[Tassie Devil]

 
I am not comparing the A17 to the A25,  I am comparing the original A17 I bought in October 2014 to the A17 Sony sent me as a replacement a few days ago.  I can't compare the A17 to the A25 because the boneheads at Sony won't make it available in Canada to listen to!!  But, based on the several online reviews for the A20 series I have read there is no difference between the A17 and the A25 as they both use the same hardware.  Except of course for the added circuitry for the Sony only noise canceling feature which to me isn't worth paying for.  The EQ changes are likely just a change in the firmware which could have been added to the A17 had Sony chosen to.
 
As for differences between the A17 and A25 I would personally rather have 64 GB of internal memory vs 16 GB, better EQ (no use to me) and Sony's noise canceling feature (also of no use to me).  It seems silly to me to buy an A25 if I basically have the same thing already in an A17 minus features I don't even need and less internal memory.  I sure as heck won't spend  another $300 + for a minute improvement in bass if in fact it can be heard.   Hearing it or not will have as much to do with the headphones as anything else.
 
Tell me, do you hear better bass with or without the EQ engaged comparing the A25 to the A17?  If the difference is via EQ then the normal bass is likely the same and not a fair comparison.
 
Personally I find engaging the EQ especially one that is software based hurts the sound more than it helps.  Anything that is added to the signal path will detract from the sound more than any artificial enhancements the EQ or other manipulation will add.  To me if your iems/headphones need an EQ to sound good then you need new headphones not another DAP with better EQ settings.
 
Headphones/iems will always make the biggest difference in sound quality than a DAP will especially if the two DAP's are basically the same. 

Not so sure they are exactly the same.  A new A25 arrived yesterday and the AQ was startling.  Note I have two A17s, a ZX100 and again have an A25.  
Most of the SONY sound settings ruin the AQ but the two custom options are handy and are different in the A25.
I agree the internal 64GB is very nice but adding a 200GB card (they are coming down nicely in price now) means the A25 can hold more than 700 albums.  A similarly equipped A17 holds 150 more.  Whether or not that is significant is a personal choice and must admit that the ZX100 with a 200 GB card holding over 1100 albums has great allure.  If you are downloading hi-rez then capacity does become even more important.
Bottom line is that both the A17 & A25 yield excellent AQ, have great battery life and offer a simple operating system so are excellent value.  Coupled with the very very good HiFiMan 400s headphones one has a music playing setup under $AUD700 which could need ten times that amount to yield similar AQ via amps and speakers.  Yes the ZX100 is even better and demands even better headphones to appreciate its capabilities but is still heaps less expensive than the amp & speakers alternatives.

 

[fish1050]

 
repair was free because still has warranty until october this year. The problem was a Button that failed. The not so nice part was to pay the shipping myself including return shipping! totaling like 110 USD

The ugly truth about a warranty whether standard or extended is it is never free except when it is within the return period the store allows and you can take it back!  A big difference between a standard warranty and an extended warranty is the manufacturer will usually pay the return shipping on an extended warranty. 
 
Return shipping can really add significantly to the cost of the warranty claim especially if you have to send the product out of country.  This is because you have no idea exactly what the company is charging you for.  They should only be charging you for the return shipping plus insurance presumably.  But how do you know they are not also charging you for at least part of the repair cost or replacement?  You would have no idea what the shipping rates are in China, the exchange rate, how big a corporate discount they get on shipping etc..  They could add a miscellaneous or processing fee for the return presumably to cover the cost of the shipping carton and the labor to process the return.  More than likely they won't provide a breakdown of what exactly the return shipping fee consists of or how much insurance they included if any.  It will cost them alot less to replace a lost unit then it would you.  
 
