[god-bluff]

Hi - I have pretty much decided on the a15. Does anyone know if in-line headphone controls work at all? I have headphones that have in-line controls that work with iOS and some other devices

No they don't work with this device.

 

[jaydenttr]

I should choose Sony A17 + amp or choose Fiio X5, anyone? Difficult to pick it.

 

[god-bluff]

A17 without amp (with efficient phones)

 

[spatzi]

I should choose Sony A17 + amp or choose Fiio X5, anyone? Difficult to pick it.

No contest. A 17. Better battery, better UI, infinitely more portable, more internal storage, plus clear bass, which is much better than any bass adjustment you will get out of the x5. running it with the $32 topping nx1 amp for larger headphones is a great combo. I also think it's no contest between A17 and Fiio x5, which I also briefly owned. The amount of hype it gets is completely without merit.

 

[Silverprout]

Hello,
I've bought the X3, X5 and DX50... and enjoy them all.
 
For me the overall NWZ-A15 prestation is vastly superior.

 

[Mmet]

Hello,
I've bought the X3, X5 and DX50... and enjoy them all.

For me the overall NWZ-A15 prestation is vastly superior.

You are talking about sound quality only ? Or the overall package?

 

[Silverprout]

You are talking about sound quality only ? Or the overall package?

Overall package.

 

[spatzi]

Does anyone know how to speed up library creation with the 64 gig card? It takes my a 17 six minutes to get this card ready. I have the same problem with my 128 SanDisk card.

 

[jamor]

A17 without amp (with efficient phones)

 
This.  A17 with an amp with efficient phones will sound identical with A17 without an amp with efficient phones.
 
Most consumer grade IEMs up to a certain price point will do fine.  Once you get really expensive they get a little bit more sensitive.

 

[ianeith]

I use a fiio x1 paired with a fiio e11k amp, and a sony nwz a15 paired with a topping nx1 amp. Both sound very good for the money. I am not looking for the slimmest dap available, i prefer to have the capacity for driving one of my more demanding phones at any given moment or location; hence the amp pairings.

The nx1 gives the a15 a nice sense of soundstage by separating the instruments and brightening up what i perceive to be a dap with a darker and more closed-in sound signature. The a15 and nx1 combo works incredibly with sony headphones e.g.: mdr 1a.

The fiio x1 looks good, feels good, sounds good and has more of a learning-frustration curve because of its ui. Sounds very good with various headphones, from cheaper beyer dtx 350p all the way to lcd 2. Gives a more neutral response, allowing the specific qualities inherent in each varying headphone to be exhibited best.

 

[TCD1975]

I've not heard the NWZ-A10 but I did consider getting one before I bought a Fiio X1.
 
I've had several Sony's in the past (NWZ-A729, NWZ-X1000 and NWZ-A846) and they've all been pretty good, but a bit overrated IMHO.
 
The Sony DAPs I've owned have all had noticeable background hiss when listening with sensitive IEMs. I've seen some comments in the NWZ-A15 thread about people hearing background hiss (though I'll admit most people say it doesn't bother them or they don't hear any) but background hiss on a DAP really annoys me. To my ears the Fiio X1 has a totally black background so, for that reason alone, I prefer it to any of the Sony DAP I've owned previously.
 
The EU volume limit on Sony DAPs I've owned has also been an issue in my opinion. I appreciate the reasons for a volume limit but I always felt the limit was set too low.
 
In terms of UI, the Fiio X1 is pretty basic but I've had no issues with it. You can update the firmware with your own custom theme (which I've done) so it looks okay, and I've found it perfectly usable. The build of the Fiio is solid and I actually think it's quite attractive (though I didn't think it was a great looker before I purchased it). Sony DAPs do have a more polished UI, but not to a degree that it would effect my decision, and the NWZ-A10 build looks a bit too slim and flimsy for my tastes. The last Sony DAP I owned (NWZ-A846) has a similar design and build to the NWZ-A10. I didn't like the ergonomics of it (too long and thin, with the control pad too close to the bottom edge) and I accidentally dropped and broke it within a fortnight of buying it.
 
The Fiio X1 battery life isn't an issue for me, as I never stray far from home, sit at a computer most of the day, and it's not a problem for me to plug it in and let it charge regularly while I work, but I can appreciate that the far better battery life of the Sony is preferable.
 
So far I've been thoroughly happy with the Fiio X1 and have no regrets about buying it rather than a Sony.
 
