[AUDIOBREEDER]

Is this worth $299?

 

[Scorpion667]

I ended up returning the A17 yesterday.
 
I spent a lot of time comparing it to AK100 Gen II and other audiophile DAP's at my local headphone shop the other day. Because my SE846 is not a good impedance match to the A17 (846=9ohm, A17= 4ohm impedance) it leans toward a warmer sound signature than other DAP's but again only with the SE846 which is extremely picky about output impedance. Non issue with sub 1ohm output impedance amp, even from the headphone out of A17 into said amp. It's so slight that I barely noticed it in my first 30 minutes of listening. With that said it was very enjoyable and doesn't seem to sacrifice detail to achieve that. I would say the treble ceiling and dynamics definitely give the AK100 GenII a run for it's money, at 1/3 the price. 
 
I have to say though: the Sony A17 has the absolute best interface usability and speed besides an iPhone. I prefer the A17 interface to all Audiophile DAP's I have owned/auditioned, including X5/X3/X1, HM901/HM802/HM700, iPod 5.5g and AK240/120G2/100G2/120/100MKII. After my first 30 seconds with the A17, both the interface as well as my muscle memory were extremely fast. I HATE searching for songs on all other DAP's. Even the AK240 has some scrolling input lag/stutter/inconsistent scrolling speed <- yes I am OCD about those things and my eyes/brain pick up frame rate drops that 95% of people simply don't even perceive. 
 
To be fair, beside the SLIGHT leaning towards warmth with my SE846 (BECAUSE of impedance mismatch), and the 4ohm output impedance, I can't fault the A17 in any way shape or form. It's an insanely good player at an amazing price point, as long as you use IEM's and cans under 50ohm. You will never confuse an A17 for an iDevice because it smokes all of them in soundstage, imaging and highs.
 
Keeping in mind that I only use the SE846 IEM, for anything and everything, I would rate the A17 A 9.4/10 for performance and fidelity and 9.5/10 for it's value.
 
If Sony releases a DAP like the A17 but with <1ohm output impedance, I will buy it the second it's released.

 

[spatzi]

These seem impossible to find right now, especially Canada. Sony store advertises for $279 but all backordered.

 

[castleofargh]

  I ended up returning the A17 yesterday.
 
I spent a lot of time comparing it to AK100 Gen II and other audiophile DAP's at my local headphone shop the other day. The A17 leans toward a warmer sound signature than other DAP's - the mid bass is ever so slightly boosted. It's so slight that I barely noticed it in my first 30 minutes of listening. It's the Sony house sound IMO. With that said it very enjoyable and doesn't seem to sacrifice detail to achieve that. I would say the treble ceiling and dynamics definitely give the AK100 GenII a run for it's money, at 1/3 the price. It's just I prefer a slightly more neutral DAP. 
 
I have to say though: the Sony A17 has the absolute best interface usability and speed besides an iPhone. I prefer the A17 interface to all Audiophile DAP's I have owned/auditioned, including X5/X3/X1, HM901/HM802/HM700, iPod 5.5g and AK240/120G2/100G2/120/100MKII. After my first 30 seconds with the A17, both the interface as well as my muscle memory were extremely fast. I HATE searching for songs on all other DAP's. Even the AK240 has some scrolling input lag/stutter/inconsistent scrolling speed <- yes I am OCD about those things and my eyes/brain pick up frame rate drops that 95% of people simply don't even perceive. 
 
To be fair, beside the SLIGHT leaning towards warmth, and the 4ohm output impedance, I can't fault the A17 in any way shape or form. It's an insanely good player at an amazing price point, as long as you use IEM's and cans under 50ohm. You will never confuse an A17 for an iDevice because it smokes all of them in soundstage, imaging and highs.
 
Keeping in mind that I only use the SE846 IEM, for anything and everything, I would rate the A17 A 9.4/10 for performance and fidelity and 9.5/10 for it's value.
 
If Sony releases a DAP like the A17 but with <1ohm output impedance, I will buy it the second it's released.

again, it's warm to you because you're using the 846. I guess my previous explanation wasn't super clear ^_^.  someone else with some other multi BA IEM might very well find it colder than another source. in fact with my JH13 I have slightly less bass than on some other DAPs. but I have a few IEMs that don't care for impedance and they indeed sound pretty flat on the sony.
 
so it's really a matter of impedance, and with 4ohm on the sony, the SE846 fluctuating between 15 and 5ohm certainly wouldn't me my first recommendation for ideal impedance bridging.

