[DaGreatAzn]

Hi Everyone,

After much research, I am seriously conflicted as to which Sony MP3 player I should get. I originally planned to either get the S638 or S738, but when I looked at this week's Circuit City ad.........now I gotta reconsider. Circuit City is has a Sony A810 on sale for US $80! I haven't done a whole lot of research on the A810 and I was wondering how is the sound quality compared to the S638 and S738. If the difference in sound quality is minor, I think I'm gonna go for the A810. If there is a huge difference in sound quality, I think I will either go for the S638 or S738.

On a separate note: I heard that the sound quality of S638 is actually better than that of the S738, is that true?

 

[Meta-Fi]

akaik the A810 sounds great but is a notch below the S639 for SQ because it has a more noticable hiss.
As far as the S738 there are some threads in this forum that clarify their differences. Either way you go I doubt you'll be disappointed, Sony is pretty well loved for SQ.

 

[walkingman]

The A81x is pretty damn good, but the hiss is sometimes unbearable. I haven't receive my S639 yet (more than a week now, I think it is lost in post) but it is said that the hiss is much less.

The S73x series is the same as the S63x, but has noise cancelling feature and brush metal finish.

 

[DaGreatAzn]

Do you notice the hiss when music is playing? Or is the hiss only noticeable when music isn"t playing?

 

[Fungi]

I notice it even when music is playing, on SA6 and OK3. Not so much on ESW9. You can forget about it after a while, unless you're serious serious listening (which isn't what I use mine for).

 

[DaGreatAzn]

wow, it sucks that you can hear it while music is playing.....

on a sidenote: how are the ok3s compared to the pk3? and how do they compare with the SA6? XD

 

[walkingman]

It is noticeable on my CX 95 and e2c in low volume sections. Most of the time I don't really care as I use it mainly while commuting, what with ambient noise and all.

 

[Fungi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaGreatAzn /img/forum/go_quote.gif wow, it sucks that you can hear it while music is playing..... on a sidenote: how are the ok3s compared to the pk3? and how do they compare with the SA6? XD

I gave my PK3 to a family member, but from what I remember the PK3 has a more bassy sound, but OK3 is very clear. I usually bump up clearbass 1 or 2 with them.
And I feel the OK3 is more spacious sounding than the SA6, but I haven't compared since they're both for specific applications.

 

[DaGreatAzn]

If the difference between the A818 and the S630 is just the hiss, I'm tempted to go this on black friday. Is there anything else that the S630 offers that the A818 doesn't offer? And how does the A818 compare to newer A8XX models?

 

[walkingman]

The S630 has FM radio, podcast support, SenseMe auto play-list (probably just a gimmick), the ability to play DRM WMV files (e.g. BBC iPlayer), themes and better battery life.

 

[4saken]

SenseMe actually works quite nicely from my experience (though I don't use it). Nothing is perfect.

I got my S639 yesterday. Still waiting on earphones but the stock canalphones are alright for now.

 

[DaGreatAzn]

Can anyone compare the A818 and the newer A8XX models? And can anyone confirm that the only difference between the A818 and the S630 is just the hiss?

 

[madwolfa]

I've got a 828... I can't hear ANY hiss all you guys are talking about here... actually comparing to my dedicated Musical Fidelity/Sennheiser HD-600 setup, it sounds quiet nice. Maybe it's because I'm not using any kind of gimmicks like EQ/sound enhancers/etc? I've even put everything to 0 in DAC service setting.

 

[abitdeef]

Quote:

Originally Posted by madwolfa /img/forum/go_quote.gif I've got a 828... I can't hear ANY hiss all you guys are talking about here... actually comparing to my dedicated Musical Fidelity/Sennheiser HD-600 setup, it sounds quiet nice. Maybe it's because I'm not using any kind of gimmicks like EQ/sound enhancers/etc? I've even put everything to 0 in DAC service setting.

Only on sensitive iems , UM2, shure e530 ect.

 

[Milk and Coffee]

Yeah, the 828 hisses like hell with TF10 or comparable IEM while the 638 does not!