Sony Announced NWZ-A820 series.....finally 16GB Sony DAP's
May 10, 2008 at 6:39 PM Post #376 of 477
Quote:

Originally Posted by moseboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Originally, I hadn't even thought about getting any of the A820 players because I didn't think I'd ever utilize the BlueTooth feature. But the more I hear about what happened to the Samsung YP-P2, the more I'm considering getting the A829. What are the chances that Sony will eventually release a firmware update like the "Blue Wave" update for the P2 that allows for more BlueTooth functionality?

Also, for anyone who has tried both, how does the P2 compare to the A720/A820 in terms of sound quality and as a player overall?



Hi there, could you elaborate on what happened to the3 samsung yp-p2? I'm currently trialing a selection of daps, including this and the sony, and so am intrigued! Cheers.
 
May 10, 2008 at 7:04 PM Post #377 of 477
Quote:

Originally Posted by moseboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif
As far as the screen, I wasn't as worried about the color depth as I was about the contrast ratio. I mean, we're dealing with a 2.4 inch screen with a 320 x 240 resolution: Of course you're not going to get as much detail as a dedicated PMP with a higher resolution screen. But if the Sony is unable to reproduce a dark shade that's at least close to black, I will be quite disappointed.


I suggest you buy it from BestBuy and see if you like it or not. You can always return it within 30 days without re-stocking fee.
 
May 10, 2008 at 7:57 PM Post #378 of 477
There's a new review that popped up on AnythingbutIpod.

Sony A820 Review

I am a bit puzzled by the reviewer's comments in the sound quality section, where he states that he feels combined with very high end earphones (such as the Shure 530) it sounds 'processed'. But that that is not the case with lower-end/mid level earphones. What gives? I think it sounds amazing with my mid level C551's, as well as with my 'high-end' Sleek SA6's....
rolleyes.gif
In fact, it easily bests any other player I've listened to (non-amped), including: Kenwood HD10GB7, Trekstor Vibez, Cowon D2 & I7.
 
May 10, 2008 at 9:39 PM Post #379 of 477
Quote:

Originally Posted by cn11 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
There's a new review that popped up on AnythingbutIpod.

Sony A820 Review

I am a bit puzzled by the reviewer's comments in the sound quality section, where he states that he feels combined with very high end earphones (such as the Shure 530) it sounds 'processed'. But that that is not the case with lower-end/mid level earphones. What gives? I think it sounds amazing with my mid level C551's, as well as with my 'high-end' Sleek SA6's....
rolleyes.gif
In fact, it easily bests any other player I've listened to (non-amped), including: Kenwood HD10GB7, Trekstor Vibez, Cowon D2 & I7.



It´s very subjective imo but the SE530 are a little on the dark side creating a more encompassing and fuller sound. That´s what the latest Sony offerings do themselves. Hence you end up with too much "processing".
I´d go for more neutral IEMs in conjunction with the 820 series.
 
May 11, 2008 at 12:10 AM Post #380 of 477
Quote:

Originally Posted by ceres /img/forum/go_quote.gif
It´s very subjective imo but the SE530 are a little on the dark side creating a more encompassing and fuller sound. That´s what the latest Sony offerings do themselves. Hence you end up with too much "processing".
I´d go for more neutral IEMs in conjunction with the 820 series.



confused.gif
Uh, I have SE530s. So now I should question whether or not I should get any of the new Sony players at all??

Can anyone that owns the A720/A820 and listens to it using SE530s/E500s elaborate on this please?
 
May 11, 2008 at 12:54 PM Post #381 of 477
Quote:

Originally Posted by moseboy /img/forum/go_quote.gif
confused.gif
Uh, I have SE530s. So now I should question whether or not I should get any of the new Sony players at all??

Can anyone that owns the A720/A820 and listens to it using SE530s/E530s elaborate on this please?



I own the SE530 and the Sony A820. Personally i think if you want the best sound QUALITY from you're music, this is it. The sony with the se530 produces a wide soundstage, where every single sound can be singled out from even the most noisiest and complex music. Music just sounds BIG, like you are listening to high quality speakers rather than earphones. and there is no distortion ever, even if the bass eq is turned up to max. also, i could listen to this combo in my ears all day and have zero fatigue. I honestly cannot see how this sounded 'processed' to the reviewer. and saying having lower end earphones fix that problem? that makes no sense to me.

Now ill talk about the signature of the combo. I like my highs high, my lows low and my mids powerful. i want to be able to listen to a track and not have either the highs, lows or mids overpower each other, because when that happens, i find myself concentrating on the dominant one and losing out on how good the overall listening experience can be. I have found that for my ears to achieve this i have to use the sonys equaliser. i have the bass at +1 and the 16khz at +2. everything in the middle is kept on 0 as it is perfect. I am happy to say that when equalizer settings are changed it does not effect the sound quality AT ALL. If i can sum up the whole listening experience with this setting in a few words, it would be POWERFULL and ENGAGING. ill break it down for you.

firstly, the bass. what you are getting is hard, punchy bass. Its basically lots of bass but delivered in short hard bursts. when you listen to a song, every bass drum hit will be heard, and because of the quality of these two devices, it will be FELT. whenever there is a bass drum hit, you feel it. it feels like a short burst of air in your skull. but of course it isn't.