 

[Mmet]

did any one tried F806 before that player ? i have F806 and i want to know if it worth getting A17 ... is it an upgrade (in terms of audio quality only) ? or is it better to get a quality amp for my player ?

 

[purk]

  did any one tried F806 before that player ? i have F806 and i want to know if it worth getting A17 ... is it an upgrade (in terms of audio quality only) ? or is it better to get a quality amp for my player ?

To my ears and with my JH13 I do like it better.  The F807 is leaner sounding and focus more in terms of clarity.  The a17 is very similar to the ZX1 but with less powerful sound signature.  It is warmer and closer to neutral to my ears.  Bass is firmer and a provide a little bit more impact.  And the A17 excels with hi-rez materials while the F807 stops at std. redbook resolution.

 

[Wertzius]

Folder Navigation doesn't work for my SD card! The player says "No songs found". But the songs are in the library and play fine! Doensn't matter where i format the card. Anyone else with that?

 

[castleofargh]

  Folder Navigation doesn't work for my SD card! The player says "No songs found". But the songs are in the library and play fine! Doensn't matter where i format the card. Anyone else with that?

I explained it both here and in my review. when you format with the sony you end up with several folders, one of them is called "MUSIC". maybe that's a hint as to where you should put your music

 

[Wertzius]

Yeah, maybe you should read the posts more seriously next time... 

 
If the player recognizes the music, there is a 100% chance that i am not dumb and that the music is in the music folder...

 

[castleofargh]

here is a quote from my review

Short version: As long as you put your music in a folder called “MUSIC” it's gonna be great! If you put it anywhere else, it's still gonna work except for browsing by folder(artist/album is ok).

 
and don't worry I never thought you were dumb, just that you didn't search much.

 

[vincik]

Is A15 good match with ES10? Im using this combo over month, so i should know, but i dont have any other decent source to compare, so im wondering, if it gives enough of juice for ES10? It has enough of volume (it takes only half of volume do drive loud enough for me). It should be ideal impedance match with nwz a15 having 4 ohms and ES10 having 42ohms. But it seems to me so ridiculous, that this teeny tiny thing can get maximum out of 53mm drivers.

 

[Wertzius]

But the music is in the "MUSIC" folder. So it is a bug in my opinion.

 

[mettacitta]

  to anyone whos amping this ,what do you amp it with ? Is there anything that is actually of the same footprint as this thing?

I've just started amping it with a Topping NX1 headphone amp and using Etymotic ER4 PT IEMs and Sony MDR-V6 headphones.
 
Without the amp the walkman can actually drive both headphones fine, absolutely ZERO hiss from either.
 
However, when amped, both take on absolutely BEASTLY sonics. The Topping tends not to add anything to the resultant sound signatures, its a fairly neutral amp.
 
On the amps high gain setting and half volume I seriously haven't heard a better more usable DAP for the price.
 
On higher amp volume settings still, no hiss, no distortion.
 
 
Hands down the best DAP I've owned in years

 

[zilch0md]

  I've just started amping it with a Topping NX1 headphone amp and using Etymotic ER4 PT IEMs and Sony MDR-V6 headphones.
 
Without the amp the walkman can actually drive both headphones fine, absolutely ZERO hiss from either.
 
However, when amped, both take on absolutely BEASTLY sonics. The Topping tends not to add anything to the resultant sound signatures, its a fairly neutral amp.
 
On the amps high gain setting and half volume I seriously haven't heard a better more usable DAP for the price.
 
On higher amp volume settings still, no hiss, no distortion.
 
 
Hands down the best DAP I've owned in years

 
Is your amp receiving an analog signal from the headphone out, from a WMport Line Out cable, or from an external DAC via the WMport USB out cable?
 
Thanks!
 
Mike

 

[zilch0md]

Originally Posted by Scorpion667 /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
 I prefer the [Sony] A17 interface to all Audiophile DAP's I have owned/auditioned, including X5/X3/X1, HM901/HM802/HM700, iPod 5.5g and AK240/120G2/100G2/120/100MKII. 

 
This is extremely encouraging to me, thanks!  I believe you - and then some - having suffered only the X5 and HM801 interfaces - of all those you've listed.  
 
Really - you've said a mouthful here!  
 
The Sony A17's UI and its card reader are why I'm still keen on using it with the WM-Port USB cable to just pull a digital signal out of it - to an external DAC and amp (bypassing Sony's DAC and amp.)
 
 (I'm still researching suitable USB DACs - that don't expect to see 5VDC on the 4th pin.)
 
Mike