[Sonic Defender]

  How does the zx2 stack up against the questyle qp1r..? Has anyone heard the qp1r before ?.

I have read many impressions of both, both sound excellent, the QPR1R has a great deal more power, no streaming, and the GUI isn't as good. So sound quality likely goes to the QP1R, as does flexibility in terms of ability to drive various headphones, but the ZX2 provides Android, albeit rather long in the tooth Android, and a better GUI. That has been my understanding.
 
Edit: I'm sure the sound quality is close, but apparently the QP1R is pretty special.

 

[purk]

  I have read many impressions of both, both sound excellent, the QPR1R has a great deal more power, no streaming, and the GUI isn't as good. So sound quality likely goes to the QP1R, as does flexibility in terms of ability to drive various headphones, but the ZX2 provides Android, albeit rather long in the tooth Android, and a better GUI. That has been my understanding.
 
Edit: I'm sure the sound quality is close, but apparently the QP1R is pretty special.

On easier to drive phones, the difference are minor.  However, the QP1R widen the lead with higher impedance headphones.  Still, I take the the Paw Gold over the QP1R if you are willing to pay up and can stand its rather simple UI.  As for me, I use the ZX2 & ZX100 for portable listening then pair it up with the PHA-3 for semi-portable/work rig.  The ZX2/ZX100 + PHA3 combo is definitely better than the Paw Gold for me with both easy & difficult to drive phones.

 

[audioxxx]

Yes, that is correct. Even though some other apps do sound slightly different, but stock app has total control of Zx2. It is the only app that can play high-res digitally to external devices

It comes down to preferences, and if you prefer Sony and it utmost quality ? Disable the sound adjustment app, and use stock player

This is a fact the zx2 sounds better with the sound app disabled, it's almost like the sound adjustment app is holding back some of the high fidelity sound, it's like there's a filter blocking what the zx2 can with the app active.
Maybe a software update could fix this issue. (But then I thought what if the update makes the sound worse,and you can't roll back firmware)

 

[Sonic Defender]

   The ZX2/ZX100 + PHA3 combo is definitely better than the Paw Gold for me with both easy & difficult to drive phones.

Fair enough, and I loved my PHA3/A17 combo, but you are comparing a stack to a single device ultimately, plus the inconvenience of cables. If a single device is really close to the stack, win for the single device every-time. I think that is the purpose of a stand-alone DAP, to be used alone and save the complexity of stacking.

 

[quodjo105]

  I have read many impressions of both, both sound excellent, the QPR1R has a great deal more power, no streaming, and the GUI isn't as good. So sound quality likely goes to the QP1R, as does flexibility in terms of ability to drive various headphones, but the ZX2 provides Android, albeit rather long in the tooth Android, and a better GUI. That has been my understanding.
 
Edit: I'm sure the sound quality is close, but apparently the QP1R is pretty special.

Thanks .. Did the qp1r sound brighter? or same as zx2?

 

[CraftyClown]

Just burn it for 100hours and your home safe

I use my custom art 8.2 with the zx2 and briefly tried mrspeaker ether, the ether ( depend on listening level ) could be driven by the euro capped zx2 almost maxed out on volume

 
Yep, that's what I'm going to do. Just to make sure

 

Stock Player and Oppo PM2 with Gold /Silver litz cable, TRRS jack . Fantastic match.

 
Thanks man. I think I need to try out some more full sized phones with this beauty. I'm wondering how well it will drive my HD650s? Sounds like a fun test for tomorrow afternoon.
 

I believe the general consensus was that the stock payer (even with the audio enhancement app disabled) still had access to all the various hardware nooks and crannies, whereas other third party apps do not. Thus, the stock app should end up sounding best.

 
Ah, I see. So far I've only been using the stock app and to be honest I'll probably keep it that way in that case.
 

  guys , if you want to say to what iems you are using , please pm @CraftyClown
 
 
no point in seeing the next 100 posts saying 'i use this iem and it sounds great' , it's annoying spam

cheers

 
Don't really consider people saying what good pairings they've found as spam. It's totally pertinent to a thread about this device. I only got mine yesterday so I was curious to see what other users thought.
 
