So I have to ask would you say this player is worth the price tag, based on sound quality alone?
I'm no definitive authority seeing as I haven't gone through many players besides my previous Walkmans or smartphones/tablets, especially in this price range - the ZX1 is my first such "enthusiast level DAP", since I don't have the greens for getting too deep into this hobby.
But asking
me whether I would buy the ZX1 purely on sound quality; no. It's definitely
different from my two-years older F806, as I've outlined above, but whether that's
better is a matter of pure taste. While I was demo-ing it at the store it was hard to be certain which was which when I asked a salesperson to sort of help me blind test, especially since i don't have a proper switch and the salesperson while well-intentioned tended to mess with the volume or accidentally change tracks.
What I was initially thinking was "better sounding" was actually my F806, since like I've said it sounds more 'full'. After some more listening to the ZX1 however after buying ... while it's not way ahead in an appreciable way like it is versus a typical smartphone, my judgement is that its bass is less emphasized, but its treble extension and sparkle is greater and more effortless, with stronger mids and more forward vocals, resulting in a warmer, brighter signature, versus the F806's colder, darker signature.
tl;dr
Compared to a phone, yeah - it's way better. Definitely excellent, clear and three-dimensional. Compared to the older Walkman, not way better, but certainly different. Compared to a cheaper F886, I don't know - I haven't listened to those.
The ZX1 drives the MDR-1Rmk2 fairly effortlessly and does well for (low impedance, at least) IEMs (I can't detect any hissing on my XBA-3), but I recall it didn't deliver much on the max volume with, say, higher-end cans like the MDR-Z7 I tried at the hi-res audio launch event.
So based on SQ alone not properly justifiable for my money (but I'm still a pleb.). But it has 128GB, (claims to) supports Hi-Res and its got faster system chipsets than my older player, which together with the SQ made it seem like a fine choice to spend on.
Mind you; I got it at a discount by trading in an even older Walkman.
Remember; SQ is a matter of personal taste - some even like the sound of clipping distortion caused by "low quality players". I for example like analytical sound and my choice of earphones/headphones are described as "cold as ice".
Also, well, I have other hobbies that are just as expensive as hi-fi, so ... unfortunately I reserve smaller amounts of money for splashing on audio gear.
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