So, after burning in the ZX2 for 106 hours, I thought I'd begin my review of the unit in earnest...
Build and Physical Characteristics:
Among the first attributes that anyone who physically handles the ZX2 will notice is that it is heavy. I thought the ZX1 had some heft to it—and compared to a naked iPod Touch, it does. But the ZX2 has noticeably more heft than the ZX1. That's not to say it's unusable. Quite the contrary. I enjoy walking and listening to music. Holding the ZX2 in one hand for over an hour resulted in no fatigue or discomfort. The rounded sides help it sit nicely in the hand, and the rubber-ish back side provides a nice contrast to the lightly textured aluminum on the rest of the body.
That being said, you know...you might want to be careful when handling the ZX2. Given the proper circumstances, I could easily see this sucker doing some damage if one's fingers got between it and a hard surface during a fall.
As this is the middle of winter, and considering this is likely going to become the coldest February on record 'round these parts, I would be remiss if I did not mention the fact that the ZX2 can get very cold. Well, duh. It's a huge chunk of aluminum—often used for CPU and GPU heatsinks. It has excellent thermal conductivity compared to most metals. So yes, in a cold environment, it will wick away the heat from your hands relatively quickly.
The physical buttons are a blessing. However, I find that my own tactile response favors the raised buttons of the ZX1. I seem to be able to inherently feel the size differences of the raised buttons better than I can feel the size differences of the "depressions" in the ZX2. But this is a very minor and rather subjective observation.
The door for the MicoSD card slot is peculiar. Well, not the door itself. Rather, the printing on the door. Sony used a barely-there dark gray color to show the orientation needed to insert the SD card. Honestly, I didn't even see it—I guess my eye was being distracted by the bright white printing of the serial number (or whatever it is) a couple of millimeters below it, and consequently inserted my SD card like any sane, normal person would—pins down. Nope. Pins up.
Why use bright white ink for something which is almost completely irrelevant for the end user, and a hard-to-see ink for something that is inherently important for an end user? Right next to each other, no less. A minor gripe, admittedly.
The screen is nice. It appears to be exactly the same as the screen used on the ZX1. One oddity that I noticed in regards to the screen on the ZX1 is occasionally, the screen brightness would flicker. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason as to when it would manifest. And it has remained at least through the v1.13 software update. So far, I have not noticed the same behavior on the ZX2.
User Interface / Software:
It's Android. If you've ever used an Android-based phone, you'll be used to this. It's fundamentally the same as the ZX1.
One nice addition that the ZX2 has over the ZX1 are lock screen widgets (thanks to Android 4.2). I don't know about you, but I have so much music, often times it can become difficult to recall which song came from which album. And my obsessive compulsive nature really needs to know that on occasion. With the ZX1, I'd have to press the power button and swipe the screen to unlock it in order to see the interface again. The ZX2 now has a mini-player available for use on the lock screen. It's not much. It basically just shows a small thumbnail of the album artwork, the song title, and a few playback controls (which are obviously superfluous, given the hardware buttons). But it's nice that I no longer have to gunk up the screen with my finger prints.
The music app itself is fine. It's nothing amazing, though. Just a solid, serviceable application. You can "outscroll" the app's ability to update the screen. But only by a second. It catches up quickly. The device never feels woefully underpowered.
There are a number of audio enhancement options in the app, like the 5-band EQ, reverb effects and "DSEE HX". It's supposed to help lossy music files sound better:
http://blogs.sonymobile.com/2014/10/01/xperia-details-hi-res-audio/
I've tried it before on the ZX1 and never really heard any difference.
There are also post-processing effects available for use with DSD files. Apparently, they can't be turned off. You simply have to choose which set of options you want to use, and that's the way it will always be. That being said, I suspect these options are at least partially responsible for the expanded sense of the sound stage and enhanced reverb effects that I detect in DSD audio.
The ZX2 is capable of accessing the Google Play Store. I downloaded a few apps—Astro File Manager, MX video player, Angry Birds, Pandora, etc. Everything seems to work just fine.
I tested a couple of DVD-resolution videos in the MX video player. They were encoded in h.264 high profile and played back without any problems. While I haven't looked exhaustively, I didn't see any options for video output. I doubt the ZX2 can be used to play back on a TV or any other external monitor.
So far, I've found the battery run time to be very close to what Sony has claimed. While using a playlist comprised of MP3s, ranging from 128Kbps to 320Kbps, the battery indicator showed a drop of approximately 2% per hour. This would equate to roughly 50 hours of playback time—which is probably what one should expect, considering Sony quotes 60 hours of playback time when using JUST 128Kbps MP3 files.
