[Wholelottalove]

I'm on the verge of buying one of these, but I don't which one I should get. I have read a lot about them, and this is my summary of it:

Sony Walkman F:

- Really portable
- More detailed sound
- Better batterylife
- The sound quality is a little better.
 
Sony Walkman Z:

- Better screen
- More fun sound, and with much more bass.
- It's really easy to hold when you watch videos.
- It's got a bigger screen.
 
Which one should I get? 

 

[Szadzik]

Do you want it for music or videos? Music - option 1. Video - option 2. You answered the questions yourself, you just need to decide what is more important to you. I would choose F for portability and SQ.ś

 

[Wholelottalove]

Music is the most important factor. I'm not going to watch movies, just use the internet and music. 

 

[trinilove]

agree..F for music.the clarity is just superb and very detailed..
 

 

[Wholelottalove]

But is it boring? I want something that I can listen to when I'm out, and something that I can actually enjoy. I like having the detailed sound, but I want it to be fun, and I plan to use it almost everyday. 

 

[trinilove]

well IMO it depends on which headphone/iem youre using..my walkman F and the MH1C are so much fun..they are perfectly matched..theyre so much fun that i usually do the air guitar everytimne i listen to some heavy stuff like slayer,metallica etc when im walking down the road...and people think that im crazy lol...

 

[Wholelottalove]

The F sounds really good.  I really don't like treble, is there a problem with that?

 

[Wholelottalove]

I'm really starting to go for the F-series, is Sony thinking about coming out with a new one?

 

[trinilove]

Quote:

The F sounds really good.  I really don't like treble, is there a problem with that?

i dont have problems with the F's treble..it just sounds right with the mh1c and my yuin pk2..as ive said earlier matching is the key here..i dont have much in my arsenal but im lovin the F so far comin from tthe sansa clip..its just im hearin more details on the F and soundstage is wider..btw im usin NEUTRON app which makes music listening more enjoyable..

 

[HONEYBOY]

Honestly, I don't rate the F, any higher than the Z in terms of SQ. It's not a given like someposts might   indicate. The sound signature differences should be noted though. The Z is darker with a more relaxed treble. Please don't equate dark with bad haha. The F has tighter bass, appears to be slightly clearer, and has better treble extension. It is more neutral than the Z. The Z to me presents just as much details, but they are more woven into the music so they don't stand out as much as on the F. I like to think of it as coherent. To me it also has a more dynamic range, with an overal richer/thicker sound. The F seems leaner , cleaner, and more controlled. Some might say the F is more analytical, and the Z is more fun.T here is some element of truth to that, but I still find those circumscribed descriptions still don't quite capture the difference. Both are quite decent,and in the same tier, IMO.

 

[Jamil]

Quote:

I'm really starting to go for the F-series, is Sony thinking about coming out with a new one?

 
From what I had read, Sony is discontinuing the Android Walkman.  The F Series will be the last one.  Also, I had read that Sony is switching to headphone based players.
 
Unless there is some drastic decision change, the Walkman will be discontinued.

 

[Wholelottalove]

That's a shame. What is "headphone based players"?

 

[Jamil]

Think DAPs that basically are headphones.  Like Sony's recent Walkman Sports MP3 Player designed for swimmers.
 
Sony is still losing money, so changes like this should not be surprising.

 

[BetaWolf]

They're not even keeping the E series?

 

[Jamil]

I do not know what Sony is planning, and it is very difficult to get answers from them.
 
Here is where I read that the Walkman is being discontinued.  This was from December of 2012:
 
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2012/12/20121218115851610878.html
 
[size=10pt]Quote:[/size]

[size=10pt][size=10pt]Sony's announcement this month that it is ending production of the Walkman, its iconic device first launched in 1979 and a testament to Japanese postwar ingenuity, symbolises[size=10pt] the passing of an earlier era.[/size][/size][/size]

 
[size=10pt]Now when I read this, I tried to get confirmation from Sony:[/size]
 
[size=10pt]http://community.sony.com/t5/Walkman-Players/The-End-of-Walkman/m-p/49595#U49595[/size]
 
[size=10pt]Now take a look at this post made on this same Sony forum:[/size]
 
[size=10pt]http://community.sony.com/t5/Walkman-Formats-Compatibility/New-D-Walkman/m-p/58211[/size]
 
This is lengthy, but here's the points of interest:
 
Quote:

So earlier today I hopped on the phone and spoke with someone at Sony. She would not give me a product specialist or manager or supervisor. But she said she talked to some big whig a number of times. Here is what she said, "Mr. Claessens, I am terribly sorry, but you were told false information. We have no D-series Walkman. We have discontinued any Walkman mp3 players with the Android based software. We are no longer making them. There has been no replacement for the Z series and there never will. We are going with the wireless headset style now. We are no longer going to make the traditional style mp3 walkman any more. We have a couple styles left, the E-series and the F-series. That is it. And they will be going away soon.