I've asked people on discord to compare their zx300 with other players and some say it's just a small difference from their smart phone. Is it really night and day from an A17? I have my doubts. I wonder if it's worth $300 upgrade.
Also I have a MDR1AM2 which are pretty consumer level, I wonder if I would have to upgrade these to really get the full potential of a zx300. I do have a balanced cable that came with it though.
I think that would depend on your phone. I think my LG V30 has a great sound. However during a recent blackout I can confirm that head to head the V30 loses.
Compared to the ZX300, the A17 has very little power. One time after I got the ZX300, I temporarily bricked it (disconnected while downloading. NEVER do that!). I hadn't sold the A17 yet so I started using that. It sounded horrible. Thin, weak and flat. I used to love that DAP, but after a few months with the ZX300, it was unusable to me.
I am in Canada. I think my A17 was about $249.00, plus 15% tax. I paid $699.00 (on sale for $100.00 off), plus 15% tax for the ZX300. Definitely a worthy investment, IMO.
Is it worth it to you? I can't say. If you have never been exposed to the higher end Sony's, you're really not missing out on anything. However once you start using the higher end models via purchase or loan, the difference is noticable.
My climb up the DAP chain has coincided with my climb up the headphone quality tree. I am sure the ZX300 sounds much better now than if I still had my ATH-M50x's and B&W P5's.
While I love the whole system that I currently have, in the middle of a blackout recently I was VERY happy with my Grado's playing out of my ZX300 via SE.
To each their own.
Shane D