If you are ever given the opportunity to purchase an extended warranty on a portable device like a DAP you might want to consider it.  My 1 year extended warranty was free from the Sony store when I bought my A17.  It came with AHD coverage (Accidental Hardware Damage).  If I dropped the unit on the ground and damaged it or it got water damage because I dropped it in a toilet SONY would repair or replace it no questions asked.  Most standard warranties only cover repair or replacement under "normal usage" like a dead battery or a burnt out screen so damage caused by drops may not be covered.  Always find out if the extended warranty covers the return shipping which it should.  I get piece of mind knowing that should I ever need warranty coverage I won't have to pay return shipping.  Yeah an extended warranty adds to the purchase price,  in my case it didn't because it was free.  When you start to become a clumsy old fart like me you need all the protection you can get.  I likely would have paid for at least a one year extended warranty if I had to.
 
With any luck this new unit could last me another 2 years before I have to invest in another DAP.  If I decide to sell it to get something else the fact it looks brand new with an almost new battery should get me a better price on the sale.
 
 
 
 

 

[gerelmx1986]

 

 
repair was free because still has warranty until october this year. The problem was a Button that failed. The not so nice part was to pay the shipping myself including return shipping! totaling like 110 USD

The ugly truth about a warranty whether standard or extended is it is never free except when it is within the return period the store allows and you can take it back!  A big difference between a standard warranty and an extended warranty is the manufacturer will usually pay the return shipping on an extended warranty. 
 
Return shipping can really add significantly to the cost of the warranty claim especially if you have to send the product out of country.  This is because you have no idea exactly what the company is charging you for.  They should only be charging you for the return shipping plus insurance presumably.  But how do you know they are not also charging you for at least part of the repair cost or replacement?  You would have no idea what the shipping rates are in China, the exchange rate, how big a corporate discount they get on shipping etc..  They could add a miscellaneous or processing fee for the return presumably to cover the cost of the shipping carton and the labor to process the return.  More than likely they won't provide a breakdown of what exactly the return shipping fee consists of or how much insurance they included if any.  It will cost them alot less to replace a lost unit then it would you.  
 
If you are ever given the opportunity to purchase an extended warranty on a portable device like a DAP you might want to consider it.  My 1 year extended warranty was free from the Sony store when I bought my A17.  It came with AHD coverage (Accidental Hardware Damage).  If I dropped the unit on the ground and damaged it or it got water damage because I dropped it in a toilet SONY would repair or replace it no questions asked.  Most standard warranties only cover repair or replacement under "normal usage" like a dead battery or a burnt out screen so damage caused by drops may not be covered.  Always find out if the extended warranty covers the return shipping which it should.  I get piece of mind knowing that should I ever need warranty coverage I won't have to pay return shipping.  Yeah an extended warranty adds to the purchase price,  in my case it didn't because it was free.  When you start to become a clumsy old fart like me you need all the protection you can get.  I likely would have paid for at least a one year extended warranty if I had to.
 
With any luck this new unit could last me another 2 years before I have to invest in another DAP.  If I decide to sell it to get something else the fact it looks brand new with an almost new battery should get me a better price on the sale.
 
 
 
 
 

I buy extended warranties for laptops or PCs which are more expensive bu now that DAPs are becoming also very expensive, the extra cost is worth as you say.

 

[Tassie Devil]

 
The ugly truth about a warranty whether standard or extended is it is never free except when it is within the return period the store allows and you can take it back!  A big difference between a standard warranty and an extended warranty is the manufacturer will usually pay the return shipping on an extended warranty. 
 
Return shipping can really add significantly to the cost of the warranty claim especially if you have to send the product out of country.  This is because you have no idea exactly what the company is charging you for.  They should only be charging you for the return shipping plus insurance presumably.  But how do you know they are not also charging you for at least part of the repair cost or replacement?  You would have no idea what the shipping rates are in China, the exchange rate, how big a corporate discount they get on shipping etc..  They could add a miscellaneous or processing fee for the return presumably to cover the cost of the shipping carton and the labor to process the return.  More than likely they won't provide a breakdown of what exactly the return shipping fee consists of or how much insurance they included if any.  It will cost them alot less to replace a lost unit then it would you.  
 
