[psikey]

So I finally got my balanced cable for the Shures and plugged it into the ZX300 - did a bit of burn in with it first to give it a chance, of course.

Balanced isn't a night and day difference like upgrading your headphones is, but I do find it makes a few changes -

More bass - for some reason, songs are a bit weightier in the low end now, which is quite nice to be honest - and you can always EQ it out if you prefer less.

Sound stage altered - notice that I didn't say 'better'. The soundstage is now brought more forward, with more depth to the front. It makes you feel like you're in the recording studio with bands now rather than being at an intimate concert, if that makes sense?

Clarity is unaltered, but it was excellent to begin with.

One thing that's really interesting though... On the ZX300 over single ended, 320kbps MP3s sounded easily as good as FLAC files, whether they be 16 or 24bit (however MQA mastered files sung on a different level which MP3 couldn't match). Well, over balanced - FLAC definitely sounds a bit better than MP3, but I really don't know why.

It's all good though, it just means over SE the ZX300 makes ALL your music sound incredible, but through balanced it unlocks an extra level that your FLAC files can reach.

If you want to try balanced cables on a semi-realistic budget, I ordered mine from Surf Cables in the US and it took a week door to door to reach me. Built very well also.

Not forgetting you can now play DSD Native with Balanced and they sound fantastic.

 

[Mathieulh]

I get the following message when I try to play Native DSD256 on foobar2000 with the ZX300 as DAC "Unrecoverable playback error: Sample rate of 705600 Hz not supported by this device"
DSD128 work just fine, this is odd as the ZX300 is supposed to be DSD256 compatible. Any ideas?

 

[psikey]

.

Btw, me being an ex-Android ROM cook, I think iPhone's (Foxconn's or Hon Hai) are totally useless... I can't believe how people can be happy with such limitations. But I couldn't live without root either.

PS: ZX300 is a perdy unit

For streamed/offline Spotify without upscaling only the Apple will do that. I can use Tidal streaming via Android UAPP to my Dragonfly Red bit-perfect but not offline.

For easiest use of Tidal/Spotify bit-perfect streaming & offline I still find an iPhone SE128GB with Dragonfly Red still the best option for balance of size/weight/usability/SQ. Still awaiting on a new iPhone cable arriving to make it even more portable.

My DFR combinations compared to ZX300



Just waiting on this cable arriving to loose the USB3 CCK with iPhone SE (if it works!)

 

[slinkyjynx]

Not forgetting you can now play DSD Native with Balanced and they sound fantastic.

So far I'm not sold on DSD, the sampler tracks they give you don't sound mindblowing - they sound good, don't get me wrong, but I don't find myself wanting to get lots of DSD tracks...Can you recommend any good examples?

 

[Mathieulh]

So far I'm not sold on DSD, the sampler tracks they give you don't sound mindblowing - they sound good, don't get me wrong, but I don't find myself wanting to get lots of DSD tracks...Can you recommend any good examples?

http://dsd-guide.com/free-downloads
http://www.2l.no/hires/index.html

 

[psikey]

So far I'm not sold on DSD, the sampler tracks they give you don't sound mindblowing - they sound good, don't get me wrong, but I don't find myself wanting to get lots of DSD tracks...Can you recommend any good examples?

DSD Thriller is best version I've heard. I use it to test new kit against. Hugo2 still plays best to my ears but mojo and ZX300 also great

http://www.hdtracks.de/thriller

Buying my SE846's was my first "Wow" moment in portable Audio followed by another "Wow" moment listening to Thriller DSD via Chord Mojo.

AVForums has just started a new Article that's an interesting read but no DSD listed

https://www.avforums.com/article/the-best-hi-res-albums-to-try-on-your-system.14595

I only tried DSD out of curiosity, I'm still perfectly happy with HD FLAC (and now MQA) music. DSD is just too big really for mobile with no significant benefit over HD FLAC/MQA.

I know the Dragonfly Red only natively does 24/96 (or higher for MQA Tidal) but to be honest I can't say I notice improvements above this of any real significance. I'm tending these days to be 95% Tidal FLAC/MQA for my listening.

 

[Magnepan Man]

So I finally got my balanced cable for the Shures and plugged it into the ZX300 - did a bit of burn in with it first to give it a chance, of course.

