[warrior1975]

I know I read someone rooted this, has anyone installed Viper4Android on this yet? That would definitely make things more interesting.

 

[purk]

  My initial thoughts on the SQ... comparing to iMod>Arrow, which is a bit unfair but that's what I want to replace with it. The ZX1 has the BIG advantage of a slimmer, single-unit package, so only needs to go reasonably close.
 
So far it falls a well short of the iMod>Arrow (IA), both in terms of power and SQ. The ZX1 can only just drive the ER-4S, even with sound enhancements disabled. I need to use pre-amp to get up to a good volume. It's also nowehere near as refined or expansively detailed as the IA. The IA is also a bit smoother and warmer. Jury is still out as whether the ZX1 is close enough. It is pretty good, nice detail/separation/soundstage.

Well...the ER-4S is one of hardest to drive IEM available.  It was originally designed to be used with a dedicate amplification so I'm not at all surprised about the results.  How about trying ER-4P or easier to drive IEMs with the ZX1 and report back.  

 

[FortisFlyer75]

   
 
Well if you like the sound and output positives about this trick, from what I've seen so far it also seems to lengthen battery life! I've been keeping the ZX1 on sleep so that I don't have to go back and redo all the steps after a reset, and with over 24 hours' sleep I think it's only down about 10%! Another added perk of this trick.
 
Anyone else finding their battery life extended with this?

 
Well, went to bed and listened for a couple of hours last night and tried the JH16's as well.  Feels to me taking disabling this feature is like implementing high gain as i'm not to sure about this with my JH16's which only needs to be a set at 1/3 of the volume so firstly need to be careful the volume is not set up high if been listening to full size cans as this will definitely blow the drivers with what the ZX now has on tap with the Jh16's but also i'm not to sure on the sound with them.  I need to do more listening today but it feels like maybe with the sound enhancement enabled still suits the JH16's better.. but then with it disabled really suited my Sony MDR-7520's which have not sounded so good since I got them and is nice they can be driven properly now so could be a flip side here for me.
 
I am now also wandering with this feature disabled and more power what headphones this can drive as currently I only have all 24 ohm cans in my collection apart from one 600 ohm headphone but know that will be a recipe for disaster, even if it could drive those the battery will last as long as my goldfish memory.  
 
Can't remember what battery level was before last night and was sure I had 90% at least, after two hours last night with the Sony 24 ohm cans and 30 mins with the JH16's it is showing 58% this morning so need to do a test from a fresh charge and keep track.  

  My initial thoughts on the SQ... comparing to iMod>Arrow, which is a bit unfair but that's what I want to replace with it. The ZX1 has the BIG advantage of a slimmer, single-unit package, so only needs to go reasonably close.
 
So far it falls a well short of the iMod>Arrow (IA), both in terms of power and SQ. The ZX1 can only just drive the ER-4S, even with sound enhancements disabled. I need to use pre-amp to get up to a good volume. It's also nowehere near as refined or expansively detailed as the IA. The IA is also a bit smoother and warmer. Jury is still out as whether the ZX1 is close enough. It is pretty good, nice detail/separation/soundstage.

 
How many ohms are the ER-4S rated at then?   
 
Smooth and warm is one thing it is not with this feature disabled and has moved one more step away from recent previous models Sony have done but to me is a bit more balanced and real sounding as I know any concert I have been to never sounds warm and smooth which is how this why this ZX1 has weened me off my need for that signature I had with my TTVJ slim amp or my older X series Walkman as I feel even with it not quit so refined with the feature disabled it is dynamic open and balanced which feels more realistic.    I am having the opposite problem to a degree with my JH16's were it might not be such a good SQ suit for it as well as been dangerous in the health and safety department if I have volume  set wrong end when I plug them in one day without noticing! 
 
Imod Arrow must have bags of detail if you are saying it is not enough with the ZX which is no exactly hiding to many nuances in detail from what I hear with it.  
Take it the "mod" to the amp really makes all the difference with the amps potential?

 

[redrich2000]

  How many ohms are the ER-4S rated at then?   
 
Smooth and warm is one thing it is not with this feature disabled and has moved one more step away from recent previous models Sony have done but to me is a bit more balanced and real sounding as I know any concert I have been to never sounds warm and smooth which is how this why this ZX1 has weened me off my need for that signature I had with my TTVJ slim amp or my older X series Walkman as I feel even with it not quit so refined with the feature disabled it is dynamic open and balanced which feels more realistic.    I am having the opposite problem to a degree with my JH16's were it might not be such a good SQ suit for it as well as been dangerous in the health and safety department if I have volume  set wrong end when I plug them in one day without noticing! 
 
Imod Arrow must have bags of detail if you are saying it is not enough with the ZX which is no exactly hiding to many nuances in detail from what I hear with it.  
Take it the "mod" to the amp really makes all the difference with the amps potential?

 
The ER-4S is 75ohm I think. iMod>Arrow is a Red Wine Audio iMod, it's an ipod modified to maximise the old wolfson DACs they used to use. The Arrow is a Headstage Arrow. It obviously has far more power than the ZX1 amp stage, so gets every last bit of detail out the the etys.
 
On whether it's fair to try driving the 4s from the ZX1... if it can't do that then it's really just a DAC.

 

[T.R.A.N.C.E.]

   
The ER-4S is 75ohm I think. iMod>Arrow is a Red Wine Audio iMod, it's an ipod modified to maximise the old wolfson DACs they used to use. The Arrow is a Headstage Arrow. It obviously has far more power than the ZX1 amp stage, so gets every last bit of detail out the the etys.
 
On whether it's fair to try driving the 4s from the ZX1... if it can't do that then it's really just a DAC.

