[T1000]

It´s available in Germany on april 1st for 1.199 €, preorder ist available.
 
http://www.sony.de/electronics/walkman/nw-zx2?cpint=HOMEPAGE_THELATEST4SPAN_NWZZX2_5444

 

[pietcux]

That is a hard to withstand challenge for me.

 

[Dreamliner]

This looks awesome.  I will be interested to see how its sonic quality compares to the Fiio X3, etc.
 
(Spoiler: It probably doesn't sound better and if it does, not enough to be worth 6x the price).  
 
Also, I forsee Android lag issues already.

 

[AndrewH13]

This looks awesome.  I will be interested to see how its sonic quality compared to the Fiio X3, etc.

(Spoiler: It probably doesn't sound better and if it does, not enough to be worth 6x the price).  

Also, I forsee Android lag issues already.

x5 or upcoming x7 more relevant?

2x, 6x price has never equated to twice or 6 times perceived sound quality in audio/hifi. You pay what you consider worthwhile gains for yourself.

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

  This looks awesome.  I will be interested to see how its sonic quality compares to the Fiio X3, etc.
 
(Spoiler: It probably doesn't sound better and if it does, not enough to be worth 6x the price).  
 
Also, I forsee Android lag issues already.

 
Well at the moment I'm enjoying my ZX1 more than my DX90, and the changes on the ZX2 sounds like they will fix everything on the ZX1 that needs fixing, like the slightly bright sound mainly, but ZX2 seems will bring much more to the sound than just fix that. The ZX2 could very well be the dap I prefer over all the others, no matter the price point. I'm just a fan of the Sony S Master sound, that being tight bass, very clear and almost holographic vocals, very airy, separated, energetic and very fast transients. And the ZX1 has no lag, so the ZX2 won't either.

 

[charleski]

  This looks awesome.  I will be interested to see how its sonic quality compares to the Fiio X3, etc.
 
(Spoiler: It probably doesn't sound better and if it does, not enough to be worth 6x the price).  
 
Also, I forsee Android lag issues already.

Android's problems with audio latency have absolutely no impact on playing music. It only affects situations in which you're applying effects in real-time and need the audio to remain in sync with other sources or live performance. If all you're doing is playing music from a file then latency below a few hundred ms is irrelevant.

 

[Dreamliner]

x5 or upcoming x7 more relevant?

2x, 6x price has never equated to twice or 6 times perceived sound quality in audio/hifi. You pay what you consider worthwhile gains for yourself.

I don't have any of those  I like my music players compact.  Right on regarding diminishing returns...the quest never ends.
 

   
Well at the moment I'm enjoying my ZX1 more than my DX90, and the changes on the ZX2 sounds like they will fix everything on the ZX1 that needs fixing, like the slightly bright sound mainly, but ZX2 seems will bring much more to the sound than just fix that. The ZX2 could very well be the dap I prefer over all the others, no matter the price point. I'm just a fan of the Sony S Master sound, that being tight bass, very clear and almost holographic vocals, very airy, separated, energetic and very fast transients. And the ZX1 has no lag, so the ZX2 won't either.

I haven't auditioned any of the Sony Hi-Fi players, hopefully I can take a pair of headphones and a MicroSD card to a retailer and give 'em a whirl.
 

 
Android's problems with audio latency have absolutely no impact on playing music. It only affects situations in which you're applying effects in real-time and need the audio to remain in sync with other sources or live performance. If all you're doing is playing music from a file then latency below a few hundred ms is irrelevant.

I meant interface lag/stutter.  Its nothing more than an annoyance, but very frustrating (to me).

 

[Lespectraal]

So about these Android based players, I can say run Flappy Bird on it and enjoy the game's sound effects at the highest possible quality? Hmm...

 

[H20Fidelity]

  So about these Android based players, I can say run Flappy Bird on it and enjoy the game's sound effects at the highest possible quality? Hmm...

Well, you can but its all relative to sample rate and audio quality of the game.

Unless Flappy Bird comes out in 24bit hi-res sound effects/background music you're at the mercy of the games implementation.

