[doomlordis]

Ok had it for a couple of weeks now , these are my thoughts on it.

Build Quality

Fine, feels solid, the plastic is very hard and i think it will hold up fine.

Ease of Use

The best Sony has come up with so far, an idiot could work this out in 5 minutes. Love the fact that hitting options then play/select will take you back to now playing screen from anywhere.
Honestly i find this much easier than my ipod nano to navigate, the left/right jump through letters is perfect.

Features

FM Radio, Video , various sound options , BUT NO ON THE FLY PLAYLISTING!!
Seriously that is a big mistake, i cant understand why the old bookmarks system isnt implemented.
Overall the S618F is just OK for features.

Sound Quality

Wow, this player has more attack and drive than ANY other portable DAP/MD/CD i have ever heard, it almost makes tracks sound as if they are playing too fast (i checked it isnt!).
Bass is smmmooooth , treble is a little too far forward imo but overall this player sounds really good, better than the D2 i had.
It especially likes fast indie rock.
My MZ-E10 playing SP discs is still my favourite source though.
Oh radio sound quality is also excellent with lots of bass and great reception.

Software

I used WM11 and Drag and drop , WM11 was hitch free but drag and drop didnt always pick up album art.
Overall and improvement over Sonicstage IMO.

Overall a great little player , video should be limited to family guy/south park maybe some peep show but for sound quality this is an A+ product.

I got it for £50 new so i cant really complain.

Next to my baby :

 

[shigzeo]

glad you like it! i wish i drag and drop with mine, but non to be had - but i got recording!

 

[novasol]

Does sound quality differ from the previous s61x and a81x series?

 

[pank2002]

That is a great price! Where did you pick that up?

I have got an A808 and a A818 on order. I will be fun to see how they differ. Before having tried them, I am having the highest expectations to the A808 since it got ratings, OTG playlist and gapless . . . and SonicStage

-Rasmus

 

[soozieq]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pank2002 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have got an A808 and a A818 on order. I will be fun to see how they differ.

They shouldn't differ at all. They're exactly the same unit, 808 with SS/Atrac - and 818 with drag and drop. Sony bought out the 818 (which they referred to as the 'drag and drop' version of the 808) a few months after the 808 when they realised most people wanted drag and drop. People who'd just bought the 808 were really peeved because Sony didn't let on they were releasing it so soon afterwards! If they'd known, a lot of them would have waited. But that's Sony for you.

I'm more curious to see if the new 82x sounds any different.

 

[pank2002]

A808 has a couple of features that A818 is missing. That is rating, OTG playlist and gapless (maybe only ATRAC?), as stated above.

According to Generation MP3 the SQ of the A820 is a slight step down. I would take the A8** series due to the smaller size.

 

[soozieq]

Quote:

Originally Posted by pank2002 /img/forum/go_quote.gif A808 has a couple of features that A818 is missing. That is rating, OTG playlist and gapless (maybe only ATRAC?), as stated above. According to Generation MP3 the SQ of the A820 is a slight step down. I would take the A8** series due to the smaller size.

I meant the hardware is identical, only the software is different. If they could have just combined the 2 units, they would have been perfect. As it is, each unit has features the other one lacks. Gapless is only available with Atrac, and I think ratings etc are linked to SS.

The only advantage the 818 has (as an 808 user) is the drag and drop facility.

I'm surprised that the 82x is considered a step down in sq. I wonder why? Most of the Sony daps have just been getting better and better, so I'd have assumed the next version would have been even better. Hmmmm, we'll see.

 

[pank2002]

That is of course my interpretation of generationsmp3s review. They were definitely not as fond of the A82* as the previous generation. Regarding sound they pointed out that the materials had changed, and some shell-parts were made of plastic. It sure looks good on images, though. Only time will tell

 

[novasol]

NM, wrong post