Balanced isn't a night and day difference like upgrading your headphones is, but I do find it makes a few changes -

More bass - for some reason, songs are a bit weightier in the low end now, which is quite nice to be honest - and you can always EQ it out if you prefer less.

Sound stage altered - notice that I didn't say 'better'. The soundstage is now brought more forward, with more depth to the front. It makes you feel like you're in the recording studio with bands now rather than being at an intimate concert, if that makes sense?

Clarity is unaltered, but it was excellent to begin with.

One thing that's really interesting though... On the ZX300 over single ended, 320kbps MP3s sounded easily as good as FLAC files, whether they be 16 or 24bit (however MQA mastered files sung on a different level which MP3 couldn't match). Well, over balanced - FLAC definitely sounds a bit better than MP3, but I really don't know why.

It's all good though, it just means over SE the ZX300 makes ALL your music sound incredible, but through balanced it unlocks an extra level that your FLAC files can reach.

If you want to try balanced cables on a semi-realistic budget, I ordered mine from Surf Cables in the US and it took a week door to door to reach me. Built very well also.

You could check out the cables from Amazon Japan or check with BTG (http://www.btg-audio.com/webstore.htm)

Thoughts on this inexpensive cable anyone? It has earhooks which I need for my h3 since the connecters on them are right side up.


https://m.ebay.com/itm/4-4mm-Upgrad...hash=item2a96c6754e:m:m9_rmkpPuOj25bwQJOtKwXg

 

[Magnepan Man]

Ha ha you can make playlists on the Sony media go software and bookmarks are like custom playlists. And you can search by all those methods and when you scroll fast the letter of the alphabet comes up so you can stop where you want to, like F for Frank Zappa and so on. There just isn't a search function atm where you can type letters in to get to specific songs and such.

And by scrolling, I mean the title or song info doesn't automagically scroll across the screen on the now playing screen. So you only see part of the info, unless you go into another view or detailed song info. Don't be put off by the comments lol, we ALWAYS want more but the UI is simple but it works fine No worries.

I too reside in the NE US. sadly. Thinking about 'Moving to Montana' so you know I can be a dental floss tycoon.

Frank sounds so good on zx300!

Ok. . I will download the media go software in my Mac. Now, unfortunately, my Mac is super low on disk space. I have about 10-12GB left and I need to clean it out. Or better yet. Upgrade my computer, but that’s not really happening right now.

My mAin concern is- it won’t make copies of the library like a mirror to iTunes, taking up massive space right? It will just be a sony specific music transfer software that will pull files from the master music folder that iTunes does as well correct? If it’s just a matter of having to use the SONY software instead of iTunes, it’s not so bad.

Also, when the zx300 is plugged into the Mac, I’m assuming I can drag and drop like it’s thumbdrive, directly from the iTunes interface to the zx300 icon that would show up on the “desktop”. Also, can you confirm if the zx300 can write music to the Sd card when connected to a computer if asked or does it only write to the 64gb of on board memory, forcing you to preload the SD card?

My unit is arriving tomorrow and so I’m getting my Mac as ready as possible.

EDIT: ugh no media go software for Mac.

 

[slinkyjynx]

DSD Thriller is best version I've heard. I use it to test new kit against. Hugo2 still plays best to my ears but mojo and ZX300 also great

http://www.hdtracks.de/thriller

Buying my SE846's was my first "Wow" moment in portable Audio followed by another "Wow" moment listening to Thriller DSD via Chord Mojo.

AVForums has just started a new Article that's an interesting read but no DSD listed

https://www.avforums.com/article/the-best-hi-res-albums-to-try-on-your-system.14595

I only tried DSD out of curiosity, I'm still perfectly happy with HD FLAC (and now MQA) music. DSD is just too big really for mobile with no significant benefit over HD FLAC/MQA.

I know the Dragonfly Red only natively does 24/96 (or higher for MQA Tidal) but to be honest I can't say I notice improvements above this of any real significance. I'm tending these days to be 95% Tidal FLAC/MQA for my listening.

Thanks dude, I'll give it a listen.
I see MQA is getting a lot of hate but I have a RHCP album in MQA and its never sounded as good, same for a-Ha, it seems like a great format when you compare size-quality.

