[davidcotton]

Still hoping in vain for a firmware update to include audiobook and podcast support Add that and I wouldn't need to look for another mp3 player for daily use. Still at least gapless works decently well.

BTW does anyone know how to use the "language study" option? Was wondering if that had bookmark support (though I doubt it).

 

[Wiz33]

Still hoping in vain for a firmware update to include audiobook and podcast support Add that and I wouldn't need to look for another mp3 player for daily use. Still at least gapless works decently well.

BTW does anyone know how to use the "language study" option? Was wondering if that had bookmark support (though I doubt it).

Now that it's officially launched in the U.S. Send Sony support a note requesting the feature. Guess maybe audiobook and podcast are not as popular as they are in the U.S.

 

[baotrung1002]

Still hoping in vain for a firmware update to include audiobook and podcast support Add that and I wouldn't need to look for another mp3 player for daily use. Still at least gapless works decently well.

BTW does anyone know how to use the "language study" option? Was wondering if that had bookmark support (though I doubt it).

You need to transfer tracks to the [LEARNING] folder on the Walkman before using the language study function.
here the link for you
http://helpguide.sony.net/dmp/nwa30/v1/en/contents/TP0001154743.html
but it doesn't suppot bookmark.

 

[fish1050]

Sony Canada at it again!!

I noticed a couple of weeks ago Sony Canada had the NW-A35 available on the site for pre-order from gentec. I checked the site again today and it still shows available for pre-order. Out of curiosity I called gentec to get an eta on availability. I was told by the salesperson that there is no actual eta given by Sony. His best guess was at least another 4 weeks. I asked why they are posting it for pre-order with no clear eta for the NW-A35 and he said Sony told them to. Gotta love that Sony Experience!!!

 

[AxelCloris]

My A35 in black arrived yesterday and I picked it up this morning. It's currently sitting on my desk charging before the first use. Let's see how this little DAP does.

 

[fish1050]

So what gives here!

The A35 is now widely available in the United States and still no eta on availability in Canada. How hard is it to throw some units on a truck and drive them up to Vancouver. You can pre-order it online from gentec but god knows when you might actually receive it.

 

[mohdkhamsya]

Spent some time comparing the a35 with the dx80 and you know what, it really isn't that bad. Here are some notes I wrote down:

- overall clean sounding, tonally both sound similar, slightly warm
- equally detailed, balanced presentation for both
- sony missing just a little a bit of the sub-bass grunt compared to dx80, sony has a slightly more rounded mid-bass although not to the point that it bleeds through to the mids
- sony has a slight edge in terms of treble presence and sparkle
- the dx80 has a bit more air/space around the instruments making it easier to place sounds within a space, dx80 has better depth in terms of staging, similar width
- relating to the last point, the dx80 goes through busy passages more effortlessly than the a35 although the latter still does it very well and doesn't sound congested
- dx80 decay more natural, although again the sony isn't that far behind
- prat similar
- sony dead silent, dx80 has audible hiss with my customs
- love the small size and buttons

listening done with cosmic ears ce6p customs, modded philips shp9500.

I haven't decided if I'm gonna keep the a35 but I really thought that it wouldn't be that difficult a decision to make. Will continue to listen over the next few days and post updates.

 

[Wiz33]

the dx80 goes through busy passages more effortlessly than the a35 although the latter still does it very well and doesn't sound congested
- dx80 decay more natural, although again the sony isn't that far behind

Probably because the X80 has a much more powerful amp so it have a lot more reserve to draw on compare to the 35mW of the A35 (especially if your earphones are power demanding). I get the same result with my Teac HA-P50 on my power demanding XBA-Z5 but not so much with the easy to drive XBA-N3. but it's just way to bulky to carry around along with my phone and the much shorter battery life is no help. The A35 is small and light enough that I don't mind carrying it along with my phone and the battery last long enough that I only charge it once a week or less.

 

[fish1050]

The Sony Conundrum!

According to gentec Sony's Canadian online dealer we are looking at at least 4 more weeks before the A35 is available in Canada. That means end of June or even the beginning of July. We will likely start to hear about the A40 series sometime between mid-September and October of this year. I assume this because it follows Sony's yearly product cycle. So if I have to wait until July to get the A35 should I then just wait a couple more months to see what Sony has in store for the A40?

Much like with the A10 to A20 transition I am not expecting huge design changes from the A30 to the A40. Might we see Sony add AptX support back in along with bookmarking and podcast support? Those who are unhappy about these features being taken out of the A30 series I doubt you will get them back. If Sony did add them in with a firmware update to the A30 series it could limit the upgrade appeal of the A40 series. I am also praying that Sony offers the higher storage A46 and A47 without the noise cancelling earbuds. It seems from this forum at least that most are opting for the A35 over the A36 and A37 with the earbuds.

