[mukumi]

I have to say that something that FortisFlyer75 said rings true to my ears (although it is a cliche I have used before, it is very valid here) - the X sounds like analogue (vinyl, warm, lush - a candlelit evening) and the A865 sounds like digital (like early CD with the brickwall filters - very clear, very anaalytical) - now, what needs to be considered there by me I guess, is what format (vinyl vs CD) won the war,,,
 
I do wonder if I will be in the minority, afterall, the OP seems to feels the A865 sounds better to his / her ears than the X...
 
More burn in, and more opinions from other users are required before any damning decision on whether the A865 is a winner or not...

If i remember correctly; there were some sound tuning features on my S755 that helped to color and give more warmth to the music. Did you try them yet?

 

[Duncan]

Quote:

If i remember correctly; there were some sound tuning features on my S755 that helped to color and give more warmth to the music. Did you try them yet?

mukumi...
 
The settings are the same between the X and the A, and no matter what I do with the A, it sounds better with the X (imo etc.)
 

 

[oyster]

Quote:

I have to say that something that FortisFlyer75 said rings true to my ears (although it is a cliche I have used before, it is very valid here) - the X sounds like analogue (vinyl, warm, lush - a candlelit evening) and the A865 sounds like digital (like early CD with the brickwall filters - very clear, very anaalytical) - now, what needs to be considered there by me I guess, is what format (vinyl vs CD) won the war,,,
 
I do wonder if I will be in the minority, afterall, the OP seems to feels the A865 sounds better to his / her ears than the X...
 
More burn in, and more opinions from other users are required before any damning decision on whether the A865 is a winner or not...

You just nailed it Duncan. Sony does have different sound signatures amongst their players.
My A726 sounds like a sunset on green mountain top, while E444 is like an afternoon in a small room with Ac tuned off.
Sony's liquid, warm sound does wonders to music like this:
 

 
 

 

[Jmblue]

So would anyone recommend this music player? Cos I really like Sony brands and if it's not an improvement over the x series then I really dont see the point :S

 

[oyster]

Quote:

So would anyone recommend this music player? Cos I really like Sony brands and if it's not an improvement over the x series then I really dont see the point :S

There are two types of players in the world.
One with Sony sound , the other with non Sony sound.
Sony sound is considered as warm,very smooth & punch, with soundstage depth & imaging to die for.
The new A series as per Duncan's impressions falls in the second category of players despite being a sony.

 

[JiPod]

With the A867 set to hit stores this Friday, the A857 can be had for less than JPY20,000.

 

[Danneq]

Quote:

With the A867 set to hit stores this Friday, the A857 can be had for less than JPY20,000.

Where? My wife and I are going to Tokyo on the 19th. I am thinking of buying her an A856, and on both the Yodobashi and Bic Camera homepages they are around JPY20,900. The A857 costs over 30,000.
 
I hope there still are some A856 left when we go there in 1,5 week...

 

[JiPod]

Quote:

Where? My wife and I are going to Tokyo on the 19th. I am thinking of buying her an A856, and on both the Yodobashi and Bic Camera homepages they are around JPY20,900. The A857 costs over 30,000.
 
I hope there still are some A856 left when we go there in 1,5 week...

 
Check online.  The price has slightly increased after the release of the A86x series.
Today's market value:
A855 JPY15,199;
A856 JPY17,800;
A857 JPY21,850.
 
 

 

[Danneq]

 
Quote:

 
Check online.  The price has slightly increased after the release of the A86x series.
Today's market value:
A855 JPY15,199;
A856 JPY17,800;
A857 JPY21,850. 
 

I could always check online places like Rakuten. My wife and I lived in Japan during 2010, but I still feel more comfortable with the bigger electronics chains such as Yodobashi and BIC. Anyway, around 20.000 isn't that bad considering the A856 cost around 30.000 when it was introduced last autumn...

 

[Dreamnine]

Perhaps Sony does change the sound between different players.. I don't know.
 
But my new S765 sounds just the same as my old S754 - at least to my ears. From memory they both sound the same as the A845 (although that player was slightly louder, even given the EU volume limitation).

 

[Duncan]

I still find the A865 to sound cold, dry, and thin compared to the X1000...

To me (as a generalisation) it sounds like an un-eq'd Cowon player...

Now, some people rave over Cowon, I do not... So, I guess one mans poison is another mans wine...

That old addage 'YMMV' definetely rings true with this player IMO.

 

[Fukubei]

Hi all, I have a major favor to ask, I have erased the A865 wallpapers that came on factory settings.
I think I remember they were called w001, w002, etc.. in the picture folder.
Could a kind soul zip them and upload them somewhere, it's very small, I would be eternally grateful ^^;;
Thank you very much in advance!
 
F.
 

 

[Zaroff]

For those interested in those models, I just got hold of the A867 today. Coming from a Zune 120, I can tell the European models are definitely not as quiet as some might fear. It's at least as loud as the Zune, so to my ears it doesn't appear to be capped.
I may post further impressions later if anyone's interested.
 
Cheers.

 

[monterto]

Quote:

I may post further impressions later if anyone's interested.
 
Cheers.

Please do!
 

 

[i_djoel2000]

Quote:

For those interested in those models, I just got hold of the A867 today. Coming from a Zune 120, I can tell the European models are definitely not as quiet as some might fear. It's at least as loud as the Zune, so to my ears it doesn't appear to be capped.
I may post further impressions later if anyone's interested.
 
Cheers.

 
looking forward to it, mate.
 
i'm torn between this and teclast T51, been wondering which is better (sound quality wise). planning to pair it with er4p