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

I would give the Z5 a 9/10 for its intended sound sig. But bear in mind that I would also give the $150 JVC FX650 a 9/10. And also bear in mind that a 9/10 is my highest ranking, even ciem's I've had only get a 9/10 from me, I rank on my enjoyment of the sound, not trying to compare technicalities, there are many great sounding iems with different sigs, regardless of price, more expensive does not mean more enjoyment for me personally. Value is definitely not the Z5's strong suit, same as any ciem, but there is no doubt Z5 is a great sounding iem.

 

[djricekcn]

that's actually the opinion i wanted to hear, thanks!

 

[Ilkyway]

I am from Germany. I have the ZX1 and in terms of volume cap it gives a warning massage once in a while that it will heart my ears when listening to loud music and than puts the volume down. I can close that massage and turn the volume up again without any problem but it gets on my nerves. For example that tents to happen while I am under the shower and the ZX1 is connected to speakers. So then I have to finish the shower without music due to the very low volume the player sets for itself.
 
Here is my question: I consider buying from price japan this time to avoid European Volume cap. When the player fails, will I have to or can I even send it back for repair? Is there the risk of loosing that money in any way? Or is it "risk free"?
I have no problem waiting till April, that is when a per-ordered ZX2 from Sony.de would ship. But I do not want this volume cap anymore.
 
Someone wrote, that the volume cap could be turned off, but I can not find how/where. If that would work I'd rather order from Sony.de. Hoping for a good advice here since I am going back and forth in my head about where to order.
 
Ilkyway

 

[waterman50]

I suppose buying from Japan will give you a one-year guarantee valid in Japan. You would have to send it back to your seller in Japan, in order to get the guarantee honored and your purchased tool, repaired for free. However, I suppose that the shipping cost is on you as a part of the deal.

 

[snapple10]

I was under the impression Sony only offers 90 days warranty on their products , at least in the US
Watching this DAP though

 

[kms108]

Spent about an hour at Sony Building in Ginza doing an A/B between the ZX2 and my AK240 using my Noble K10. I also had my A17 on hand, and did a short A/B between the A17/PHA-3 setup and the ZX2/PHA-3 they had on display.

AK240/ZX2 - To be fair, I used the balanced output on the AK240, and used an adapter (same cable) to listen to the ZX2. The tracks used for the comparison included Norah Jones, Daft Punk, Michael Jackson and a couple of jazz tracks (Dave Brubeck and Miles Davis). To make the long story short, the ZX2 was quite impressive. The overall presentation, including depth and width of the soundstage, balance across all frequencies and the level of detail, actually was leaps beyond the ZX1 or the X5, both of which I used to own, and even compared with the AK240, the ZX2 held up on its own. The AK240 had a slight advantage in the treble presentation and soundstage depth, but I actually preferred - hate to admit this - the bass impact of the Sony DAP. On the Daft Punk track, I clearly preferred the Sony over the AK240, as there was just a lot more sparkle and force wih the Sony...BTW, My AK240 is a plain vanilla one, and I am sure that the owners of RWAK mods have nothing to worry about, based on my limited experience with the mods. On jazz tracks, I still preferred the AK240 over the ZX2. I felt that the AK240 did a better job of conveying the sense of space and also a tiny-bit better on the detail/separation department.

A17/PHA-3 vs. ZX2/PHA-3
Only allocated a limited amount of time for this, mainly because I actually didn't notice any major difference between the two setups when I started listening. I guess it makes sense given that the DAPs were basically feeding digital signal to the PHA-3. The display setup had a Sony Z7 headphones with stock balanced cable for PHA-3, and I didn't bother swapping it out with my K10s.

Would I buy the ZX2? As an AK240 owner, it is just difficult to justify the additional cash outlay, or switching over completely. The sound quality of the ZX2 really surprised me, and the overall sound signature is different enough from the AK240, so it is really tempting... If I did not have the AK240, I would have a tough time choosing between the ZX2 and the AK240, as it may be difficult to justify the price difference between the two DAPs on sound quality alone... If you already have the A17 and PHA-3, and you primarily listen via the PHA-3, it also doesn't make too much sense to buy the ZX2 unless you do or die with DSD playback functionality... The upgrade should be a no brainer for the ZX1 owners, and anyone starting from a clean slate looking for a high-end DAP should definitely give the ZX2 a listen.

Hi
 
Would you be able to check whether the Ginza building sells ZX2 as a oversea model, as well as the japan version which includes a international warranty.

 

[cn11]

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Spent about an hour at Sony Building in Ginza doing an A/B between the ZX2 and my AK240 using my Noble K10. I also had my A17 on hand, and did a short A/B between the A17/PHA-3 setup and the ZX2/PHA-3 they had on display.

AK240/ZX2 - To be fair, I used the balanced output on the AK240, and used an adapter (same cable) to listen to the ZX2. The tracks used for the comparison included Norah Jones, Daft Punk, Michael Jackson and a couple of jazz tracks (Dave Brubeck and Miles Davis). To make the long story short, the ZX2 was quite impressive. The overall presentation, including depth and width of the soundstage, balance across all frequencies and the level of detail, actually was leaps beyond the ZX1 or the X5, both of which I used to own, and even compared with the AK240, the ZX2 held up on its own. The AK240 had a slight advantage in the treble presentation and soundstage depth, but I actually preferred - hate to admit this - the bass impact of the Sony DAP. On the Daft Punk track, I clearly preferred the Sony over the AK240, as there was just a lot more sparkle and force wih the Sony...BTW, My AK240 is a plain vanilla one, and I am sure that the owners of RWAK mods have nothing to worry about, based on my limited experience with the mods. On jazz tracks, I still preferred the AK240 over the ZX2. I felt that the AK240 did a better job of conveying the sense of space and also a tiny-bit better on the detail/separation department.

