[Jamil]

Hi, folks.
 
I recently received an NW-F807/S that I imported from Japan.  I'm in the USA, and I received it on 21-Dec.  This is my second recent Walkman DAP, and I still use my NW-A867 due to its smaller and more convenient size.  The NW-A867 is better for me for Bluetooth streaming to my car's dash unit.  Also, the A Series Walkman works better with Sony's neck-strap noise canceling in-ear headphones that I own (the neck-strap headphones allow you to wear the Walkman around your neck and also prevent the ear buds from falling onto the ground when they one falls out of your ear).
 
I wanted to make a post on some of the issues I am encountering with the new F Series.  I actually have not yet listened to any of my music with it.  I have only listened to a few of the included sample songs that were already loaded onto it.  The reason I haven't listened to my music is due to issue #1, which is that the music analyzer is not stable.  On My A Series, its built-in music analyzer worked without issues and never crashed.  On my F Series, I have just encountered my second application error that caused it to stop.  When it does crash, it will resume where it left off when you restart it.  However, after over one week of nonstop music analysis, it has only completed scanning less than one third of all my files.  I am running with the Perform detailed analysis option checked off, which takes longer to scan.

Issue #2 is minor-- the device defaults to Japanese language and keyboard input when you initially power it on.  This is understandable due to it being intended for the Japanese market.  It would be nice to see the language option screen appear when you initially power it on.  Japenese could be the default on this selection screen.  The reason I suggest this is that when I initially charged my Walkman then powered it on, I got some Android setup screen that was all in Japanese.  I couldn't read any of it, but I was able to eventually configure my wireless router by comparing to my Android phone's setup screen.  What I did not know was that all I needed to do was power it off followed by powering it back on to see the language configuration screen.  It would have been nice to see this screen the first time I powered it on.

My Walkman has the latest update available (it updated itself), so there's at least one major bug that needs work.

More to come later as I start using this Walkman...

 

[gidion27]

I have a japanse F807 and works fine. Mind you mine does not have the latest firmware. I suggest you have a look at the f806 appriciation / review thread a few users had issues with the firmware update.

 

[Jamil]

I actually did read the praise on this device from these forums.  This was my main reason for posting this thread.  The F Series is a step backwards in quality when compared to the A Series in my own personal experience.
 
Buggy code can be fixed, of course.  It would have been ideal if this had been tested prior to release to the public though.

 

[gidion27]

I agree, it is always a tricky business and in the past Sony never needed Firmware updates because they released a finished product. I am however very happy with my F807.

 

[Jamil]

I have a work-around for the Music Analyzer bug that results in it crashing after analyzing hundreds of songs.  I believe the issue is memory related.  After twenty four hours of scanning, I stop the analyzer followed by holding down the power button to shut the device off.  Note that the device really does not shut off even when you do this.  It simply resets itself then eventually gets into a locked state.  It is more of a reboot than anything else.  Anyway, the device doesn't crash during the 24 hour scan, so I just do this every day.

I am up to twelve calendar days of scanning, and the device has not reached 50% completion yet.  I have the same 8,001 MP3 files copied from my A867.  Finally, the F Series Walkman has less usable storage space than the A Series.  This is most likely due to the Android stuff taking up space.

 

[gidion27]

Quote:

I have a work-around for the Music Analyzer bug that results in it crashing after analyzing hundreds of songs.  I believe the issue is memory related.  After twenty four hours of scanning, I stop the analyzer followed by holding down the power button to shut the device off.  Note that the device really does not shut off even when you do this.  It simply resets itself then eventually gets into a locked state.  It is more of a reboot than anything else.  Anyway, the device doesn't crash during the 24 hour scan, so I just do this every day.

I am up to twelve calendar days of scanning, and the device has not reached 50% completion yet.  I have the same 8,001 MP3 files copied from my A867.  Finally, the F Series Walkman has less usable storage space than the A Series.  This is most likely due to the Android stuff taking up space.

Glad you found a fix but that sounds like a pain. 

 

[Jamil]

Okay -- my music analysis finally completed.  It took a full twenty one days to analyze 8,027 MP3 files.  My work-around I noted above helped, but the device still managed to crash once during a twenty four hour scan.

I am finally listening to my own music.  What I will state that is clearly apparent is that the NW-F807 sounds significantly better than the NW-A867.  I am doing an A/B comparison to the same song played back through either device (same in-ear headphones; same MP3 file).  The song on the A Series sounds congested and somewhat muddier.  The F Series sounds wider.  The sound is a night and day difference.  I do not EQ my music, so both EQs are flat.  I do not hear a difference in bass with the particular song I am listening to.

What I see that has been removed is the SensMe playback on the F Series based on the time of day.  I am forced to choose a SensMe category now.  It'd be nice if I had the one button auto play feature that the A Series has, so this is one feature that I will miss.  Also, the crashing with the music analyzer needs to be fixed.
 