Sorry if you found it annoying

 

[Sonic Defender]

 
Thanks .. Did the qp1r sound brighter? or same as zx2?

I'm sorry if I wasn't clear I haven't heard both so I was only discussing what I have read here following both DAPs. Do you want to drive full sized headphones or just IEMs? As well how important is streaming and app compatibility to you? If you don't need streaming, and you care about having the ability to drive a wide variety of headphones then it is worth considering something like the QP1R, or the LotoPaw as Purk mentioned. But to be clear, the ZX2 is a well known, excellent sounding device, but like any device, it has strengths and weaknesses. The trick is knowing what is really important to you and finding the best fit.

 

[goyete]

The photo is of the other post! Wow wow woof balanced output!

 

[echineko]

I have read many impressions of both, both sound excellent, the QPR1R has a great deal more power, no streaming, and the GUI isn't as good. So sound quality likely goes to the QP1R, as does flexibility in terms of ability to drive various headphones, but the ZX2 provides Android, albeit rather long in the tooth Android, and a better GUI. That has been my understanding.

Edit: I'm sure the sound quality is close, but apparently the QP1R is pretty special.

Edit: the next post cleared it up. Well, I own a ZX2, and have tried a QP1R, and I disagree about SQ, think the nod goes to the ZX2, especially with TRRS out. Not very fond of the QP1R's rudimentary GUI either, I found navigating more of a pain. But then I'm used to Android, so maybe it's just a preference.

 

[Sonic Defender]

Edit: the next post cleared it up. Well, I own a ZX2, and have tried a QP1R, and I disagree about SQ, think the nod goes to the ZX2, especially with TRRS out. Not very fond of the QP1R's rudimentary GUI either, I found navigating more of a pain. But then I'm used to Android, so maybe it's just a preference.

I am not surprised you prefer the ZX2. While I am simply echoing what I have read, the limited value that represents admittedly, from what I have read, the QP1R seems to be favoured more often, but certainly not exclusively. I have never doubted the ZX2 where sound quality is concerned, output power and versatility yes, but never sound quality. I have heard the ZX2 only twice, maybe three times, and it was indeed impressive with a very special quality that was undeniable.

 

[echineko]

I have heard the ZX2 only twice, maybe three times, and it was indeed impressive with a very special quality that was undeniable.

This is what makes me hope that the (currently still rumoured) ZX2 successor will somehow deliver on better sound quality, though I can't imagine what they'd need to do to achieve that. As long as they don't go the AK route with stupid prices, I'll be getting one for sure.

 

[Sonic Defender]

This is what makes me hope that the (currently still rumoured) ZX2 successor will somehow deliver on better sound quality, though I can't imagine what they'd need to do to achieve that. As long as they don't go the AK route with stupid prices, I'll be getting one for sure.

At this level of sound quality reproduction, and as you suggested, better is an elusive concept and quite subjective. That is why I still believe bettering the ZX2 is more appropriately done by bringing that sound quality more effectively to a wider range of headphones ~ more power.

 

[purk]

Fair enough, and I loved my PHA3/A17 combo, but you are comparing a stack to a single device ultimately, plus the inconvenience of cables. If a single device is really close to the stack, win for the single device every-time. I think that is the purpose of a stand-alone DAP, to be used alone and save the complexity of stacking.

The PHA-3 done right with an upgraded USB cable can be quite a bit better stock. That setup surpasses many $500 desktop setup that I've tried. The QP1r is very good but a stretch in comparison to the PHA3. Same can be said to the Paw Gold as well but to a lesser degree. Having A highend Sony DAP is nice because they are a very polished unit especially in term of UI and battery department.

 

[Leviticus]

The photo is of the other post! Wow wow woof balanced output!

 
But that still means that I need balanced headphones? My Fostex-TH900 aren't balanced, so I cannot benefit from the balanced output, right?

 

[Leviticus]

 Update: looks like that figure might be way too low, according to a user in the comments, the headphones may cost around 3000 USD, the Walkman 2000-3000 USD and the DAC up to 3000USD.  If these figures are correct then this will be easily the most expensive Walkman set up to date and out of range of the average Walkman audiophile.  Below is a larger image of the upcoming Walkman.