Quote:
your thoughts of the Z compared to your previous D2?
thinking about getting a Z2 now... I'm pretty pleased with the D3 except for slow reading speed of microSD cards. the sound seems the same now as my J3 now that I think about it.
I kinda liked how you could do pitch change without pitch correct on the J3....it's also nice on the D3 b/c the pitch correction is so instantaneous and smooth.... how is it on the Z2? And do EQ changes happen instantly like the J3 without the short pause?
Hi Hyogen, would love to compare the sound in depth but it's been a while since I owned the D2.
I have always been one for a dap that sounds as it was meant to sound out of the box without having to EQ it and the Cowon despite sounding fairly good once it was finally EQ'd just right was used back when I had iem's such as Senn Ie8's & Shure SE530's.
All I can say is when I still had those IEM's the Sony X which replaced my D2 & Touch 2G model in one swoop as it sounded way better by no small margin and now the Z has been refined on top of the X despite a different signature.
Cannot comment on pitch control as I do not have the Z2.
Quote:
I am intrigued by all of you guys who are plopping down sooo much for a 4.3" standard android device and thinking it's a good deal. Perhaps it really is if it really sounds that good
I was about to find out until I learned it didnt' have expandable memory. Also, as with other things I've started to learn--I think you'll only see very nominal improvements for more and more expensive gear. Most Joe's will probably not be able to tell the difference between ibasso dx100 with z1070 aside from warmth maybe/soundstage...just like most average joe's won't be able to tell any quality difference between a $500 z1070 and Galaxy S/rooted/with voodoo which can be had for less than $100 sometimes
I think part of the facination is peoples' first android device and/or large screen display....but I could be wrong.
No, I do not think it is the fascination of people first android device/ large screen display.
I think you will find Hyogen quite a few who wanted the Z to start with where previous Walkman owners who already enjoyed the SQ of the A, S & X models that had been around where waiting for the natural progression in improvements from the next gen Walkman from the previous models and the Z was an overdue replacement in a way for the Z. Many of these Walkmans owners where waiting to see the improvements of the new MX master chip would have over the S master digital amp the X series had or previous A series models.
For some on here they do no like the screen size (me for starters) or are not to fussed about it's o/s and where solely interested with this been Sony's flagship player how it would be for SQ and how it differed from the current new A series model in terms of SQ alone as if the Z was not different in SQ they was going to stick with the A series, but it turned out for some this was not the case, so point is many where prepared to give up a nice small device regardless of it's screen size or flashy android o/s just for the SQ if there was an improvement.
So the android thing was an added intrigued benefit for many, guessing some of those Walkman owners where already happy android phone users who where happy at the thought of Sony just making a good SQ incorporated with an android o/s for the first time. Think that covers the last 100 pages or so ; )
The going up the scale with more expensive gear with smaller increments of SQ improvements is true to a degree, this is the same I find in the world of Speaker hi-fi as well, the old diminishing returns thing when you go up the ladder to an extent. But it's those smaller steps as you go up are those that get us nearer to that near as perfect sound as we can portray to ourselves (taking all the poor recordings in the world we have out of the equation of course) that we might ever get. It is a endless journey in theory unless you are already a very rich lucky guy who can just "pass go" to the top of the summit with hi-fi gear.
Bit those average Joe's by the way will most probably never aim for the flagship price that comes with the Z to start with and would go for something like the E or S Walkmans or Apple Nano's etc to start with anyway.
One of the renowned downside's to the Sony which has been one of the long overdue features Walkman users thought Sony would sometime implement was the addition of the expandable memory, which I guess everyone thought would of been the natural progression with their first android player since been standard issue for an android phone.
But that is another story of Sony's stubbornness to giving Walkman users what they have all been wanting in a Walkman feature wise.
Quote:
To paraphrase my brother, who is getting scarily into all things head-fi, the Galaxy sounds much more real than the Sony, which doesn't sound have any warmth (or life) compared to the Samsung...
