[mf15]

Yeah but they used to include remote controls with their walkmans..it's an essential accessory otherwise it's not a walkman imo.

I walk around, catch a bus and order McDonalds or pickup beer and have to communicate with people from time to time so the pause function is essential to me. Unhooking IER M7s is a pain and reaching into a bag or jacket is too much. I had remote functionality in the '90s why is it so hard now. The remote should be wired in not this blutooth **** that I have to get to pair every time I go out and that runs out of batteries. It should have an LED display, heck put mini album art on it these days. Why do we regress in so many ways??

I miss those remotes that used to come with minidiscs (heck, i miss minidiscs too! lol), they were really useful and you didn't have to pay separate for them. A small black and white oled wouldnt drain much battery either so yeah... completely agree.

 

[mf15]

Finally go a balanced cable for my AKG N40. It was the MMCX version of this one on Amazon. https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07PM3ZP3L/

8 Core Earphones Replacement Cable,**** Silver Plated Copper Upgrade Cable £18

I bought the last one, so the MMCX is no longer an choice with that page. It's a cheap cable but more folk on here said, 'just get a cheap one - it will be better than SE'. Not sure I bought the right cheap one though. Like the Fiio cable is back on stock on Amazon UK. (Although someone said that needs a tiny mod to fit right.)

I know overall though, that better quality cables result in better sound. Can't help worrying that I might have done my ZX300 and AKG N40 a disservice with this cheap cable.

I got a similar one for my xba-n3, but 6 core (it wasn't cheaper but shipped faster). Still waiting for it but from the few comparisons i read... yeah, it's not much of a difference, you'd have to use REALLY crappy cable to degrade the audio quality that much, i can confirm that too after some tests i made when converting some headphones to balanced.

 

[Hinomotocho]

I was just cleaning out some old things and found my old minidisc players with in-line remote last night. They were convenient, but now I don't think I could tolerate any extra weight on the cable (clips aren't always successful for anchoring them I find).
Even some splitters can add weight

 

[dazzerfong]

It would only display art/info momentarily if you pressed a button, that's not gonna use much battery, no more than checking the screen of the unit itself in fact.

Easy to lose and again requires tedious pairing before using. In line/wired power and control is the best way

Battery consumption is for the remote, not the DAP. Considering the remote lasts for 8 months (2 hours of use a day) on a single button battery, the screen will dramatically drop that, even if it's momentary. OLED actually uses more power to display things unless your entire screen is black.

Moreover, the remote doesn't receive information, it sends it only. This negotiation of BT uses much less battery.

Losing stuff is on you - you can stick it to your cable (it has clip guides) if you want.

I don't see how pairing is tedious, especially if you've already paired it in the past. You turn it on and it connects.

The only arguments I can see against the BT remote is cost and (possible) impact on battery life of the DAP. First has no justification, the second will depend when I get it.

 

[Hinomotocho]

The remote always instantly connects for me.
In the old days we would probably use the provided earphones with the remote, now we have so much choice to find styles, designs and signatures that suit our needs. Imagine if you had to plug your earphones in to an adapter cable with an in-line remote, or had to use that company's earphones with the remote built in to the cable. Even if they offered upgrade cables with remote they would probably charge you a high price or to keep the cost down it would be a cheap thin twisty one. Also, a built in remote would require each input on the device to have that extra input slot for the remote chip board.
Yes, I'm lucky to have got mine cheaper in Japan, but I am happy with it when I use it.

 

[imparanoic]

I miss those remotes that used to come with minidiscs (heck, i miss minidiscs too! lol), they were really useful and you didn't have to pay separate for them. A small black and white oled wouldnt drain much battery either so yeah... completely agree.

there were inline remotes with lcd display, however, latter flagship models (mz-n10) actually backlit lcd remotes which were fully compatible Micro HDD based NW-A1000 and NW-A3000 with both Kanji, Chinese and Korean text, i also like them as well, however, with wireless remote bluetooth (standard) receivers with 3.5mm (sony SBH52 & SBH54), the same functions as well as nice oled display offer the same function, shame, Sony has it's head stuck in the sand and not releasing a Ldac transmitter or Ldac version (but Audio Technica AT-PHA55BT is ) but no display which is ldac and audiophile grade.

