hierobryan
Head-Fier
Anyone know if the Japanese zx-707 can power hard to drive planars like the Diana TC? And is it worth getting if I already have an Astell & Kern SR35? The SR35 sounds great but the UI is so laggy and it's annoying me.
SONY NW-ZX700
- Thread starter leylandi
- Start date
Zigzagged5634
New Head-Fier
Before I ask a question about nw707 I have to say I'm new here (my first post) and fairly new in music hobby, so the question is probably stupid to seasoned pros. Now to question - I'm considering buying nw707 but I'm not sure if it's powerful enough to drive planar IEM I bought a few weeks ago - Tin HIFI P1 Plus. Can anyone explain to me what specs to check out to answer this? Thx in advance
MudEnjoyer
100+ Head-Fier
It drives the E5000 just fine which is the hardest IEM to drive out there. You'll be safe with any IEM.
I enjoyed reading the translation. It feels like we're in safe hands with these guys.
I'm enjoying my NW-ZX707 more and more every day. Good times.
My advice is to spend the money on headphones, rather than the ZX707. I suggest looking at the Focal Clear og (which can be had currently for $890 new on headphones.com). It's easy to drive and can be driven off of anything, including an apple dongle straight off an iphone. You will get the most bang for the buck. In my experience sources (such as the ZX707) gives very little return in bang for buck.
Mmet
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2014
- Posts
- 1,405
- Likes
- 183
The solder increase sound quality
The battery increase sound quality
The chassis increase sound quality
The slow SOC increase sound quality
The antenna increase sound quality
Say sound quality.....
Attachments
Sonywalkmanuser
Headphoneus Supremus
So you know better than these Sony Engineers?
Zigzagged5634
New Head-Fier
I'll look into it, thank you.
Mmet
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2014
- Posts
- 1,405
- Likes
- 183
Of course not .. and i love sony walkmans .. but this is too much hocus bocus there .. i mean .. after all that just a simple firmware update and people complain about lesser bass than the original firmware
Sonywalkmanuser
Headphoneus Supremus
Of course not .. and i love sony walkmans .. but this is too much hocus bocus there .. i mean .. after all that just a simple firmware update and people complain about lesser bass than the original firmware
Not really surprising in my opinion. Firmware can change sound, Sony recently released a firmware update for A306 to address a bass issue on wired.
Also Sony is also able to alter/tune it's product's performance via sound processing too, if you read through what has been said about their latest WF-1000XM5, Sony engineers has mentioned about processing of bass lingering sounds, also the 360RA system is algorithm driven, which means the sound can be altered via this too:
https://www.sony.jp/feature/products/headphone/230726_01/
Could you also tell us about the sound quality tuning to bring out the potential of such excellent hardware?
Kikuchi: This time, we put a lot of effort into tuning the sound quality in order to achieve the series' pursuit of "high sound quality regardless of genre." Specifically, we design sound quality using a wide range of sound sources, from remastered old records to the latest sound sources from 2023. Because trends and tastes vary depending on the musical genre and era when it comes to the characteristics of a song, such as frequency balance and processing of bass lingering sounds, it was very difficult to create a sound that would be compatible with a variety of sound sources and songs.
In addition, Sony conducts interviews with music production studios and conducts activities to dig deeper into the sound quality trends and music trends preferred by customers around the world. It has been accumulated. We believe we were able to achieve a good balance by taking these things into consideration when designing.
Another major update is further improvements to the personal optimization of ``360 Reality Audio,'' a music experience that utilizes Sony's proprietary three-dimensional sound technology. By reviewing the algorithm, the sense of height, distance, and localization are now felt more clearly.
https://www.sony.com.sg/electronics...s-nw-nwz-zx-series/nw-zx707/software/00292252
Previous Benefits and Improvements
View previous benefits and improvementsThe following benefits and improvements are also included in this update.
- Provides a Security update (The security level displayed in the Settings menu will be as of January 2023)
- Reduces noise that can occur when playing music under specific conditions via a Bluetooth connection
- Improves general performance (Only NW-ZX707)
- Fixes the low-range frequency characteristics when music is played on wired headphones (Only NW-A306)
Last edited:
Actually i kind of agree with you. Maybe for new user those marketing terms will draw a lot of newcomer attention but for long time hobbyist we trust our own ear by demo ing devices and doesnt really care about what the marketing really tell us. Anyway Sony firmware update did really change the sound a lot i hope they will keep improving their SQ through update.Of course not .. and i love sony walkmans .. but this is too much hocus bocus there .. i mean .. after all that just a simple firmware update and people complain about lesser bass than the original firmware
Anyway until today after owning 707 for a few months i am pleased but not as pleasant as AM2(demoed a while ago) still it is more than enough. Typical SONY SQ is always enjoyable, you can listen to songs for a long time without fatigue or too much details it is almost similar to R2R but still not the same. If i want more engaging very energetic sound in vocal or instrument i can just use Chifi DAP or Dongle.
