[sinizstar]

i was planning to buy the sony x1060 but now i see the sony a846
is coming to europe in february since the sq is almost identical, i guess that would be a better buy ? since its also even more portable.
how about the build quality though?

 

[Cosmic Fool]

I haven't seen a A846 in real life but to me it does seem to be more plasticky than the incredible sturdy X. The touch controls of the X are very fast and accurate too. The screen of the X is a little bit bigger too (3" vs 2,8"). Unless the price of the A846 would be substantially lower I would personally still go for the X. If you don't care for touch screens and don't mind the more plasticky feel than go for the A846.

 

[sinizstar]

thanks for your reply,

Well the 16gb will sell for 220 euros, so i guess the 32 will be around 280? 270 maybe .

i always thought touchscreens would be much more fragile, atleast thats the feeling i had with them, wether it's true or not idk
i dont mind the plastic feel aslong aslong as it dont break so easy

 

[ShootingStars]

The X has superior build quality, not sure about the new 840s. Plus I like bit of weight feeling it gives off... if its too light I might lose it without noticing!

 

[emsijs]

Sony Insider wrote - "Unfortunately, it seems that Sony Europe is going to offer only the 16GB model in black" and not the 32gb version.
anyone can compare the SQ of the new A series to X? I personally doubt that X is worth it's price for me, because I don't need any WiFis and touchscreen craps. The only thing I matter is the SQ, so I wonder if it's poosible to enjoy the X series quality with more realistic price tag..

 

[TCD1975]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sinizstar /img/forum/go_quote.gif i see the sony a846 is coming to europe in february

Where did you hear that the 32Gb A846 was coming to Europe in February?

Quote:

Originally Posted by sinizstar /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well the 16gb will sell for 220 euros

And where did you get that price from?

Every report I've seen says that Sony only plan to release the 16Gb A845 this spring and no pricing details have been announced so far.

I would imagine that the build quality of the new A sereies will be just as good as the X series ... just different. I'm personally waiting for the S sereies as I want the larger capacity but don't want to pay extra for all the other gubbins on the X series which I wouldn't use.

 

[sinizstar]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TCD1975 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Where did you hear that the 32Gb A846 was coming to Europe in February? And where did you get that price from? Every report I've seen says that Sony only plan to release the 16Gb A845 this spring and no pricing details have been announced so far. I would imagine that the build quality of the new A sereies will be just as good as the X series ... just different. I'm personally waiting for the S sereies as I want the larger capacity but don't want to pay extra for all the other gubbins on the X series which I wouldn't use.

Sony Walkman A845 is 7,2 mm dun | PortableGear.nl

read at the bottom of the page. and thats not the only source i got that price from. 220 euros.

 

[TCD1975]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sinizstar /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sony Walkman A845 is 7,2 mm dun | PortableGear.nl read at the bottom of the page. and thats not the only source i got that price from. 220 euros.

That page doesn't mention anything about the A846 (32Gb) being released in Europe.

I'm not sure where the Dutch site got it's pricing info from, and whether I particuarly trust it's source. Sony Insider seems to me to be the most trustworthy source for Sony news, and I'm fairly certain that's where the news first broke.

€220 (£195) for a 16Gb player sounds way too pricey for me. I was hoping that when the 64Gb player finally emerges in Europe it wouldn't cost a great deal more than £200.

 

[Cosmic Fool]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TCD1975 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I was hoping that when the 64Gb player finally emerges in Europe it wouldn't cost a great deal more than £200.

A 64GB Sony DAP for £200? That sounds very naive to me. Considering the 32GB X price you should count on a similar price for a 64GB. Less functionality, inferior build quality but twice as much storage for the price of an X. I don't see Sony go lower than that when releasing the product. At Christmas you'll probably find better deals - as I did with the X.

 

[TCD1975]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cosmic Fool /img/forum/go_quote.gif A 64GB Sony DAP for £200? That sounds very naive to me. Considering the 32GB X price you should count on a similar price for a 64GB. Less functionality, inferior build quality but twice as much storage for the price of an X. I don't see Sony go lower than that when releasing the product. At Christmas you'll probably find better deals - as I did with the X.

Yeah, you're probably right but I'd still personally consider anything above £200 for 64Gb a bit overpriced and £195 for just 16Gb is just ridiculous in my opinion. Yes, Sony hagve a reputation for great sound quality but just how many other decent 16Gb players are availabel for a fraction of the price.

When all is said and done, there's not a great deal of difference between the A845 and the older A729. I got hold of the A729 for just £70 so there's no way I could justify paying £195 for pretty much the same thing.

IMHO I'd say the following were reasonable launch prices:

A845 ... £150
A846 ... £200
A847 ... £260

 

[Cosmic Fool]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TCD1975 /img/forum/go_quote.gif IMHO I'd say the following were reasonable launch prices: A845 ... £150 A846 ... £200 A847 ... £260

I agree with you on that one. Sony may ask a bit more for their premium product DAP's but they not as much as they did with the X. As mentioned I got lucky to be able to buy an X from the UK at a bargain price, because where I live they charge 379 euro (£335!) for the X1060. Even I was not so crazy to buy it at that price. So I do understand where you are coming from. It was just the fact that you wanted a 64GB Sony for £200 that sounded very optimistic to me.

Congrats with your A729! That sure was a serious bargain for such a great DAP.

 

[a_recording]

I'm wondering, why is everyone suggesting that the new A series compared to the X series will have inferior build quality? Generally I've found build quality on the A series to have top notch build quality - I had an old A806, and I've played with a friend's A82x, and they were both built like a tank - weighty, metal, oozing quality. The X was nice in the hand, but I wouldn't say it had *better* build quality, just similar levels and less buttons...

 

[emsijs]

Dunno nothing about X durability but I totally agree with a_recording! My a818 has suffered so many heavy nights.. but the only thing which is damaged is the metallic silver line that has some broken corners..

 

[TCD1975]

Yep, agreed ... I'm sure the A840 series will have excellent build quality. Just as good as the X series, but different.

 

[Cosmic Fool]

I haven't felt a Sony DAP that had bad build quality. Yet it seems very clear that the A doesn't have the incredible sturdy build quality of the X. Compared to iPods the A will have exemplary build quality of course.