[Zaroff]

Well, I'm using this with an Audio Technica ES10, to give a point of reference.
 
To my ears, this is a very, very nice match, and really brings out the best in the ES10, as far as using it unamped goes. Coming from the Zune, which I always felt was no slouch regarding SQ without EQ, I can tell things are overall better. Bass is deeper and tighter at the same time and this player (maybe it's the S-Master MX amp) is really on the punchy side, without the music giving the impression of being compressed. I also use no EQ with the Sony, everything is as direct as possible, meaning no Clear Bass, no DPC, nothing but the direct signal.
The depth is also superior to the Zune, with, I feel, better separation and presenting a more detailed sound without being, to my ears, analytic. Soundstage is also perceptively improved over the Zune. I know some in this thread before have said that they feel the player is on the cool side, but that's not my impression. The highs are nicely defined, no sibilance in view or any harshness. That said, the ES10 isn't the brightest of cans either, so YMMV. I thought mids rich and highs non-fatiguing in the least. In fact, this combo is probably the least fatiguing configuration I've had so far. I've listened to the pair for hours on end since I got the player, I never felt any fatigue.
 
The player is also a joy to use. The touch-screen is reasonably reactive, things are very fluid and I never felt it was sluggish so far. The VERY nice touch is the hardware buttons on the side, for playback functions and volume. I haven't yet tested video, FM and the like, so I can't comment on those yet, since my primary purpose with this thing was essentially music. It's quite an expensive PMP since it does nothing else but that or almost, but that was precisely why I wanted to get it I don't need games, apps, whatever else, in my player. Just the best possible sound, and to me it's a clear improvement over what I've heard or had before. Well worth it, even if, admittedly, there are limits like no FLAC and no gapless. But I'll survive both nicely.
 
Feel free to ask for precisions if you'd like some.

 

[monterto]

Thanks for the impressions Zaroff! It gives a good sense of the player.
 
Coming from an NWZ-A808 this sounds fantastic. Right now the only thing holding me back is the capacity and the price of the player in Canada.
 
Does the player support on-the-go playlists like some of the other sony players? Do you know if they are capped at 100 songs?
 
Thanks again!

 

[Zaroff]

It is indeed a trade-off to go from 120+ to 64, but it's manageable if all you want is to keep the essential, not the integral.
I confirm that to these ears, the player sounds most excellent. On that count I'm fully satisfied.
 
It still retains the "bookmark" function of past players, but unfortunately with the same 100 limit cap.
 
As an aside, I'm also trying it with a Phiaton MS400, and they too render the sense of "vastness" to the sound that the player delivers. Bliss.

 

[hamzie]

Hey guys all my WMA lossless files get reduced to 161kbps bit rate when i drag drop them into the folder
It tells me if i would like to convert the file so that it plays in the media player - and I press yes (otherwise it doesnt work).
What should I convert my music files to?
Any ideas?

 

[smfoo2]

So how does this player compare with cowon J3. Is it worth getting rid of the cowon j3 for this ?

 

[Zaroff]

Quote:

Hey guys all my WMA lossless files get reduced to 161kbps bit rate when i drag drop them into the folder
It tells me if i would like to convert the file so that it plays in the media player - and I press yes (otherwise it doesnt work).
What should I convert my music files to?
Any ideas?

In Media Go, if you right-click and drag your selection to the Walkman's area, a choice will appear either to transfer as is (without conversion), or choose to convert. If you select the second choice, then you have a few possibilities as for format/bitrate, so you can easily convert them to mp3 320kbps, which is surely the most sensible choice at this point.

 

[Themo]

I will buy either this one or Cowon j3. So if you have listened to both, can you compare Sony A860 series to Cowon J3? I listen to ambient/new age music, the deep, "thick" sound is important to me. Which one should I buy?

 

[Zaroff]

I've had the A867 (which is in the FS section right now btw), and currently own the J3. It also very much depends on what cans you'll be using. On the move I like to listen unamped, and for instance the Edition 8 are much better friends with the J3 than the Sony. The Sony, IMO, extends farther on both ends of the spectrum (flat), but can seem overtly bright with the Ed. 8. The J3 feels more balanced (also flat, I don't use EQ or BBE), and I don't get the sometimes splashy highs I had with the Sony, but YMMV.
Price wise, when you factor in the 32gb MicroSD if you want to extend the J3 to 64, it's about equal.
 
That being said, as I mentioned first, final choice is also dependent on your cans. The 867 sounded very, very good with the Z1000 for instance. Very deep lows and very musical presentation.

 

[djphaze]

I can't decide which player to get. Cowon j3 or Sony Walkman a865. I been with cowon for 5 years and loved there products. My last player cowon s9 was nice but it broke down on me. Im leaning towards the Sony because im a lil bored with cowon products. The ui isnt that great and the touch screen is not great. But I know that if I compare the 2 Sony might fall short.

Here are the main reasons of each player I can't decide...

Cowon j3- pros- speaker, micro sd card, amoled screen, great battery, more compatible files
Cons- a year and a half old, bad touch screen boring ui

Sony -a865- sexy looking, different, never had a Sony mp3 player, new product,
Cons - 16 Gb, less compatible files, battery life not that great, smaller screen

I want to use my player mainly for music. I want the better sounding player. 16gb is just enough but more would be better. Please help

 

[Szadzik]

 
Quote:

I can't decide which player to get. Cowon j3 or Sony Walkman a865. I been with cowon for 5 years and loved there products. My last player cowon s9 was nice but it broke down on me. Im leaning towards the Sony because im a lil bored with cowon products. The ui isnt that great and the touch screen is not great. But I know that if I compare the 2 Sony might fall short.

Here are the main reasons of each player I can't decide...

Cowon j3- pros- speaker, micro sd card, amoled screen, great battery, more compatible files
Cons- a year and a half old, bad touch screen boring ui

Sony -a865- sexy looking, different, never had a Sony mp3 player, new product,
Cons - 16 Gb, less compatible files, battery life not that great, smaller screen

I want to use my player mainly for music. I want the better sounding player. 16gb is just enough but more would be better. Please help

Sony comes in 64GB capacity, so if you get 32GB Cowon and add a 32GB card you get the same.
 

 

[djphaze]

Quote:

 


Sony comes in 64GB capacity, so if you get 32GB Cowon and add a 32GB card you get the same.
 

do you have link for Sony 64gb?
 

 

[Szadzik]

Quote:

do you have link for Sony 64gb?
 

http://www.advancedmp3players.co.uk/shop/MP3_Players.1/Sony.76/NWZA867B.CEW/Sony_NWZ-A867_64GB_Walkman__Video_MP3_player_Colour_BLACK.13114.html
 

 

[djphaze]

64gb seems a bit too much. How about the 32gb. i cant seem to find one here in U.S.

 

[Vladimir_F1]

nice player but it does not support internet radio... and this is very important to me.
 
they should add wi-fi module and pre-installed internet radio app

 

[Szadzik]

Quote:

nice player but it does not support internet radio... and this is very important to me.
 
they should add wi-fi module and pre-installed internet radio app

 
Sony have already tried it and everyone was disappointed. I prefer products that concentrate on one function and do it realy well than products that have a ton of half-baked functions.