[Mython]

 
Quote:

Hey could anyone here give an estimate of when this is likely to get released in the UK? As I don't want to risk importing incase it breaks 
thanks

I suggest you contact AMP3.co.uk, since they seem to have a preferential relationship with Sony (they are the only UK retailer Sony have allowed to retail the NWZ-A867 64gb)

 

[Mython]

Quote:

Anyone knows what DAC & OP AMP is inside these things??

Admittedly, I don't know for certain, but I very much expect that Sony will be using proprietary chips for this player. They've decades of experience in DAC ICs, at the very least.
Still, I'm always eager to learn, so if someone wishes to pop the back of their player, I'll be as interested as you to see some photos! 

 

[ArcKade]

Weird, thats actually a little more than they quoted me. Where did you find it for sale? 

 

[se7en]

Have you tried running poweramp on these? It's a great alternative player for android devices

 

[logwed]

.
 
 

 

[kiteki]

Quote:

Hello headfiers! Well I would like to start by saying I've lurked around here for a while. Everytime I decide to buy new audio related gear I do a little research online and this site has been of great help to me. Well I think it's time to give something back to this comunity, by doing a little review of a new player I just bought. So here it is:
 

 
I opted for the 64 GB version, black color...
The black bezel is actually made of metal, probably aluminum, it feels solid and sturdy.
The touchscreen is made of glass, don't know if it's gorilla glass but it seems strong.
 

 
The back of the unit is blue, build quality seems good, but no removable cover, so the battery is not user replaceable.
 
 

 
Here you can see the HDMI port, the W walkman button with wich you can instantly access playback controls.
 
 

 
The bottom of the unit, with the headphone jack, the walkman proprietary connector, and a slot for adding a handstrap.
 

 
The headphones that came with it are pretty good, they have inbuilt noise cancelling, but i replaced them with my own set.
 
 

My "semi portable" setup! LOL
 
The user interface is pretty standard Android gingerbread fare, albeit a very smooth one thanks to the Tegra 2 chip i think. There are some sony branded stuff as expected, such as W.Music, Video Player, and Sony Music App, but no major change to the Android experience.
 
Now for the most important part, and what actually inspired me to come out from the lurking shadows to post this: the sound quality!
 
Owning an iPad 2 and having owned a iPod touch 4G, I can safely say that these devices don't come close to the SQ put out by this little gem. It's emotional, detailed and a pure joy to listen to. It's really the best SQ I've heard in a portable device. Even better than my old Walkman A855, wich was my portable source up until now. The headphone out jack is pretty good for those times when i need more portability, better than my iPad with an external amp in my opinion. But plug in an external amp through a LOD and it really shines! Hearing some of my old tunes I can hear details I didn't know were there. It's amazing really!
 
I did some side by side comparisons with my iPad 2, all effects turned off. There was no doubt, the Walkman was the clear winner. Now don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Apple or it's products, for instance I think nothing beats the iPad 2 for web browsing and watching videos, but nothing beats the walkman for music.
 
 

good review.
 

 

[underhysteria]

i was thinking of upgrading my cowon j3 to the sony due to its bigger screen + better built.. but the lack of flac support is a real bummer. 3/4 of my songs are in flac and i cant be bothered to convert all of them arghh.

 

[Sorensiim]

I'd really love it if the OP would try one of these apps:
 
Poweramp
 
Winamp

 

[ArcKade]

Quote:

I'd really love it if the OP would try one of these apps:
 
Poweramp
 
Winamp

I'll be getting mine mid-next week, so if the OP doesn't, I promise I will! 

 

[Szadzik]

 
Quote:

i was thinking of upgrading my cowon j3 to the sony due to its bigger screen + better built.. but the lack of flac support is a real bummer. 3/4 of my songs are in flac and i cant be bothered to convert all of them arghh.

This is an Android device. You can install loads of different players that support whatever format you want them to support.

 

[Sorensiim]

Quote:

I'll be getting mine mid-next week, so if the OP doesn't, I promise I will! 

Sweet, thanks mate!
 
I have a Synology NAS at home which among many other things does audio streaming, including FLAC support. There's a pretty nice Android app for it, so as long as I'm within Wifi coverage, I would have all my music with me. 

 

[cooperpwc]

Quote:

good review.

Please spare us quoting the entire review for a two word reply. Thanks. Merci. Gracias. 谢谢。 

 

[logwed]

Quote:

Please spare us quoting the entire review for a two word reply. Thanks. Merci. Gracias. 谢谢。 

 
His post was more on topic than yours... And mine.
 

 

[leonlightning]

Why not waiting for the white edition? The white edition is limited edition, will be sold on January.

 

[Bokyung]

Quote:

Why not waiting for the white edition? The white edition is limited edition, will be sold on January.

Maybe he didn't want to wait?