Also, some little things appear to have been removed too.  While playing a song, I can see no way to show the tag info from the currently playing song.  There are no options under the menu to show information like there was on the A Series.  This feature should not have been removed, imo.

 

[gidion27]

goos stuff. I use the F807 solely for my ripped vinyl collectinon so I have no issues since I use the basic WAV format with no tags or metadata. 

 

[Ari33]

Thanks for your analysis of the F series Jamil. I have owned several Sony MD players and still have my trusty X-series for use as a source for my car and home audio system due to its excellent line out via LOD. I love the Sony sound signiture and had considered the F-series but decided to buy an Xperia T instead as I was really needing a phone. It was pretty good, possibly on par with my X-series in some areas, or maybe just different which can be a good thing.. the T had rolled off bass but a much wider sound stage.. verging on too wide? I'd happily listen to either but quickly decided to send the Xperia T back after being given a Voodoo'd Galaxy S for christmas.... when combined with Neutron player the 'S' blows every single player I've ever owned out the water! So articulate, multi layered, detailed, neutral and with a wide soundstage for such an inexpensive device it really is so close to perfection, I'd never have believed it.
 
If you ever get the chance to have a proper listen to a voodoo'd Galaxy S please share... I'd love to hear your opinion on how it compares to the F series.

 

[Jamil]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ari33 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
If you ever get the chance to have a proper listen to a voodoo'd Galaxy S please share... I'd love to hear your opinion on how it compares to the F series.

 
Okay -- I will post a comparison if I ever get a chance to hear it.  The chances of doing a proper audition aren't so great, but I will keep it in mind.

 

[Jamil]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jamil /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
Also, some little things appear to have been removed too.  While playing a song, I can see no way to show the tag info from the currently playing song.  There are no options under the menu to show information like there was on the A Series.  This feature should not have been removed, imo.

 
I was wrong above.  I just learned through usage that the F807 does allow you to see info from the file's ID tag.  All I had to do was swipe the album art image to the left two times.  It is showing more detail than my A867.
 
Here's a couple screenshots:
 
http://www.file-shop.com/Images/Misc/807_screenie1.png
 
http://www.file-shop.com/Images/Misc/807_screenie2.png
 
On a side note, taking screenshots on Android ICS isn't so easy to do on this device.

 

[Jamil]

You all may already know this, but I did not (I haven't read all the posts in the F Series thread).
 
I just downloaded the 96kHz/24 bit torrent of NIN's The Slip from nin.com.  I copied the FLAC files to my Walkman wanting to listen for sound quality differences.  However, this format of FLAC is not supported by the player.  Bummer.
 
Another difference, when compared to my previous NW-A867, is that the SensMe player so far did a better job with music selection on the A Series.  My experience may improve over time, but so far I am getting the same song selection in the same day played again on the F Series.  Also, I am hearing too many repeats of the same songs too often on different days.

 

[azmadu]

Hi guys,
 
I'm in the market for a new Walkman as there's nothing better than a Sony in my opinion.  I own an NWZ-A816 and an NWZ-A865 and after my earphones for my 865 gave up the ghost I've been frantically looking to either buy a new set of earphones or get a new player with better electronics/greater capacity and then get improved earphones at a later date.
 
I would really like to get either an NWZ Z1060/1070 or the newer NMZ-F806/807 but of course being in the UK it's not possible to get the '7' of either model unless I import it from Japan. Has anyone imported either of these devices from Japan to the UK and what were the import taxes/duty like?  32GB might be sufficient but as soon as I start transferring everything in lossless 
 
In terms of sheer performance between the two, is it a huge improvement from the Z to the F range or just incremental differences?  In fact what I should ask is how do either of these compare to my current A865, I'm guessing that with the S-Master MX they'll both blow the A to pieces, right?
 
What about the firmware issues that you guys are experiencing?  Is it worth even bothering importing an F807 if it's having problems.  I know the Z is a lot bigger than the F but did it suffer any firmware issues similar to the F?
 
As you can tell I have many questions so any answers or advice is appreciated.
 
Thanks

 

[Jamil]

A couple of points based on your post--
 
* Your current A865 supports S Master-MX (which is just a marketing term that should not be a deciding factor; you need to listen and judge for yourself on which sounds better; if you've never heard the Z series or F series, then your current A series sounds better to you, right?)
 
* If your in ear headphones are bad, they can easily be replaced.  Your A865 doesn't support noise canceling (unless you own the Japanese version, which my guess is you do not), so any mini stereo headphones will work with no loss of functionality.  This really should not be the reason for wanting to upgrade.

 

[WraithApe]

Hi,
 
I'm thinking of importing a F807 from Japan, but I'd like to know what you think of the built-in amp on this DAP. Is the power output enough to drive ATH-PRO700MK2 phones without a portable amp like a FiiO?
 
Thanks