[Szadzik]

Thanks for the heads up. I am still undecided between this and a J3 32GB as that can be bought even cheaper than 199GBP from the US.

 

[ramordep]

 
 

Good pic.  How are you enjoying that Walkman?

 
Thanks. How am I enjoying? let's just say I'm one happy and proud owner. 
 

Has anyone had both the NWZ-A86# and Ipod Touch or Classic?

 
I had Classic and Touch before and Sony A860 sounds A LOT better than those
 

 

[ramordep]

 

Thanks for the heads up. I am still undecided between this and a J3 32GB as that can be bought even cheaper than 199GBP from the US.

 
Let me help you decide, here's one sexy Sony A866 in white which i sold recently
 

 
 
Another one in black with E17 and a modded LOD.
 

 

 

[Szadzik]

Quote:

 
 
Let me help you decide, here's one sexy Sony A866 in white which i sold recently
 

 
 
Another one in black with E17 and a modded LOD.
 

 

 
It does look great.
 
The downsides compared to J3
 
- Less memory when considering 64GB card inside J3.
- No FLAC support and the need to have two separate livraries on my PC.
- Battery life.
 
Over J3
 
- Size
- UI
- SQ
 
Considering the fact that there is little difference between 320 mp3 and flac when on the go and the fact that I will put less FLAC files on 96GB than 320 files on 64GB I think I will go for the Sony. The fact that it can be had so for cheap ATM is a big plus too.

 

[ramordep]

^ Could not agree more.
 

 

[Szadzik]

Hahaha, did a different thing. I bought an A867 AND a J3 32GB. Will see how they compare with my X 

 

[maporter]

Morning all,

I've lived with the NWZ-A865 for just over a week, I think it's best if I start off by clarifying a couple of points / questions I've read throughout this thread. First regarding the build quality, the A865 has a high gloss painted metal front with a plastic back. Yet despite the plastic back it still manages to feel like a substantial, weighty & well built product, I like it's small form & yes it does indeed come with a factory fitted screen protector.

The touch screen is lovely & very responsive, Sony has recently released new firmware (1.2) which apprently improves the touchscreen function. I can also confirm the volume levels for a UK model doesn't appear to be capped all that much, it has 30 steps & I'm currently listening to it around 16 & it's more than loud enough for my liking, any louder & it'll start damaging my hearing!

I'm not going to talk much about the SQ because I think the OP nailed it, a strongly agree with most of the positive things that have already been said. I only thing I'll add is that it's best described as 'clean' not even the vaguest hint of background hiss that so affected previous earlier A Series models. In fact it's so good that I'm really beginning discover the poor quality of the original artists cd recordings.

With regards to battery life, actually I'm finding it to be rather good; I charged it for three hours on the day of purchase a week ago & I've used it for a average of 2 hours a day. I've plugged it in for 10 to 15 minutes each day to rip & transfered more music across & I've yet to see the battery meter drop even one bar!

I've got a iPod Touch 4th gen in the house, a 1st gen iPad, 1st & 2nd gen Shuffle & finally a iPhone 4. Despite this I wanted a small compact player that didn't have all the distractions of the Apple products, I don't care for apps, don't need a browser. I just wanted a device purely to play music & nothing else - IMO the Sony excels and it's a keeper for sure, I'm extremely pleased with it

The only complaint I have is with Sonys pricing, I do think the larger capacity models (32 & 64 gb) are overpriced.

 

[maporter]

A865 Wallpapers, I know several people have requested them so I though I'd post them here for people to find - I lost mine and Head-Fi member the "TheShadowRunner" was kind enough to email them to me - Enjoy !
 
 
 

 

[purk]

Quote:

The only complaint I have is with Sonys pricing, I do think the larger capacity models (32 & 64 gb) are overpriced.

Thank you for your impression.  I'm not sure if you can still return yours and purchase the A867 (64GB version) from advancedmp3player site for 199 pound instead.  I appreciate your review especially the volume cap.  Also what headphone/IEM do you use on yours?

 

[ramordep]

thanks for sharing these wallpapers
 
Quote:

A865 Wallpapers, I know several people have requested them so I though I'd post them here for people to find - I lost mine and Head-Fi member the "TheShadowRunner" was kind enough to email them to me - Enjoy !
 
 
 

 

 

[Jeremypsp]

I recently got this, the sound is great, big sound with a very wide soundstage. Quite unbelievable when compared to other MP3 players in sound, even better than my NWZ-S754 which I so loved for the past 1 year. 

 

[Duncan]

Quote:

Well, the BBE is a sound enhancement featured in the Cowon unit.  From my memory, it is pretty impressive.  However the S-Master MX is a digital amp inside the X, A, and Z series walkman.  Unlike other players, these Sony units don't have a DAC.  It is basically the same technology as their Flagship HT receiver back in the early 2000, the Sony STR-DA9000ES ($4500).  I doubt any player beside the DX100 and H801 can compete with the Sony without the use of external amplification.  You can read more about it here.  I have the Z1060 right now and its headphone output is a noticeable upgrade from my X1060.
 
http://www.docs.sony.com/release/ES_STR_05_Final.pdf
 

Hi Purk,
 
Judging by the below link, I would 'guess' that it is a first generation (not pro) S-Master (Class D) amplifier in the X series:
 
http://www.sony.co.uk/hub/1237476652649/3/2
 
...Cannot find any information though as to what the S-Master MX (mobile) has in comparison to standard S-Master - other than it probably runs on less power?!?
 
 

 

[purk]

Quote:

Hi Purk,
 
Judging by the below link, I would 'guess' that it is a first generation (not pro) S-Master (Class D) amplifier in the X series:
 
http://www.sony.co.uk/hub/1237476652649/3/2
 
...Cannot find any information though as to what the S-Master MX (mobile) has in comparison to standard S-Master - other than it probably runs on less power?!?
 
 

Hey Duncan.  I'm not sure what is the technical difference between the two version, but the MX to my ears has better resolution and more details.  One of the biggest difference going from my X1060 to Z1060 is also the depth of the soundstage and a more powerful sound signature. I'm very impressed with the X1060, but I do like the Z1060 even better on just the headphones out alone.  To my ears, no additional amplification is necessary if you are using a highly efficient headphones/IEMs with these units in portable applications.  I now wonder what Sony can accomplish if they are wiling to making slightly larger/thicker players but using beefier version of their S-master amplication.
 

 

[jgray91]

Just to make sure, this is a no-frills, audio only device, unlike it's more versatile and more expensive big brother, the new Z-series, right?

 

[Duncan]

It plays video, has FM and can transmit music / files over bluetooth, but, yes - pretty much