 
75 ohm might be to much for the ZX1, how much volume do you have to use? 90% of portable iems and earphones are 16 - 32 ohm which the ZX1 powers very well. So no the ZX1 isnt just a DAC. When the ZX1 is used with iems it can power well then it has a more airy sound stage and more live like sound than any dap currently around imo. I've found the ZX1 can handle iems 60 ohm or under very well, so that just about covers most  iems and portable headphones. I love the ZX1 with my 60 ohm koss portapros, and with the power output trick I don't need any more than 50% volume, which makes me think even the 75 ohm er4s should be fine :/ Also Its not at all fair to compare a Dap + Amp to just a Dap.

 

[OK-Guy]

   if it can't do that then it's really just a DAC.

 
I thought the ZX1 was a Walkman... how weird.

 

[y2jdmbfan]

Disregarding price for a minute, I found the AK240 to be a better pair with my Shure SE846 than the Sony NW-ZX1. There was just something missing on the high end, even with the white filters on the Shure SE846. It wasn't as open sounding, missing some clarity on the high end for me. Maybe something to do with the output impedance of the ZX1 is causing this, but not certain. The UI on the ZX1 is great, except for the occasional stuttering. I also compared to the Fiio X5 and AK120, for my sound preference with 846 with white filters it would be AK240, X5, ZX1 and AK120 in that order. This could all change if I opt for a pair of custom Roxanne's, but I wasn't blown away with the universals I tried at AXPONA.
 
Y2J

 

[joshuachew]

Just got the FiiO Sony Walkman Line out cable. Cable is from Oyaide. I must say, It sounds so much better then just doing a 3.5mm line out from the headphone jack and set at full volume. Guess its gonna be a long night.
 

 

[rawrster]

The ER-4S is 75ohm I think. iMod>Arrow is a Red Wine Audio iMod, it's an ipod modified to maximise the old wolfson DACs they used to use. The Arrow is a Headstage Arrow. It obviously has far more power than the ZX1 amp stage, so gets every last bit of detail out the the etys.

On whether it's fair to try driving the 4s from the ZX1... if it can't do that then it's really just a DAC.

Have you tried any other daps compared to your imod stack? It really would be hard to find a dap that beats a stack like that however I haven't tried the ak240.

Also have you tried the zx1 and the arrow compared to your imod stack? That would be interesting to see how it fares as a dac only if it can't drive your er4s as well

 

[fiddlesticks]

  Having a much better time with the ZX1 now. Battery issues seem solved by turning off wifi and disabling google +. It's DLing album artwork directly too which is nice.
 
A couple of questions:
1. Can you make the battery charge show as a % at the top?
2. Can you delete home screens so the home button goes directly to the apps screen?

1. Install Battery Notifier BT Free. (Or similar app)
2. Not as far as I know.

 

[FortisFlyer75]

   
The ER-4S is 75ohm I think. iMod>Arrow is a Red Wine Audio iMod, it's an ipod modified to maximise the old wolfson DACs they used to use. The Arrow is a Headstage Arrow. It obviously has far more power than the ZX1 amp stage, so gets every last bit of detail out the the etys.
 
On whether it's fair to try driving the 4s from the ZX1... if it can't do that then it's really just a DAC.

 
With out losing sight it's hard to forget the ZX1 is still at heart designed as a Walkman for use with iem's and I would of thought their own range of 24 ohm cans which was not the case until this sound enhancement disable trick.   Thats quite a heavy load for a pair of iems though.  If it was to be a heavy weight with higher ohm cans then this would be the size of those uglier Chinese bricks that are on offer so guess a line has to be drawn with it's size factor with it adhering to it's design ethos of still been a pocket friendly portable Walkman.  
 
Would be great though if Sony could fund in their budget a seperate all in one dap that had a heavy weight amp like the far eastern daps produce.  
Hence I guess this is why Sony also have the PHA2 also which is their answer for using bigger impedance headphones (or iems)
 
I'm finding with my 24 ohm Sony 7520's depending on the original source recording output I have this about half way or just under that by 3-4 clicks at loud volumes with the sound enhancement disabled. 
 

   
I thought the ZX1 was a Walkman... how weird.

Then again, you thought the Hammers could play football, so not so weird! 

 

 

[redrich2000]

For me, as head-fiers we are used to carrying a DAP and an amp. That's a pain obviously. The promise of this new generation of DAPs that include an amp stage has promised to allow us to carry one unit. But for that to be the case, the amp has got to be at least remotely capable and for me, if it can't drive something like the ER-4S then it's really going to struggle to replace our rigs. It's actually got less output power than my iPhone 5S. It is loud enough with the etys on most recordings, just a few it comes up short.
 
Having said all that, I've not given up on it. It does sound better than the iphone. The question that needs to be answered is whether the compromise in sound against the iMod>Arrow is justified by only needing to carry one device. The jury is still out on that one.
 
But, as an aside, the iMod has lost favour hear on head-fi, but this experience is reminding me how amazing it is. I have a 5.5g 30gb model with a 240gb SSD inside. With arrow stuck to it with blutack it's on 20mm thick and with a nice low profile LOD it is very slim. Not to mention that it's UI kills the ZX1. I reckon I just might end up keeping both rigs. I go through different phases on the balance between SQ and portability. I could keep the ZX1 and IM02/ER-4P for when I want less hassle and keep the iMod>Arrow>ER-4S for when I want better sound.

 

[cn11]

Just give the output power bump / sound enhancement disable trick a try. I'm sure you won't find it lacking for power then.

 

[bmichels]

Speaking of 2 pieces set-up, Has someone COMPARED ZX1-USB>HUGO against AK240-optical>HUGO. ?

Thanks

 

[misteralakista]

Has anyone else with a UK ZX1 tried PPCG's output power trick yet? Can't seem to get it working!! D: