Sony Walkman NWZ-A17

[RockStar2005]

Vish, 
 
Yeah. It wasn't that obvious though. It wasn't until I listened to a particular Led Zeppelin song that I heard the difference. Even when comparing to Wi-Fi not Bluetooth, the intro of that Zep song had a particular bass drum part that kept ending with kind of an earth-shattering rumble in the wired setup, but in Wi-Fi I could NOT hear that same amazing rumble. That's when I knew wireless wasn't quite where wired is (yet). 
 
If it's just casual listening, then I mean, Bluetooth is fine I guess. But like on headphones, forget it. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. 
 
Well you can always switch to Android then. lol NFC appears to be available on the iPhone, but only for Apple Pay and nothing else as far as I know. I have the Sony Xperia Z3 phone, which I love to death (even though I initially had issues with it, but they seem to be fixed now). I use it as my new source (I no longer have the A17......... decided I wanted my phone to be the source). So my current method of playing music involves my Z3 using the Poweramp app (best music app EVER!) with the EQ off, the Oppo HA-2 high quality premium amp/DAC, to do what the A17 would do (take over sound processing duties) by superseding/replacing the phone's audio components, and then all that goes to my AKG K553 Pro headphones, which are incredible, and even beat out the very highly-rated and much pricier Oppo PM-3 headphones I previously had (and have since been sold off). 

 

[kelchm]

MTP is a protocol for transferring files via USB.

A10 series does not use MTP, but uses UMS (USB Mass Storage) instead (it appears as a thumb drive, in Windows it gets a drive letter assigned).

All media managers shuold support it without problems.

Ah, that's what I was afraid of. With playsforsure no longer being a 'thing' there really isn't much reason for DAPs to continue supporting MTP mode.

The problem is that I'm looking to be able to scrobble plays, which would require something that supported MTP.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

 

[EagleWings]

  Vish, 
 
Yeah. It wasn't that obvious though. It wasn't until I listened to a particular Led Zeppelin song that I heard the difference. Even when comparing to Wi-Fi not Bluetooth, the intro of that Zep song had a particular bass drum part that kept ending with kind of an earth-shattering rumble in the wired setup, but in Wi-Fi I could NOT hear that same amazing rumble. That's when I knew wireless wasn't quite where wired is (yet). 
 
If it's just casual listening, then I mean, Bluetooth is fine I guess. But like on headphones, forget it. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. 
 
Well you can always switch to Android then. lol NFC appears to be available on the iPhone, but only for Apple Pay and nothing else as far as I know. I have the Sony Xperia Z3 phone, which I love to death (even though I initially had issues with it, but they seem to be fixed now). I use it as my new source (I no longer have the A17......... decided I wanted my phone to be the source). So my current method of playing music involves my Z3 using the Poweramp app (best music app EVER!) with the EQ off, the Oppo HA-2 high quality premium amp/DAC, to do what the A17 would do (take over sound processing duties) by superseding/replacing the phone's audio components, and then all that goes to my AKG K553 Pro headphones, which are incredible, and even beat out the very highly-rated and much pricier Oppo PM-3 headphones I previously had (and have since been sold off). 

 
I am sure someday I might get bored of the iphone and end up buying an adroid device. May be a Sony made Android. I love products from Sony generally. I owned a Sony Ericsson W800 and a W880 many years back. Both were walkman series phones and really loved those. The A15 reminded me of those phones in many ways. 
 
Yes, I stumbled upon your impressions on the K553, when I was skimming through your posts to read your impressions on PM-3. I am an IEM person and a full sized headphone wouldn't get enough use even if I got one. Every now and then I try to make my mind up to get myself a full size HP (and it was one of those times I came to this thread and read your impression on K553). But I haven't been successful so far. May be sometime in the future.
 
