[gr8soundz]

Are you sure dude?
Why would Sony release a cheaper player that will equal to the sound of their flagship

 
Perhaps they realized the ZX2 is overpriced and not selling well because of it. I'm guessing they'll stop ZX2 production (if not already) once the ZX100 is released.
 

 

[AUDIOBREEDER]

If that's the case, they would have marked it down months ago before the ZX100 release.
I don't think ZX100 will be anywhere close to ZX2 as surely Sony will be releasing a ZX3 or ZX200 successor to ZX2.

Perhaps they realized the ZX2 is overpriced and not selling well because of it. I'm guessing they'll stop ZX2 production (if not already) once the ZX100 is released.

 

 

[Caruryn]

Hopefully Sony will not start taking after Nvidia practices,i have enough reasons to dislike the company already.

 

[DJVenomSnake]

I'm already starting to see ZX2 prices come down to almost $800-850 USD used/new.
 
I really want a ZX1/2!!!  The 100 looks cool, but I like the play buttons on the side.

 

[proedros]

if the sony CEO is an UBER-troll , he will price the zx100 at 700$ and give it a better sound than zx2 and without the volume cap problem 

 
but logic says , the SQ will be somewhere i between the ZX1 and ZX2 , no point in butchering the ZX2 appeal
 
you don't kill the goose that breeds your golden eggs 

 

[gerelmx1986]

Maybe they will begin to transition from android to traditional sony OS, who knows if this is a test bed walkman zx100, perhaps for sony Android was not as rentable as they have tought before, or maybe too many complaints about battery draining

 

[FenderP]

I don't think ZX100 will be anywhere close to ZX2 as surely Sony will be releasing a ZX3 or ZX200 successor to ZX2.

 
Not a guarantee. Sony followed up the Z1000 with the F series. The Z - and a true flagship - came back with the ZX1.  After the X, the A technically replaced it. The X never came back. The Z1000 was the next flagship.
 
Sony has been generally good about taking things from higher end pieces and eventually getting them into lower priced ones. Yes, the ZX100 does not have the TRRS support of the ZX2 but at what point is x% of the ZX2 good enough for most.
 
As for gerelmx1986's speculation about Android, they've had an Android walkman going back to the Z1000 which was uprgaded from 3.x to 4.x. Sony had to write their own audio stuff because those earlier versions of Android did have some problems with HiRez (which makes what Sony did all that much more impressive). I know that stuff is generally fixed in 5.x, so if sony is ever going to support 5.x, they may need to make some changes since they've used their own stuff. IMO this is why the ZX2 is still at 4.4 (or is it 4.5?).
 
I don't believe they've given up on Android, but I do think they see the value of their own Walkman OS for more than just the basic ones.

 

[tenedosian]

In the high end dap market, it is not quite correct that ZX2 is overpriced.
In the level of one grand prices, ZX2 fills a gap with its android-based properties, build, flagship sound quality, streaming, Spotify & tidal use with excellent battery life.
The other two main options who do the job at competing price level are, as told, AK 100 II, and Cowon Plenue.
And as you know, the battery of these two are nowhere near Sony, where Cowon only spares some 5 to 7 hours per charge. Astell & Kern is just a bit better than Cowon in this respect.

Besides, ZX100 is the first device from Sony on its own kind, and so logically it is not a successor of any model. I guess we should try to read this as an attempt from Sony to enlarge its Hi-Res products.

So which gap the ZX100 fills..? I think it is aimed at serious and minimalist listeners (like the writer of these words) who want grand sound, coupled with handy form factor and hassle-free battery life without the android gimmicks.
In other words, it seems to be the response of Sony to the call "Hey Sony, give us a better A10 / A20 with the sound of ZX2 keeping the simple Sony OS".

And yes, despite losing its double ground, I expect ZX100 to be - quite - at the same tier level with ZX2 sound quality.

 

[Kvud]

Zx2 is a bad sound in comparison with the X100! - which is superior in all respects!

1.  

 

[purk]

 Zx2 is a bad sound in comparison with the X100! - which is superior in all respects!

1.  

I having a tough time believing that especially per "in all respects!"  Nothing can be that absolute.  If that is true, then the AK380 must be very afraid.  Which earphones/headphones did you use to test the two players?
 

 tenedosian
And yes, despite losing its double ground, I expect ZX100 to be - quite - at the same tier level with ZX2 sound quality.

To be quite frank with you, loosing a dedicated ground for left and right maybe the reason why the ZX100 may not be as good.  This feature is what make the ZX2 special and refined.  Plus Sony decided against Noise Canceling feature in the beginning because the NC circuit can interfere with audio circuitry.  I personally don't think the ZX100 will be as good as the ZX2, however, it should be very close and better than the ZX1.

 

[alpha10]

Any idea about the price of the NW-ZX100 ?

 

[tenedosian]

If the price of ZX100 is about the mentioned "premium" levels, then it must be darn close to ZX2 to the point where subjective choices would began to prevail.

The $$ difference between ZX2 and ZX100 is not big enough for ZX100 to be considered as a downgrade in sound - but in screen, android and other properties.

Frankly, I'm expecting a quite different tuning on ZX100, possibly in between ZX2 / A10 and ZX1 / F880 sound signatures. Brighter than the former, but not as bright as the latter.

Remember, this is the 3rd iteration / tuning of S-Master HX. So it is probable that the sound would be different.

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

ZX100 should be priced same as ZX1, $699. It is still $500 less than ZX2, which will remain the flagship, although the ZX100 could end up being better value for money overall. ZX100 must be the replacement to ZX1, hence the name and price, it can't be a coincidence.
 
Last year android F880 was replaced by non android A10, so seems like Sony is continuing that trend with ZX1 and ZX100, but also improving SQ as they go along.

 

[gerelmx1986]

I agree maybe it will be at levels of ZX2, but not completely, juts closer. Maybe the zx1 will be a "budget friendly" version of walkmans just like XBA-A3 is versus the XBA-Z5

 

[goody]

  Zx2 is a bad sound in comparison with the X100! - which is superior in all respects!

1.  

i don`t believe it tell us more ...all i read is sound bites