Tried to pair my Astell&Kern T8ie MKII with zx300, and to be honest, it is not a good idea even if switching to 4.4 balance output. I can't tell the difference between the two ports. However, ak320 does has a great improvement when switching 3.5mm to 2.5mm balanced output.
I think the reason is that the zx300 is tune for more bass and the T8ie MKII is also more bass tuning than the Xelento which makes it worse.
Finally got to trying the ZX300 with AKG N40. (My ZX300 has no running-in time on it.)
It sounds good. After listening to the £1800 Chord Hugo, you have to be realistic. (Chord Hugo 2 is multiple award winner, and widely regarded as best in class.)
The ZX300 puts on a good performance though. I have found it is particularly strong at playing classical. Right now I have Vivaldi's Four Seasons playing. To be honest I am finding it hard to believe that I am listening to a portable. It's so rounded.
I have been playing some other tunes but have mostly been wrangling with settings. Meaning I have not really been critically listening. However even after being used to the Hugo 2, I find it engaging with other types of music too.
I imagine it will probably not better the Chord Mojo either. I think the Mojo will have just a bit more clarity and grip. It's been a while since I listened to the Mojo though. Plus I have not listened to my AKG N40 with it yet.
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I am having a maybe issue with the ZX300 though. If I play a track at the end of an album, or an album. When the last album track is played, it moves onto playing the next album. Surely it should not do that! ... Please can someone tell me if that is how it is? Or if there is a setting I can alter.
I really expected it to stop playing after an album completed. Like any media player on a PC.
Actually this continuation of playing one album after another was how I got onto Antonio Vivaldi - Four Seasons. It was because I had just listened to the last track of an Ami Stewart album. .. Just had to keep listening though, because the classical was a bit stand out.
Then you get, Bob Marley - I Wanna Love Ya, after Antonio Vivaldi. (Ha.)
I picked up my 1000XM3 last week. They are indeed a solid BT pairing with zx300. For on the move I’ve been using the 1000X for around 2yrs and the improvements are significant especially in terms of comfort and sound.
Do you find the zx300 has enough power to drive the Z1R over balanced? I’ve been thinking about a headphone for home use like the Z7 or Z7M2.
I have no problems driving the ZX300 with the Z1R with either the stock cables or the Sony Kimber cables. I've bought the Sony PHA-2A portable amp which enhances the sound further, but not to the extend that it's a must-buy. I find the music on both 1Z and ZX300 walkmans quite good with the balanced cable directly running the walkman.
@GreenBow you think the chord mojo sound better than zx300. Is that with zx 300 in se mode?
How do you think the mojo compares to zx300 in balanced mode?
@GreenBow you think the chord mojo sound better than zx300. Is that with zx 300 in se mode?
How do you think the mojo compares to zx300 in balanced mode?
Yes I am listening single-ended, with AKG N40 (in ear). I do not have a balanced cable.
It's probably not fair to judge the ZX300 against the Chord Mojo yet, since my ZX300 has only two hours play. Apparently Sony and everyone here recommends 200 hours burn-in.
I did however have a listen to the Mojo last night after posting here. The Mojo is a clear league ahead of the ZX300. That is no criticism, because the Chord Mojo was rated best DAC up to £1000 at one point. Only being bettered by the Chord 2Qute priced £1000.
The ZX300 needs running in, and everyone prefers the balanced performance. .. It's worth noting that Chord do not offer balanced outputs on Mojo or other DACs. It's because the balanced signal is to solve a problem not inherent in Chord DACs. Something to do with how their differently designed DACs are manufactured. Meaning effectively competing against a Mojo is competing against the effect of a balanced sound from any other DAC.
Comparing the Mojo to my two hour run-in ZX300. .......... The Mojo has better timing, and much more grip. More than I expected in comparison. Sounds have more clearly defined edges, and more texture. Adding edges and clarity to notes with the Mojo does not reduce tonality. The Mojo stands with the ZX300 on that, although the ZX300 is just a miniscule-fraction richer sounding.
However I expect the ZX300 to improve, as everyone states it improves on detail level and clarity with burn-in. Once that happens, I expect the ZX300 to be seriously good. Plus going balanced from what I understand improves dynamics and liveliness to, so some better detail and grip.
Again I profess, this is not a criticism of the ZX300. I really wanted a portable music solution. My other portable solutions are iPod Shuffle 3rd gen, at £50. (Good sounding, but not ZX300 sounding. A pain to use though.) Also I have a Pure portable DAB radio, (which sounds surprisingly excellent with my new AKG N40.) .... The ZX300 will provide a better portable sounding solution, with a screen. It can also work as a file source for Mojo or Hugo2.
By the way, I find the ZX300 loud enough with 20 ohm, in-ear AKG N40.
No need to go Chinese language. I think I may be going past the EU volume cap. I think that came in at about level 75 on volume, but I go to level 65- 5 volume. Any more than that and the ZX300 starts to get loud.
@GreenBow tbh, I don't like my ZX300(a) all that much in single ended mode (while I REALLY like it in balanced mode). It's not that the single ended output is BAD, but it's nothing particularly special (IMO, at least). Balanced, the ZX300 is a lot better (still IMO, of course, but it's also shared by quite a lot of other people, I think - it's not so much the difference in power, but that the balanced circuits of the ZX300 are very similar to its older and bigger siblings, while the SE got more sacrificed, in downsizing - at least, that's my understanding). And the ZX300 does get better with time.
So if you're comparing your 2-hour old SE output with the Mojo, yeah, it's definitely NOT the best user case to judge the ZX300 on .
Quick question should I be able to connect the Zx300 to my phone via Bluetooth and stream music across from phone to Zx300.
Basically I've tried to get the Zx300 to see my phone but it can't only my wireless earphones etc.
Quick question should I be able to connect the Zx300 to my phone via Bluetooth and stream music across from phone to Zx300.
Basically I've tried to get the Zx300 to see my phone but it can't only my wireless earphones etc.
Brilliant many thanks for that I read a few pages on here and couldn't see so thank you.
That is excellent regarding next firmware very impressed with the nw Zx300 thus far.
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