Mmet
1000+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2014
- Posts
- 1,405
- Likes
- 183
Yes of course i love the sound sig and enjoying it from the release of the cassette walkmans .. Diskmans to Walkman S600 and E013 .. and still have them in addition to my X walkman and ZX1 .. and what stopping me from getting one of WM series that i can't afford them ( yet)
That being said .. if i am an engineer for an audio device i would rather talk about the technical aspects .. S/N ratio , output impedance , damping factor , square wave response ..etc . THE MAIN TECHNICAL ASPECTS .. then i will talk about the soldering materials .. caps .. chassis material and all that enjoying stuff that we all like to be there but they are not the main them much more icing on the cake .. you feel me.. right ?
But seeing the engineers of my most favourite brand ever talking like a punch of fan boys saddens me :
""" listen to this copper .. no no .. just listen to this aluminum its more detailed !!!!!! """
And they are talking about these things as they are the main things that defines the sound quality of their walkmans !!!
Sorry if i offended some but my criticism here is out of love not any thing else ,peace
It comes down to perspective, and personal choice. We expect good engineering and reliability from Sony, as a base expectation, so the marketing focuses on other elements, to provide a flavor of what the engineers think, and investigated in the course of the development of the product. If their base engineering was not a given, I would be much less inclined to even look at Sony.Yes of course i love the sound sig and enjoying it from the release of the cassette walkmans .. Diskmans to Walkman S600 and E013 .. and still have them in addition to my X walkman and ZX1 .. and what stopping me from getting one of WM series that i can't afford them ( yet)
That being said .. if i am an engineer for an audio device i would rather talk about the technical aspects .. S/N ratio , output impedance , damping factor , square wave response ..etc . THE MAIN TECHNICAL ASPECTS .. then i will talk about the soldering materials .. caps .. chassis material and all that enjoying stuff that we all like to be there but they are not the main them much more icing on the cake .. you feel me.. right ?
But seeing the engineers of my most favourite brand ever talking like a punch of fan boys saddens me :
""" listen to this copper .. no no .. just listen to this aluminum its more detailed !!!!!! """
And they are talking about these things as they are the main things that defines the sound quality of their walkmans !!!
Sorry if i offended some but my criticism here is out of love not any thing else ,peace
To many buyers, the information in the interviews is equally, or more important than the specs. The audio addiction "personality" of their engineers, and the perceived interests of their user base, is the basis of Sony's marketing. And I do find the interviews useful and interesting. Personally, unless Specs are abnormal, I do not look at them too closely. Every company publishes specs, some more detailed, and some less detailed. By themselves, they do not answer the most important question. How well will it produce music? Of course the specs do give a "feel", and an indication of capabilities. But are not enough by themselves to base a buy decision on.
Specs are mostly not that different from each other, and do not tell whether a DAP produces music that you will enjoy. Only a personal listen will tell you that. And previous experience with a company's products, and some experience with their reliability, and User Interface, are also necessary.
To me, I find it interesting to read about the solder with trace gold, the care they took with component/material selection, their through hole soldering, and special soldering for SMD devices, the special coils and capacitors, etc., etc. These do give a feel of Sony's audio focus, so their marketing is fine, in my eyes.
Your preference is specs, as you deem them the most relevant. That is what is important to you, and you want Sony to emphasize those aspects. Perfectly understandable.
If you are unhappy with Sony's marketing, then maybe you should be looking at other companies/products that you are happy with? After all, if they (Sony) are focusing on things that to you are irrelevant, then that is a clue that there is a mismatch in expectations, and design/engineering philosophy? No need to be angry at them, is my thought. Just buy from another company that meets your expectations. Get a DAP with impeccable specs from another company.
Last edited:
Sonywalkmanuser
Headphoneus Supremus
Well if you are interested in the measurements side of things, here’s a video review that has both measurements and as well as sound demonstrations:
Users who are viewing this thread
