[fish1050]

Then you fall under the "Don't buy for the future" rule, You already have something that's perfectly fine and useable. While the A35 does offer some improvements, it's not dramatically enough to warrant a must buy so you can definitely wait and see what else comes along. The way that you were setup about Sony Canada delay give me the impression that you're in need of a decent DAP but you already got one.

Yeah I am happy with my A17 but you get the urge to try something new. For 2.5 years the A17 has been great but with so many DAP's coming out you get that new tech itch you need to scratch. While I am itching to get something new my cautious side wants me to take my time and make sure I get the best DAP for my needs. Its like that cartoon where you have an angel and a devil sitting on each shoulder, both whispering in your ear. I am trying to listen to the little angel and ignore the little devil but is getting harder to tune him out.

 

[Krutsch]

Yeah I am happy with my A17 but you get the urge to try something new. For 2.5 years the A17 has been great but with so many DAP's coming out you get that new tech itch you need to scratch. While I am itching to get something new my cautious side wants me to take my time and make sure I get the best DAP for my needs. Its like that cartoon where you have an angel and a devil sitting on each shoulder, both whispering in your ear. I am trying to listen to the little angel and ignore the little devil but is getting harder to tune him out.

I like my A17, as well, but it's underpowered even for IEMs. And, the Album browser lists everything by Artist instead of Album Artist which is a serious pain. I've thought about trying the A35 on these issues, alone.

 

[fish1050]

I like my A17, as well, but it's underpowered even for IEMs. And, the Album browser lists everything by Artist instead of Album Artist which is a serious pain. I've thought about trying the A35 on these issues, alone.

I use headphones and needed to add the Fiio Q1 for the extra power. I suspect that even if I upgraded to the A35 I would still use my Q1. The other thing is for around what I paid for my A17 the A35 only has 16 GB of memory onboard vs the 64 GB for the A17. So along with the cost of the A35 I would have to get a larger memory card to hold all my music. I would give up alot more upgrading to the A35 than I would gain. This is what is so perplexing with Sony, as you should get more with each new model Sony is actually giving you less in terms of important features. Hopefully this will be rectified with the A40.

 

[BartSimpson1976]

And, the Album browser lists everything by Artist instead of Album Artist which is a serious pain..[/QUOTE]

well, that problem it shares with nearly all DAPs on the market. None of the makers understood that this is a very important feature.

 

[Raketen]

I like my A17, as well, but it's underpowered even for IEMs. And, the Album browser lists everything by Artist instead of Album Artist which is a serious pain. I've thought about trying the A35 on these issues, alone.

well, that problem it shares with nearly all DAPs on the market. None of the makers understood that this is a very important feature.

I am convinced the tears of OCD taggers, compilation fiends and digitized classical music nerds are a staple food in all DAP-makers' diet. Reduce to a glaze and toss with "New Effectively Proprietary Universal Balanced Output JackStandard!" for salty treat.

 

[AxelCloris]

When I turned on the A35 for the first time, one of the startup questions asked if I wanted Artist to sort by song artist or album artist. Seems the A35 already solved that problem.

 

[Krutsch]

When I turned on the A35 for the first time, one of the startup questions asked if I wanted Artist to sort by song artist or album artist. Seems the A35 already solved that problem.

Beautiful! I'm in...

 

[Krutsch]

Wow... I just looked on Amazon at US pricing. A 16GB model is $218.00 and a 64 GB model is $418.00. McFU@% that when a 200GB SanDisk card is $79.00.

 

[Raketen]

Wow... I just looked on Amazon at US pricing. A 16GB model is $218.00 and a 64 GB model is $418.00. McFU@% that when a 200GB SanDisk card is $79.00.

Not sure but I think that version comes with the 100aap IEM & noise cancellling... either that or they source their memory from Apple's supplier

 

[fish1050]

Not sure but I think that version comes with the 100aap IEM & noise cancellling... either that or they source their memory from Apple's supplier

Yeah the A36 and A37 come with the noise cancelling earbuds so part of the higher cost are the earbuds. Yet another bonehead Sony move as they won't sell the A36 and A37 in North America without the earbuds. If it were up to me they would sell all the models without the earbuds and then offer a deal on them when you place the order for the DAP. I would love to see the breakdown on sales for the A35 vs the A36 and A37. I would guess most are opting for the A35's!! I would guess the earbuds add $100.00 to the cost of the A36 and A37. Even if Sony sold the A36 without the earbuds you pay around $318.00 so $100.00 more for 16GB of memory. I think Sony may add the earbuds to hide the fact they are overcharging you on the extra 16GB. If I recall I believe when I bought my A17 the A15 with 16GB of memory was like $50.00 cheaper.

 

[esprithk]

1. Firstly, Sony is a retail electronics company and they run on a yearly product cycle. So I will bet the farm there will be an A40 series and Sony will need to add something to it that the A30 series does not have. Otherwise there is no reason to upgrade. The A20 series was the same device as the A10 except for an improved equalizer and noise cancelling. Neither of which I needed so I did not upgrade. I am only speculating about what Sony will add and bookmarking and podcast support could be two features. The lack of AptX support on the A35 is the main reason I am not 100% sold on getting the A35 as my A17 has it. So I am hoping it will be there on the A40 series. As for speculating on availability gentec is Sony Canada's chosen official online seller. When you click on the buy online option on the Sony Canada website you go to the gentec website. This tells me that gentec would likely be the first site to have an official availability date and this is the site Sony told to start taking pre-orders. You are correct the A40 series won't be available right away in Canada. But the A10 and A20 series did not get released in Canada until November and December respectively. The fact the A35 should be available much earlier this year means I may not have to wait as long for the A40 next year. If I only have to wait a couple more months after the A35 becomes available to find out about the A40 then why not wait? If the A40 does not have AptX then I have my answer and I can choose another DAP. I have my trusty A17 which was replaced new last August by Sony when I put in a battery replacement claim. So the A17 may be a 3 year old model but my replacement is only 9 months old and paired with my Q1 sounds quite good. I can afford to be patient and only buy when I find the perfect DAP for me. Also keep in mind that Black Friday and Christmas time this year could bring good deals. Especially if the A40 is announced before then.

