[castleofargh]

  No, i use the analogue output via the Fiio cable. No displayshutoff. I would say the player believes that he is used in a stationary dock.

strange, I have the screen OFF timer set to 15sec, and so it does. be it with a headphone or with the fiio L5.
I have 2 others and they behave the same, a custom one and one that is just the sony to female jack plug so you can use jack to jack cables on it.

  What Sony USB data cable did you use to connect to the AMP,because I've got a UD120 DAC and I'm looking for a Walkman USB cable to connect my A15?

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-WMC-NWH10-Conversion-Cable-Output/dp/B00FF086HE
that is the one for digital out. can't say if it will work though.

 

[zilch0md]

  What Sony USB data cable did you use to connect to the AMP,because I've got a UD120 DAC and I'm looking for a Walkman USB cable to connect my A15?

 

 
 
The Sony WMC-NWH10 emulates a USB signal from a laptop or PC - without the 5V power, so it should work fine with the USB input of any DAC that has a separate power supply, but the WMC-NWH10 cannot provide 5V power for USB-powered DACs or DAC/amps like the Stoner Acoustics UD120 (Audioquest Dragonfly, Geek Out 1000, ODAC, DACport or DACport LX, etc.)

UPDATE:  Even some portable DACs and DAC/amps that have their own built-in battery packs still expect to see 5VDC at the USB port just for detecting that a USB source has been connected (i.e. OPPO HA-2).
 

Spoiler: A workaround for USB-powered DACs

A workaround would be to to supply power via a USB Y-cable and a 5V Lithium Ion battery pack, similar to this (there are many alternatives available):
 

 
http://www.amazon.com/Lumsing-6000mAh-Portable-External-aluminium/dp/B00KT26W0Q
 
 

http://www.amazon.com/Apricorn-Power-Adapter-Cable-AUSB-Y/dp/B000JIOHDE
 
With a USB Y-cable similar to this, your USB-powered DAC could receive data from the WMC-NWH10 and power from the 5V battery pack. 
 

 
12/28/2014 UPDATE:  
OPPO engineer's have successfully tested the current OPPO HA-2 prototype with the Sony NWZ-A17 and WMC-NWH10 cable. They are compatible!

 

[audionewbi]

  The display doesn't shut off, if you use the lineout. Is that normal?
That would be very bad for the batterylife..

doesnt sound normal.

 

[BruceBanner]

Big cans only, tiny iems actually run on even less juice than this player pumps out.

I am running V6 and new Z7 cans, they love detail so this player plus amp completes my needs.

 
That's what I thought, but if that's the case why is this guy below so adamant about the fiio e12a coupled with the se846s IEMs working for him so much better? :S
Even Fiio's website directs this specific amp as for coupling with IEMs... :/
 

  I would like to add my impressions of this unit. I got this as a replacement for my a865 and previously used an a845. I had a paired this with my se846s and they worked pretty well. After a few years of use the a865 barely held a charge... so upgrade! 
 
On to my review. I would say the overall sound quality is much improved with the compressed files when comparing it to my note 3 or a865, but it really shines when flacs are being used. The sound is way more detailed, clear, and bright. I was actually shocked with the improvement. I would say its on par with my desktop amp (asus zonar essence stx) for clarity and detail. The one thing that really gets me is the battery life is insane. I can literally use it for days with out having to charge it and all while having the battery care option on. The UI is fast, fluid and easy to navigate.
 
The match between the se846 and a17 is pretty solid. There is minimal hiss which is pretty hard to do with these IEMs - there was more hiss with the a865. I previously used a note 3 and e18 but had to abandon it. On low volume the background hiss it was overwhelming, especially when listening to any orchestrated music. 
 
So my new solution is to use my a17 and I picked up a fiio e12a with a sony line out cable. I can say this combo has knocked my socks off! I had tried my e6 as a reference point. The e6 added a bit of depth but nothing amazing. However, the e12a really opens up the sound stage and really makes the se846s shine. For portability and battery life this little dap is pretty hard to beat. If you need a boost I highly recommend the e12a as well.  

 

[ClieOS]

  What Sony USB data cable did you use to connect to the AMP,because I've got a UD120 DAC and I'm looking for a Walkman USB cable to connect my A15?

 
 

  http://www.amazon.com/Sony-WMC-NWH10-Conversion-Cable-Output/dp/B00FF086HE
that is the one for digital out. can't say if it will work though.