I know a few people who moved from a DAP to a portable DAC/Amp and are very happy with it. I never considered a DAC/Amp as I hate to use my iphone for music and also I prefer my music device to be just one device that could easily placed and removed from my pockets without any external cables. (Not that my iphone sounds bad. It's just that I prefer a device with minimal UI and physical buttons for music)
 
But recently I have been reading too many good things about Chord Mojo. May be it is all mere hype. But I am just getting too curious day by day. I replaced my A15 with a X3ii because, to my ears Fiio X3ii sounded better. But if I get a mojo, I think I would sell my X3 and get the Sony A series to be the front end.
 
Another DAC/Amp that has caught my attention is the iDSD Micro.   
 
BTW, It's not easy to keep a thread active and engaging. It takes effort and time. You are doing a great job!

 

[RockStar2005]

Yeah a Sony device would be cool to have. It's been said by reviewers and users alike that Sony's Xperia Android phones are probably the closest experience-wise to the iPhone, so the transition may be more seamless than you think. This is because Sony's version of Android is considered very close to Stock/Pure Android (found ONLY on Nexus phones). HTC's phones is also close to Stock/Pure Android as well. 
 
I see. Well IEMs do vary in quality. I don't think or know that one could get the same kind of big soundstage from an IEM that they could from a full-size. But ya, know I've never tried on a pair of IEMs that were over $30. I used to use my old V-Moda IEMs which I thought sounded much better than a pair worth $30, but looking back, they don't even come close to what I have now. Still, I sometimes wonder how like a $200 or $800 pair of IEMs would sound? 
 
Yeah for a while I liked to have 1 device just for music. For years I did it that way. Had a phone and an old Samsung Galaxy mp3 player. Went to just phone for a while then got the Walkman and tried that out. But after some months I decided I simply liked having 1 device for everything, so that's why I sold off my A17 and just use my phone now. Poweramp is very easy to use and sounds the best (I've compared it to like a dozen other apps, even the Sony Walkman/Music app, and it ALWAYS came out on top, though Walkman/Music is DAMN close!). Yeah if you're gonna go full size,  then the K553 is a fantastic option! The soundstage alone is worth its weight in gold! These headphones by Beyerdynamic ($283 on Amazon) have caught my eye recently, and I MAY (or may not) be checking them out sometime soon. Its speaker drivers are only 45mm (K553's is 50mm), which means it won't have QUITE the same soundstage as the K553, but it has Tesla Technology, so one person told me that MAY outdo the K553 in terms of overall sound quality. So we'll see. (It SOUNDS kinda similar to how the planar magnetic speaker drivers of the PM-3 work, so I'm not sure if I'll really be impressed or not.) I'll NEVER go back to a 40mm pair of headphones (i.e. PM-3, 1A, etc) again though. Just doesn't have the soundstage to cut it for me now. It's nice when you learn about what you really like and what you don't. I also have come to realize how much I prefer a neutral sound signature over an "enhanced bassy" one too. I see now that there's a very fine line b/t enough bass and too much bass. Even a little added bass can hide details such as acoustic guitar sounds, background echos and harmonies, etc. I simply won't have it anymore. The extra bass just isn't worth it. Especially now that I'm consistently buying albums/tracks in Hi-Res, I refuse to lose any detail that's there in the mix. 
 
Everyone has their preferences, and it's good that you've become familiar with yours. You could always change your mind down the line as I did, but in the end, you can only do what makes you happy. 
 
You could do that, but I still to this day don't understand people who get a premium DAP like the A17 and then get a premium amp/DAC with it as well. It just seems like overkill to me. 2 amps is one thing......maybe the DAP a person has doesn't get loud enough, so they get at least a portable amp like the FiiO E11K/A3 (same model, they just changed name to A3), which I used to own, but 2 DACs? Maybe since you really prefer the simpler UI I could understand, and maybe since the Mojo is like double in price to the A17 it might bring improvement? But to me, I'd rather just save my money and use my phone which I ALREADY bought and own and then get something like the Mojo to enhance things. And actually, if you're using the Mojo or any amp/DAC, to my knowledge (and this applies to me using my Z3 phone and Oppo HA-2 too), the amp/DAC will disable your source player's (for you, the A17, for me, my phone) audio components and take their place. So basically you're A17 would contribute nothing except giving you the ability to change songs. I dunno. lol That's what I've read amp/DACs do, so it doesn't make sense to have the source be a premium DAP or amp/DAC. 
 