Likely by September-October we should get to see what Fiio has in store for the X3-III and Cayin is promising further firmware updates for the N3. As it stands now the N3 is also not available in Canada yet, hopefully soon. I guess I will just wait and see what unfolds in the next month or so and decide whether to wait or pull the trigger.

 

[mohdkhamsya]

Probably because the X80 has a much more powerful amp so it have a lot more reserve to draw on compare to the 35mW of the A35 (especially if your earphones are power demanding). I get the same result with my Teac HA-P50 on my power demanding XBA-Z5 but not so much with the easy to drive XBA-N3. but it's just way to bulky to carry around along with my phone and the much shorter battery life is no help. The A35 is small and light enough that I don't mind carrying it along with my phone and the battery last long enough that I only charge it once a week or less.

I'm not sure it's a power issue as my customs don't require that much driving power. I think it's more to do with the way the dac+amp is configured in the A35. You're absolutely right about the form factor though. It's less than half the size/weight of the dx80 and lasts much much longer. The DX80 lasts a respectable 12-13 hours for flac playback but 30 hours on flac for the sony is a winner imo.

 

[Wiz33]

I'm not sure it's a power issue as my customs don't require that much driving power. I think it's more to do with the way the dac+amp is configured in the A35. You're absolutely right about the form factor though. It's less than half the size/weight of the dx80 and lasts much much longer. The DX80 lasts a respectable 12-13 hours for flac playback but 30 hours on flac for the sony is a winner imo.

I wouldn't call anything with 6BA per side easy to drive. My own experience with the Z5 shows the bass response and tightness have a lot to do with power. While bass and response are ok on the A35, they are faster and tighter on the HA-P50 with twice the power and muddy and slow on my iPhone 6 which have half the power of the A35 at the same volume level. I'm sure circuit design and component makes a difference but I think having the extra power reserve/capacity certainly helps.

 

[mohdkhamsya]

I wouldn't call anything with 6BA per side easy to drive. My own experience with the Z5 shows the bass response and tightness have a lot to do with power. While bass and response are ok on the A35, they are faster and tighter on the HA-P50 with twice the power and muddy and slow on my iPhone 6 which have half the power of the A35 at the same volume level. I'm sure circuit design and component makes a difference but I think having the extra power reserve/capacity certainly helps.

Point taken. Does anyone else know where I can get the complete specs for this thing? The sony website doesn't offer much beyond the marketing buzzwords. Included manual doesn't have anything either. I'm actually curious to know what the output impedance for the walkman is.

 

[superuser1]

Just for kicks i added a Fiio E17k 2 to the mix and yes it would go on to prove that the A35 has a weak amp which is no surprise. As stated earlier, the sound is clean and crisp. I did feel as if the highs and lows were slightly enhanced out of the box but as i listened to it more that sense kind of faded away. Honestly it probably was the new Titan 3 i got that needed some burn in. Over all i'm keeping this and liking it. Haven't really compared it to the X5 III. The A35 does hold its ground and the exceptional battery power makes it a winner for me. I was actually surprised by the SQ. I was ready to be disappointed. But no Sony did a great job on this. I would have preferred some colour on the notifications bar but that's just me.

 

[mohdkhamsya]

Just for kicks i added a Fiio E17k 2 to the mix and yes it would go on to prove that the A35 has a weak amp which is no surprise. As stated earlier, the sound is clean and crisp. I did feel as if the highs and lows were slightly enhanced out of the box but as i listened to it more that sense kind of faded away. Honestly it probably was the new Titan 3 i got that needed some burn in. Over all i'm keeping this and liking it. Haven't really compared it to the X5 III. The A35 does hold its ground and the exceptional battery power makes it a winner for me. I was actually surprised by the SQ. I was ready to be disappointed. But no Sony did a great job on this. I would have preferred some colour on the notifications bar but that's just me.

Same here! Plucky little dap this sony. Making me rethink my ownership of the dx80. Could you maybe describe the difference between the h/o out and the e17k2 out?

 

[superuser1]

Same here! Plucky little dap this sony. Making me rethink my ownership of the dx80. Could you maybe describe the difference between the h/o out and the e17k2 out?

What i felt was that there was more driving power and by this i dont mean volume. The added power from the amp provided and more dynamic SQ for my ears. I also tried it with the Fiio A5 and the results were very pleasing.