[fonzler]

Hi All,
 
I just received my ZX2 today, but am having a few issues and was wondering if anyone would be able to enlighten me. First thing I did after turning the unit on was to update the system software (bad move?), then loaded on some music. It was at this point I realised:
 
1. My unit seems unable to read AIFF tags. The files play back just fine, but the music app displays only the file name and none of the embedded artwork. These were displayed just fine when I demoed the ZX2 a month or two ago in store and inserted a microSD card with my music. Not sure what the issue may be.
 
2. General operation is quite sluggish. There is a pause transitioning between different screens and options, even without music playing in the background. Did not expect this of a brand new unit!
 
Has anyone experienced similar problems?

 

[axax]

We all know zx2 cannot play DSD directly. What I am trying to say is Hugo has an upper hand in terms of SQ when doing DSD natively over zx2's dsd to pcm conversion. People have been claiming that native DSD playback and conversion to PCM does not matter in terms of SQ, but I can clearly hear the difference. Maybe because Hugo is a superior DAC compared to zx2. I will be doing other PCM comparisons shortly.

 
I think hugo and zx2 is not comparable devices for this test.Hugo's sound quality is much better than daps.

 

[Conext]

  Good to hear,although the a15 which has 10mW can't drive them sufficiently.So do you enjoy the pairing or do you still find ie800 sibilant?

I do still find them sibilant in some situations.
 
If I had to put my finger on it, I would estimate that as the volume raises linearly, the rate of sibilance increases more than linearly.
 
It's odd. When combined with the ZX2, I would say my 7550s are "very good" at reproducing all of the varied genres and file types that I have in my collection. Whereas I would characterize the ie800 as being able to reproduce that same swath of genres and files as falling into either "jaw-droppingly spectacular" or "fair".

 

[danlevy]

I wonder what is going on with Sony's US inventory.
 
Sony's site has gone from "shipping on 5-6-15" to "Notify Me When Available"
 
http://store.sony.com/128-gb-walkman-hi-res-digital-music-player-zid27-NWZX2BLK/cat-27-catid-All-MP3-Players

 

[Gadget67]

I wonder what is going on with Sony's US inventory.

Sony's site has gone from "shipping on 5-6-15" to "Notify Me When Available"

http://store.sony.com/128-gb-walkman-hi-res-digital-music-player-zid27-NWZX2BLK/cat-27-catid-All-MP3-Players

They are still showing as in stock at Crutchfield where I purchased mine. Better hurry!

 

[AUDIOBREEDER]

I'm waiting for price drop.... if ever

They are still showing as in stock at Crutchfield where I purchased mine. Better hurry!

 

[Gadget67]

I'm waiting for price drop.... if ever

They are still showing as in stock at Crutchfield where I purchased mine. Better hurry!

Don't hold your breath...check Amazon periodically for warehouse deals but it's still way too new (and apparently popular) to expect any meaningful discount.

 

[jonstatt]

Don't hold your breath...check Amazon periodically for warehouse deals but it's still way too new (and apparently popular) to expect any meaningful discount.

 
I agree. The ZX1 didn't start dropping in price until the ZX2 started appearing. And on top of that the ZX2 has been getting more favourable reviews than the ZX1 which probably protects it further. On the other hand, the ZX2 pricing means it has more room to fall

 

[Tinnitus Man]

  Hi All,
 
I just received my ZX2 today, but am having a few issues and was wondering if anyone would be able to enlighten me. First thing I did after turning the unit on was to update the system software (bad move?), then loaded on some music. It was at this point I realised:
 
1. My unit seems unable to read AIFF tags. The files play back just fine, but the music app displays only the file name and none of the embedded artwork. These were displayed just fine when I demoed the ZX2 a month or two ago in store and inserted a microSD card with my music. Not sure what the issue may be.
 
2. General operation is quite sluggish. There is a pause transitioning between different screens and options, even without music playing in the background. Did not expect this of a brand new unit!
 
Has anyone experienced similar problems?

1.  Not too sure about this, but you can try other music players.  You're not limited to just the Sony app.​
 
2.  I've not experienced significantly laggy behaviour, but then I use my device purely for playing music and don't use any other apps.
 
The ZX2 doesn't have the latest version of Android, nor does it have a cutting-edge processor.  As far as I've read, this decision was based on stability and battery life.
 
If you use the Walkman as a Walkman, you can't really go far wrong.  I'm not sure it's really up to the job of being a mini Android tablet.

 

[M3Rocket]

We all know zx2 cannot play DSD directly. What I am trying to say is Hugo has an upper hand in terms of SQ when doing DSD natively over zx2's dsd to pcm conversion. People have been claiming that native DSD playback and conversion to PCM does not matter in terms of SQ, but I can clearly hear the difference. Maybe because Hugo is a superior DAC compared to zx2. I will be doing other PCM comparisons shortly.

