[Kozwoz]

I would not say they hold back the ZX line. It just makes no sense to create an ZX707 that costs as much as an WM1AM2 and sounds the same. They are the same device then.

The only reason the ZX Series exists is to have an chaper alternative to the WM1 series. And, of course, if you make it cheaper, you can't make it the same. But i would not say they intentionally hold back. They do the best they can given the curcumstances.

There is no reason why a device which costs as much as the zx500 should lag so much (€830/£750 - upon release). Scrolling through Spotify and Tidal is a painful process. It’s clearly underpowered. There are phones on the market which cost half as much or more that are much more powerful. If Sony wanted Android and streaming functionality why was it so badly optimised? The previous generation WM series didn’t run Android so it isn’t a fair comparison but the new generation certainly isn’t plagued with the same issues as the ZX507. And let’s not even get into the whole battery fiasco. The run time never added up and if you scroll through this thread countless others experienced the same thing. So could they of done better?

 

[Vamp898]

There is no reason why a device which costs as much as the zx500 should lag so much (€830/£750 - upon release). Scrolling through Spotify and Tidal is a painful process. It’s clearly underpowered. There are phones on the market which cost half as much or more that are much more powerful. If Sony wanted Android and streaming functionality why was it so badly optimised? The previous generation WM series didn’t run Android so it isn’t a fair comparison but the new generation certainly isn’t plagued with the same issues as the ZX507. And let’s not even get into the whole battery fiasco. The run time never added up and if you scroll through this thread countless others experienced the same thing. So could they of done better?

The ZX500 was released in 2019 and Sony had to decide on a Chip that is not causing to much inteference, not needing to much power and so on.

Again, they could have done better, but not for the price, no. If they would have replaced the milled aluminum chassy with an pressed one, replaced the wound capacitors with flat ones, replaced the double layer capacitor alltogether and so on then they would have been able to do that.

But then it wouldn't have sounded the way it did and Sony put the priority on sound quality. And it would have been much bigger two. The reason why the ZX500 is so small is because the battery and the chips are small too.

And still the battery time was pretty good. Just look at the battery time of the FiiO M11 Plus 3 years later. It has an 5000mAh Battery, its twice the size, 3 years newer but only 13h of listening time (Best Case, offline, local music).

So looking at the competition the ZX500 is slower, yes, but has significantly better sound performance in 1/3 of the size and longer play time.

 

[emilsoft]

Owned the ZX500, no way. The sound of the 700 is significantly better, the battery life is much better, everything is much better. There is no reason to get the ZX500 IMHO

zx700 is yuuuge. It can serve as a self defence weapon if needed. The ZX507 is a design in elegance and portability - lovely look like a lightweight small but powerful lotus sports car, very pleasant to hold (like a hot dog sandwich), and good sound quality for its size.

To be honest I disliked the demo listen on the 700, it sounded sharp in the treble, almost painful.. probably not burned it i guess, but still a bit worrying. The 500 is a bit more tape like with warmth and boogie - first impressions and all on the 700 for me so I could well be wrong.

 

[emilsoft]

There is no reason why a device which costs as much as the zx500 should lag so much (€830/£750 - upon release). Scrolling through Spotify and Tidal is a painful process. It’s clearly underpowered. There are phones on the market which cost half as much or more that are much more powerful. If Sony wanted Android and streaming functionality why was it so badly optimised? The previous generation WM series didn’t run Android so it isn’t a fair comparison but the new generation certainly isn’t plagued with the same issues as the ZX507. And let’s not even get into the whole battery fiasco. The run time never added up and if you scroll through this thread countless others experienced the same thing. So could they of done better?

If you use the 507 like a smartphone for browsing, youtube comments etc - it's bit of a pain. However UAPP with Qobuz or Tidal works very well, slowdown isn't a big issue and it doesn't crash or disconnect as much as the new a306/WM1AM2 series which is extremely annoying - seems it's much more stable on the 507.

Apple Music and UAPP/Qobuz work very well for me, as long as I don't go crazy opening other apps and doing lot of other stuff on it which i dont mind, i have my phone for that.