 

[superuser1]

Thoughts on this inexpensive cable anyone? It has earhooks which I need for my h3 since the connecters on them are right side up.


https://m.ebay.com/itm/4-4mm-Upgrad...hash=item2a96c6754e:m:m9_rmkpPuOj25bwQJOtKwXg

Some members have bought this cable and are very happy with it.

 

[OptionalLemon]

Thoughts on this inexpensive cable anyone? It has earhooks which I need for my h3 since the connecters on them are right side up.


https://m.ebay.com/itm/4-4mm-Upgrad...hash=item2a96c6754e:m:m9_rmkpPuOj25bwQJOtKwXg

I've bought this cable, it's very sturdy, good quality and will likely last you a very long time. The low profile L-type connector is what i would like on all my cables and is perfect for me when I carry the zx300 in my pant-pocket. The cable is however very stiff, to the point of the ear hooks almost not managing to stay in shape while walking and moving. The stiffness also means lots of microphonics. So put it under you shirt or attach it with a clip so it doesn't scrape along any zippers e.g.
Overall a great cable at a good price though. Pretty happy with it.

 

[nanaholic]

I get the following message when I try to play Native DSD256 on foobar2000 with the ZX300 as DAC "Unrecoverable playback error: Sample rate of 705600 Hz not supported by this device"
DSD128 work just fine, this is odd as the ZX300 is supposed to be DSD256 compatible. Any ideas?

DSD256 support only from on device playback. DoP over USB only goes up to DSD128.

 

[Magnepan Man]

I've bought this cable, it's very sturdy, good quality and will likely last you a very long time. The low profile L-type connector is what i would like on all my cables and is perfect for me when I carry the zx300 in my pant-pocket. The cable is however very stiff, to the point of the ear hooks almost not managing to stay in shape while walking and moving. The stiffness also means lots of microphonics. So put it under you shirt or attach it with a clip so it doesn't scrape along any zippers e.g.
Overall a great cable at a good price though. Pretty happy with it.

Thanks for that important input!

My current stock cable on my h3 is great. It’s very soft, so there are no microphonics, and the ear hooks work great. If I have to oy more for a cable that meets this criteria, I just may. It needs to be very similar to the stock cable. The cheaper SONY balanced cable don’t seem to utilize earhooks, so I don’t think it will work out well for the gym. I know the stock cable works very well for this purpose. My H3 with their right side up connection is seemingly limiting me. Maybe time to upgrade the h3. Lol.

 

[Bepli]

DSD256 support only from on device playback. DoP over USB only goes up to DSD128.

Nope thats wrong DSD256 also works. Proof:

Spoiler

 

[ailean]

Ok. . I will download the media go software in my Mac. Now, unfortunately, my Mac is super low on disk space. I have about 10-12GB left and I need to clean it out. Or better yet. Upgrade my computer, but that’s not really happening right now.

My mAin concern is- it won’t make copies of the library like a mirror to iTunes, taking up massive space right? It will just be a sony specific music transfer software that will pull files from the master music folder that iTunes does as well correct? If it’s just a matter of having to use the SONY software instead of iTunes, it’s not so bad.

Also, when the zx300 is plugged into the Mac, I’m assuming I can drag and drop like it’s thumbdrive, directly from the iTunes interface to the zx300 icon that would show up on the “desktop”. Also, can you confirm if the zx300 can write music to the Sd card when connected to a computer if asked or does it only write to the 64gb of on board memory, forcing you to preload the SD card?

My unit is arriving tomorrow and so I’m getting my Mac as ready as possible.

EDIT: ugh no media go software for Mac.

You should get two drives appear on a computer when the mSD is installed, one for internal, one for mSD. You can just copy and paste the files from finder onto one of those drives but they need to go into a folder called MUSIC I think for the ZX300 to see them.

I'm using Windows but that much should be the same (I've never installed the Sony software), I managed to get a playlist working by creating a file on the mSD on the PC then adding track on the zx300 to it then I could see the format it listed the tracks as and add some others in the same format (coping existing playlists from other devices and trying to do them by hand failed till I could see the sony style ).

Depending on what format your itunes files are in you might need/want to convert them for the sony, it should play most unprotected itune supported formats though.