I have heard very good things about the Mojo. I had a $600 amp/DAC called the Celsus Sound Companion One (CO) some months ago. Looked like a fat iPhone. lol It was the first of its kind (portable amp/DAC) that gave you the option to stream using Wi-Fi over the lesser quality Bluetooth. But it was kinda bulky, and when I realized that even the mighty Wi-Fi couldn't hold up to a wired setup sound, I decided to give the HA-2 a try, and I couldn't notice a difference! I know many do from reviews I'd read, but what mattered to me in the end was what I HEARD, not them. And the HA-2 is half the price, and sleeker & easier to hold (and cooler looking), so I returned the CO and haven't looked back since. So I'm a little hesitant to believe that the Mojo would outdo the HA-2 to MY ears. But that's just my perspective. 
 
I've heard about the iDSD Micro too. Seems like a cool amp/DAC. My advice to you and anyone looking at amp/DACs or even DAPs is to do your research, but understand that nothing beats trying it out for yourself. I advise ppl to buy 2-3 headphones or amp/DAC or DAPs and check them all out, then return the one(s) that don't measure up. You may hear a difference b/t the $600 Mojo or iDSD Micro and the HA-2, but you may not. The HA-2 also has features like rapid charging and a phone bank option you can use to charge your phone. And looks amazing with its cool "Astell & Kern" look (i.e. the volume knob) and genuine stitched leather casing. I hope to keep it for a very very long time. 
 
Thanks Vish, that's very much appreciated!! Even though I don't own the A17 anymore, I still enjoy talking to people about it and of course other audio-related topics outside of this thread as well. 

 

[EagleWings]

  Yeah a Sony device would be cool to have. It's been said by reviewers and users alike that Sony's Xperia Android phones are probably the closest experience-wise to the iPhone, so the transition may be more seamless than you think. This is because Sony's version of Android is considered very close to Stock/Pure Android (found ONLY on Nexus phones). HTC's phones is also close to Stock/Pure Android as well. 

 
The build quality of the Sony Ericsson phones after the W880 started heading south which is why I moved to a Nokia E71 after the W880 broke. But I was glad when I learnt that Sony completely acquired Sony Ericsson and started rebranding its phones to SONY. I knew there were going to be changes made to the phone line. But right about that time I was using a Blackberry and wanted a touch screen device so I bought the 1^st Gen Nexus 7 tablet. It was good to a certain extent but it would often hang on me or would crash. It really wasn’t much of a pleasant experience. So I did not have good start with the android. One of the reasons why I moved to an iPhone. Also when I was at the At&t store when I was buying that iphone, I did try the Sony smartphone at that time (can’t remember what model though) that was running android. That version of android + Sony’s skin did not appeal to me. But good to know that the current android on Sony is close to stock android. Will definitely look into it the next time I am shopping for a smartphone.
 

  I see. Well IEMs do vary in quality. I don't think or know that one could get the same kind of big soundstage from an IEM that they could from a full-size. But ya, know I've never tried on a pair of IEMs that were over $30. I used to use my old V-Moda IEMs which I thought sounded much better than a pair worth $30, but looking back, they don't even come close to what I have now. Still, I sometimes wonder how like a $200 or $800 pair of IEMs would sound? 
 

 
I kind of understand what you say about the IEMs. The only 2 over-ear headphones I have tried are Sennheiser Momentum and V-Moda M100. Although I would consider the sound quality of my Sennheiser IE80 to be on par with the Momentum, it just doesn’t offer quite the immersive experience that the momentum offered. Too bad the momentum did not work out for me because it had small ear cups. If momentum was so good, I can only imagine what these other headphones with better fidelity and capability have to offer. Lucky for me, there is a Head-Fi meet happening in 3 weeks in Austin and I would get to try some headphones there. May be trying out the headphones in the meet would convince me to get an over-ear HP.
 