 

[productred]

zx700 is yuuuge. It can serve as a self defence weapon if needed. The ZX507 is a design in elegance and portability - lovely look like a lightweight small but powerful lotus sports car, very pleasant to hold (like a hot dog sandwich), and good sound quality for its size.

To be honest I disliked the demo listen on the 700, it sounded sharp in the treble, almost painful.. probably not burned it i guess, but still a bit worrying. The 500 is a bit more tape like with warmth and boogie - first impressions and all on the 700 for me so I could well be wrong.

Agree totally, the tuning of 707 (the unit I demoed was broken in for 400 sth hours) is way more coloured and unnatural than the 507, which boasts a very mature, neutral tuning, possibly the most neutral amongst the Walkman series since WM1 M1. I tried it and A/B them mainly with my Just Ear and PP8. The only credit I could give 707 over the 507 is the improved dynamic swing response, which is fairly obvious on the PP8 when playing classical orchestral music, but not so much on the Just Ear.

AND........one very important thing you have brought up and I have tried to convey in my previous posts, is the size/shape issue. Everyone have their own intended usage of their DAPS, and Sony is generous enough to offer 3 different classes of quality players. For me, especially during weekdays, I need a player that appraoches top playback quality (though not necessarily GOAT level), suitably powerful (I'm not pairing it with full-sizes at all), AND I need it to be relatively light and slim in profile that I could (if I need to) slip it into my jacket pocket, as well as aestherically pleasing. The 507 have perfection written all over it for that. Plus a very admirable battery life - as I have mentioned elsewhere I can (STILL!) easily use it for nearly 20 hours if I play direct, and something like 9 - 10 hours if I have DSEE and other DSPs on (that translate to 2 days usage for me without any charging (definitely good enough now that chargers and powerbanks are everywhere) after all these years. My WM1AM2, with admittedly better sound and battery life, is reserved for weekend use.

The 707 on the other hand, as you said, is huuuuuuuuuuge, and in my eyes, ugly. Not much point really for the mid-tier offering, which I think should offer clear size and weight benefits over the top-tier offering instead of simply rolling out an inferior product to the top-tier.

 

[Vamp898]

Agree totally, the tuning of 707 (the unit I demoed was broken in for 400 sth hours) is way more coloured and unnatural than the 507, which boasts a very mature, neutral tuning, possibly the most neutral amongst the Walkman series since WM1 M1. I tried it and A/B them mainly with my Just Ear and PP8. The only credit I could give 707 over the 507 is the improved dynamic swing response, which is fairly obvious on the PP8 when playing classical orchestral music, but not so much on the Just Ear.

AND........one very important thing you have brought up and I have tried to convey in my previous posts, is the size/shape issue. Everyone have their own intended usage of their DAPS, and Sony is generous enough to offer 3 different classes of quality players. For me, especially during weekdays, I need a player that appraoches top playback quality (though not necessarily GOAT level), suitably powerful (I'm not pairing it with full-sizes at all), AND I need it to be relatively light and slim in profile that I could (if I need to) slip it into my jacket pocket, as well as aestherically pleasing. The 507 have perfection written all over it for that. Plus a very admirable battery life - as I have mentioned elsewhere I can (STILL!) easily use it for nearly 20 hours if I play direct, and something like 9 - 10 hours if I have DSEE and other DSPs on (that translate to 2 days usage for me without any charging (definitely good enough now that chargers and powerbanks are everywhere) after all these years. My WM1AM2, with admittedly better sound and battery life, is reserved for weekend use.

The 707 on the other hand, as you said, is huuuuuuuuuuge, and in my eyes, ugly. Not much point really for the mid-tier offering, which I think should offer clear size and weight benefits over the top-tier offering instead of simply rolling out an inferior product to the top-tier.

The most important thing for an mid-tier product is to be cheaper. Not everyone can afford and WM1 and they want the best sound they can have for their money, not an size compromise.

The ZX700 is designed for people who can't afford an WM1M2. That is the whole idea behind the ZXYYY series and why it was invented in the first place.

