SONY NW-ZX2
Sep 20, 2020 at 6:53 AM Post #14,551 of 14,755
I have both the ZX507 and ZX2. The 507 is a clear upgrade in terms of OS/speed, power and sound quality but not battery life.
The ZX2 sounds a bit more DSP'd - kind of a wider soundstage but not really extended and a bit dry/un-dynamic in comparison, with a bit of sheen/haze. The ZX507 sounds more alive, more bouncy, and more intimate (prominent mids) - it sounds bit more true to life. It also extends better control over headphones, most of them come alive more so than the ZX2. Also less grain in the upper mids/lower treble than the ZX2 (but still a bit congested sounding compared to Fiio M11 Pro mids - but this goes with it's more intimate and direct soundstage)
It's difficult to imagine anyone can be disappointed with the sound quality: it's a delicate, true to source and non digital sounding signature, that doesn't sound like a "dac" as much as others.

Pair it with Sony's own IERM7 for fantastic coherent synergy, apply a touch of global eq (much better than the ZX2) to your liking and it'll be difficult to get this experience anywhere else.
 
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Sep 20, 2020 at 11:06 AM Post #14,552 of 14,755
i loved my zx2 but i found wm1a clearly better sonic-wise

if you stay with zx2 due to nostalgia , it's time to move on to new, better daps :wink:
 
Sep 20, 2020 at 2:56 PM Post #14,553 of 14,755
i loved my zx2 but i found wm1a clearly better sonic-wise

if you stay with zx2 due to nostalgia , it's time to move on to new, better daps :wink:
Hear what you say, but it is so difficult to say goodbye...
 
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Sep 25, 2020 at 8:35 PM Post #14,555 of 14,755
I still use mine with my Andromeda S even though i have more expensive dap and the synergy is superb.It will probably die on me before i let it go.

Same...I just recently got one and the synergy w/ my Andromeda MW10 is incredible...wish I still had my OG v3 to test, but so far so good w/ the MW10.

Will post more impressions later on, but I do notice some RFI noises in the background when dead quiet, do you hear a bit too w/ your AndroS?
 
Sep 26, 2020 at 7:24 AM Post #14,556 of 14,755
Yes,it's easy to hear when the music is not playing for a couple of seconds and then it dies down.
Congrats on your Zx2,still a great dap especially for Andros just make sure to do a couple of tricks found on this thread to improve the sound like turning of sound adjustment off.
 
Sep 26, 2020 at 11:02 AM Post #14,557 of 14,755
I have a ZX2 and I still look for its sound even if I also have the WM1a. It simply is timeless.
 
Sep 26, 2020 at 11:18 AM Post #14,558 of 14,755
Yes,it's easy to hear when the music is not playing for a couple of seconds and then it dies down.
Congrats on your Zx2,still a great dap especially for Andros just make sure to do a couple of tricks found on this thread to improve the sound like turning of sound adjustment off.

Hm is there a specific post I should search? There’s so many posts haha.

I have a ZX2 and I still look for its sound even if I also have the WM1a. It simply is timeless.

Same the timbre is amazing with this DAP when paired with my Vientos. I actually literally disabled all apps and functions except the music player so I could just focus on the SQ and battery. Don’t need streaming or wifi or the Android stuff actually.
 
Sep 26, 2020 at 12:30 PM Post #14,559 of 14,755
Hm is there a specific post I should search? There’s so many posts haha.



Same the timbre is amazing with this DAP when paired with my Vientos. I actually literally disabled all apps and functions except the music player so I could just focus on the SQ and battery. Don’t need streaming or wifi or the Android stuff actually.
There are various ways of disabling the sound adjustment and some have better sound results than others,i just do the basic,settings-all apps disable sound adjustment but you need to lower the vol,have a song playing and once you hit the button the volume increases suddenly,that's how you know it works,otherwise you restart the player.I think Whitigir was the main poster here so he might help further.

Also as you may know try to get at least one TRRS cable for your iems,maybe an Aloaudio for your Andro,the instrumental separation and dynamics do improve and the backround gets blacker.
 