 
 

  The Sony WMC-NWH10 emulates a USB signal from a laptop or PC - without the 5V power, so it should work fine with the USB input of any DAC that has a separate power supply, but the WMC-NWH10 cannot provide 5V power for USB-powered DACs or DAC/amps like the Stoner Acoustics UD120 (Audioquest Dragonfly, Geek Out 1000, ODAC, DACport or DACport LX, etc.)

 
Also note that even with WMC-NWH10 and self-power, there is no guarantee that the USB DAC will work. I think so far we already find out Denon DA-10, ALO International and International+ won't work with A10 series.

 

[Raketen]

Thanks to everyone on the thread- been lurking for a minute & y'alls reflections helped me decide to get an A17 - Battery life, physical buttons (!!!), Bluetooth/NFC capability, a microSD slot, FLAC support, drag and drop compatability in Windows (so happy Sony have abandoned some of their past proprietary nonsense!), and just the general good looks of the thing.

Happy with it so far- not exactly an audiophile, as I spend most of my time listening unamped on portable devices. Mainly interested in decent baseline quality, pocketable with minimum fuss while I meander about the city. The build quality is subpar, given its price and manufacturer (creaky, cheap feeling plastic back and buttons, I can't help but compare to my much-abused-still-ticking Nano 4G), but overall decent. Love the UI (but no on-the-fly playlist creation? bookmark feature not adequate for me). Sound feels a bit less 'overbaked' (if that makes any sense?) than my previous Clips + and Zip if not quite as powered, bit fuller than Nano 4g, and better at volume. Listening direct with Sennheiser HD 25-1-II, Beyerdynamic DT770 Pro 32, earphones JVC HA-FXT90 and Denon AH-C700- They all feel adequately driven- sound doesn't distort across reasonable min/max volumes and overall volume is satisfactory to me (rarely pushed headphones past 15/30ths max vol, IEMs 8 or 9/30ths). In spite of lower impedance than the HD25s, the 770 feels like it would benefit the most from an amp (sound like they might be a touch underpowered when compared with my laptop's ext. DAC/Amp). With the IEMs, I havn't noticed everpresent hiss or transient noises from the device others have reported (then again my hi-freq hearing might just be borked from high noise work environ, though it tests fine). Listened mostly to FLAC and 320/v0 mp3s in a variety of genres (Holly Herndon's 'Movement' fun for trying new stuff out). I usually listen flat, but having an EQ is nice. ClearAudio+ is decent, I think bassheads will dig it. DSEE HX "upsampling" strikes me as dubious, I could hear a change with some tracks but not exactly 'improved'. Nor could I "hear the quality" in the provided Hi-Res samples (but thanks Sony, for the 45 second snippet of Herbie Hancock's Headhunters followed by 3 or 4 poppunk/Emo tracks in their entirety) or my own FLAC albums it flagged as Hi-Res.
 
Its probably not such a great improvement from a Clip or an iPod to justify the price differences, nor is it the stuff peoples Pono dreams are made of, but the A17 has nice features with a great UI, excellent battery life and decent audio - at the very least, well suited to my peripatetic ways. Now, as long as the stereo jack doesn't require soldering within a few weeks I'll be quite satisfied (*glares at Clip*).

 

[ClieOS]

  ....
 
Its not necessarily such an improvement from a Clip or an iPod to justify the price differences... nor is it necessarily for those who dream of Pono, but the A17 has some nice features with a great UI, excellent battery life and decent audio - at the very least suitable to me....

 
My sentiment as well.

 

[BruceBanner]

To be honest what attracts me to this device is;
 
66g
128gb card accepted (with no file limitation)
bluetooth apt-x support
battery life
 
If Cowon had made a real successor to the i9 (and not just 16gb more in the form of the i9+) then i'd be really happy.

 

[xylin6]

Quote:

  ....
 
Its not necessarily such an improvement from a Clip or an iPod to justify the price differences... nor is it necessarily for those who dream of Pono, but the A17 has some nice features with a great UI, excellent battery life and decent audio - at the very least suitable to me....

