I started on Sharp 1bit digital Minidisc player.. it was like the first class D portable player.. It had even more noticeable metalic treble and hissing.
I think Sony has improve the S-master HX amp alot.. It used to lack dynamics and treble back in the NWZ-X1060..
ZX2 doesn't have metalic treble for most part, but still does suffer from congestion/brittle treble if the amplifier is push very hard(think complex EDM or Dance music).
Speaking of Metalic Treble.. example of how it sounds like(yes, it's all Class D amps):
Mainly for replaygain. Replaygain adjusts volume on album basis, which is important to me because I have many old albums that sound much quieter than modern albums.
Sony's dynamic normalization seems to be on track basis, and I even suspect that it changes volume DURING a song, based on my own experience. It's not ideal for me.
Also personally, it's a pain in the a** to browse my albums in alphabetical order instead of the year of release.
I started on Sharp 1bit digital Minidisc player.. it was like the first class D portable player.. It had even more noticeable metalic treble and hissing.
I think Sony has improve the S-master HX amp alot.. It used to lack dynamics and treble back in the NWZ-X1060..
ZX2 doesn't have metalic treble for most part, but still does suffer from congestion/brittle treble if the amplifier is push very hard(think complex EDM or Dance music).
Speaking of Metalic Treble.. example of how it sounds like(yes, it's all Class D amps):
I have the STR-DA9000ES and that is a little bright. I really don’t have the issue with the brightness on my higher end walkman though. I agree that the lower end models such as the A35 and 45 do have that issues. However, the X1060 and Z1070 do sound very warm to me. I don’t recall hearing the treble issues on the ZX100, ZX2, ZX300, and 1Z. The 1A is the most neutral of the group however.
It made me google about it and wow! I found a very detailed document on how Sony S-Master works vs conventional D/A conversion + Analog Amplification. Go check it out: https://docs.sony.com/release/ES_STR_05_Final.pdf
It made me google about it and wow! I found a very detailed document on how Sony S-Master works vs conventional D/A conversion + Analog Amplification. Go check it out: https://docs.sony.com/release/ES_STR_05_Final.pdf
Yup it was an amazing piece of gear. Sadly it made firework and that’s the end of it. Wish Sony would have kept up on the repair parts for a their top of the heap receiver.
Well I guess it’s time to move on from gears from yesteryear. Technology has evolved so much.
I am relistening to my entire music library once more. DSEE HX AI really have restored new musical details and nuances into music that I have been listening for the past 30years.
Never have I thought that in 2019 we have this kind of badass technology that can retrieve/recover the spacial information in recorded audio data(even on lossy compressed aac). DSEE HX AI is like those software algorithms that can convert black and white photos/films into Color photos/films but works on audio data instead.
Also on the Xperia 1, there’s really badass technology with their X1 mobile video enhancement engine. YouTube videos looks much crisper and sharper than any mobile phone. I dare say that Xperia 1 has the best video playback quality of all mobile phones. Go try out for yourself if you have a Sony showroom near your place.
Well I guess it’s time to move on from gears from yesteryear. Technology has evolved so much.
I am relistening to my entire music library once more. DSEE HX AI really have restored new musical details and nuances into music that I have been listening for the past 30years.
Never have I thought that in 2019 we have this kind of badass technology that can retrieve/recover the spacial information in recorded audio data(even on lossy compressed aac). DSEE HX AI is like those software algorithms that can convert black and white photos/films into Color photos/films but works on audio data instead.
Also on the Xperia 1, there’s really badass technology with their X1 mobile video enhancement engine. YouTube videos looks much crisper and sharper than any mobile phone. I dare say that Xperia 1 has the best video playback quality of all mobile phones. Go try out for yourself if you have a Sony showroom near your place.
Personally, I prefer an amplifier to be somewhat overpowered if I intend to use it with a full-size headphone like the M7. I’ve never heard a headphone that doesn’t sound just a little better if there is some overhead (unused) power available.
Do you definitely need a DAP, or would a DAC/Amp work? If you could settle for a DAC/Amp, then the Sony PHA-2A is a terrific option. Great Sony sound signature, 3.5mm stereo and 4.4mm balanced outputs, and more than enough power to run anything Sony makes... I used it with the MDR-Z1R, and it was great.
Sony's S-Master digital volume control is probably the best implentation on any DAP. It doesn't lose clarity on lowest volume setting unlike other digital volume control that truncates Bit depth(causes audible hissing/low clarity) to achieve low volume level. There are also dap that uses analog or decoder based volume controls, these still have control linearity issues or limited stepping.
Pulse Height Volume Control. Most digital volume controls work by Digital
Signal Processing, an approach that sacrifices detail in the least significant
bit. Sony's Pulse Height Volume control adjusts the 1-bit C-PLM stream by
adjusting the regulator that supplies voltage to the power pulse generator.
Because this method does not modify or reshape the original digital samples,
there's no loss of information, no loss of detail. Sound quality is maintained
from very low volume settings all the way to maximum.
I can set my IER M9 on low gain at a very low volume setting 30 out 120 volume for relaxing background music listening that allows you to fall asleep. All without losing clarity on the music. It's about 35db to 40db basing on my ears.
Just tested with the PHA3 and the ZX507 can digital to the PHA3 using Fiio USB C to Micro USB OTG cable. No digital out is transmitted during streaming however - sad!
Just tested with the PHA3 and the ZX507 can digital to the PHA3 using Fiio USB C to Micro USB OTG cable. No digital out is transmitted during streaming however - sad!
Thanks for confirming that Purk! It’s a shame it doesn’t have digital out with streaming though. I was hoping to use digital out to PHA-2A with Tidal. Hopefully it gets added in an update.
I actually was supposed to take delivery of the NW-ZX507 today, but I missed the delivery person. If I get it tomorrow, I'll compare the two and let you know.
Based on their post a few back, it looks like Damz87 has an NW-ZX507 and a PHA-2A as well...
I actually was supposed to take delivery of the NW-ZX507 today, but I missed the delivery person. If I get it tomorrow, I'll compare the two and let you know.
Based on their post a few back, it looks like Damz87 has an NW-ZX507 and a PHA-2A as well...
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