ZX100, ZX300 and ZX500 all have been inferior/cheaper version of the more expensive products

ZX100 was a cheaper version of the ZX2 (which was not big at all, so It didn't need a smaller version, but it was expensive. If I remember correctly, the ZX100 was even larger than the ZX2)

ZX300 was a cheaper version of the WM1

ZX500 was an slightly improved ZX300 which was larger and heavier, but had Android because people wanted to stream and use apps.

And now the ZX700 which is an cheaper version if the WM1M2. With the larger battery and better capacitors and especially LCs

If they would have made the ZX700 smaller, how should the larger capacitors and LCs fit?

 

[productred]

The most important thing for an mid-tier product is to be cheaper. Not everyone can afford and WM1 and they want the best sound they can have for their money, not an size compromise.

The ZX700 is designed for people who can't afford an WM1M2. That is the whole idea behind the ZXYYY series and why it was invented in the first place.

ZX100, ZX300 and ZX500 all have been inferior/cheaper version of the more expensive products

ZX100 was a cheaper version of the ZX2 (which was not big at all, so It didn't need a smaller version, but it was expensive. If I remember correctly, the ZX100 was even larger than the ZX2)

ZX300 was a cheaper version of the WM1

ZX500 was an slightly improved ZX300 which was larger and heavier, but had Android because people wanted to stream and use apps.

And now the ZX700 which is an cheaper version if the WM1M2. With the larger battery and better capacitors and especially LCs

If they would have made the ZX700 smaller, how should the larger capacitors and LCs fit?

If price is the only concern they could make the ZX507/707 exactly the same size (or even bigger) than the WM1. Like it or not, the shrink in size MUST be in the design equation, and at least partly to address consumer needs in a smaller machine with compromised but comparable SQ. The ZX300 was NOT a cheaper version of WM1 btw, for the past two generations Sony releases the flagships first then followed up with the mid-tier and low-tier players, with usually the mid-tier option adopting design languages and ideas from the flagships.

"The ZX700 is designed for people who can't afford an WM1M2" - this can't be farther away from the truth. If that's the case, the price different MUST be more significant. The present price gap is way too small to define a step up/down in class. And for folks who can't afford the WM1AM2, they are likely not able to afford the ZX707 either. AND - this may depend on market - quite a significant portion of the people buying the ZX707 ACTUALLY HAVE THE WM1AM2/WM1ZM2 (or both).

 

[emilsoft]

If price is the only concern they could make the ZX507/707 exactly the same size (or even bigger) than the WM1. Like it or not, the shrink in size MUST be in the design equation, and at least partly to address consumer needs in a smaller machine with compromised but comparable SQ. The ZX300 was NOT a cheaper version of WM1 btw, for the past two generations Sony releases the flagships first then followed up with the mid-tier and low-tier players, with usually the mid-tier option adopting design languages and ideas from the flagships.

"The ZX700 is designed for people who can't afford an WM1M2" - this can't be farther away from the truth. If that's the case, the price different MUST be more significant. The present price gap is way too small to define a step up/down in class. And for folks who can't afford the WM1AM2, they are likely not able to afford the ZX707 either. AND - this may depend on market - quite a significant portion of the people buying the ZX707 ACTUALLY HAVE THE WM1AM2/WM1ZM2 (or both).

I think Sony got a bit confused with this latest series and lost the plot a bit. The 507 created a clear space for itself in the lineup - where user needs excellent portability but also very good sound. The 100 series below it is ultra portability but with lesser sound quality. The WM above it was the flagship - bulky heavy and best sound.

Now we get the ZX700 which is bulky and brick like, close to the wm1am2, and also the price seems too high for the sound quality it offers. At least the 507 can say it's very portable so SQ doesn't have to be exemplary for the price, even so it betters the 700 SQ wise. I don't buy the 700 needed to be this bulky, if you look on the other side of the electronics board opposite to where the caps are, it's all empty unused space - they could have perhaps worked a bit harder to utilise this and make the DAP more portable

 

[productred]

I think Sony got a bit confused with this latest series and lost the plot a bit. The 507 created a clear space for itself in the lineup - where user needs excellent portability but also very good sound. The 100 series below it is ultra portability but with lesser sound quality. The WM above it was the flagship - bulky heavy and best sound.

