[proedros]

i prefer the 'disabled sound app' ZX2 , sounds more neutral/linear to my ears than the stock zx2 sound
 
one great thing about it , both K3003/ck10 pair well with it ( i find my re272 to sound hollow in the mids though) and i seem to enjoy them even more this way
 
 
very,very, VERY curious how my UM Miracles (with TRRS silver dragon cable) will sound - if/when they arrive that is as the waiting for both iem/cable is underway

 

 

[muscular]

   
 
i was planning on zx2 + 1964 V6s or something cheaper + UM Miracle.....if only i have that much to spare, i can join your conversation.....

I have come a very very long way before I got the gear I have now. I personally thinks its no fun to simply just upgrade to the best, but to take a small step each time so we can appreciate the best the audiophile world can offer. It was no easy decision for me to get the ZX2, as other DAPS like fiio X7 & onkyo dp-x1 are around the corner. That said, I had made lots of read up leading to my decision to purchase the ZX2. The biggest flaw I see, in deciding a DAP is that there is a whole lot of audiophiles (or maybe not) judging the sound or audio, by what DAC is being used. There's a great deal of hype surrounding DAP using good DACs but imo, DACs are only a small portion of the whole audio quality equation, and I confirm such thinking through purchasing the ZX2 and AB'ing it against the DX90. More than just a matter of poor matching, the DX90 was really quite flat in presentation and had instruments smashed up against a wall, with inferior bass extension. This immediately put the DX80 a cross on my potential list to be honest. 
 
I just feel that at this point in time, there's too much attention on DACs alone and not looking at the overall implementation of the whole circuitry makes for a market that is quickly trying to push "certain DACs" components out as hi-def audio DAP.

 

[PoRidge]

  I have come a very very long way before I got the gear I have now. I personally thinks its no fun to simply just upgrade to the best, but to take a small step each time so we can appreciate the best the audiophile world can offer. It was no easy decision for me to get the ZX2, as other DAPS like fiio X7 & onkyo dp-x1 are around the corner. That said, I had made lots of read up leading to my decision to purchase the ZX2. The biggest flaw I see, in deciding a DAP is that there is a whole lot of audiophiles (or maybe not) judging the sound or audio, by what DAC is being used. There's a great deal of hype surrounding DAP using good DACs but imo, DACs are only a small portion of the whole audio quality equation, and I confirm such thinking through purchasing the ZX2 and AB'ing it against the DX90. More than just a matter of poor matching, the DX90 was really quite flat in presentation and had instruments smashed up against a wall, with inferior bass extension. This immediately put the DX80 a cross on my potential list to be honest. 
 
I just feel that at this point in time, there's too much attention on DACs alone and not looking at the overall implementation of the whole circuitry makes for a market that is quickly trying to push "certain DACs" components out as hi-def audio DAP.

 
i have also been trying around for some time now, not as long as 80% of the head-fiers but i think if someone has experienced enough and knows what sound he's looking for, there's nothing wrong in saving up for the end game. for better dac and amp chips, especially the chinese ones are quite obsessed imo. but i will still wait till i can hear it through my own ears.

 

[gerelmx1986]

warm sound means analogue and bright like zx100 is digital or? or mmmhh there can be zx100-like sound with analogue feeling? haha i don't know how to explain LOL necause is not definitvely trbbly player nor lifeless a la iPod but i had a fiio x3 I and ad a thick sound and i had this analogue feeling, same for my old x1060

 

[muscular]

   
i have also been trying around for some time now, not as long as 80% of the head-fiers but i think if someone has experienced enough and knows what sound he's looking for, there's nothing wrong in saving up for the end game. for better dac and amp chips, especially the chinese ones are quite obsessed imo. but i will still wait till i can hear it through my own ears.

