[mrcheese321]

Awesome.

I just got mine delivered today. I'm waiting for it to charge. I will play with it tomorrow morning when I get up.

Now I'm just waiting for Shure to release the e4 so that I have matching phones.

Anyone have a good portable amp rec for this player or is it not necessary? I don't think I will be carrying around the dock for the line out, so something that amplifies from the headphone jack.

Thanks
c

 

[TenaciousO]

Any other new owners have anymore impressions of the Vaio Pocket?

 

[misterwight]

I've been playing with mine for about a week. Overall, I'm satisfied considering what I paid, but I'm not blown away.

Impressions:

The battery life seems to be more than adequate, and frees up a lot of concern over charging every day, etc.

The screen is beautiful, but less than useful for picture viewing. When cycling through larger pictures, there is a considerable (5+ seconds) delay when cycling. I also have not found a zoom or pan function, which is unfortunate.

The unit gets plenty loud enough for me, contrary to what some users have said. I use it mainly with my E3cs, and only need to set it at about 15% power to have it playing loudly. On the other hand, I have to set it to max volume or thereabouts to use it successfully with my car via an auxiliary input.

As for sound quality, I have no complaints...provided the files are good quality. I originally started ripping my CDs at 132kbps ATRAC, but upon playing them on the device, discovered that some songs sounded terrible. I have since switched to 256kbps, and they seem adequate.

The interface took some getting used to, and I still don't love it. Although it might eventually become natural to operate the device, I have to admit that the Ipod is much easier to master.

The build quality is flawless, so far as I'm concerned. I really couldn't imagine the construction being any better. No complaints at all.

Also, the photo-downloading function works for me, and I have a Fujifilm s602 . The transfering is a bit slow, but the fact that the function even exists is quite impressive.

Finally, the remote is a real downer. I've been trying to rely on it exclusively to operate the device while driving, and find it to be intolerably slow, and confusing. There simply aren't enough buttons to work every function without menu-diving, and the screen isn't large enough to boot.

Overall, though...at $240 the capacity, sound quality, build quality and interesting design make it more than worth it.

Feel free to shoot me more specific questions.

 

[TenaciousO]

How's the sound quality compared to other DAPs? I think the one big factor that is putting me off this player, besides SonicStage, is that most comments concerning the sound quality seem to suggest adequate or even good but not excellent. Have you had a chance to listen to any Creative players (which I think sound excellent)?

 

[misterwight]

I once owned a Nomad Jukebox 2, but sold it last year, and can't do a direct comparison for you. I will say however that I have no complaints about the sound from the unit. I actually just played one of my favorite songs on the thing to confirm this statement for myself, and I heard a little element that I'd never heard before.

Also, as an update - I managed to pull it off my desk, and it not only endured the three foot drop to the carpetted floor, but kept playing without so much as a skip or a click. This thing is about as solid as it gets.

Hope this helps.

 

[purk]

My Vaio Pocket arrived yesterday and here is my impression:

Built Quality:
Exceptional built quality. I can't complain on the aesthetic department beside the player being bigger than my iRiver IHP-120. The Sony feels more solid and has better built quality than my IHP-120, H-320, and iPod 20G 3G.

Operation:
Operation on this unit is not bad but take sometime and efforts to get right. The G-Pad is overly sensitive, so navigation has been slightly difficult for me. The menu is easy to understand, it only take me 10 mins to get comforatable with the player.

Software:
The OpenMG is not user friendly and upload MP3s to the Sony takes much longer than my iRiver H120. I highly suggest everyone to update the firmware, b/c the Sony will try to convert everything into ATRAC file. Coming from the H120, the OpenMG and the Vaio music transfer module is very disappointing.

Sound Quality:
I listen to the Sony unamped at work for many hours today via Shure E5c and I am very satisfied with it. I've yet to try other phones, but Sony and Shure E5C delivers fast and detailed sound. The bass is deep and clean with plenty of treble of extension. I prefer the sound of the Viao Pocket to my IHP-120. The presentation is more forward sounding to my IHP-120.

 

[FenderP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by purk Software: The OpenMG is not user friendly and upload MP3s to the Sony takes much longer than my iRiver H120. I highly suggest everyone to update the firmware, b/c the Sony will try to convert everything into ATRAC file. Coming from the H120, the OpenMG and the Vaio music transfer module is very disappointing.