2. As I already stated adding bookmarking and podcast support to the A35 lessens the appeal of upgrading to the next model released, presumably the A40. Sony isn't going to give features to an already released product when they can add it to the next model. Fifteen years selling audio products including Sony's tells me that much. Sony could have put noise cancelling on the A10 series but then why release the A20 series? Sony added support for LDAC to the A10 after release but the A10 already had bluetooth and they wanted the A10 series to work with their LDAC capable wireless speakers to boost sales. Sony will add a feature to an existing product if it is in their financial best interest. Adding bookmarking and or podcast support does not do that on the A35. I may be wrong but the next product release cycle starts in a few months so if Sony hasn't added bookmarking and podcast support already then don't hold your breath. Sony will be focusing on their new products to be released in the fall and if there are no more issues with the A35 you likely won't see anymore firmware updates.

3. As for waiting on other competitors, I am already waiting on the A35 so no harm in waiting for news of competitors offerings. I just found out that the Cayin N3 will be available from a store in Toronto next Tuesday. That is another DAP I am considering so now I will be able to audition it. As for buying the A35 and then selling it later you will take a financial hit each time you sell something. I am not a collector of DAP's, I buy one DAP at a time an choose the best one for my needs. It makes no sense to me having multiple DAP's as I can only listen to one at a time. Playing Russian roulette with my DAP purchases isn't something I can afford to do as I have much more important things to worry about.

When Sony chose to leave off AptX on the A35 it opened the door to me considering other manufacturers DAP's. The Cayin N3 is one, the Fiio X3-III may be another and if possible I would like the chance to audition them all and then buy the one that I like best. If the A40 looks like a better option and I am not sold on any of the other 3 then I can afford to wait until next year. God knows how many other DAP's will hit the market later this year and patience is a virtue when it comes to making the best decision.

aptX & aptX HD is an invention by Qualcomm. In order to support these, a device must need to have a bluetooth chipset by Qualcomm.

Why does one think Sony would put a 3rd party bluetooth chipset when Sony has invented the LDAC bluetooth chipset.

Also, news have just announced, SONY & GOOGLE will work together to bring full support on LDAC in coming Android O devices. Thus, I am expecting more devices and headsets/speakers will have the Sony bluetooth chips, too.

 

[fish1050]

aptX & aptX HD is an invention by Qualcomm. In order to support these, a device must need to have a bluetooth chipset by Qualcomm.

Why does one think Sony would put a 3rd party bluetooth chipset when Sony has invented the LDAC bluetooth chipset.

Also, news have just announced, SONY & GOOGLE will work together to bring full support on LDAC in coming Android O devices. Thus, I am expecting more devices and headsets/speakers will have the Sony bluetooth chips, too.

Well my A17 supports AptX and LDAC and all Sony DAP's released after the invention of LDAC did as well up until the A30, and WM1-A/Z. The reason to support AptX is the huge number of AptX products both headphones and wireless speakers that are already sold. I have two AptX capable wireless speakers and between my friends and family another 10 or so. For me to share my music with them I want a DAP with AptX.

Sony announced awhile ago (last year) that they were going to start offering LDAC bluetooth chips to other manufacturers. But up until the google announcement they haven't had much success. AptX HD will probably catch on before LDAC as people are already familiar with AptX. Whereas only people who bought Sony products would be familiar with LDAC. Also LDAC is a battery hog, when I use it on my A17 with my Sony receiver the battery life drops like a rock. The range is also limited compared to AptX in my experience as I find it harder to position my A17 for good reception with LDAC. Now maybe Sony has improved the battery efficiency and range on later versions of the chip, I can't say.

I am also willing to bet that those Android devices will also offer AptX as well as LDAC. Google isn't going to abandon all the AptX headphones and speakers on the market. So the question becomes how much more will an android smartphone cost with the LDAC chip included if it also offers AptX?

 

[superuser1]

aptX & aptX HD is an invention by Qualcomm. In order to support these, a device must need to have a bluetooth chipset by Qualcomm.

Why does one think Sony would put a 3rd party bluetooth chipset when Sony has invented the LDAC bluetooth chipset.

Also, news have just announced, SONY & GOOGLE will work together to bring full support on LDAC in coming Android O devices. Thus, I am expecting more devices and headsets/speakers will have the Sony bluetooth chips, too.

You are absolutely right about that. I hope in the near future , with the advent of BT 5.0 with SnapDragon 835, there is a common codec which would support both codecs. Presently we have BT devices with aptX codec as well as the apple BT coded (AAC). So it might be a possibility that 3rd parties may supply both codecs on one device. Maybe even have a workaround of not using a particular chipset. The future might be an exciting time for BT and a scary time otherwise.

 

[bitonio]

And, the Album browser lists everything by Artist instead of Album Artist which is a serious pain..

well, that problem it shares with nearly all DAPs on the market. None of the makers understood that this is a very important feature.

I'm not sure your problem is the same as mine.

I solve some Album/Artist all over the place by going to Playback settings menu, and turn on the Artist List Display option to Album Artist instead of Artist, and voilà!

HTH

 

[BartSimpson1976]

Great! So Sony somehow addressed this issue! Happy to learn that, that suddenly maked the A35 interesting again. I onlyt wish all makers would implement the album artist sorting.