If your location is indeed Hong Kong, I believe your options are a lot wider and perhaps in most cases, cheaper to purchase than others in other parts of the world. Indeed u have to hear it for yourself to believe. I also believe in brain burn-in so give some chance if a equipment doesn't sound good in the beginning. The ZX2 was "meh" when I auditioned it but after reading through this thread, I know better what ZX2 excels in and am able to pick details easier or being alert what to hear for.

 

[gerelmx1986]

ZX2 looks tempting and saw some one is selling here for 900 usd, $300 more than my price i got the zx100... buuut.... in 2019 is walkman's 40 years and we all know sony for these special dates... damn I think i will hold my breath until 2019

 what if the special edition has super cool sound quality, huge soundstage, bigge than the one of zx2, ultra 3D (and maybe 4D audio

) haha well the price ... gosh is the last thing i think of
 
If  @muscular says zx2 detail retreival is superb... I can hear the same on my zx100, the smallest sounding organ pipes get retrieved and nuances from the recordings o the point it seems a bit too "mechanical" e.g pedal screech on a piano recording (fortunately one track )

 

[PoRidge]

  If your location is indeed Hong Kong, I believe your options are a lot wider and perhaps in most cases, cheaper to purchase than others in other parts of the world. Indeed u have to hear it for yourself to believe. I also believe in brain burn-in so give some chance if a equipment doesn't sound good in the beginning. The ZX2 was "meh" when I auditioned it but after reading through this thread, I know better what ZX2 excels in and am able to pick details easier or being alert what to hear for.

 
more options, probably, cheaper, not exactly and i could not even find a store selling l&p l5 pro. i have tried many and zx2 is still the my on the top of my list, it's simply a very good compromise for my use. bur for now, i might settle down a bit on the zx100 for a while.

 

[gerelmx1986]

ZX series are so detailed... screw* i heard from an apparently nice Haydn sonatas set Label Capriccio (austria).. a NOKIA TUNE! from the keyboardist cellphone, fortunately it was on a silence part but i found it distracting... and the recording engineers let it pass???!!! coool... reconsidering NAXOS the Virtual Haydn
 
 
eerrr forget the virtual Haydn.. and it's hi-res.. but these virtual acoustics receration of Haydn rooms... sound slike if a child toyed with audacity and put echoeing or recorded in a small bathroom with hard stereo panning, weird sound too artificial, I know naxos did a feat in R&D with canada McGraw or Mcgraw hill what ever university  but terrible attempt... they could just have traveled to vienna or so and record there rather than sampling the echo response in these places and attempt to "fire" it in a massive array of speakers while the artist is playing in a recording studio. Keeping the CD version despite that ringtone intrusion

 

 

[krayzie]

In order to achieve something close to the old Sony Walkman analog sound from the 80's you need their complete setup: NW-ZX2 + PHA-3 + MDR-Z7 w/ Kimber Kable + DSD music files (the Kimber Kable and DSD rips from SACDs / downloads contribute the most to the warm sound).
 
ZX2 by itself sounds like their Discmans and MD Walkmans since the mid 90's, that sterile digital amp sound signature (the ZX1 with MDR-1R sounded like crap to me when I auditioned it at the Sony Store when they were still around in Canada). Even pairing the ZX2 with the E484 can't fix this (this is not a good pairing). I believe the audio chain needs to be from the same generation to get a good match up.
 
ZX2 in itself has the best stereo separation of any portable I've ever heard.
 
I wonder if the ZX2 clock and the PHA-3 clock sync with each other like how their CDP-R1 and DAS-R1 twin-link feature works (this has a clock return line from the DAC back to the CD Player).
 
http://www.thevintageknob.org/sony-CDP-R1.html
 
http://www.thevintageknob.org/sony-DAS-R1.html

 

[Buddhahacker]