  It's nice when you learn about what you really like and what you don't. I also have come to realize how much I prefer a neutral sound signature over an "enhanced bassy" one too. I see now that there's a very fine line b/t enough bass and too much bass. Even a little added bass can hide details such as acoustic guitar sounds, background echos and harmonies, etc. I simply won't have it anymore. The extra bass just isn't worth it. Especially now that I'm consistently buying albums/tracks in Hi-Res, I refuse to lose any detail that's there in the mix. 

 
I do see people who start moving towards the neutral sound signature when they get to listen to some good headphones. As you can see I have never tried a neutral headphone in the past and as of right now I am still a lover of warm sound with a bit of enhanced bass. I am eager to find out what my true sound preferences once I get to listen to these hi-fi headphones in the meet.
 

  the amp/DAC will disable your source player's (for you, the A17, for me, my phone) audio components and take their place. So basically you're A17 would contribute nothing except giving you the ability to change songs. I dunno. lol That's what I've read amp/DACs do, so it doesn't make sense to have the source be a premium DAP or amp/DAC. 

 
 ^^  This is the very reason why I want to pair the A15 with a Mojo. The sound quality of the A15 just quite didn’t do it for me. So I do want to by-pass A-15's audio circuit. (You can read my comparison of A15 and X3ii here: http://www.head-fi.org/t/784278/fiio-x3ii-vs-sony-nwz-a15-a17-a-comparison ) But I do love A15's UI, UX and all the extra features it packs. So pairing that with the mojo (that has better music fidelity) will be having the best of both worlds. Great UI with great sound. Besides Mojo is not 100% EMI shielded. I read somehwere that it picks up radio interference when stacked with smartphones. With the A15 I wouldn't have this issue. But when I think this entire setup would cost me a total of $900, I am not sure if it will be worth it. 
 

 
I have heard very good things about the Mojo. I had a $600 amp/DAC called the Celsus Sound Companion One (CO) some months ago. Looked like a fat iPhone. lol It was the first of its kind (portable amp/DAC) that gave you the option to stream using Wi-Fi over the lesser quality Bluetooth. But it was kinda bulky, and when I realized that even the mighty Wi-Fi couldn't hold up to a wired setup sound, I decided to give the HA-2 a try, and I couldn't notice a difference! I know many do from reviews I'd read, but what mattered to me in the end was what I HEARD, not them. And the HA-2 is half the price, and sleeker & easier to hold (and cooler looking), so I returned the CO and haven't looked back since. So I'm a little hesitant to believe that the Mojo would outdo the HA-2 to MY ears. But that's just my perspective. 
 
I've heard about the iDSD Micro too. Seems like a cool amp/DAC. My advice to you and anyone looking at amp/DACs or even DAPs is to do your research, but understand that nothing beats trying it out for yourself. I advise ppl to buy 2-3 headphones or amp/DAC or DAPs and check them all out, then return the one(s) that don't measure up. You may hear a difference b/t the $600 Mojo or iDSD Micro and the HA-2, but you may not. The HA-2 also has features like rapid charging and a phone bank option you can use to charge your phone. And looks amazing with its cool "Astell & Kern" look (i.e. the volume knob) and genuine stitched leather casing. I hope to keep it for a very very long time. 

 
Yes, I have heard nothing but good things about HA-2's performance. The aluminum casing with the leather overlay looks so nice and not to mention the sleek design. And yes the volume knob too. Just screams quality.I wish I could try the device.
 
The iDSD Micro really interests me because, apart from having a good DAC section, it seems to have a monstrous amp section (given its small size). Based on what I read, it has enough power to drive most of the demanding headphones really well. So if I end up buying a full-size HP, iDSD micro would be a good bet as I probably won't be using by full-size headphones on the move. 
 
I agree that no amount of reading equates to actually trying the device. Especially when it comes to audio gear. Are there audiophile stores in Chicago that have headphones and other gear for demo?
 

