[sanity8me]

so i recently returned my Zune 80 for the Sony A818.. pretty big change i know but i didn't like the build qualiy (although it is better than most other DAPs), it's size, and realized i didn't need that much space on the go.. my old sony vaio pocket 40gb still comes in handy for those long trips when i may need the majority of my collection.. although a 16gb version of the A81X would be super.

those aren't the only reason why i returned the Zune 80.. even more important, i got really bored with it really quickly.. it was too simple for me especially in the sound department.. the SQ was really nice and clean.. ridiculously clean actually.. but it got boring after a while.. even my Sony S205f had a more "fun" sound.. which by the way has a customizable EQ setting as opposed to all the zunes and a majority of the players out there.. something that i feel sony isn't given enough credit for.

so i had my A818 for a couple of days now and i can easily say that without a doubt it is the best sounding DAP i have ever heard.. it's also very easy to use and the best navigation i ever experienced.. i don't even really miss the video quality of the zune.. 320x240 is more than enough for me, especially when watching small clips or music videos. (btw, not sure if this was a defect or if there is a similar problem for the flash zunes, but the zune actually froze up for a second or two during +2min videos quite often. i have no such problems with the A818)

moving on to the EQ settings. i played around for quite some time before i realized my favorite setting, which may be a surprise to some.

settings i used while testing different EQ settings:
VPT (Surround): OFF
DSEE (Sound Enhancer): ON
Clear Stereo: ON (w/o ext. cord)
Headphones: Westone ES2 and AT A900
Ears: MINE

-i first tried out basman's EQ setting which he told me about in another post:

(left to right)
clear bass:+3
0.4KHz: -2
1.0kHz: -1
2.5kHz: -1
6.3kHz: +1
16kHz: +2

(really nice, especially with electronic bass heavy music)

-so i came up with this setting that is kind of similar to basman's but allowed me to enjoy powerful bass along with clearer/louder vocals:

clear bass:+3
0.4KHz: -1
1.0kHz: 0
2.5kHz: 0
6.3kHz: +1
16kHz: +2

-then i started playing around some more and realized i kept coming back to turning off the EQ under the "none" setting (which is completely flat and no clear bass) due to the fact that it sounded much "cleaner" then any other EQ setting. the only problem was that it sounded too piercing and not enough bass for me so i came up with this one:

clear bass: +2
0.4KHz: 0
1.0kHz: 0
2.5kHz: 0
6.3kHz: 0
16kHz: 0

(just as clean as having no custom EQ, but now the sound isn't as piercing and i have the perfect amount of bass.. quantity and quality wise.. so i'm now more than stoked with this setting)

what settings are you using on your A818 if it all? and don't forget to mention your VPT, DSEE, and Clear Stereo settings along with the headphones you used.

 

[basman]

Glad to hear you appreciate my setting, but that is intended for basshead like me. Good thing with Sony is their EQ is very effective compared to other DAP, it can tailored the sounds you prefer, try hooking also to amp and compare to others, you will notice that hard end bucks is well spent!

 

[DKaz]

I too kept turning the EQ off. I settled for this configuration though when I do use it:

(left to right)
clear bass:+1
0.4KHz: 0
1.0kHz: 0
2.5kHz: +1
6.3kHz: 0
16kHz: 0

VPT (Surround): OFF
DSEE (Sound Enhancer): ON
Clear Stereo: ON (w/o ext. cord)

 

[sigsegv0x0B]

Totally flat for me

But I might not be worthy cause I use the S616

 

[tstarn06]

New Zune80 owner here, and not sure what getting bored with a DAP means. I have a Creative ZVM, which offers pretty good SQ and a customizable EQ, and the Zune, which has a lot more space (30GB v. 80GB), and offers, as you say, a very simple use prop. With all the complexity in other aspects of life, I guess having a DAP that makes it all pretty simple is welcomed to me. Not that I wouldn't add a Sony DAP to my collection at some point ( as a replacement for the Zen V?), but I guess I like the simplicity, rather than find it boring. Again, if I sell both my ZVM and Z, the cash could pay for an A818. I think that's the way I'll go, based on your recommendation. But the Zune won't be going anywhere soon. To me, it's good to have two DAPs, one for on the go, and one for serious long-term listening (traveling for example).

