[Gals]

PHA-1 recommended for its price range? Would pair better with a Sony a15 than a non Sony AMP ?

 

[gerelmx1986]

Why not use the analog output of the device for car stereo? Doesn't using the L5 cable means that the signal will be processed on your car stereo? Isn't it better to let the Sony do the job?

I've just ordered the Fiio L16 cable for my car stereo....

well i tried the Headphones out and the sound didn't go so nice sounded dull and lifeless even if i had to rank volume to the max on the sony
 
so Better use the analogue Out via tle L5 and BYPASS A17 AMP SECTION and let the AUTOESTEREO DO THIS
 
Yes i also will buy the WMC-NH10 Wihich is digital Out and hthen buy the Oppo HA-2 portable amplifier when it comes out

 

[gerelmx1986]

the simple fact of upsampling doesn't create "fitting" signal in the frequencies that weren't there before. only a DSP can do that.
my little problem with dsee is that the marketing shows how some 128k mp3 doesn't have anything past ... what is it?16khz?. and tells us that dsee adds some noise thing to make a smooth transition with what the mp3 has below 16khz and goes up to 40khz!!!!  the thing is, the marketing on this DAP is full of crap.
here are but a few examples:
-pretend like they care for the ultimate sound with the lowest noise floor, so they went high res and use whatever chipset to show us the noise floor is lower. but they didn't do a thing for the amp section that was already the noisy part on old walkmans. the A10 has one of the highest noise floor on a sony.
-shows the step ladder graph BS to explain what high res brings in resolution, when nothing in a modern DAP resembles the step ladder graph stuff. it's the most used graph by people totally ignorant of how modern DACs work.
-dsee should bring the file closer to the original, but on some songs you can hear a clear difference ON and OFF. so why do I fail an abx between flac 24/96 and mp3@320 of the same song?
 
as I said I really love that DAP, but make yourself a favor and don't trust anything sony marketing is saying about that product. they obviously know even less than we do.
to me dsee is just another DSP that changes the sound, some will not notice, some will like it, some will not. but remember that it's eating 30 or 40% more battery and does not increase fidelity.

Totally agree with this if you are using high bitrates or already CD-QUality FLAC files or wav and whatever is just upscaling but you can't add the supposed BS od the "lost" 8-bits during CD-Master
 
I am just testing to see how this BS of DSEE HX affects battery and yes it eats it, sony has very nicer Bluff to say to make ignorara do O_o and buy thwir products, and yes Modern DACS don do stepladder BS (Sadly my dad still thinks of this and he argues with me too often) but i see as "Connect-the-dots" like of working on modern DACs.
 
with DSEE HX BS turned off music sounds equally as beautifuls as it is be it CD or hi-res (i have some hi-res vivaldi albums, Marin marais pieces du Violes) i don't downsample those because is not worth to fiddle with this if you don't know of audio engineering
 
Turning on the BS of the "MAGIC" of DSEE HX eats the battery, only lasted 26h 15 minutes, makes music sound weird at times and is no difference for me using FLAC

 

[goody]

Hi guys i have decided to sell my 32gb version going for the 64gb version japanese player check out my sales thread

 

[The Walrus]

  the choice to use the dac part inside the sony or on something else follows no universal rule of improvement. you just replace one DAC by another one, so just like for the amp section, the question is to decide which one is better?

 
I don't understand the logic in using a dac/amp instead of LOD-amp for a DAP. I mean, is there really that much of a difference between A17 and a $2000 DAP as far as their on board DAC is concerned? 

 

[zamuz]

  the clearbass is pretty much the same from those 2 models, and the magnitude was pretty similar too(almost 10db boost at max level). I use mostly hf5 and mc5 on this DAP and it becomes OKish with clearbass ^_^.
if you're not afraid of the larger shape of the dynamic driver etys, I advise you to try one of the cheapo ones they now have. they aren't as good as the hf5 dead flat in treble extention(and far from the er4), but they sound super duper clean and they respond much better to EQ than the ETYs with BA drivers. so you end up with better bass using clearbass IMO. also even my mc5 is a good deal less sensitive so you don't really notice the hiss that you can perceive if you pay attention with the hf5. and of course the impedance is dead flat so the 4ohm output is a non issue. (I suggest that because those IEMs are around 50$ for most of them, so it's not a huge leap of faith to take and they still have the massive isolation).

 
You were spot on. I bought the A17 last Friday and I'm very, very happy with it. Also, for some strange reason, buying the player here in Chile instead of abroad is actually cheaper for a change - about US$239 according to Google. I had a hard time deciding between the MC5 and the HF5, and I recall reading comments similar to yours regarding EQ response. I might take the plunge eventually, but for now I'm good. Thank you!