Sep 26, 2020 at 10:26 PM Post #14,560 of 14,755
Hm is there a specific post I should search? There’s so many posts haha.



Same the timbre is amazing with this DAP when paired with my Vientos. I actually literally disabled all apps and functions except the music player so I could just focus on the SQ and battery. Don’t need streaming or wifi or the Android stuff actually.
That's what I did too. No other apps. Bare bones just like a DAP should. The UI is bonus. I like the interface better in the ZX2. Battery is insane. Occasional use, it would last a month.
 
Sep 27, 2020 at 10:04 PM Post #14,561 of 14,755
Hi there, has anyone tried recently to have his battery in the zx2 replaced by Sony? The original battery is discontinued, at least I cannot find it anymore on the web..

I found zx2 battery at aliexpress and amazon.jp. Not sure about the quality though.

I couldn't find any video for zx2 battery replacement but there're few for zx1 ( such as : ) assuming the assembly is simmillar. Anyone can confirm if internal assembly of zx1 & zx2 is simmillar?

I'm including used DAPs (used zx2 being one of it) as part of my option thus possibility of battery replacement is one thing to be considered, which is why I've done the research.
 
Oct 17, 2020 at 3:01 AM Post #14,562 of 14,755
Having the ZX2 for quite sometime now, and comparing to the 1A, 1Z, ZX300 and some other DAPs I've tried before (SP2000, LP6K, SR15, Kann Cube, etc.)...

I truly think the ZX2 can hold its own despite being five years old. The sound is highly detailed, captivating and pretty addicting. It gives notes an excellent weight to them and matches very well w/ more neutral leaning IEMs (ex: in my instance, the Viento-B and Andromeda MW10). Listening to it w/ those IEMs makes me feel like everything is so real...a stage kind of feeling vs. my 1A is more neutral orientated and gives a more technical/uncoloured level of presentation. I think my favourite parts of it as the bass and vocals. The vocals just sound so spot on with excellent weight and timbre. The bass extends very deep and is very controlled. Imaging is also super fantastic, with tons and tons of black space between notes and frequencies. It gives a "floating" type of presentation which I really enjoy, makes me feel really part of the music.

Other positives about it are the excellent battery life. I disabled all apps and processes aside from the music players as I don't need streaming and the battery lasts pretty long. I also quite like the weight of the player, makes you feel like you're holding something substantial. The UI is surprisingly fast too, and the screen size sufficient without too much extra fuss.

A downside I suppose, is the pairing can be a bit intense w/ more bass heavy IEM. With my Trio, I feel like the bass is a bit too strong for my liking, despite still sounding great. With my Trio, I prefer the 1A's neutrality a bit to hold it back.

Overall, an excellent source and companion. Highly recommend.
 
Oct 29, 2020 at 5:05 PM Post #14,563 of 14,755
Hi everyone

I bought a Mojo and i just can not pair it with the ZX2.
I use the official Sony cable, and tried another one. The Mojo seems to be not recognized.
But I read on this forum that it should work. Is there any tip to make these work together ?

Thanks a lot for your help
 
Oct 29, 2020 at 11:24 PM Post #14,564 of 14,755
Hi everyone

I bought a Mojo and i just can not pair it with the ZX2.
I use the official Sony cable, and tried another one. The Mojo seems to be not recognized.
But I read on this forum that it should work. Is there any tip to make these work together ?

Thanks a lot for your help

You need to use a Sony WMC-NWH10.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sony-nw-zx2-dap.742609/page-890#post-12973214

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sony-nw-zx2-dap.742609/page-780#post-12589365
 
Oct 30, 2020 at 4:55 AM Post #14,565 of 14,755


Thanks for your answer. I forgot to mention that when talking about "official sony cable", it is the Sony WMC-NWH10 cable.

Thought it still not work. May be the usb A to usb micro cable does not work properly (may be not OTG and just for charging ?).

I'll try another cable but I tried a few already. Any adress link to buy a good one that works ?

Thanks !
 

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