Just change the setting in Sonic Stage once you update the firmware and Sonic Stage - by default it will try to transcode. Once you change it, you can transfer MP3s without worry.

 

[dames]

I got it Thursday and have had a few days to play with it. My impressions:

Size/weight: It's smaller than I thought it would be, but it's still fairly big for a modern DAP. If size is your primary concern, get something else instead. It's also heavier than I thought, but no biggie. The weight just makes it feel more solid.

Build quality: Excellent. I've only played around with an iPod mini for longer than a few minutes, and both feel pretty much perfect. The screen, by the way, is perfect too. No problems there.

Interface: I got used to it after a day, and it's not bad at all. The only gripe I have with it is that it feels kinda slow compared to the iPod; it's not always instantaneous. It doesn't make it much harder to use, but it takes away from the feeling of quality that the player and screen otherwise radiate. Although the G-Sense isn't that bad to use, I still prefer the iPod's wheel.

Sound quality: I'm not an audiophile, so I'm not really going to comment. There's no "wall of static", though, like some other Sony players apparently have. It's nice and clear and delivers copious bass to my KSC-75s, but that's all I'm going to say. Oh, almost forgot about the volume. Usually I run it at about halfway. It doesn't hurt my ears at full blast, but it's far too loud to listen comfortably, so there is some margin. I guess it depends on the headphones used, of course.

Photo: It feels more like a gimmick than anything else, although I guess for long trips it might be nice for something to load pictures to. I tried the photo loading picture both with my Coolpix 2500 and a generic CF reader, so it looks like USB Mass Storage is pretty well covered.

Remote: It's nowhere near the quality of the unit itself, but I guess that's necessary considering the price and weight. It's not too good for navigation (although it'll do in a pinch), but it's adequate for looking at the title and doing basic functions such as volume, play/stop, etc.

 

[Shurenuff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TenaciousO How's the sound quality compared to other DAPs? I think the one big factor that is putting me off this player, besides SonicStage, is that most comments concerning the sound quality seem to suggest adequate or even good but not excellent. Have you had a chance to listen to any Creative players (which I think sound excellent)?

I'll tell you what, there's little to no distortion with EQ when compared to my 3G ipod. It's also a more full, fun sound than with the ipod. However, I think there is a slight amount more hiss with my E5's (really sensitive phones) than my old ipod. I'm very happy with the SQ.

 

[vinageddon]

In the market for a mp3 player and this one interests me .But the first review here worries me. It says the devices software initializes to the first PC it's used with so that it can only be ever used in conjunction with that PC.

Is this true?
No one has mentioned it so I'm assuming it couldn't be true.

The other issue is : Do you have to use the dock to transfer files on to the device? I would consider this very bad as it would be annoying to carry round the dock.

thanks lads.


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...onics&n=507846

 

[SDLeMire]

Quote:

In the market for a mp3 player and this one interests me .But the first review here worries me. It says the devices software initializes to the first PC it's used with so that it can only be ever used in conjunction with that PC.

Yes but the device can be registered with other computers as well. I have used my Vaio pocket with 3 different computers over its life so far.


Quote:

The other issue is : Do you have to use the dock to transfer files on to the device? I would consider this very bad as it would be annoying to carry round the dock.

Yes you do. I don't really see a reason to carry around the dock myself as I don't use it as a mass storage device, just as a music player.

 

[O2K]

i was thinking of getting this, but my main concern is that if it has voice recording? That is something im looking for in a mp3 player for recording school lectures....

 

[sedminusn]

Has anyone found a carrying case that they like for this thing? The only one I could find was the Sony name brand and it is upwards of $50 shipped. That seems a little too pricey to me. Looking at a pic earlier in this thread (page 2), though, it looks like perhaps there are other third party options?

 

[FenderP]

Re: Case

See this thread:
http://www6.head-fi.org/forums/showt...io+pocket+case

 

[FenderP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by O2K i was thinking of getting this, but my main concern is that if it has voice recording? That is something im looking for in a mp3 player for recording school lectures....

No recording feature. It's just playback.