 

[dazzerfong]

there were inline remotes with lcd display, however, latter flagship models (mz-n10) actually backlit lcd remotes which were fully compatible Micro HDD based NW-A1000 and NW-A3000 with both Kanji, Chinese and Korean text, i also like them as well, however, with wireless remote bluetooth (standard) receivers with 3.5mm (sony SBH52 & SBH54), the same functions as well as nice oled display offer the same function, shame, Sony has it's head stuck in the sand and not releasing a Ldac transmitter or Ldac version (but Audio Technica AT-PHA55BT is ) but no display which is ldac and audiophile grade.

The next best thing, if you're insisting on Sony, is the MUC-M2BT1, which costs an arm and a leg. However, it is bar none the best Bluetooth transmitter I've seen. LDAC, absolutely no hiss on CA IEMs, and very good range.

 

[imparanoic]

The next best thing, if you're insisting on Sony, is the MUC-M2BT1, which costs an arm and a leg. However, it is bar none the best Bluetooth transmitter I've seen. LDAC, absolutely no hiss on CA IEMs, and very good range.

I think MUC-M2BT1 is decent sounding, but no where near AT-PHA55BT on the basis that specs seems much higher and targeted towards audiophile market, on the other MUC-M2BT1 has advantage of using MMCX connector and seems to sports orientated by the design, but it would be interesting to see side by side comparsion for sound quality, you can find MUC-M2BT1 for around US$100 used in Asia but it's not common, on the other hand, AT-PHA55BT is around US$120-130 brand new

 

[imparanoic]

It's noted that Hong Kong official distributor (ECT EICHI TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL LTD.) and partner stores sell Astell & Kern XB10 aptx hd receiver which supports both 2.5mm balanced and 3.5mm for mind blogging low price of HK$450 (US$60) brand new boxed and warranty, as you're aware, nw-zx300 is compatible with aptx hd and at this price, this is a steal and i presume that they are discontinuing this product a few months ago

 

[dazzerfong]

I think MUC-M2BT1 is decent sounding, but no where near AT-PHA55BT on the basis that specs seems much higher and targeted towards audiophile market, on the other MUC-M2BT1 has advantage of using MMCX connector and seems to sports orientated by the design, but it would be interesting to see side by side comparsion for sound quality, you can find MUC-M2BT1 for around US$100 used in Asia but it's not common, on the other hand, AT-PHA55BT is around US$120-130 brand new

Which specs exactly? Sony doesn't publish their specs on the M2BT1.

I have heard the two side-by-side: the PHA55BT unfortunately had quite a bit of a noise floor so it hissed quite a bit on my CA Polaris. Didn't encounter that problem with the M2BT1.

Unfortunately Sony doesn't market the M2BT1 outside of Asia at all - I had to get mine in HK. Even then, all of the Sony stores in HK only had 1 unit left.

However, if you're interested in looking at something similar to the PHA55BT, there's always the Fiio BTR3 which is also very good.

 

[Audiophile2019]

In case you didn't already know, the long-awaited 40th anniversary Walkman NW-ZX500 is already out..

 

[mrhizzo]

In case you didn't already know, the long-awaited 40th anniversary Walkman NW-ZX500 is already out..

The UNBELIEVABLE happened! USB-C in a Sony Walkman! Jesus!

 

[Malevolint]

The UNBELIEVABLE happened! USB-C in a Sony Walkman! Jesus!

Ooooooooooh my jizz. Day one purchase for me lol. Holy crap this is EXACTLY what I've been wanting. Compact, streaming, battery life! I almost ordered the hiby r5 but I'm glad I waited.

 

[mf15]

In case you didn't already know, the long-awaited 40th anniversary Walkman NW-ZX500 is already out..

Great to see sony go to usb c but i guess i'm skipping this since it doesn't look much like an upgrade to the zx300 (basically android and wifi which i wouldn't use), might reconsider if it's a significant upgrade soundwise. Now, if they make a new version of the wm1a i'd definitely consider getting one.

 

[robulation]

USB C is a clincher, BUT Android is a no-deal. I love the bespoke interface... however it would good if they updated it so the UI was more flexible. By that I mean, if you’re listening to an artist, or genre, if you could click on the artists name to find more of that music etc etc.