Now, that leads me (and him to be fair, he asked me if the Z was faulty!) to wonder if the Z's sold in the EU are really
that crippled that Sony needed to change the sound signature, or maybe the Note is so warm and lush (and coincidentally suits us both better)...
It does make me wonder on the flip side, owning both the Z1000 and EX1000 'phones as well, they are both bright - is it just the case that this is Sony's new 'house' sound?
Either way, I am becoming disilusioned that a cellphone (with a Yamaha chip that doesn't get rated so well around here) sounds better to the both of us, for tonality, depth, and believability...
Is it possibly a case if the Samsung if anything like the Sony X we both have you have just got used to that warm type of sig so now when you listen to a more neutral or less warmer sound in comparison it does sound cold when maybe it is not?
Not that I have heard the Samsung but observing you had the X for a long time saying about the Samsung having warmth making the Z sound lifeless without warmth sound like you have just got used to a particular sig which you like.
To me the X was an exception of a player that come along which Sony had not done before with the SQ which I fell in love with, but to me the Z has refined that sound on the X but it has a sig that has gone back to been a bit more neutral, maybe a bit more clinical but tonality wise I would say it is a bit more spot on with the Z to the X, even though I can not comment on the Samsung of course.
I also have the MDR-Z1000's also and when I got the Z1070 Walkman that pair certainly sounded almost a non coloured presentation, very clean sound and I have had the sensitive treble issue with the MDR-Z's that some others have had but I find it only happens with certain track's which to me might show how revealing the Z cans can be bearing in mind they where aimed at studio use. I would say they only sound bright when the treble issue occurs but other than that I would say compared to the likes of the warm X the Z with the MDR-Z's are clean and balanced with neither mids, bass or top end dominating more than the other.
The bass range is definitely a tad light on the low end with the MDR-Z's I would say and does not extend far enough which is the sig of these cans to me from any source I pair it with so is not due to the Z1070 thankfully.
I did though when I was accidentally playing around with the EQ for a pair of cheap Shure iems I had (SE215's) which I had to wear for a day out as my customs where in for refit had to EQ them as they where so bad to listen to (I am the last person to usually use EQ with my music) but I forgot I had left the EQ setting on and couple of days later when I put the MDR-Z's on with the walkman with the bass up a couple notches with a slight hump on the mid range with the EQ (as the Shures where flat and sterile to say the least) the MDR-Z's turned into a fun beast with the drivers going really low at will.
Not saying I well listen to the Z cans with EQ in future as with top notch quality recordings they are very easy to listen to and reproduce the tonality and detail in instruments/vocals very well and gives a non coloured presentation despite the bass been a tad shy on these low end.
I know we all different sources etc but remember reading the EX1000's you have from some on that thread found them to be bit bright, so taking into account across the board with the A,X, Z series Walkmans differentiating in sig, the MDR-Z1000, EX1000 and the new range of ba's Sony have just introduced if Jeremypsp saying that they sound dark makes it a mystery which way Sony are going direction wise with signatures varying it seems through the range, is there a Sony house sound currently i wonder? hmmm......
But when I got my JH16's back from a refit and I put this with the Z1070 to listen to this is very addictive and this Walkman is certainly not cold or bright, but yet not as warm as the X. It has rich, velvet layering and is more open sounding to the X with a more control on the lower bass notes which the JH16's lover to go to which is down to the amp in the Z having more power and authority than the X Walkman.
I will listen now and again to the MDR-Z's with my Z1070 at home as they are a nice pairing still as if they where designed by Sony at the same time to be a marriage, but now I have the JH16's back it is a different ball game listening to these with the Z1070 and at the moment is very addictive to listen to.
I am happy with the new Z SQ, which is an improvement over the X, but is more a case of refinement in improving the seperation, soundstage, and control to a degree with a different sig to boot, so it is a jump from the X but not a big as jump as I was contemplating it might of been, not enough that I am actually still listening to my X and Z and enjoying both still which to me is a compliment to the X also but at the same time still glad I got the addition of the Z1070 (glad it was the Jap model despite album art issues).
So Duncan, the Samsung worth checking out then, similar sig to the X?
