your ear/headphones you have, like you said the HD600's for the future maybe?

I heard the HD650's by the way recently and they had quite an impact on me sound wise even just with a ten minute listen, made me think about an early x-mas pressy to myself! lol

Are the amps you are looking at the portable range or desktop (home) like my Naim amp, as i was on the verge of buying an RSA portable amp but got my X instead and even some people have said on here somewhere the improvement a portable amp like an RSA can bring's has smaller benefit because the X amp is that good.

Could be though if you get the amp (& possible HD600's) now, by time your wallet grows more money you can get the better improved next model of the X that will have a 64gb memory, let's face it, won't be long until Sony replace this one, next March, April maybe? Time does fly...

I will transfer some more songs over the next two days in WAV to my X as most of my songs on the X are AAC, so had little material to do direct comparison plus i will def know when i listen again my ears was okay tonight or not as i cannot believe how good the X digital amp stood up against the Touch with the LOD!

Will update soon....

 

[THE_Anonymous]

Well, looks like my X is going back to Sony tomorrow. I've enjoyed it for about 25 days, but honestly, for $580 (the price I paid in Canada, including taxes)...it's just not worth it. The SQ is great, but it sounds EXACTLY the same as my S638 (a little worse to be honest, although I've had my S for a while...burn-in issues I suppose).
All the other functions - YouTube, internet surfing - are poorly executed, and are a disappointment (although not unexpected). The NC feature is nice, but considering I don't use the bundled earbuds....it ain't of much use to me. The radio is fine, but again, my S does the radio (with slightly better reception).

So overall, my heart just couldn't justify almost $600 for a basic 32GB DAP with solid, but not outstanding, EQ.
(but I'm DEFINITELY keeping my eye on the new A series players...)

 

[Canman]

$600 is excessive for any DAP. For those in the US, Amazon is charging $358 shipped. You should buy from someone in the US.

Quote:

Originally Posted by THE_Anonymous /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, looks like my X is going back to Sony tomorrow. I've enjoyed it for about 25 days, but honestly, for $580 (the price I paid in Canada, including taxes)...it's just not worth it. The SQ is great, but it sounds EXACTLY the same as my S638 (a little worse to be honest, although I've had my S for a while...burn-in issues I suppose). All the other functions - YouTube, internet surfing - are poorly executed, and are a disappointment (although not unexpected). The NC feature is nice, but considering I don't use the bundled earbuds....it ain't of much use to me. The radio is fine, but again, my S does the radio (with slightly better reception). So overall, my heart just couldn't justify almost $600 for a basic 32GB DAP with solid, but not outstanding, EQ. (but I'm DEFINITELY keeping my eye on the new A series players...)

 

[estreeter]

Canman, Sony and others have things in place to cut down on those of us outside the US/Japan getting their products at a 'discount' : it can be done, but its not as simple as going online and adding a product to your shopping cart - if it were, Amazon's electronics merchants would be working 24/7 to fill orders and get them to Canada, the UK and Oz (among others). Having ordered books through Amazon before, and had them arrive *before* an Australian-based seller could deliver, I would jump at the chance. There are a couple of organisations that will do it for a fee - cant think of their names off the top of my head - but I still think a flight to NYC every 6 months or so would be a great holiday and a fantastic shopping spree if I lived in Canada - apparently it isn't as attractive an option as I had initially thought. I'll be in Singapore next month, and hopes are high, but US consumers seem to get the cheapest online prices.

 

[ShootingStars]

can anyone please help me find a x walkman cheap shipped to Canada please? I would really appeciate it.

 

[Jodiuh]

I also owned a Zune HD and an X and agree w/ pretty much everything you guys said.

1. Browsing through music was easier on the X, mainly due to the bar. The Zune had me pointing my finger over here and over there, then over here...

2. SQ. The Zune HD sounds nice, but as you guys mentioned, it's just not as exciting as the X. I actually much prefer the bass of the Sony X. Also, some classical music tended to smear together on the Zune, whereas the X had no trouble keeping track of all the violins and other instruments in the track.

3. Buttons. What in the world was MS thinking w/ the crazy "press media button, then slide finger up/down." It was a PITA to operate even when laying down, I can't imagine changing the volume when it's in my pocket. W/ the Sony, you can 1 or 3 click yourself where you want to be very easily. But the Zune requires a good look and some work.

Too bad it takes 10 years to fill w/ music though. What's up with that?

 

[soozieq]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jodiuh /img/forum/go_quote.gif 1. Browsing through music was easier on the X, mainly due to the bar. The Zune had me pointing my finger over here and over there, then over here...