  I have come a very very long way before I got the gear I have now. I personally thinks its no fun to simply just upgrade to the best, but to take a small step each time so we can appreciate the best the audiophile world can offer. It was no easy decision for me to get the ZX2, as other DAPS like fiio X7 & onkyo dp-x1 are around the corner. That said, I had made lots of read up leading to my decision to purchase the ZX2. The biggest flaw I see, in deciding a DAP is that there is a whole lot of audiophiles (or maybe not) judging the sound or audio, by what DAC is being used. There's a great deal of hype surrounding DAP using good DACs but imo, DACs are only a small portion of the whole audio quality equation, and I confirm such thinking through purchasing the ZX2 and AB'ing it against the DX90. More than just a matter of poor matching, the DX90 was really quite flat in presentation and had instruments smashed up against a wall, with inferior bass extension. This immediately put the DX80 a cross on my potential list to be honest. 
 
I just feel that at this point in time, there's too much attention on DACs alone and not looking at the overall implementation of the whole circuitry makes for a market that is quickly trying to push "certain DACs" components out as hi-def audio DAP.

I agree.  The type of DAC used in a particular setup can provide you with an indication of SQ but more importantly is the implementation.  You can have a fine DAC but it will sound poorly if the implementation and surrounding hardware isn't up to the same quality. 
 
I purchased the ZX2 for the expect great SQ which would beat out my iPhone or Galaxy but equally because I was looking for a more versatile device.  I have the AKs and they are great at their one task and when I am at home I use them constantly.  However, I travel extensively so having the ZX2 be not only a great DAP but also obtain access to TIDAL, Audible and video in one small package made it a no brainer. 
 
So, to your point, there is more to a DAP than simply the DAC chip. 

 

[JeremyLaurenson]

Actually not everything on Tidal is lossless, as some music is still lossy but most are in lossless format so there is that. The only reason I bought the X7 is to use spotify on that. Just saying I really do dislike the term audiophile, kind of a snobby term if you ask me.

 

Totally agree.
 
ANY 3rd party app (non-sony) on these devices isn't using the high end audio circuitry, so its a moot point to by talking abut Tidal anyway if thats your view.

 

[animalsrush]

In order to achieve something close to the old Sony Walkman analog sound from the 80's you need their complete setup: NW-ZX2 + PHA-3 + MDR-Z7 w/ Kimber Kable + DSD music files (the Kimber Kable and DSD rips from SACDs / downloads contribute the most to the warm sound).

ZX2 by itself sounds like their Discmans and MD Walkmans since the mid 90's, that sterile digital amp sound signature (the ZX1 with MDR-1R sounded like crap to me when I auditioned it at the Sony Store when they were still around in Canada). Even pairing the ZX2 with the E484 can't fix this (this is not a good pairing). I believe the audio chain needs to be from the same generation to get a good match up.

ZX2 in itself has the best stereo separation of any portable I've ever heard.

I wonder if the ZX2 clock and the PHA-3 clock sync with each other like how their CDP-R1 and DAS-R1 twin-link feature works (this has a clock return line from the DAC back to the CD Player).

http://www.thevintageknob.org/sony-CDP-R1.html

http://www.thevintageknob.org/sony-DAS-R1.html

Looks like you had the same experience. , zx2 produces sound so close to my old mini disc player and when I compared both zx2 had edge on soundstage and micro details.. So close to analogue sound.

 

[gerelmx1986]

ZX2 screen plastic or GLASS?
 
I will return my zx100 (hope i can) not worht the quality of build for the price.... got a tiny visible scratch (not when screen is ON) but yes when yous hine light on the screen

 

[Cagin]

  ZX2 screen plastic or GLASS?
 
I will return my zx100 (hope i can) not worht the quality of build for the price.... got a tiny visible scratch (not when screen is ON) but yes when yous hine light on the screen

I've no idea, but take my word for it: slap a tempered glass on the ZX2 and don't look back. Like the Dayjoy on amazon.  It made the zx2 much more smoother and responsive and nore more oil finger smudges

 

[gerelmx1986]

bad luck, read accessoryJack store polcicies no "satisfaction warantee" returns