[turokrocks]

 
Quote:

 


Yeah, I know that's the only thing I don't like in Media Go :/
 
 
I've got 2 questions:
 
1. Is ATRAC3plus really better than, i.e. AAC 256 kbps? I can see some ATRAC advantage over AAC, but in reality how does it work out?
 
2. Does anyone tried to pair new Sony XBA-3SL with Walkman Z-series?
 

I do not have AAC files and never intend to, so can't help you here, but to my ears atracplus 352 sounds 98% similar to falc.
I preferred the Sony EX1000 to XBA4, but it was less an hour comparison.
 

 

[ch1n4]

Quote:

 

The SONY Z-1070 spits the J3 in SQ, believe me, I got enough time with both to tell you that the Sony Z sounds wonderful with atrac 352 or atrac lossless, and even surprises me sometimes. I pre-ordered the Ibasso DX100. If you want my advice, SQ wise, go with either 1-DX100 2-Sony Z ..... IF you are looking for apps games and .......not me to advise you....enjoy music
 

 
Wow, you have both, lucky man
do you only use the Sony without LOD and amp? I read somewhere that the sony has no true line-out.... How is the sound quality of the Sony compared to the Ibasso DX100?
 
 
 

 

[uelover]

Quote:

 
Wow, you have both, lucky man
do you only use the Sony without LOD and amp? I read somewhere that the sony has no true line-out.... How is the sound quality of the Sony compared to the Ibasso DX100?

Sony Z-series walkman would not be able to compete with the DX100 in terms of SQ. Not even close.
 
What the Z-series walkman does better is in the area of form factor, aesthetic, battery life, and cost.
 
Both the Z-series and DX100 employ Android 2.3 so whatever you could do on one (in terms of software), you could also on the other.
 

 

[bizkit]

Quote:

Sony Z-series walkman would not be able to compete with the DX100 in terms of SQ. Not even close.
 
What the Z-series walkman does better is in the area of form factor, aesthetic, battery life, and cost.
 
Both the Z-series and DX100 employ Android 2.3 so whatever you could do on one (in terms of software), you could also on the other.
 

Are you sure about that? I haven't had a chance to A/B them yet, as my DX100 is still on order, so I'm not going to make a decision as to which is better based on hardware specs. The funny thing about digital HiFi is that, unlike analog audio, the specs don't tell the whole story. It's all about the what a manufacturer does with those 1's and 0's. Yes, the DX100 is better amped, but that is possibly a moot point with the more common easy to drive mid-fi IEMs that are used in most portable setups. I guess my question is..... Is your theoretical comparison between the two based in the world of $500+ iem Head-Fi that few of us dabble in, or the $150 to $300 realm where most reasonable people live?

 

[AnakChan]

Some DX100s made it to Japan and managed to test both. As quoted to me, the DX100 sounded "better". However due to language barriers, I wasn't able to get information of how it was "better". When my wife is free, I may ask her to compose a message in Japanese and ask her to translate the response back into English for me.

 

[uelover]

 
Quote:

Some DX100s made it to Japan and managed to test both. As quoted to me, the DX100 sounded "better". However due to language barriers, I wasn't able to get information of how it was "better". When my wife is free, I may ask her to compose a message in Japanese and ask her to translate the response back into English for me.

翻訳しますよ

 

 

[varyV]

Damn the DX100 is expensive. At the price point, it'd better be better than the Sony. Else, I'd be pissed if I owned one. Looks pretty, though. Prospective buyers have more of a choice in the premium DAP range now.

 

[AnakChan]

Well to be fair, the target market of the iBasso DX100 and the Sony NW-Z series could potentially be quite different as mentioned here previously. The DX100 seem pretty much targeted towards audiophiles who carry around the likes of Hifiman & Colorfly, etc. Whereas the Z series is more the the general music enthusiasts. That's quite clearly demonstrated here, walking around Tokyo. Most electronic department stores will have the Sony Z series.
 
However having said that, that's not to say some aspects these two DAPs may not overlap. e.g. the SQ of the Z series is very good. I've demo-ed many myself in the stores. The DX100 is reputed to be good too (which hopefully I'll get mine when they deliver in mid March). Some other Japanese members here (e.g. 4ck for example) have got the early release DX100 last month.
 
However there are other areas where the DX100 can do where the Z series would struggle - e.g. hard to drive headphones like some of the Hifimans, or Senn HD-800, or even the LCD-3. But for the majority of audio enthusiasts with some IEM or easy-to-drive headphones, the Z series would do really well for them.