But I will admit to being curious about whether the NWZ-A10 has improved (or not) on the issues I've had with previous Sony DAPS and I would quite like to test it out just to see.

 

[gerelmx1986]

Does anyone know how to speed up library creation with the 64 gig card? It takes my a 17 six minutes to get this card ready. I have the same problem with my 128 SanDisk card.

fiio x3 takes 30 minutes

 

[Mmet]

Does anyone know how to speed up library creation with the 64 gig card? It takes my a 17 six minutes to get this card ready. I have the same problem with my 128 SanDisk card.

 
 

 
fiio x3 takes 30 minutes

 
i don't have it yet ... but my Fiio X3 took about 4 minutes for updating library with mostly full 64 gb sandisk card

 

[ianeith]

 
Sony NWZ A15 paired with Topping NX1 (Velcro-attached)

 

[castleofargh]

Does anyone know how to speed up library creation with the 64 gig card? It takes my a 17 six minutes to get this card ready. I have the same problem with my 128 SanDisk card.

depends on the card itself mostly. now if you don't feed the internal memory up to the last octet, that might also help for a few jobs.
and of course if you repeatedly change the card's content, it may become fragmented and slow down the reading a little, but with flash memory that shouldn't be the main reason.
also maybe try to load the card with media go just as a test, as it will not upload problematic files, so if the scan becomes clearly faster, you would know that you put something wrong on the card.
 

  I've not heard the NWZ-A10 but I did consider getting one before I bought a Fiio X1.
 
I've had several Sony's in the past (NWZ-A729, NWZ-X1000 and NWZ-A846) and they've all been pretty good, but a bit overrated IMHO.
 
The Sony DAPs I've owned have all had noticeable background hiss when listening with sensitive IEMs. I've seen some comments in the NWZ-A15 thread about people hearing background hiss (though I'll admit most people say it doesn't bother them or they don't hear any) but background hiss on a DAP really annoys me. To my ears the Fiio X1 has a totally black background so, for that reason alone, I prefer it to any of the Sony DAP I've owned previously.
 
The EU volume limit on Sony DAPs I've owned has also been an issue in my opinion. I appreciate the reasons for a volume limit but I always felt the limit was set too low.
 
In terms of UI, the Fiio X1 is pretty basic but I've had no issues with it. You can update the firmware with your own custom theme (which I've done) so it looks okay, and I've found it perfectly usable. The build of the Fiio is solid and I actually think it's quite attractive (though I didn't think it was a great looker before I purchased it). Sony DAPs do have a more polished UI, but not to a degree that it would effect my decision, and the NWZ-A10 build looks a bit too slim and flimsy for my tastes. The last Sony DAP I owned (NWZ-A846) has a similar design and build to the NWZ-A10. I didn't like the ergonomics of it (too long and thin, with the control pad too close to the bottom edge) and I accidentally dropped and broke it within a fortnight of buying it.
 
The Fiio X1 battery life isn't an issue for me, as I never stray far from home, sit at a computer most of the day, and it's not a problem for me to plug it in and let it charge regularly while I work, but I can appreciate that the far better battery life of the Sony is preferable.
 
So far I've been thoroughly happy with the Fiio X1 and have no regrets about buying it rather than a Sony.
 
But I will admit to being curious about whether the NWZ-A10 has improved (or not) on the issues I've had with previous Sony DAPS and I would quite like to test it out just to see.

overall what you say still stands for the A10 series. in fact it is even longer and slimmer, side buttons would have been a nice thing IMO.
now about upgrades, battery, flac, highres, µSD card, remembers the last track played even after more than 24hours idled(if on latest firmware), the karaoke stuff went down in the menu list, NFC, the shape of the buttons makes it just a little bit easier to find the right one compared to mickey's head UI, and lastly, the DSPs while keeping the same names are slightly improved each time(surround stuff are now more than ugly blur).
 
but the main problems did remain: high impedance, hiss, stupid line out cable, "sens me" scan takes many hours... on those points, the X1 is very clearly superior, and probably one of the best sound/$ gear on this forum. of course that makes it a great DAP if you get clever with the way to organize the folders as browsing sucks big time.
I have both, keep both, think the X1 sounds better(and it does, if only for the noise floor), it can also drive a wider range of headphones, but I use the sony 99% of the time, because its a great portable source that lasts forever, can deal with my audiobooks without making a mess when I shuffle all, and is light.
so I guess, best sound people will go for any fiio they can afford, and practical people will go for the sony because it's convenient. but it would be wrong to call one better as a whole, too many differences and too many fails on both sides.