Even with the balanced output, the Sony does not drive hard to drive headphones and IEMs well. Most noticeable is in the bass. The Questyle sounds like a desktop amp. Not that it is not warmer or bassier overall. It just handles the bass and punch better than the Sony when using planars and low sensitivity IEMs. As for over all sound quality, I think the Questyle is better than the Sony but not by much and not for the price difference.
I think what some need to also consider is that while the ZX300 sells for $600+ it's really a $400 DAP as shown by the 300A. You are paying $200 for extra on-board memory.
I think what some need to also consider is that while the ZX300 sells for $600+ it's really a $400 DAP as shown by the 300A. You are paying $200 for extra on-board memory.
One thing of note as well, is that the ZX300A, at least for western buyers, can only be sorced from less than optimal sellers. While the ZX300 can be purchased from trusty retailers and directly from Sony, meaning that if you have any issue during the warranty period, you will not have any problems getting it sorted out smoothly.
Over the years the cost of sd cards has come down alot which has seen sometimes the reduction in onboard storage of devices. The ZX300A came out after I bought my ZX300(64gb) - I don't use the 64gb device storage as I prefer a large card to keep all my music on one sdcard so I perhaps would of had better value buying the ZX300A which is the same device and features at a lower price - I say perhaps as I can't remember the pricing of cards vs Sony's cost of the extra storage.
My 'good point' comment was just meaning that it seems many people use sdcards and as the players features/sound quality are the main selling point the ZX300 can be bought the lower price and perhaps the extra 32gb is/was not worth the extra cost.
Over the years the cost of sd cards has come down alot which has seen sometimes the reduction in onboard storage of devices. The ZX300A came out after I bought my ZX300(64gb) - I don't use the 64gb device storage as I prefer a large card to keep all my music on one sdcard so I perhaps would of had better value buying the ZX300A which is the same device and features at a lower price - I say perhaps as I can't remember the pricing of cards vs Sony's cost of the extra storage.
My 'good point' comment was just meaning that it seems many people use sdcards and as the players features/sound quality are the main selling point the ZX300 can be bought the lower price and perhaps the extra 32gb is was not worth the extra cost.
It's funny, but every time I look at phones and DAP's, I am obsessed by the storage size. Yet I keep all my music on a micro SD card. With My DAP I went from 128GB to 200GB, which is all I will ever need. My phone is about full and will also need a 200GB. But as my two year contract winds down, I find myself considering a new phone. And yes, I am still impressed with storage size.
I find the sound out of balanced a little cleaner and a little fuller, even after volume matching.
I bought two different cables, one from KK and one from Sukira. When you A-B test them the more expensive (Sukira) is just a touch better.
IMO, the balanced function is certainly worth spending $100.00 on a cable. It is not night and day, but it is noticeable. And since you paid for the function, you should use it.
Balanced ZX300 vs an NWZ-A17 is a night and day difference though.
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'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.
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 believe that your MDR1AM2 (Hi-Res range) would be of the level that would benefit from the step up to the ZX300 - the more powerful output would definitely give an improvement. Even my ZX100 (the higher end model to the A series) that had a higher output than the A17 couldn't drive some iems like Sony's XBA-Z5 adequately causing a muddy bass.
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.
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