Is Sony's new X series overpriced

[Albinoni]

I dont know what it is, but everytime when Sony introduce something to the electronics/gadget market its always well priced above its competitors and they must hike the cost through the roof,

Sony's new X series 32GB players here in Australia sell for bit over $600, i would say probably close to $700. And yet again I can get a nice 32GB Cowon S9 (Titanium) with brilliant SQ and probably a brilliant CMOY or headphone amp all for a much cheaper cost.

Sony has been in deep waters before and reviewed about its massive hike in pricing.

 

[animalsrush]

IMO .. No.The excellent sound quality and fast GUI makes the player worth every penny. It gives you a DAP/AMP combo. So if you look at savings (good AMP Pico, Mustang, IC like ALO or Moon Audio and DAP) to get a great sound it is a deal. But that is just my feeling YMMV

 

[Albinoni]

I agree with you 100% it gives out very good sound, but so does the Cowon S9 and many others, but at a far less cost.

Plus I am sure there are people here and out there will agree that the S9 has probably a better sound.

 

[3X0]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Albinoni /img/forum/go_quote.gif Plus I am sure there are people here and out there will agree that the S9 has probably a better sound.

No. You'd be surprised how much better the X sounds than than the S9 does.

 

[ilney]

600$????

The Japanese X 32GB, which has better hardware, gapless and lossless is around $320 now. So yea, 600$ is extremely overpriced.

 

[roebeet]

I think it's definitely overpriced in the US, regardless of how good the SQ is (I haven't heard it, so I'm going to have to defer to the other posters about that).

My reasoning is that it's a consumer device, not an audiophile device like the HiFiMAN. The closest competitor in features is the Z:HD, which is $100 cheaper. I think that, with the Z:HD price and the price drop for the iPod Touch 32GB, it makes no sense that the X series should be so expensive. I expect that Sony should drop the price, at some point in the near future.

EDIT: One thing I did forget about was the headphones that come with the Sony - I've read that they are much better than the crapola ear buds that come with other players. that could justify the higher cost, but that will still cause them issues with Joe consumer who doesn't know this.

 

[kwang411]

dont forget the X also has built in noise cancelling function. It can also be used solely as a noise cancelling device with any other sources.
ANC headphones alone cost over 150$

 

[midoo1990]

what do you mean that it is overpriced in usa,you are very very lucky to have it for that price!here in my country(egypt) the A729 sells for $460 and the X SERIES didnt even hit the market yet but i expect it to be not less than $750-800 for the 32gigs.i am dying to get it but i cant import it from usa because i will pay $150 customs and taxes and about $50 for shipping plus $400 for the device itsel!.be gratful man that you have the option to get it or not"

 

[Ojsinnerz]

Sure is. In Canada, the only store that sells it is Sony Style, and it costs 499.99. And since I live in Vancouver, BC, we have a 13% tax to pay. So, at the end, I'd be spending 565 dollars for a single mp3 player.

I can just get an Ipod touch 32 gigs, and get a 200 dollared amp for the same price.

 

[Neeley]

What's all this about it being overpriced? The Cowon S9 costs more in the uk but no one seems to whinge about that.

 

[soozieq]

Yes, the S9 32GB in the US is roughly the equivalent of £165. In the UK, it's about £265, an extra $160!

And no... no one complains about that!!

 

[fatman]

Audio products are such goods that if you like it, you will to pay what priced, if you don't like, go to other place. there is no reference.

 

[Barry]

I don't know if the sony is overpriced, but I auditioned both the x series and the S9 over a period of a week at home with the same music and ended up keeping the S9. The music had more texture and flow. The sony also sounded very good but not so layered, etc. I can see how others would prefer the sony - it certainly does sound good and is easier to use, but though I could afford either, I just could not justify the extra c note. The sony is a sleeker machine and that may be worth it to many....

 

[righteousball]

Even if the X truly does trump every single one of its competiton, I think it's definitely NOT worth $600 US or anything more. It's not AMP3 good, it's not PowerCD good, and neither is it D-Z555 good, and therefore I believe it should be kept in line in a certain benchmark-ed price range, a ballpark from the competitors. There will come a price point where "you'll pay what you want just because you love it" stops, and silliness sets in (for lack of a more graceful word, I do apologize ).

All of its positive qualities considered, I wouldn't want to spend more than the price of an (equal capacity) ipod touch on it. And yep, the Americans are so lucky and they don't know it. Cheap cowons and cheap sonys and cheap... what, you want to complain about $3 a gallon gas? That's the price I've seen all my life!

Noise cancelling itself is worth $80-100 (Japanese retail price of these phones alone). HOWEVER, you being a head-fier, may have your own phones that are even better, and therefore not want to use it at all, so that doesn't count. I may be anti-sony now, but for the most part of 2009 my mind was 95% set on buying an X no matter its cost. So these some of my opinions from those 6 months of contemplating. The fond memories of struggling with its looks even when I thoroughly liked the sound... aaah that's the material memoirs are made of, lol.

 

[taksina]

I just bought x1060 in Bangkok for the equivalent of $478 while an iPod Touch of the same capacity can be had for $325. I have to admit the sound is very good. I wish Sony had a similar-sounding, cheaper model that doesn't include the WiFi and browser to choose from, though.

The supplied earphones I got are the MDR-NC020LP, which I later found are listed as $28, not some Ex model costing in the $100 range. Am I missing something here? What model of cans do you guys have bundled with what you bought?