  Thanks Vish, that's very much appreciated!! Even though I don't own the A17 anymore, I still enjoy talking to people about it and of course other audio-related topics outside of this thread as well. 

 

 
*Sorry for the long post though..

 

[RockStar2005]

Vish,
 
Head-Fi meet eh? Sounds cool. Ask them about the AKG K553 Pro. See what they say. lol 

 
Yes hopefully at the meet you can find yourself closer to what you want. I mean, just because a pair of headphones don't have enhanced bass doesn't mean the bass on them is weak by any means. My K553s for example are never shy on bass when it comes up in a song. The bass sounds full and clean (not muddy) and I don't feel that anything is lacking by any means. And they're considered very neutral according to people on here that's I've talked to (aside from my own ascertainment). 
 
Interesting comparison. I liked my FiiO E6 and E11k (now A3) amps when I bought them, but now an amp is simply not enough for me, I MUST have a DAC too. Yeah that's the thing, the phone would give off radio waves, but you already bought your phone. lol With the A15 you'd have to buy that plus the Mojo. I'm not sure if my Oppo HA-2 is EMI-shielded or not, but I don't think I detect any issues with the sound; and I keep the HA-2 to my side when I sit so it's never closer than a few feet from my phone for 99.9% of the time. 
 
Yeah it's great. Well why can't you try the HA-2? Just buy it and if you don't want it, return it! (I do it all the time on Amazon lol). You can buy it directly from Oppo or else on Amazon, or even eBay too. 
 
Yeah in Chicago there are. I've only been to a couple of them, aside from Best Buy. One store which is like Best Buy but much better/nicer and offers a lot more variety for audiophiles is Abt, in Glenview. If you ever are in the Chicago area, I highly recommend checking it out. They have several audiophile listening rooms too, and a mini-mall in the back of the store too. But so far I've been buying everything from Amazon, especially since getting the Amazon Prime Store Card, which gives me interest-free financing on various purchases. 
 
No problem!!

 

[dsouza]

  elektron, 
 
Well yeah, with my phone I can do all that, and have in the past.. But here I was focusing on the A17, which can transfer files via NFC, but not via Bluetooth unfortunately. But yeah, it's nice that the A17 even HAS Bluetooth to begin with!
 

 
I believe this is not correct.
 
I own an A15 and I am able to transfer files from my (Android) phone to the A15 Walkman using Bluetooth.
 
The trick is to not use the option "Add Device (Pairing)" to pair the Walkman with a phone (which works only with audio devices), but instead select the option "Receive File" from the Bluetooth menu, and the pairing with the phone will be successfully completed as well as the file transfer over bluetooth.

 

[RockStar2005]

Hey dsouza, 
 
I see. I really don't know anymore. Maybe I just didn't see that option when I tried it so many months ago (back when I had the A17)? But I remember Sony telling me it couldn't be done (though they could've been wrong too?). Then I think it was Vish in this thread said it could be on the A15, so maybe you're right. I don't use wireless setups anyway so yeah. But if anyone who has the A17 wants to try out what you're saying and confirm that it has the option as well, then please feel free to do so and post your results here. 
 
Thanks. 

 

[EagleWings]

Head-Fi meet eh? Sounds cool. Ask them about the AKG K553 Pro. See what they say. lol 

 

 
Will do. Will be nice if someone brings the K553 to the meet. And hopefully I will get to know few audiophile stores in the area that have headphones to demo. We have Fry's Electronics and Guitar Center in the city that carry some mid-fi headphones in stock for sales but they don't have any demo units. 
 
I will look into HA-2 too. So when you say that the HA-2 is at least a few feet from your phone, I'm guessing you are referring to your home land line phone and, you have the HA-2 coupled to your Sony smartphone. If you have the HA-2 strapped to your Sony, do you hear any buzz when you get calls or messages?