 

[turokrocks]

Quote:

 
Wow, you have both, lucky man
do you only use the Sony without LOD and amp? I read somewhere that the sony has no true line-out.... How is the sound quality of the Sony compared to the Ibasso DX100?
 
 
 

You have to wait my friend, for either my Fiio LOD, nor my other DIY WM-PORT LOD arrived, I will test it with my TTVJ slim and I think they will play nicely.
 
 

 

[turokrocks]

 
Quote:

Are you sure about that? I haven't had a chance to A/B them yet, as my DX100 is still on order, so I'm not going to make a decision as to which is better based on hardware specs. The funny thing about digital HiFi is that, unlike analog audio, the specs don't tell the whole story. It's all about the what a manufacturer does with those 1's and 0's. Yes, the DX100 is better amped, but that is possibly a moot point with the more common easy to drive mid-fi IEMs that are used in most portable setups. I guess my question is..... Is your theoretical comparison between the two based in the world of $500+ iem Head-Fi that few of us dabble in, or the $150 to $300 realm where most reasonable people live?

For IEM, the SONY Z is the best I have tested, and cant wait to test it with my TTVJ slim (tube sound). Even if the DX100 blew me with its SQ, I think I would still prefer to take my SONY outside for a walk or shopping...
Time will prove me right or wrong.
One note, my Galaxy note trashes the SONY's LCD, OLED is so beautiful, that my SONY looks dull, white shaded and just ugly , while the colors in the galaxy jumps on to you, and it consumes less energy as when using black,the pixels are turned off, and it does not use back-light.....
 
 

 

[varyV]

Can anyone who owns the Z1000 comment on its ability to drive the Hifiman IEMs (re262/272)? They're kinda hard to drive, even with the cowon J3...would be interesting to see how powerful the Z1000s headphone out is.

 

[turokrocks]

Quote:

Sony Z-series walkman would not be able to compete with the DX100 in terms of SQ. Not even close.
 
What the Z-series walkman does better is in the area of form factor, aesthetic, battery life, and cost.
 
Both the Z-series and DX100 employ Android 2.3 so whatever you could do on one (in terms of software), you could also on the other.
 

 
Siding with the enemy!!!????

, the DX100 processor is slower than the SONY's....

 

[johnston21]

Anyone found an English User Manual .pdf  ? SONY UK has an HTML version. Worst case I'll create one using print-to-Adobe.
 
SONY UK does have a .pdf Quick Start Guide posted.
 
And I'm not sure why, but they have an old (July 2008) version of SonicStage posted under the 1060's Downloads. ???

 

[bizkit]

Quote:

Well to be fair, the target market of the iBasso DX100 and the Sony NW-Z series could potentially be quite different as mentioned here previously. The DX100 seem pretty much targeted towards audiophiles who carry around the likes of Hifiman & Colorfly, etc. Whereas the Z series is more the the general music enthusiasts. That's quite clearly demonstrated here, walking around Tokyo. Most electronic department stores will have the Sony Z series.
 
However having said that, that's not to say some aspects these two DAPs may not overlap. e.g. the SQ of the Z series is very good. I've demo-ed many myself in the stores. The DX100 is reputed to be good too (which hopefully I'll get mine when they deliver in mid March). Some other Japanese members here (e.g. 4ck for example) have got the early release DX100 last month.
 
However there are other areas where the DX100 can do where the Z series would struggle - e.g. hard to drive headphones like some of the Hifimans, or Senn HD-800, or even the LCD-3. But for the majority of audio enthusiasts with some IEM or easy-to-drive headphones, the Z series would do really well for them.

 
That's exactly what I was trying to get at; they're aimed at two different markets. The Z is a mass market product that has all the bells and whistles you'd expect from a major manufacturer, yet still manages to have surprisingly good sound quality and an acceptable price point. I purchased the Sony without any preconceptions that it would be in the same ball park has my 801 or that it would become my daily rig once I threw an amp in the mix. Although I have a DX on order, I truthfully find portable pinnacle-fi to be a rather pointless and expensive endeavor. As cool as the concept may be, it would still trumped a well put together $500 desktop setup when it comes to full sized cans.
 
 

 

[Catastrophe]

I just got the Z to replace my broken old Sony NW HD5, everything is good except one thing...the battery life. I charged it to 99% battery on the night before, only listened to about 2 hours of MP3 on it and the battery is now at 33%...this is pretty ridiculous since I've made sure to turn it off when not in use and didn't DL or use any additional apps. Is the battery reader accurate?
 
Also, is it worth getting Poweramp? Would the Sony VPT, EQ and other settings work with Poweramp? I didn't notice much with settings other than EQ and VPT though. I'm using Kilpsch S4, should i be using better earphones to get the most out of this player?