Now we get the ZX700 which is bulky and brick like, close to the wm1am2, and also the price seems too high for the sound quality it offers. At least the 507 can say it's very portable so SQ doesn't have to be exemplary for the price, even so it betters the 700 SQ wise. I don't buy the 700 needed to be this bulky, if you look on the other side of the electronics board opposite to where the caps are, it's all empty unused space - they could have perhaps worked a bit harder to utilise this and make the DAP more portable

Exactly what I'm thinking and what left me wondering.............what's the point? The 707 is neither here nor there.

 

[Dithyrambes]

You all have to turn off sound adjustments(the process…Is still on in direct sound) and re evaluate the zx707. With it on, bass is boomy, upper mids are ultra harsh and it sounds too hifi tuned. With it disabled, probably the most neutral dap in the Sony line up for me. Makes the WM1AM2 feel like a warm blanket.

 

[Vamp898]

If price is the only concern they could make the ZX507/707 exactly the same size (or even bigger) than the WM1. Like it or not, the shrink in size MUST be in the design equation, and at least partly to address consumer needs in a smaller machine with compromised but comparable SQ. The ZX300 was NOT a cheaper version of WM1 btw, for the past two generations Sony releases the flagships first then followed up with the mid-tier and low-tier players, with usually the mid-tier option adopting design languages and ideas from the flagships.

"The ZX700 is designed for people who can't afford an WM1M2" - this can't be farther away from the truth. If that's the case, the price different MUST be more significant. The present price gap is way too small to define a step up/down in class. And for folks who can't afford the WM1AM2, they are likely not able to afford the ZX707 either. AND - this may depend on market - quite a significant portion of the people buying the ZX707 ACTUALLY HAVE THE WM1AM2/WM1ZM2 (or both).

The price difference between the ZX2 and ZX100, the WM1 and ZX300/ZX500 wasn't that big either. It was always around 30-40% which is the same like now.

Its the same with the other DAPs from the competition so i think its a totally fair difference.

And i highly doubt that a lot of people buy the ZX700 and the WM1M2 Series. Why would that be? The WM1M2 is small enough to be used by everyone these days. If you want something smaller than the WM1M2 series, than it would have to be significantly smaller, so something like the BTR7 which is as big as an lighter. That would be a good enough reason to own two devices. But even the ZX500 is not much smaller than the WM1AM2, not small enough that i would say, it is worth buying both.

Most people will use the WM1M2 every day, like an smartphone, like i do it too.

 

[Vamp898]

For anyone who is not sure if the ZX700 is the right DAP due to its size and if it fits into the Pocket: https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxPNFLS2-ngbKL_EQIt--RSJKSD8wKCIqT

It does fit easily into the pocket, there is no need to worry. Its smaller than most smartphones.

 

[productred]

You all have to turn off sound adjustments(the process…Is still on in direct sound) and re evaluate the zx707. With it on, bass is boomy, upper mids are ultra harsh and it sounds too hifi tuned. With it disabled, probably the most neutral dap in the Sony line up for me. Makes the WM1AM2 feel like a warm blanket.

I did, as I always do with my 507 with different iems, but I still found the 507 to be much more neutral sounding than the 707, though I do agree with DSPs on the 707 sounds very colored to the point of being marginally weird and playing direct was actually a lot better.

 

[Dithyrambes]

I mean you have to actually kill the sound adjustment process running in android. Unfortunately it restarts everyone you go into the Sony music player app. You can play your track, force close it and not go back into the music app, or use adb to disable it permanently. Even if it’s on direct sound, it’s not, adding boomy lows and harsh splashy upper mids

 

[Kozwoz]

I have an issue on my 507 where I can’t force LDAC quality to the highest quality. In developer mode I can set it to the highest quality but as soon as I close the menu it reverts back to variable optimised. Anyone have a work around?