[trellus]

Btw, xduoo is also releasing a portable DAC for sony players - looks like it will stack great with a30 and a40 series http://www.xduoo.com/xduoo/ProductView.Asp?ID=26
Now that\s something that might make me reconsider using my a35 instead of going in someone's sock for Xmas

Ooooo, I'd like to see the price on that!

 

[kova4a]

I assume $200+ coz it's in a different tier from the fiio q1 mk2. I also like what I see, especially the choice of digital volume control over the usual volume pot. But for me that's the thing with the a35, it has nice small form factor, decent touchscreen and UI and great battery life, so it is a potentially good transport - but that means shelling out at least couple hundred bucks more. And that puts the final cost of the whole endeavor in the mid-level DAP range.

I'm also not a big fan of fiio, but they advanced with a pretty fast pace and that can't be disregarded. Of course, first gen x3 and x1 were mediocre and with many issues, like a lot other Chinese DAPs from several years back, but that's like comparing an iphone 8 or galaxy s8 with their very first iterations - I still have a working samsung galaxy S and while back in the day it was mighty impressive, nowadays using it is a high form of masochism - it's that bad compared to anything even from 3-4 years ago. The same goes for DAPs - of course the a35 is a joy to use next to something like x3 1st gen.

I do value good UI and nice looks, but personally if I hadn't gotten the great deal on the a35 I would have never bought one at full price given the leap forward in sound quality and output power of the newer Chinese DAPs. Honestly, I'm kinda tempted to get that new fiio cable and check if the a35 will recognize my colorfly c10 as a DAC - now that would be an interesting looking stack.

 

[fish1050]

The Poke looks really interesting!

It does look interesting but two questions for me, 1. What is the price? 2. What is the battery life? I opted for the Fiio Q1 for my A17 pairing over the A3 or A5 because it offered enough power for me at 190 mW per channel into 32 ohms but also 30 hours battery life vs 16 and 12 hour for the A3 and A5.. The last thing I want to do is pair a 35+ hour battery life DAP with a 15 hour DAC/Amp. I don't think I could bring myself to spend $200+ for a DAC/Amp to pair with a $220.00 DAP If I need more power with the A45 then I will stick with my Q1 which is working great for me.
But I will give it a look if the price doesn't "Poke" me in the eye and it offers 20 to 25 hours battery life.

 

[pinkbecca]

I'm selling my 32GB Walkman if anyone's interested.

 

[jmwreck]

At this point I have given up on Fiio for DAP's and would only consider Cayin or Shanling if I had to get a non-Sony DAP.

I am still debating on either getting the Cayin N3 or Sony A35/A45, which do you think is better?

 

[Artmuzz]

I recently bought the Sony NW-A35 at a reduced price and I am impressed with the sound quality. I find that the Clear Audio function enhances the audio experience much better with a wider soundstage, better bass, mids and highs than what the other sound settings do. The inclusion of microSD card support is another bonus. I have my NW-A35 paired with my excellent Sony MDR-1000X Bluetooth headphones and it is awesome.

 

[fish1050]

I am still debating on either getting the Cayin N3 or Sony A35/A45, which do you think is better?

I guess you need to decide if you want the A35 or A45 to compare to the N3. The N3 offers AptX support which the A35 does not and the A45 offers both AptX and Apt HD. In terms of one being better than the other I listened to both and found they sound very similar. I found the N3 sound to be slightly cleaner but the A35 had more detail and a fuller sound. Sony offers almost 3x the battery life but less power than the N3. The N3 definitely offers more power so you need to decide if your headphones need the additional power. In terms of functionality and usability the A35 wins hands down, it is just a more polished product.

I have not yet had a chance to audition the A45 so I can't comment on sound etc but it should be close to the A35. So you can't really say one is better than the other just different and for me those differences make the A35 a better DAP provided of course you don't need AptX bluetooth. Honestly if the A45 wasn't bringing back AptX support I would likely go for the N3 or maybe even the Shanling M3S.

 

[Artmuzz]

Regarding the EU volume cap removal tool on Rockbox I ran the tool and my Sony NW-A35 doesn't have the cap because it registers as "Sound Pressure : 0 off" but the destination is European but I was thinking maybe the cap wasn't applied because the DAP came without headphones and the EU regulations are that any device shipping with headphones have to have the cap. I applied the removal tool anyway and my A35 sounds a bit more louder now.

However the EU volume cap removal tool doesn't seem to make any difference to the volume on my Sony NWZ-A845 even though I successfully removed the cap and reset the device. Strange.