The mids with this combo are absolutely perfect. voices sound like someone has just come over to you and started singing to you. you will not be able to tell this is coming from an electrical device. guitars sound powerful and snare drums hit tight and hard and cut right through the music. Overall it is neither dark or bright, just perfectly balanced in the middle.

The highs ie cymbals also cut right through music without taking anything away from what else is going on. crash cymbals are loud and shimmery, high hats and ride cymbals are tiny little noises yet are heard without trying to listen out for them. like i said, every single noise will be heard without even concentrating.

So there you have it. Quality wise, 10/10. Signature wise, with help from the fantastic eq, 10/10.

Hope this helps, and one more note. as we all know everyone has different tastes. This player i can strongly recommend for people like me who like that powerful and engaging sound that is perfect for rock, metal, pop and r&b.
 
May 11, 2008 at 2:22 PM Post #382 of 477
Speaking of a82x audio quality:

I'm not an audiophile at all, because of lack of "sound sensitivity" and time to practice this hobby, although I played acoustic guitar an drums for a short time and listen to a lot of music.

What I found is that with standard earphones it sounds just perfect. Then I've connected it to low-end logitech 2+1 speakers I use on my tv, and it felt like mids were kida cut out of the sound range, but slighly tweaking the eq did an excellent job for voice, and made the sound warmer, just perfect. Even on these cheap speakers with wooden subwoofer I found the basses were amazing: the bass and the drums sounded just like they were in front of me, you can feel every single hit or note. I haven't tried to connect the walkman to my hi-fi marantz system, (need to get a cable) so I can't tell how will sound. I'll need to make my own line out cable for that, too.
 
May 11, 2008 at 3:43 PM Post #383 of 477
Where is the cheapest place you can get the 16GB non-BT version online?
 
May 11, 2008 at 8:59 PM Post #384 of 477
Thank you very much for writing that, breezy_amar. I feel a lot better about the new Sony mp3 players again.
smily_headphones1.gif


Is there anyone else who also thinks the A720/A820 sounds processed with Shure SE530s/E500s?
 
May 11, 2008 at 11:44 PM Post #385 of 477
Great post!

Just ordered the A829 and a pair of Etymotic er6i.

Will be my first Sony DAP and IEMs... can't wait to get it
biggrin.gif
 
May 12, 2008 at 4:13 AM Post #387 of 477
Quote:

Originally Posted by esbenm /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Great post!

Just ordered the A829 and a pair of Etymotic er6i.

Will be my first Sony DAP and IEMs... can't wait to get it
biggrin.gif



Should be an awesome pairing. I love my Etys with my Sony 818. Best portable audio IMO.
 
May 12, 2008 at 7:13 AM Post #388 of 477
Quote:

Originally Posted by breezy_amar /img/forum/go_quote.gif
I own the SE530 and the Sony A820. Personally i think if you want the best sound QUALITY from you're music, this is it.


So do you use WAV, rather than any lossy format? Seems there would be noticeable (irritating) difference between the two, regardless to any set bit-rate.
 
May 12, 2008 at 11:15 AM Post #389 of 477
Quote:

Originally Posted by RedSky0 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Oh 32gb Sony Walkman, how I crave for thee ...


That would be nice but TBH I have about 40GB of music and currently own a 4GB DAP. If you set up some clever playlists and filter out weak album songs using star ratings, you can fit quite a lot of music into little space (talking about Lame V2 encoded mp3s here).

When I get the A829 I will have 16GB, in essence I will be able to carry all my often played music with me. Most of my other stuff is pretty occasional, it’s not THAT often I get the need to listen to Coltrane or The Beatles complete albums on the bus :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkninja67 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
Should be an awesome pairing. I love my Etys with my Sony 818. Best portable audio IMO.


Yes I am pretty excited to see if I will hear an improvement over my current gear! The new DAP+IEMs cost me a small fortune so I have high expectations.
 
May 12, 2008 at 4:02 PM Post #390 of 477
Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron5604 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
So do you use WAV, rather than any lossy format? Seems there would be noticeable (irritating) difference between the two, regardless to any set bit-rate.


I use both WAV and MP3 on my sony. i think its the same as any other portable player, as in you will be able to notice a difference between 128kbps and WAV, especially in the high frequencies, but when you have 320kbps rip, you will not be able to notice a loss in quality.

I try to use WAV whenever i can (ie if i own the original CD) because not only is it the best quality you can get but it will also play gapless.
 

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