[LugBug1]

Correct me if I'm wrong.. but if the Sony dap has a digital amp and therefore keeps the signal digital... then you are not losing any information through the process of digital to analogue converstion?
 
help me so I can sleep tonight thanks.   

 

[ZARIM]

Maybe, it's highs are not very detailed as some other DAPs but mids, lows, soundstage, instrument separation, placements are good.

 

[estreeter]

Quote:

Correct me if I'm wrong.. but if the Sony dap has a digital amp and therefore keeps the signal digital... then you are not losing any information through the process of digital to analogue converstion?
 
help me so I can sleep tonight thanks.   

As I said in another thread, I dont care how they made the milkshake as long as it tastes good, and the X tastes better than any other DAP I have owned. I love the SQ of my 6G Nano - it has more clarity, better SnR and THD figures than the X, but nothing beats the amp in the X for its ability to drive headphones straight from the headphone out. Nothing.
 
I would spend less time lying awake at night and more time getting out and auditioning as many DAPs as you can. If that isnt viable, order the Clip+ and be happy.

 

[DjAmTraX]

I understand that it can output digital, unlike an iPod. Not sure about how and how good the headphone amp is.

 

[violinvirtuoso]

Quote:

I understand that it can output digital, unlike an iPod.

 
Really? How do you get a digital signal from a Sony X Player?

 

[estreeter]

With a pair of tweezers, two ferrets and a gas-axe.

 

[ProtegeManiac]

They only say "digital amp" because it's a fast-switching IC - in other words, a full-range Class D / Class T. Back when D's first came out they had a sharp roll off at about 250hz, so they were relegated mostly for subwoofers in HT and mono amps for cars; at that point some people started calling them "Digital." I'd have to make a guess that 3 out of 5 mag/online articles (not consumer feedback reviews) on the Sonic Impact T-Amp has, after teh intro, an explanation about calling it "digital" is wrong because it never has anything to do with a digital audio signal. Most portable players are Class B, save for the good ones that I think run in Class A/B. The tiny Cube/Hippo/NaNite are advertised as Class A but I suppose it's still A/B biased into A, given the battery size and batt life. A lot of Class A/B speaker amps can be biased to A, too, and some Marantz have an override so it doesn't switch over into Class B after 10:00 on the volume dial.

 

[LugBug1]

Quote:

They only say "digital amp" because it's a fast-switching IC - in other words, a full-range Class D / Class T. Back when D's first came out they had a sharp roll off at about 250hz, so they were relegated mostly for subwoofers in HT and mono amps for cars; at that point some people started calling them "Digital." I'd have to make a guess that 3 out of 5 mag/online articles (not consumer feedback reviews) on the Sonic Impact T-Amp has, after teh intro, an explanation about calling it "digital" is wrong because it never has anything to do with a digital audio signal. Most portable players are Class B, save for the good ones that I think run in Class A/B. The tiny Cube/Hippo/NaNite are advertised as Class A but I suppose it's still A/B biased into A, given the battery size and batt life. A lot of Class A/B speaker amps can be biased to A, too, and some Marantz have an override so it doesn't switch over into Class B after 10:00 on the volume dial.

Hi, thanks for that. Ive had the Sony x for a while now and it really does sound good for a dap, best ive heard. Compared to the older walkmans with probably a class B amps and normal dac the sound is what I would call more "digital" as opposed to analogue sounding. Now wether that is good or bad, it certainly works for clarity range and more detail but at the same time I thought it sounded a little hard to begin with. After I tried it with an amp the sound is very pleasing as all the detail is still there but the sound is a little warmer now. 
 
I wonder if we will see more daps using similar technology soon? I've read on the Sony website that they wanted to design an very big amp sound that would fit into a very small player and that is the S Master. But as you have pointed out, it is basically a modified Class D.   
 

 

[ProtegeManiac]

Actually I think a lot of integrated DAC+headphone drivers (digitally controlled output) have Class D topologies now, except of course there is such a thing as a bad full-range Class D just as there were full range Class A/B's. Least you'd hear are absolutely bad Class A's, but you're more likely to hear about one that has a heat problem or doesn't have enough power. It wasn't much of an option for battery audio though for obvious reasons.