 
As lauded as the $2,500 Chord Hugo is as a DAC/headphone amp even when compared with desktop/system DACs costing four times as much, I doubt that Sony--even with large economies of scale advantage--is going to surpass it with a portable DAP that cost half as much as the Hugo. Whether those differences warrant carrying around a DAP/Hugo combo rather than a relatively compact ZX2 is a rather personal decision. But it's comparing apples and oranges IMHO.

 

[piksnz]

As lauded as the $2,500 Chord Hugo is as a DAC/headphone amp even when compared with desktop/system DACs costing four times as much, I doubt that Sony--even with large economies of scale advantage--is going to surpass it with a portable DAP that cost half as much as the Hugo. Whether those differences warrant carrying around a DAP/Hugo combo rather than a relatively compact ZX2 is a rather personal decision. But it's comparing apples and oranges IMHO.

The sole reason to compare Hugo with zx2 is that Hugo shares similar sound signature and quality with ak240. I do not have ak240 to compare it with zx2 at the moment. So are we telling comparing ak240 with zx2 is comparing apples and oranges? Btw will get a review unit for ak240 soon and provide more impressions.

 

[M3Rocket]

  Hi All,
 
I just received my ZX2 today, but am having a few issues and was wondering if anyone would be able to enlighten me. First thing I did after turning the unit on was to update the system software (bad move?), then loaded on some music. It was at this point I realised:
 
1. My unit seems unable to read AIFF tags. The files play back just fine, but the music app displays only the file name and none of the embedded artwork. These were displayed just fine when I demoed the ZX2 a month or two ago in store and inserted a microSD card with my music. Not sure what the issue may be.
 
2. General operation is quite sluggish. There is a pause transitioning between different screens and options, even without music playing in the background. Did not expect this of a brand new unit!
 
Has anyone experienced similar problems?

 
Updating the system software should not be detrimental AFAIK. It happened when I first connected my ZX2 to WiFi without any issues.
 
I think AIFF files uses ID3v2.3 tags. Sometimes, the tags could be written incorrectly or written in an incompatible version. Try using something like MP3Tag to read and rewrite the tags.
 
As for sluggishness, the ZX2 isn't lightning quick, but I don't find mine to be sluggish. There shouldn't be any jerkiness to the animations, and responsiveness seems instantaneous in almost all situations for me. The longest pause is maybe a half a second moving from one screen to the next like when selecting the player from the Home menu. Home button is always instant for me for example.

 

[M3Rocket]

The sole reason to compare Hugo with zx2 is that Hugo shares similar sound signature and quality with ak240. I do not have ak240 to compare it with zx2 at the moment. So are we telling comparing ak240 with zx2 is comparing apples and oranges? Btw will get a review unit for ak240 soon and provide more impressions.

 
Actually, I don't mind the comparison at all. That the ZX2 can compete with the Hugo (a dedicated DAC/headphone amp that will require a DAP) in sound quality is a testament to how good the ZX2 actually is for the price.
 
IMHO, comparing the AK240 and the ZX2 would be more of an apples-to-apples comparison since they are both portable DAP/DAC/Headphone Amp all-in-one and are quite similar in basic functionality. I'm interested to hear what your impressions are, and if they end up being similar to Steven Rochlin's comparison review.

 

[Sound Eq]

can i connect the zx2 in balanced mode to my alo mk B portable amp and what cable do i need to buy, can u provide a link to the cable i need

i want to have balanced setup for my rig

zx2---- balanced alo mk B---- audeze lcd rev2

thanks for you help

 

[Gadget67]

The sole reason to compare Hugo with zx2 is that Hugo shares similar sound signature and quality with ak240. I do not have ak240 to compare it with zx2 at the moment. So are we telling comparing ak240 with zx2 is comparing apples and oranges? Btw will get a review unit for ak240 soon and provide more impressions.

Actually, I don't mind the comparison at all. That the ZX2 can compete with the Hugo (a dedicated DAC/headphone amp that will require a DAP) in sound quality is a testament to how good the ZX2 actually is for the price.

IMHO, comparing the AK240 and the ZX2 would be more of an apples-to-apples comparison since they are both portable DAP/DAC/Headphone Amp all-in-one and are quite similar in basic functionality. I'm interested to hear what your impressions are, and if they end up being similar to Steven Rochlin's comparison review.

Steven is a professional reviewer and is likely better able to spot small differences and nuances most of us probably wouldn't even notice. The law of diminishing returns applies here. There may be sound signature differences between the three but I don't believe the "average" listener could reliably say one device is "better" than the other. Each device has its merits but the Sony works best for my needs.