If you are ever given the opportunity to purchase an extended warranty on a portable device like a DAP you might want to consider it.  My 1 year extended warranty was free from the Sony store when I bought my A17.  It came with AHD coverage (Accidental Hardware Damage).  If I dropped the unit on the ground and damaged it or it got water damage because I dropped it in a toilet SONY would repair or replace it no questions asked.  Most standard warranties only cover repair or replacement under "normal usage" like a dead battery or a burnt out screen so damage caused by drops may not be covered.  Always find out if the extended warranty covers the return shipping which it should.  I get piece of mind knowing that should I ever need warranty coverage I won't have to pay return shipping.  Yeah an extended warranty adds to the purchase price,  in my case it didn't because it was free.  When you start to become a clumsy old fart like me you need all the protection you can get.  I likely would have paid for at least a one year extended warranty if I had to.
 
With any luck this new unit could last me another 2 years before I have to invest in another DAP.  If I decide to sell it to get something else the fact it looks brand new with an almost new battery should get me a better price on the sale.
 
 
 
 

General opinion seems to be that most extended warranties are a bit of a rip off so I never pay for them.  But it is a personal decision so if it gives the purchaser added comfort in the extended cover then I guess it is worth it to them.
I have had 7 Sony A series DAPs pass through my hands here for both for personal use and that of my friends so have been lucky in not experiencing any problems so far (a dangerous statement that temps fate

)
That said, accidents do happen and only last week I sacrificed a Sangean portable radio when it dropped out of the pocket into water.  But it was many years old so any extended warranty would not have helped.
I like the cheap plastic protectors to the A series as they not only help avoid scratches but act as a bit of an buffer if dropped although I've not tested out how effective that would be on a hard surface.  However if one uses a relatively short connecting cable, that will support an A series DAP if it accidentally comes out of the pocket because they are so light.

 

[fish1050]

  Not so sure they are exactly the same.  A new A25 arrived yesterday and the AQ was startling.  Note I have two A17s, a ZX100 and again have an A25.  
Most of the SONY sound settings ruin the AQ but the two custom options are handy and are different in the A25.
I agree the internal 64GB is very nice but adding a 200GB card (they are coming down nicely in price now) means the A25 can hold more than 700 albums.  A similarly equipped A17 holds 150 more.  Whether or not that is significant is a personal choice and must admit that the ZX100 with a 200 GB card holding over 1100 albums has great allure.  If you are downloading hi-rez then capacity does become even more important.
Bottom line is that both the A17 & A25 yield excellent AQ, have great battery life and offer a simple operating system so are excellent value.  Coupled with the very very good HiFiMan 400s headphones one has a music playing setup under $AUD700 which could need ten times that amount to yield similar AQ via amps and speakers.  Yes the ZX100 is even better and demands even better headphones to appreciate its capabilities but is still heaps less expensive than the amp & speakers alternatives.

People have different priorities,  having two DAPs that sound similar to me especially considering  how much it will cost to import an A25 to Canada vs what it cost me to buy my A17 new in Canada (roughly double) eliminates the A25 from any consideration. 
 
I love my B&W P5S2's and for what it would cost for an A25 I could buy a pair of P7's,  OPPO PM3's or those HiFiMan 400S's you seem to like so much and buy a nice steak dinner to celebrate my purchase.
 
I am perfectly content with my like new replacement A17 with my Fiio Q1 amp.  It sounds awesome to me and to be honest if Sony wants to abandon its Canadian customers then as far as I am concerned they don't deserve anymore of my hard earned money.  I can't agree on the ZX100 being less expensive than the alternatives having had a chance to compare it to the Pioneer XDP-100R which blows it out of the water in my opinion for less money.
 
After so many years in the audio retail industry I have a very simple philosophy when it comes to portable audio.  Buy a DAP that meets all your needs and sounds awesome with the best headphones you can afford.  My A17 when paired with my Q1 meets my needs for power, storage, battery life and portablity.  I plug in my P5's and I will put my little portable rig up against rigs costing twice as much and I have. 
 
The A17 and the Q1 have close to the same battery life, and very close to the same sound signature so one does not overpower the other.  The sound siqnature of the P5's meshes beautifully to my ears with the other two pieces.  I have at one time or another listened to every DAP for sale in Toronto.  I have listened to dozens of headphones paired with various DAP's and spent hundreds of hours listening to various combinations.  Based on my budget and my sound preferences this rig I have now meets all my needs. 
 