 

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

[size=12.7272720336914px]Updated[/size]
[size=12.7272720336914px]Genuine ZX2 hardware improvements not found in the ZX1![/size]
[size=12.7272720336914px]http://www.sonystyle.com.cn/products/media_player/nw_zx2.htm[/size]
[size=12.7272720336914px] [/size]
[size=12.7272720336914px]1. Super Capacitor- ensures signal accuracy by providing more power reserves[/size]
[size=12.7272720336914px][size=12.7272720336914px]2. 3 more Os-Con Caps- used in power filtering. Still retains the other 4 Os-Con caps like ZX1 in the analog circuit, but adds 3 more for stable frequency characteristics and lower noise.[/size][/size]
[size=12.7272720336914px]3. PCB- Uses a thicker gold plated copper PCB than ZX1.[/size]
[size=12.7272720336914px]4. 2 Crystal Clocks- ZX1 could only do 44.1, 88.2 176.4 native, ZX2 adds 48, 96, 192 native.[/size]
[size=12.7272720336914px]5. Chassis- Noise isolation improved by encasing audio components in either gold plated copper. ZX1 just used the aluminium chassis to isolate from the screen, ZX2 isolation metals are better, and isolate both front and back of player unlike ZX1, and also compartmentalize the battery.[/size]
[size=12.7272720336914px]6. 99.99% pure tin solder delivers a natural frequency balance.[/size]
[size=12.7272720336914px]7. MELF capacitors- used in the analog output stage, these metal electrode caps are the best possible you could use, a DIYers dream, and currently not found in any other daps. These are pictured next to the bottom two os-con caps, they are very small so look close.[/size]
[size=12.7272720336914px]8. Film condensors- Minimize interference from vibrations, waves and electrical sources. Again these are premium components, not found in any other daps.[size=12.7272720336914px] [/size][size=12.7272720336914px]In the pictures, these are the green looking components next to the os-con caps.[/size][/size]
[size=12.7272720336914px]9.[size=12.7272720336914px] Large coil resistors in analog circuit. For lower distortion, lower resistance power output. These are the[/size][size=12.7272720336914px] large black square components next to the os-con caps and seem 3-4 times bigger than the ones on ZX1.[/size][/size]
[size=12.7272720336914px][size=12.7272720336914px]10. Double the battery capacity of the ZX1, this will actually halve battery impedance for better extension in bass and treble.[/size][/size]

 

[Mython]

(Don't take any of this personally - it's not aimed at you; it's aimed at Sony

)
 
 
 

 

the main thing to focus on is the new super capacitor, this will definitely have a big effect on the sound, it should make the sound fuller and more dynamic, and at least double power of ZX2 over ZX1, but it could even be up to 4 times as powerful.

 
I won't get too excited - let's face it, a 'super capacitor' can't 'generate' power - it may serve to increase transient PMPO, but that is not the same as RMS.
 
Lower resistance battery may improve transients, too, I suppose (something I have long held a small suspicion may be holding-back the DX90 transient ability, although I openly admit I have not actually heard one yet)
 
 

 

This will make bass more solid and the over all sound will be less bright and more controlled while maintaining the S Master unique ability to cleanly project vocals and provide very clean and quick sound.

 
The ZX1 may sound quite accomplished in a few areas of sound reproduction, and is undoubtedly very clean, but, to me at least, it sounds bland and utterly artificial. Much as I dislike A&K, my brief acquaintance with the AK100, AK120 and AK240 did not leave me feeling that they sound artificial. Only the ZX1 sounds uniquely artificial to me, and I see no reason for Sony to be patting themselves on the back, thinking they are playing in the audiophile DAP big leagues, until such time as the ZX line actually sounds realistic when reproducing acoustic material. Whether this subjective artificiality of the ZX1 sound may be due to the digital S-Master amp or something else, I don't know, but the ZX2 looks to share 95% of it's core technology with the ZX1 and so it looks, at this stage, as though the ZX2 may be a cynical attempt by Sony to smear lipstick on a pig in the hope they can sell it as a beauty queen.

 

[lomenhk]

Some more images captured from Chinese head-fi forum:
 
http://bbs.imp3.net/thread-11213973-1-1.html
 
http://bbs.imp3.net/thread-11213867-1-1.html

 

[H20Fidelity]

Nice to see they've revamped the design, a little bit thicker won't hurt anyone.

I don't know why but it reminds me more of the early Z series (Z1050) than the original ZX1.

 

[Mython]

  Masakazu Honda just wrote some impressions in Japanese here
 
http://av.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/series/avt/20150106_682549.html

 
 
Quote:

   
basically he is saying ZX2 sounds more natural and richer than ZX1.

 
OK, well, if that's a real-life subjective experience of the ZX2, then it seems the ZX2 may be worth a listen. It has to sound more realistic than the ZX1 to command serious audiophile cash.

 

[musicday]

No SDXC and no OLED screen disappointing.
But if sound is on class with AK240 and Lotoo may be worth it