 

[gerelmx1986]

 
for some strange reason, buying the player here in Chile instead of abroad is actually cheaper for a change - about US$239

Here In mexico the A17 costed me more, $399 USD, but same as you i am so happy with it, sounds so awesome, a superb upgrade from the trstworthy fiio x3

 

[iDont]

Here In mexico the A17 costed me more, $399 USD, but same as you i am so happy with it, sounds so awesome, a superb upgrade from the trstworthy fiio x3

Here in Singapore the a17 cost only 280 xD

 

[gilver]

Here in Singapore the a17 cost only 280 xD

any links to it ? a15 is 299 and a17 is 399 from sony.sg website.

 

[lastethica]

Guys, will nzw a10 series able to drive Hd595 well? Beacause i use a note 3 and sound came out dull (not enough power).
and hows the sound compared to sony z3 (i heard this is the best sound in smartphone now).
and hows the sound compared to fiio e18?
Thank you.

 

[mace2]

Really enjoying my A17 with my Klipsch S4. I wonder though, would a better IEM make a big difference in sound quality? Not really interested in having a portable dac/amp, I like the simplicity of just dap + iems.

 

[castleofargh]

 

  the choice to use the dac part inside the sony or on something else follows no universal rule of improvement. you just replace one DAC by another one, so just like for the amp section, the question is to decide which one is better?

 
I don't understand the logic in using a dac/amp instead of LOD-amp for a DAP. I mean, is there really that much of a difference between A17 and a $2000 DAP as far as their on board DAC is concerned? 

the price is certainly a poor guide for those stuff. but there certainly exist better than the A17. of that I have little doubts. to me it's pointless because I find that most DACs are able to sound pretty much transparent nowadays and I'm using them on the move so ultimate quality isn't really my objective as far as portable goes. DACs are usually the best part of a sound system anyway, and many integrated DACs in DAC/amps are really nothing special. 
also using the DAC on my leckerton cuts the battery life in half so I would need to be real unhappy with the sony to use it. with my tablet on the other hand, the sound is utter crap if I don't use the digital out, so there is that.
but I can think of a few situations that will justify it still:
-sometimes the DAP may pick up magnetic or radio noises(or just the LOD cable) and the amp might be better shielded(for the sony it would most likely be the opposite).
-if the voltage is too low and you can't reach the gain you need for desired loudness on a low sensitivity headphone. or if the voltage is too high and clips the amp(happened with the X3 and some portable amps made for old ipods apparently).
-if you know for a fact that you have a superior DAC section inside the DAC/amp obviously it might be a reason.
-if you want to use some balanced system, usually the integrated DAC provides it.
-and then you have all those who just don't know. and those with strange ideas. each time I see somebody get a 1000$ DAP to use only its digital output, I often wonder and hope that the guy has a good reason outside of sound quality for his purchase. but then again, if you can afford something, why not get it? I just hope the guy will not it cup noodles for a month just for that, thinking it was needed for sound improvement.
 

 

  the clearbass is pretty much the same from those 2 models, and the magnitude was pretty similar too(almost 10db boost at max level). I use mostly hf5 and mc5 on this DAP and it becomes OKish with clearbass ^_^.
if you're not afraid of the larger shape of the dynamic driver etys, I advise you to try one of the cheapo ones they now have. they aren't as good as the hf5 dead flat in treble extention(and far from the er4), but they sound super duper clean and they respond much better to EQ than the ETYs with BA drivers. so you end up with better bass using clearbass IMO. also even my mc5 is a good deal less sensitive so you don't really notice the hiss that you can perceive if you pay attention with the hf5. and of course the impedance is dead flat so the 4ohm output is a non issue. (I suggest that because those IEMs are around 50$ for most of them, so it's not a huge leap of faith to take and they still have the massive isolation).

 
You were spot on. I bought the A17 last Friday and I'm very, very happy with it. Also, for some strange reason, buying the player here in Chile instead of abroad is actually cheaper for a change - about US$239 according to Google. I had a hard time deciding between the MC5 and the HF5, and I recall reading comments similar to yours regarding EQ response. I might take the plunge eventually, but for now I'm good. Thank you!

cool. I think it's a nice portable combo, relatively small, sound demands not to be a bass head but else it's pretty good, isolates like mad. for me it's a convenient multipurpose gear and I'm using it a lot. I cut a little bit of the silicon cable guide that gets out of the IEMs(about half of it or even a little less), that way the cable bends more and gets over the ear more naturally.
anyway all etymotics are great values( and low distortions), they're just for a special community that doesn't mind the lack of bass/bright signature, or deep ear probing ^_^.

 

[noobiee]

  any links to it ? a15 is 299 and a17 is 399 from sony.sg website.

 
yours is SGD while his quote is in USD....
 
this is an international forum afterall =/

 

[georgelai57]

Though Sony Singapore recently had a 20% sale

 

[gilver]

yeah, sorry about that, just realised it after clicking submit.
 
the 20% didnt apply for all of the products though.