 

[Mr. Tadashi]

I had just tried these settings listed by sanity8me, with my Ety ER4-P and so far I found it to be the right setting for me.(I plan on sticking with these settings but I got to spend more time listening to them.)

VPT (Surround): OFF
DSEE (Sound Enhancer): ON
Clear Stereo: ON (w/o ext. cord)

clear bass: +2
0.4KHz: 0
1.0kHz: 0
2.5kHz: 0
6.3kHz: 0
16kHz: 0

 

[soozieq]

For all instrumental I use just CB +1 (everything else flat)

And for all non-instrumental I don't use the equalizer at all with my current heaphones. But of course it's very dependent on which ones are being used. With some headphones I had to seriously abuse the eq to make them listenable - but the Sony eq works really well so you can almost 'force' out any sound you want.

I have all effects off, but I do use the normalizer, because having done lots of side-by-side testing, I can't hear that it degrades the sound at all. If it does, it's so minute that it's negligible, and for my ears, the normalizer adds more punch and fullness, so I leave it on.

I don't bother with DSEE, I think it might help severly compressed mp3s sound better, in that it's supposed to 'add' some missing high frequencies, but I don't have any mp3s so I don't need it

The sound is so good with the right headphones that I find it needs very little tweaking.

It's a good thing you can customise the eq, because I thought the preset EQs were pretty poor, all apart from 'unique' which wasn't so bad. I think 'pop' was the worst, really hollow and weird.

 

[Surefoot]

Indeed the 'unique' preset doesnt sound too bad...
I use all flat and CB+1 while on the train (to cover the train engine noise, which is mostly bass) and on the street. If i am in a silent environment, it's set to all flat.

 

[sanity8me]

Quote:

Originally Posted by basman /img/forum/go_quote.gif Glad to hear you appreciate my setting, but that is intended for basshead like me. Good thing with Sony is their EQ is very effective compared to other DAP, it can tailored the sounds you prefer, try hooking also to amp and compare to others, you will notice that hard end bucks is well spent!

you think it's worth to get an amp?? cause i really like how ultra portable my current rig is..


Quote:

Originally Posted by sigsegv0x0B Totally flat for me But I might not be worthy cause I use the S616

whoops lol i wish i could change the title to A61X/A81X, but i don't think i have that editing ability... [FIXED]


Quote:

Originally Posted by tstarn06 New Zune80 owner here, and not sure what getting bored with a DAP means. I have a Creative ZVM, which offers pretty good SQ and a customizable EQ, and the Zune, which has a lot more space (30GB v. 80GB), and offers, as you say, a very simple use prop. With all the complexity in other aspects of life, I guess having a DAP that makes it all pretty simple is welcomed to me. Not that I wouldn't add a Sony DAP to my collection at some point ( as a replacement for the Zen V?), but I guess I like the simplicity, rather than find it boring. Again, if I sell both my ZVM and Z, the cash could pay for an A818. I think that's the way I'll go, based on your recommendation. But the Zune won't be going anywhere soon. To me, it's good to have two DAPs, one for on the go, and one for serious long-term listening (traveling for example).

you miss understood me mainly because i didn't explain myself properly.. i meant it was "simple" in the fact that i couldn't really customize it to my likings.. their weren't too many options to go with and some of the main features like "wi-fi" and "touch" i didn't even really use... the sony A818 is in fact very simple to use.. but has a plethora of customizable settings and options.. plus i found it much "easier" to use.. navigation is such a breeze.. for instance, i can easily get back to the "playing now" screen with usually no more than 2 clicks.. every other player, including the zune, was a hassle for me..

after buying the zune i realize that for the same price i can basically buy the A818 ($165) for portable use as mainly a music DAP and then get a zune 30 ($100) to store a decent majority of my collection and/or play videos.. but i'm not really sure i need the zune 30 at the moment, but who knows i may change my mind.. but i def don't think i need the zune 80 anymore.

one other thing, A818's SQ is much better than the Zune 80's.. you'll have a much more "fun" and engaging experience..

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surefoot Indeed the 'unique' preset doesnt sound too bad... I use all flat and CB+1 while on the train (to cover the train engine noise, which is mostly bass) and on the street. If i am in a silent environment, it's set to all flat.

i actually found the "unique" presets to be pretty decent and definitely much better than the other presets.. but like i said i prefer it to be flat with a +2 for Clear Bass.. that way i basically get no hiss at all, but still have phenomenal low end response

 

[RickB]

On my S616, I use the following settings:

Clear Stereo: off
Clear Bass: +2
EQ: 0 on all freqs
DSEE: off


Listening to some Mad Professor right now with my PK2s and the Sony's bass kicks ass!