 
 
Quote:

   
My sentiment as well.

even with 192gb storage capability,the long battery life,great ui,small size and low end frequencies no ipod or clip could ever hope to deliver?
 
i mean yes three hundred dollars sounds steep but i can't think of another player that comes close to having everything the A17 has, and on top of that,in my personal experience every single sony audio player i have purchased since the 1990s still works today.that speaks volumes to me for monetary worth
 
i.e. the nwz-e345 i purchased 5 years back cost $79 for 16gb and even after nearly four years solid use (i stopped using it so much when i got my F807) my e345 still works perfectly today, and it can playback 12 hours of music on a full charge,so here we are just a couple months shy of 5 years after i purchased it  that's roughly $16 a year in that sense
 
and now there is the A17 a 300 dollar player that natively holds four times as much as the e345 model (if i round it out to $80 for what i paid five years ago for the  16gb e-345 then  i was paying roughly $5 per gig of storage,so 64gb (or purchasing four of those players) would have cost me $320, so not only is the price of the A17 less expensive,but the player is far better in every way,and it can store another 128gb via microSD) so to me the price while not cheap,is well justified.

 

[purk]

I'm with you guys on the feature set making the A17 such a great player for me as well.  No...it doesn't match the sound quality of the X5 or my A17, but it isn't far off.  The battery life is excellent and it holds more songs than the ZX-1 can ever dream off.  The size is just tiny and great for a true on-the-go listening.  The UI is superb and simple to use as well as the Bluetooth function.  Plus, I don't need to deal with iTune for transferring music.  It also make a great digital transport for my PHA-3 and is nearly a perfect match for my JH-13pro.

 

[zilch0md]

  Also note that even with WMC-NWH10 and self-power, there is no guarantee that the USB DAC will work. I think so far we already find out Denon DA-10, ALO International and International+ won't work with A10 series.

 
Thank you, yes - how could I forget?  
 
That list includes the OPPO HA-2 portable DAC/amp I'm Beta testing.  
 
I've updated the post you referenced, above.
 
Mike
 
12/28/2014 UPDATE:  
OPPO engineer's have successfully tested the current OPPO HA-2 prototype with the Sony NWZ-A17 and WMC-NWH10 cable. They are compatible!

 

[Noir7]

Can anyone who have the japanese version of this player confirm about language selector option?
I really like the blue color from A16 and maybe gonna buy it in near future if possible.

 

[TripBitShooter]

To be honest what attracts me to this device is;

66g
128gb card accepted (with no file limitation)
bluetooth apt-x support
battery life

If Cowon had made a real successor to the i9 (and not just 16gb more in the form of the i9+) then i'd be really happy.

How did the Cowon sound? I don't find many reviews and they are cheaper than the A15 in Singapore by quite a bit.

 

[qafro]

Does the Fiio L5 cable provide a line output that by-passes the A15 Amp and direct to the source?

 

[BruceBanner]

How did the Cowon sound? I don't find many reviews and they are cheaper than the A15 in Singapore by quite a bit.

Look... I'm a huge Cowon fan, this statement coming from someone who has been into portable audio rigs for years. I also like the Sansa Clip range and think overall they are probably the best budget DAP ever.
But from my experience on these forums, whether yer going to be happy with Cowon or not, is going to come down as to how you listen to your music.
It seems to me that you get 3 kind of listeners;
 
1) The guy that listens to DAPs with no DSPs (Digital Signal Processing ie sound enhancements + EQ)
2) The guy that enjoys a very subtle tinkering with the devices DSPs
3) The guy that likes to go to town and really mess around with a devices DSPs to see what kind of new sound signatures he can come up with.
 
If yer guy number 1. then the Cowon might not be yer best choice, in fact sufficiently good audio quality will be hard to distinguish between a Sansa Clip (costing $30), a Cowon (costing $150), a Sony (costing $250) and a flagship smartphone (costing $600+). I am pretty confident that if I volume matched a track, used the same headphones and blindfolded you, you wouldn't be able to tell which is which (when all the devices are set to Flat/Normal eq and no special sound enhancers applied.
 
If yer guy number 2 or 3 then a Cowon maybe attractive as I think it's arguable that Cowon has the widest array of DSPs on any DAP. The multitude of different sound signatures available on a COwon is huge.
There are a couple of other reasons I have continually gone back to Cowon which i explain in this video here.

But Cowon arn't perfect, they often have a tricky UI to learn and then a lot of the devices lack some features I would like such as no file limits and bluetooth etc.