 

[Jonathan-Mac]

Regarding the EU volume cap removal tool on Rockbox I ran the tool and my Sony NW-A35 doesn't have the cap because it registers as "Sound Pressure : 0 off" but the destination is European but I was thinking maybe the cap wasn't applied because the DAP came without headphones and the EU regulations are that any device shipping with headphones have to have the cap. I applied the removal tool anyway and my A35 sounds a bit more louder now.

However the EU volume cap removal tool doesn't seem to make any difference to the volume on my Sony NWZ-A845 even though I successfully removed the cap and reset the device. Strange.

From memory, it's not the sound pressure setting that indicates if the EU volume cap is present or not, it's the geographical area. I also did the hack on my old A845 and it had no effect because the amp simply doesn't have any more power in it.

 

[Artmuzz]

I've noticed on my Sony NW-A35 that since selecting E2 (Asia and Australia) on the EU volume cap removed tool that I have a folder with numbers that is supposed to be for recorded media and it has record function. Also, I have noticed the radio doesn't work now since applying the hack.

 

[Artmuzz]

From memory, it's not the sound pressure setting that indicates if the EU volume cap is present or not, it's the geographical area. I also did the hack on my old A845 and it had no effect because the amp simply doesn't have any more power in it.

So the Sony A845 has a weak amp. I guess the volume on the EU model of the A845 was the same for all the other geographical areas hence the reason the EU volume cap removal tool having no affect.

 

[kova4a]

OK, so a bit of an update after about 100 hours of burn-in. It definitely has improved a bit and doesn't sound as closed in and compressed as before. It still isn't as effortless and spacious as the competitors in the price range but it's fairly neutral and uncolored, has natural tone and doesn't exaggerate any frequencies.

Of course, I don't use any of the audio enhancements in the settings. I guess Clear Audio+ could be fun with digitally created music, but once actual instruments and vocals come into play, it just destroys any accuracy and naturalness and makes everything way too artificial for my taste.

The DSEE HX enhancement is also a weird one - it seems that it tries to make the music a touch more vivid by pushing certain frequencies a bit forward and maybe adding a very faint coloration. The weird thing is that Sony lauds it as a technology that restores the lost information in sub-hires audio and makes it sound close to hi-res. Audio compression usually affects the higher frequencies the most and according to Sony DSEE HX should be recreating the lost high frequency and treble extension, but it doesn't seem to actually do that. What it does is push forward some parts of the treble, but at a certain point the treble gets cut off and in reality the treble extension is worse when it's turned on. It kinda acts as a very sharp roll-off filter, which brings a touch more energy to the highs at the expense of the smoothness and the extension.

DC Phase Linearizer seems to bring a hint of wetness to the bass and a touch more warmth in the sound. I know it's supposed to change only the phase of the low end and not actually boost it and it's more of a personal preference but I keep it off as the sound is slightly more neutral without it. I guess on the higher-end Sony DAPs, which give you more pre-sets one can fiddle a bit more to find a setting that maybe brings a more exciting change.

The UI is easy to get used to and screen responsiveness is not that bad - most of the times it doesn't register a touch is when it confuses your touch on the screen as the beginning of a swipe to left or right rather than a press, so one has to be careful to press the buttons without lateral movement of the finger on the press.

Overall, the nw-a35 is quite competent sounding. Of course, the lack of power remains as it is nowhere close to any of the competitors and if you try to feed something more power hungry it will sound underpowered and not at its best, but with most iems and easy to drive cans it is fine. Again, there are better sounding DAPs in the price range but the battery life (while burning it in I ran it for 30-hour intervals at max volume without charging it) and ergonomics of the sony are big points in its favor. I like it, it is small and cute, it is easy to navigate in hand and in pocket, it has fairly good screen, and it sounds quite decent actually. I still think that it is overpriced for what it is, but it is a Sony, so it's a given - of course, Sony could have made a huge splash if they released something like this at 100 bucks, but they would never do it.

I should be getting the new xduoo naono d3 soon to put a recent compact hi-res Chinese DAP with good battery life with the Sony, of course taking into consideration the price difference, which is not small.

 

[Artmuzz]

Can anyone who used the EU volume cap removal tool on Rockbox on the Sony NW-A35 using E2 as the destination tell me if they also have the mysterious Record settings and folders in the settings of the DAP?

 

[pinkbecca]

Can anyone who used the EU volume cap removal tool on Rockbox on the Sony NW-A35 using E2 as the destination tell me if they also have the mysterious Record settings and folders in the settings of the DAP?

what do you mean by the recording settings?, can you take a picture with this settings and show us please.