And then back there again when the wrong 'point' was pointed

Quote:

3. Buttons. What in the world was MS thinking w/ the crazy "press media button, then slide finger up/down." It was a PITA to operate even when laying down, I can't imagine changing the volume when it's in my pocket. W/ the Sony, you can 1 or 3 click yourself where you want to be very easily. But the Zune requires a good look and some work. Too bad it takes 10 years to fill w/ music though. What's up with that?

What are you running, Windows 95?? It took me a speedy 7 years 11 months to load mine through Vista

ShootingStars- Have you tried Advanced MP3 Players?

Advanced MP3 Players - the MP3 player experts

I know they ship to the US, so I don't see why they wouldn't ship to Canada. And they'll knock the VAT off once it's in your basket too, so it will be cheaper than the displayed price. Failing that, you could always ask someone to buy one and ship it to you, although if it was being shipped within the UK first, the VAT would still apply.

 

[dissembled]

A shot in the dark here but does anyone use Grado headphones with the X? I'm really interested in purchasing the SR225i in the future. I'm guessing that they'll make an awesome pairing due to their complementary signatures?

From my experience, I find that pairing forward, treble-centric phones with the smooth Walkman = WIN.

Despite their lack of soundstage, Grados are beginning to intrigue me.

 

[Canman]

I have been using the Grado HF-2 a little bit with the Sony. The Sony X doesn't provide the same experience that the Grace m902 does (which I just sold) but it is very enjoyable. I would guess that the Grado 225 would be a similar experience as the HF-2 - it sounds good but is not driven to its full potential. Compared to the iPod 5.5g, the Sony does a much better job driving the Grado HF-2.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dissembled /img/forum/go_quote.gif A shot in the dark here but does anyone use Grado headphones with the X? I'm really interested in purchasing the SR225i in the future. I'm guessing that they'll make an awesome pairing due to their complementary signatures? From my experience, I find that pairing forward, treble-centric phones with the smooth Walkman = WIN. Despite their lack of soundstage, Grados are beginning to intrigue me.

 

[FortisFlyer75]

Quote:

Originally Posted by THE_Anonymous /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, looks like my X is going back to Sony tomorrow. I've enjoyed it for about 25 days, but honestly, for $580 (the price I paid in Canada, including taxes)...it's just not worth it. The SQ is great, but it sounds EXACTLY the same as my S638 (a little worse to be honest, although I've had my S for a while...burn-in issues I suppose). So overall, my heart just couldn't justify almost $600 for a basic 32GB DAP with solid, but not outstanding, EQ. (but I'm DEFINITELY keeping my eye on the new A series players...)

I am surprised you think the the X sounded exactly the same as your S638.
I thought the X was billed as their best sounding walkman yet and emphasis put on the digital S amp built into it.

I had the A818 and then got the A829 which sounded better, then when i got the X it was far more improved than the A829.

What music files do you use, as to get a true reflection of what a player can really do is to demo uncompressed music - WAV to hear the players real ability of sound reproduction, which i know might not be much help to you as if you compress music anyway it will be for the reason of space, but i had that problem with my Touch player, i cannot stand listening to it even with AAC VBR and have to listen to my Touch using WAV files, but my X i am happy with what it can do with AAC files.

All i can say is if the S638 sounds exactly the same as the X, that it is a very good sounding player! lol

That is a lot of money you guys have to pay in Canada, i thought we got ripped of in the UK for gear. So i suppose you want the all round perfect player for that, which unfortunetely the X does have a couple of achilles heels in it's make up, which i like to think will be rectified with the 2nd gen X (fingers crossed!)

 

[midoo1990]

ok i just sold my zune120 to my sister so i have extra funds wooohoo

I will be getting the sony X cause i couldnt resist anymore from all those wonderful reviews about it and if i dont like it,well i can always sell it

I AM STILL INTERESTED I YOUR COMPARISONS Fortisflyer after you get better for fair comparison.

 

[HONEYBOY]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FortisFlyer75 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I would have to say it is a close run thing, but i do prefer the X just on hp out to the Touch LOD which has surprised me a bit, as i think the lineout dock for the Sony gives it a further 10% improvement bolstering up the sound from that, but in your current circumstance or dilema you find yourself in Midoo1990, i would say as you already enjoy the sound of the Touch SQ and you have no issues with it, i would maybe look at the amp with a lod as you can then benefit from the amp with different sources and all your ear/headphones you have, like you said the HD600's for the future maybe?

Hey John!! Just short quoting your impressions of the touch and X which I completely agree with haha. Not sure if this has been asked before but what dock are you using? Is this custom made or something I can purchase online? Thanks.