If you take a pair of headphones and you plug them into every DAP you can find and volume match them you will be amazed at how similar they all sound.  Now take the DAP that you like the best and plug it into as many different headphones as you can find.  That is when you will hear a real difference.   Then simply pick the headphones you like the best that meet your budget and you are done.  At this point I am to old and have to many other things to spend money to keep yo-yoing from one DAP to another hoping to find one that is infinitesimally  better than what I already have.

 

[fish1050]

  General opinion seems to be that most extended warranties are a bit of a rip off so I never pay for them.  But it is a personal decision so if it gives the purchaser added comfort in the extended cover then I guess it is worth it to them.
I have had 7 Sony A series DAPs pass through my hands here for both for personal use and that of my friends so have been lucky in not experiencing any problems so far (a dangerous statement that temps fate

)
That said, accidents do happen and only last week I sacrificed a Sangean portable radio when it dropped out of the pocket into water.  But it was many years old so any extended warranty would not have helped.
I like the cheap plastic protectors to the A series as they not only help avoid scratches but act as a bit of an buffer if dropped although I've not tested out how effective that would be on a hard surface.  However if one uses a relatively short connecting cable, that will support an A series DAP if it accidentally comes out of the pocket because they are so light.

Yes you are right in most instances an extended warranty is a rip-off and I would for example never pay for an extended warranty for a television.  The extended warranty isn't just to protect you against drops.  With most portable devices the one thing that will fail most often is the battery.  Fewer and Fewer portable devices come with user replaceable batteries.  With a standard warranty chances are it will cost you more to pay for two way shipping than it would for an extended warranty.  If the battery fails after the standard warranty expires then it will cost you for a battery as well and trust me a new battery will cost alot more when purchased from the manufacturer not to mention the charge for labor. 
 
A one year extended warranty on my A17 would have cost me $35.00.  Sony will do out of warranty battery replacement, the battery will cost $25.00 plus labor and two way shipping.  Sony recommends replacing the battery at less than 50% battery life.  $35.00 for the extended warranty gets you the battery or a replacement unit and covers return shipping.  With a normal user you will run the battery to less than 50% in less than two years (I did).  Now would I pay for a 3 or 4 year extended warranty? No it would not be worth it but if I can get 4 years use out of my unit  for $35.00 instead of just 2 years then the extra $35.00 would be worth it.  A new equivalent quality DAP would cost alot more than $35.00.

 

[gerelmx1986]

 
finally back here I got the same walkman LOL just that the button now feel very nice and repaired

 

[Sonyvores]

Great! That was fast. Enjoy!

 

[fish1050]

Great! That was fast. Enjoy!

Not surprised you got yours back, glad you have it though and you didn't have to wait that long

 

[gerelmx1986]

Transferring all the tunes back into the internal memory, already tested the microSD and works great. Like fish1050 said about his replacement A17, I feel the notch at 2 on screen brightness on mine is alredy bright O_o

 

[Gosod]

 
repair was free because still has warranty until october this year. The problem was a Button that failed. The not so nice part was to pay the shipping myself including return shipping! totaling like 110 USD

Yes, probably it would be easier to add another$ 330 and buy a new one!

 

[BartSimpson1976]

Anybody want a tempered glass screen protector and/or a black silicone case? 
I just bought the Cayin i5 instead of the ZX100, so I won't need these items anymore.
I would give them basically for free, but shipping should be covered somehow.

 

[Gosod]

  Anybody want a tempered glass screen protector and/or a black silicone case? 
I just bought the Cayin i5 instead of the ZX100, so I won't need these items anymore.
I would give them basically for free, but shipping should be covered somehow.

I have written to you PM!

 

[BartSimpson1976]

  Anybody want a tempered glass screen protector and/or a black silicone case? 
I just bought the Cayin i5 instead of the ZX100, so I won't need these items anymore.
I would give them basically for free, but shipping should be covered somehow.

 
claimed!

 

[Gosod]

   
claimed!

agreed!