A17/PHA-3 vs. ZX2/PHA-3
Only allocated a limited amount of time for this, mainly because I actually didn't notice any major difference between the two setups when I started listening. I guess it makes sense given that the DAPs were basically feeding digital signal to the PHA-3. The display setup had a Sony Z7 headphones with stock balanced cable for PHA-3, and I didn't bother swapping it out with my K10s.

Would I buy the ZX2? As an AK240 owner, it is just difficult to justify the additional cash outlay, or switching over completely. The sound quality of the ZX2 really surprised me, and the overall sound signature is different enough from the AK240, so it is really tempting... If I did not have the AK240, I would have a tough time choosing between the ZX2 and the AK240, as it may be difficult to justify the price difference between the two DAPs on sound quality alone... If you already have the A17 and PHA-3, and you primarily listen via the PHA-3, it also doesn't make too much sense to buy the ZX2 unless you do or die with DSD playback functionality... The upgrade should be a no brainer for the ZX1 owners, and anyone starting from a clean slate looking for a high-end DAP should definitely give the ZX2 a listen.

 

 

Sweet! Nice to hear the sound quality is that surprisingly good, and such a bump over the ZX1. Makes me quite stoked that I preordered one. I frequently miss that build quality and UI from the ZX1 when I owned one. Glad to be returning...

 

[Tokyolifer]

 
Hi
 
Would you be able to check whether the Ginza building sells ZX2 as a oversea model, as well as the japan version which includes a international warranty.

I have never bought from the Ginza Sony Building, since I live in Tokyo and can get better deals else where.  I do see a lot of tourists buying from the Duty Free Shop there, so I would assume that would be the case. .  Try the following two links - Looks like the ZX1 was in the "overseas product" lineup with an international warranty, so maybe ZX2 will  be as well.
 
http://www.sonybuilding.jp/e/taxfree/index.html
 
http://www.sony.jp/products/overseas/contents/index.html

 

[kms108]

I have never bought from the Ginza Sony Building, since I live in Tokyo and can get better deals else where.  I do see a lot of tourists buying from the Duty Free Shop there, so I would assume that would be the case. .  Try the following two links - Looks like the ZX1 was in the "overseas product" lineup with an international warranty, so maybe ZX2 will  be as well.
 
http://www.sonybuilding.jp/e/taxfree/index.html
 
http://www.sony.jp/products/overseas/contents/index.html

 



I have the intention to buy one, and if Japan has the oversea version, it should only cost little over the Japan version, as we are not paying a few hundred $$ for this so with warranty is better, Hong Kong say they will release the ZX2 around February but will cost around HKD 9500, that's approximate 144.000.00 yen.

I will be visiting Japan in June, ZX1 was on the shopping list before they announced the release of the ZX2.

What shop will you recommend to buy this cheap, I don't want to buy online, and probably by the time in June, many places will sell them less than the stated manufacture recommended. Price.

 

[Tokyolifer]

I usually buy from online retailers, whoever has the best price/deal at that particular time.  Try the usual suspects - e-earphone in Akihabara, Yodobashi Camera (Akihabara Shop is the best), and maybe Bic Camera in either Yurakucho or Shinjuku.   The best deal in Tokyo (for me) right now is to order directly from Sony, as they are giving 10% discount to Sony site members..  I think the total after tax comes out to be JPY115,523 after tax.  Not that I am buying the ZX2...

 

[zfannewb]

Ditto for Yodobashi Camera.  I will be heading back to Tokyo in June/July, and I will make a special trip just to that store.  You can spend all week in that place.  I am weighing either buying a headphone amp or the zx2.  Decisions, decisions lol!  Since they are closing all of the Sony stores in Canada, I suppose I should stock up on some accessories as well. 

 

[Mython]

   
Sony did not live up to their own hype with the ZX1. It sounds peculiarly sterile and 'polished' to me. When I watch a computer-animated movie (Pixar, etc.), some of the characters are 3D-rendered so accurately that they almost look realistically life-like, but the skin detail and facial features are slightly too 'smooth' and 'perfected', and thus don't fool the viewer into believing they are actually real live-action-filmed actors. The ZX1 sounds, to me, like an aural equivalent of this. I know of no other DAP that sounds like that, and I expect better for the premium pricetag.

 
This visual render of Audrey Hepburn is an illustration of how I feel the ZX1 falls short, aurally:
 

 
 
But if the ZX2 can approach the realism of this orangutan, then I may take it more seriously:
 
 
(original full version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-cl=85114404&v=UAO67-k1rAM)
 
 
.

 

[ljhhh]

Given so, then that's okay.

 

[Sonic77]

Going to buy the ZX2! Prices have been released oficially!

How much US dollars?

 

[ljhhh]

Wow!