 

[RockStar2005]

Vish, 
 
Yeah that would be nice. Hopefully someone does!
Yes there's a Fry's around me (though never been there, yet) and a few Guitar Centers in my general area, one only 10 minutes away which I sometimes go to to play guitar. 

 lol
 
Home landline phone? lol No, I think you misunderstood. My setup involves my Sony Xperia Z3 (Android) smartphone which I connect to my HA-2, and then my headphones also connect to the HA-2 as well via the headphone jack. The HA-2 comes with very short 6-inch cables for ALL devices, including PC, Android, Windows phone, and Apple iOS. I keep the HA-2 next to me, and to do so, I bought a 3-foot extension cable which I connect to the 6-inch Android cable that came with HA-2. It's a special "male Micro USB to Female Micro USB" cable that took some effort to find on Amazon, but I did. For Android, the USB or Micro USB cable MUST be an On-The-Go (OTG) cable, which this one is. If you buy the HA-2, and use an Android phone, I highly recommend it! You can buy it here. 
 
I do not strap my HA-2 to my smartphone ever, so I can't really answer that question. I always keep it to my side, whether I'm listening to my setup on my couch or on a train, etc. I'm not too worried about it for you if you like a strapped setup, but if it does turn out to produce any buzzing, just return it, or keep them away from each other. You can always e-mail Oppo and ask them that question too. They are very good about responding to e-mails in a timely manner. 
 
Bonus: If you also would like to use the HA-2's power bank feature to charge your smartphone, then I would recommend this cable which I purchased and use to connect the 2 devices together. It's short and insanely flexible, and very durable too. It's nice when you wanna give your smartphone a quick "kick" without having to find a wall to charge it at. lol

 

[EagleWings]

  Vish, 
 
Yeah that would be nice. Hopefully someone does!
Yes there's a Fry's around me (though never been there, yet) and a few Guitar Centers in my general area, one only 10 minutes away which I sometimes go to to play guitar. 

 lol
 
Home landline phone? lol No, I think you misunderstood. My setup involves my Sony Xperia Z3 (Android) smartphone which I connect to my HA-2, and then my headphones also connect to the HA-2 as well via the headphone jack. The HA-2 comes with very short 6-inch cables for ALL devices, including PC, Android, Windows phone, and Apple iOS. I keep the HA-2 next to me, and to do so, I bought a 3-foot extension cable which I connect to the 6-inch Android cable that came with HA-2. It's a special "male Micro USB to Female Micro USB" cable that took some effort to find on Amazon, but I did. For Android, the USB or Micro USB cable MUST be an On-The-Go (OTG) cable, which this one is. If you buy the HA-2, and use an Android phone, I highly recommend it! You can buy it here. 
 
I do not strap my HA-2 to my smartphone ever, so I can't really answer that question. I always keep it to my side, whether I'm listening to my setup on my couch or on a train, etc. I'm not too worried about it for you if you like a strapped setup, but if it does turn out to produce any buzzing, just return it, or keep them away from each other. You can always e-mail Oppo and ask them that question too. They are very good about responding to e-mails in a timely manner. 
 
Bonus: If you also would like to use the HA-2's power bank feature to charge your smartphone, then I would recommend this cable which I purchased and use to connect the 2 devices together. It's short and insanely flexible, and very durable too. It's nice when you wanna give your smartphone a quick "kick" without having to find a wall to charge it at. lol

 
Oh I see.. Makes sense now. 
 
And thanks for sharing those links. Will sure come handy in the future if I take the HA-2 route.
 
I will let you know soon my experience ifrom the Head-Fi meet and what I have decided to buy.

 

[RockStar2005]

Vish,
 
Yeah good! 
 
Sure no problem! I would bookmark them now so you don't have to hunt for them later. 
 
Yes, definitely do that! I look forward to hearing from you. 

 

[EagleWings]

  Sure no problem! I would bookmark them now so you don't have to hunt for them later. 

 
Yep. Added the cables to my Amazon Wish List..
 
Thanks again!

 

[RockStar2005]

Smart!

 lol
 
YW!!

 

[Rixsta]

Hey sorry does anyone have a nwz-a17 they would sell? One that can be set to English language?