I already mentioned this in an earlier post, but after letting the device run down to the point where the OS performed an emergency shut off, and using a 5v, 2Amp AC charger, it took a little over 3.5 hours to charge the device back to 100%.
Sound Quality:
I imagine this is the section that most Head-Fiers care about. However, I'm not exactly the best choice for describing the audio quality of the ZX2. I've never considered myself an audiophile, nor do I have the proper vocabulary to describe what I hear. And to be honest, I liked the audio quality of the ZX1. I never found myself saying, "This sounds like ass! I need a better sounding rig ASAP!". But, I'll do what I can.
First, my headphones of choice:
Sony MDR-7550
16mm dynamic driver (ported) IEM
16 Ohm impedance
108 db/mW sensitivity
The general, overarching difference in sound quality which I perceive between the ZX1 and the ZX2 are the width of the sound stage, the clarity and definition of individual instruments and the punch-y-ness of the bass.
The sound stage on the ZX2 appears wider than on the ZX1. It sounds more open. I wouldn't say by a huge margin, but it is a noticeable improvement. While I've always thought the ZX1 was was excellent at being able to render distinct, individual musical elements in any given song, I actually find myself surprised with how much more detail the ZX2 appears to be able to deliver. Combined with the improved sound stage, it really starts to impart a sense of "being there".
I consider it analogous to being in a crowded room with a whole bunch of people talking. In such a situation, a person can decide to hone in on one conversation or another. That's something I find myself doing with the ZX2. I've found a number of tracks where I've begun noticing details that I've never heard before. For example, I have a DSD copy of Michael Jackson's Beat It. On the ZX2 I can now pick out a faint melody line from a synthesizer in the left channel during the refrain. Likewise, on a 16/44.1 FLAC rip of Green Day's Good Riddance (Time of Your Life), I can actually hear the pick on the acoustic guitar.
The ZX2 is also the first DAP that I've used which I did not feel a need to EQ. Granted, I've mostly been using Apple DAPs over the past 10 years (iPod Nano 1, 2, 3, iPod Touch 1, 3, 4 and 5). But even with the ZX1 I felt the need to EQ. The ZX2, with all default settings, matches and/or exceeds the sound quality I prefer out of the ZX1 even with EQing. The delivery of the low end is noticeably stronger than on the ZX1. A good example is Bug Hunt (Noisia Remix) from Skrillex. I have this as a 256Kbps AAC file from iTunes. On the ZX1 it sounds a little flat and muddy. The bass delivery on the ZX2 is more punchy and helps to impart a sense of greater dynamic range to the track, as the bass elements become more distinct.
One question I have not had a chance to investigate yet is the SD card. I use Sony's Media Go app to organize all of my music. When you plug in the ZX2, the interface gives you the option to send files to the internal memory or the SD card. You have to make a change in Android before connecting the device if you want Media Go to be able to send files to the SD card. So, I worry that if I make a playlist on Media Go, and transfer it over to the ZX2, but some of those files are on the SD card, instead of the internal memory, it might not play those tracks. I would hope that's not the case. I guess I'll find out once I run out of space on the internal memory...which won't be long now. The increased sound stage and detail I hear from the ZX2, particularly in DSD audio has convinced me to give the format another chance.
So there you have it. I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but that's what the edit button is for.
EDIT:
Oh yes, one additional item that annoyed me with the ZX1 was the amount of power that simply evaporated off into the universe, while sitting in sleep mode. Despite turning off all radios, and despite disabling a boatload of worthless services that I don't need running in Android, I would still lose about 5.5% of the battery per 24 hours while sitting in sleep mode.
I've performed my first initial test on the ZX2 for this same issue. I turned off all radios and disabled A FEW useless Google-related services. I haven't had a chance to sit down and disable most of the crap. That being said, I let the ZX2 sit in sleep mode for precisely 18 hours. The battery indicator went from 96% to 93% when I woke it up.
18 hours is 75% of 24 hours. So a little multiplication yields about 4% of battery loss per 24 hours while doing nothing. Granted, these numbers are a little imprecise. Maybe the battery was @ 96.1% when I shut it off, and @ 93.9% when I turned it on. I'd really need to let it sit for a few days to get a better number. But who in their right mind would let this device sit for days without using it?
Guess will ship the TV studio to AXPONA and you can always catch up with me there to hear the new Sony and talk about it, the AK240, Noble K-10, JH Audio Roxanne... the good ol' days when we used cassette Walkmans and Sony D-5/D-25/D-555, etc.