 

[fish1050]

OK, so a bit of an update after about 100 hours of burn-in. It definitely has improved a bit and doesn't sound as closed in and compressed as before. It still isn't as effortless and spacious as the competitors in the price range but it's fairly neutral and uncolored, has natural tone and doesn't exaggerate any frequencies.

Of course, I don't use any of the audio enhancements in the settings. I guess Clear Audio+ could be fun with digitally created music, but once actual instruments and vocals come into play, it just destroys any accuracy and naturalness and makes everything way too artificial for my taste.

The DSEE HX enhancement is also a weird one - it seems that it tries to make the music a touch more vivid by pushing certain frequencies a bit forward and maybe adding a very faint coloration. The weird thing is that Sony lauds it as a technology that restores the lost information in sub-hires audio and makes it sound close to hi-res. Audio compression usually affects the higher frequencies the most and according to Sony DSEE HX should be recreating the lost high frequency and treble extension, but it doesn't seem to actually do that. What it does is push forward some parts of the treble, but at a certain point the treble gets cut off and in reality the treble extension is worse when it's turned on. It kinda acts as a very sharp roll-off filter, which brings a touch more energy to the highs at the expense of the smoothness and the extension.

DC Phase Linearizer seems to bring a hint of wetness to the bass and a touch more warmth in the sound. I know it's supposed to change only the phase of the low end and not actually boost it and it's more of a personal preference but I keep it off as the sound is slightly more neutral without it. I guess on the higher-end Sony DAPs, which give you more pre-sets one can fiddle a bit more to find a setting that maybe brings a more exciting change.

The UI is easy to get used to and screen responsiveness is not that bad - most of the times it doesn't register a touch is when it confuses your touch on the screen as the beginning of a swipe to left or right rather than a press, so one has to be careful to press the buttons without lateral movement of the finger on the press.

Overall, the nw-a35 is quite competent sounding. Of course, the lack of power remains as it is nowhere close to any of the competitors and if you try to feed something more power hungry it will sound underpowered and not at its best, but with most iems and easy to drive cans it is fine. Again, there are better sounding DAPs in the price range but the battery life (while burning it in I ran it for 30-hour intervals at max volume without charging it) and ergonomics of the sony are big points in its favor. I like it, it is small and cute, it is easy to navigate in hand and in pocket, it has fairly good screen, and it sounds quite decent actually. I still think that it is overpriced for what it is, but it is a Sony, so it's a given - of course, Sony could have made a huge splash if they released something like this at 100 bucks, but they would never do it.

I should be getting the new xduoo naono d3 soon to put a recent compact hi-res Chinese DAP with good battery life with the Sony, of course taking into consideration the price difference, which is not small.

I am curious as the what bit rate you use for you audio tracks with your unit? I ask because I read that DSEE HX requires bit rates of at least 241 kbps or higher to have any affect on sound quality. Below that the quality is to low for it to have any affect. I have had the A17 for over 3 years and played with DSEE HX several times. All of my tracks are either 16 bit flac or 320 kbps AAC or Mp3. With 16 bit flac files I can't hear any difference with DSEE HX on or off and only very minor differences with a few 320 kbps files so I leave it off. As a rule I listen to music with all sound enhancements turned off. Sony's engineers when describing the benefits of DSEE HX use alot of the same verbage describing the benefits of HiRes audio and typically use MP3's when talking about the benefits of using DSEE HX. Since I listen to mostly 16 bit flac I don't really find it makes a difference to me. The areas where we are suppose to hear a difference with DSEE HX are:

• Expansion and depth of the sound field, or in the size of the performance area (such as in large concert halls compared to studios) – you can feel it with the applause of an audience, afterglow of instruments or atmosphere.
• Clarity of the position and separation of each instrument
• Vividness or presence of the performance

Seems to me what Sony describes here could be attributed as much to your choice of headphones as to any real benefit of DSEE HX

Since I don't buy into the HiRes audio hype the idea of DSEE HX improving audio to 24 bit quality is pure marketing hype to me to further the HiRes audio myth. My Sony home receiver has DSEE HX as well and even on my much higher quality home system I find DSEE HX offers no audible benefits for me. I personally would much prefer an Audio Direct feature that bypasses all internal processing vs DSEE HX which supposedly colors the sound to make it sound artificially better.

My Sony receiver has an Audio Direct function as well and to my ears it improves sound quality more than any supposed benefits adding DSEE HX processing to the audio chain does. If Sony is serious about providing the best audio quality from its DAP's then Audio Direct should be an option