Sony PCM M10 as portable player?

[zilch0md]

Quote:

 
Yup - traveling desktop dac / headphone amp, and yup, working 10+ hours a day, 6 or 7 days a week lately.  No wonder US productivity is up.  Those that still have jobs are working like dogs...

 
We're getting off-topic, but tell me about it!  I hear you loud and clear.  I averaged 12.5 hours/day across the past four weeks (weekdays only).  I'm salaried, but my hours are tracked against projects.  Where once there were nine of us, I'm now one of only five - and we're doing the work of 12, it seems.  I still manage to unwind with music when I get home, though.  
 

 
Mike

 

[headfirocks]

You guys are tireless, thank you for so much info.  My Sony PCM-M10 will be here this week and I can hardly wait.

 

[zilch0md]

Quote:

You guys are tireless, thank you for so much info.  My Sony PCM-M10 will be here this week and I can hardly wait.

 
YAY!!  
 
I'm really happy for you and for the Head-Fi community - we will have another voice in the wilderness - that this recorder makes a great DAP.
 
It's all in this thread, already, but let me warn you, getting used to the PCM-M10's interface is like growing a beard:  You don't want to make a decision whether or not to shave it off until you've allowed it to grow on you for about six weeks!
 
 

 
If you have any questions, post them here and I will answer them.
 
Mike

 

[aamefford]

Quote:

You guys are tireless, thank you for so much info.  My Sony PCM-M10 will be here this week and I can hardly wait.

 
It is a cool rig.  zich0md is a bigger fan of it as a stand alone music player than I am.  That said, I would probably offload my iPod Touch before I would offload the PCM-M10, because it is a completely fantastic handheld stereo digital recorder.  It has quite good onboard mics, and excellent mic preamps for external mics.  It also has an excellent line in for mic/preamp combos, and a nice line out to feed a headphone amp.  I use it with my Pico Slim when I use my 1964 Ears Quads, because I swear those hiss with everything else but idevices (that I have tried anyway, which isn't all that many).  With my Beyer DT1350's, I don't need the pico slim, no hiss, and good volume / sound quality.  The interface is a bit cumbersome.  Works fine, but takes a few button pushes to accomplish some things.  Not a deal killer at all - even for me, and I'm pretty much an Apple fanboy.  You should like it as a player, and if you record at all, you will love it.  40 hours on a pair of AA batteries!
 
Cheers!

 

[headfirocks]

Can I do a needledrop with it by connecting line-out on the turntable preamp to line-in on the Sony?

 

[zilch0md]

Quote:

Can I do a needledrop with it by connecting line-out on the turntable preamp to line-in on the Sony?

 
Your first question and I'm stumped!  I just don't know.  I suspect you'll need an attenuating patch cord (not exactly high-fidelity), but I'm only guessing.  
 
You could try using manual level control, with it set to 0 to begin with, and see what kind of levels show up on the VU meter as you slowly dial in more gain.  Proceed at your own risk or ask the folks at www.taperssection.com, first.
 

 
Mike 

 

[headfirocks]

I'm LOVING the sound of this Sony and the vinyl recording works perfectly.  More info to come....

 

[zilch0md]

Quote:

I'm LOVING the sound of this Sony and the vinyl recording works perfectly.  More info to come....

 
Yay!  
 
Did you use an attenuating patch cord, or did you just use a low manual gain setting?
 
Mike

 

[headfirocks]

I set the dial to zero and everything just worked.

 

[zilch0md]

Way cool!  You've got me wanting to try that!
 
I'd like to suggest you open a few of your vinyl-to-WAV recordings in Audacity (free software) to examine the levels that you are actually getting - especially to make sure that there's no clipping, but also to make sure the levels aren't too low.  It could be that you should be setting the level control at 1 or 2, for example, instead of at 0.
 
Again, way cool!  I'm going to have try this myself, as I've got a lot of music on vinyl for which I've never purchased CDs.  (The real issue is the time and diligence required to do the job well - I'm not sure I'm up for it.)
 
Thanks,
 
Mike

 

[headfirocks]

Thanks Mike, I do need to do that with Audacity.
 
I listened to the headphone-out (as opposed to the line-out) for the first time today on my HiFiMan RE272 IEM's and I was really underwhelmed compared to the line-out into my FOXL portable speaker through a Nordost iKable.  That line-out is something special.

 

[zilch0md]

Yes indeed!  The Sony PCM-M10 Line Out has to be one of the most unheralded (or simply unknown) 96/24 WAV transport + DAC solutions in the whole of Head-Fi.  I'm really pleased that you like the way it sounds.  
 
Using the PCM-M10 Line Out with an external headphone amp or desktop system is practically a secret.  The handful of people who have tried it are usually turned off by the user interface not offering all the features they get with an iPod or a Sansa Clip. I say, "Go for sound quality, instead of convenience."
 
When you consider that Sony could easily be selling 100 times as many PCM-M10s as HiFiMan sells one of their all-in-one DAPs (HM-602 or HM-801), it makes sense that the PCM-M10 is priced as low as it is - it's a mass-produced item, with a quality and performance that far exceeds what the price alone would indicate it's worth.
 
 

 
 

 
 
Thanks,
 
Mike

 

[headfirocks]

I forgot to mention, I'm using Eneloop XX 2400mAh batteries in the Sony.  I didn't use the standard batteries much but I think there was a marked improvement.  I should go back and compare again.

 

[zilch0md]

I use the exact same batteries!  They're great!
 
Mike

 

[headfirocks]

Do you know if the M10 can handle any filesystem other than FAT32?