Rick

Edit: updated my settings

 

[tstarn06]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sanity8me /img/forum/go_quote.gif you think it's worth to get an amp?? cause i really like how ultra portable my current rig is.. whoops lol i wish i could change the title to A61X/A81X, but i don't think i have that editing ability... [FIXED] you miss understood me mainly because i didn't explain myself properly.. i meant it was "simple" in the fact that i couldn't really customize it to my likings.. their weren't too many options to go with and some of the main features like "wi-fi" and "touch" i didn't even really use... the sony A818 is in fact very simple to use.. but has a plethora of customizable settings and options.. plus i found it much "easier" to use.. navigation is such a breeze.. for instance, i can easily get back to the "playing now" screen with usually no more than 2 clicks.. every other player, including the zune, was a hassle for me.. after buying the zune i realize that for the same price i can basically buy the A818 ($165) for portable use as mainly a music DAP and then get a zune 30 ($100) to store a decent majority of my collection and/or play videos.. but i'm not really sure i need the zune 30 at the moment, but who knows i may change my mind.. but i def don't think i need the zune 80 anymore. one other thing, A818's SQ is much better than the Zune 80's.. you'll have a much more "fun" and engaging experience.. i actually found the "unique" presets to be pretty decent and definitely much better than the other presets.. but like i said i prefer it to be flat with a +2 for Clear Bass.. that way i basically get no hiss at all, but still have phenomenal low end response

Fair enough. My Zune use is two-fold. Some portable use (mainly sitting, traveling type of portable use) with a MiniboxE+ amp, which really boosts the SQ in my view. The other use is connected to my office and home stereo systems, so I can just hit play and relax, listen, and not worry about changing CDs, etc. For the latter, I re-ripped most of the 30GB of music on my ZVM to 256VBR WMA/MP3 or higher, and now the Zune is perfect for that bi-role.

I am intrigued by the Sony A8/6 series (formerly owned a Sony Minidisc player), so I will probably sell the ZVM and Zen V and pick up a A6XX (4GB) as an ultra-portable DAP.

As for EQ and other options, I don't miss the EQ at all, since my headphones all match up really well with the Zune. I know what you mean about the "playing now" screen. Creative lets you program a button, so you can use it for the "playing now" function, which is what I did. The Zune has no such option. But I love the form/storage property of the Zune80.

 

[sinner6]

I use a Zune 80 and Sony 818 and they compliment each other very nicely. The Sony sounds more dynamic, the Zune is %100 hiss free (the Sony has considerable hiss on both my and my wifes 818) so I'd say sound is a draw depending on what you are listening to. For classical, or ambient stuff the Zune works better, for louder material the Sony will deliver a more engaging experience.

 

[tstarn06]

That's perfect information, and fits my plan. Thanks for that. Now to ebay to list my ZVM for sale.

 

[sanity8me]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sinner6 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I use a Zune 80 and Sony 818 and they compliment each other very nicely. The Sony sounds more dynamic, the Zune is %100 hiss free (the Sony has considerable hiss on both my and my wifes 818) so I'd say sound is a draw depending on what you are listening to. For classical, or ambient stuff the Zune works better, for louder material the Sony will deliver a more engaging experience.

no doubt about it the sony A818's sound is way more dynamic than the zune.. much more engaging.. although for classical and easy listening i'd have to agree that the zune did shine.. but i was listening to philip glass just the other night on the A818 and i was more than impressed.. honestly, i have really sensitive IEMs (Westone ES2 - 119 dB/mW) and on with EQ off and even +2 on Clear Bass the hiss is basically inaudible.. only when i start playing around with the EQ do i start hearing some hiss.. what EQ settings do you and your wife use?

 

[abitdeef]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RickB /img/forum/go_quote.gif On my S616, I use the following settings: Clear Stereo: off Clear Bass: +2 EQ: 0 on all freqs DSEE: off Listening to some Mad Professor right now with my PK2s and the Sony's bass kicks ass! Rick Edit: updated my settings

I want those BUDS!!

Oh my settings

DNEE- off

Clear stereo- on/with ext.

Clear bass- + 1

EQ- FLAT