[davidcotton]

So if anyone wants to get all nerdy on the new DAP's

checkout this link http://thewalkmanblog.blogspot.com/2019/09/new-sony-walkmans-nw-a100-nw-zx500-use.html which gives details on the Qualcomm and Murata Wireless chips being used and links to both company sites for more specs.

Might read through it more thoroughly when I have more time but it looks like Sony is using some quality chips in these DAP's at least for bluetooth and wireless.

Price speculation on some sites is now $400 to $500 US for the A105 ($499 AUS). So like $520 to $650 CDN, No way I am paying that much for this DAP if the speculated prices are close. For me Sony in this case means SoNo as in not a DAP for me. Here is hoping the A55 shows up here, that is about the only Sony DAP I can consider now.

Amazon uk have the a105 up for £320 if that's any use for any one trying to guess price. Might wait and see on these, depending on the price of the hiby r5 and shanlings new one. For comparison the new dx160 is £350.00 and the fiio m11 is £449 so no idea how that compares. The zx500 is £700, so that one is out for me.

Only reason for me to use android is to install audiobook/podcast apps. If sony had done that anyway on the a35 and up I wouldn't have had to get an android player in the first place.

 

[fish1050]

Amazon uk have the a105 up for £320 if that's any use for any one trying to guess price. Might wait and see on these, depending on the price of the hiby r5 and shanlings new one. For comparison the new dx160 is £350.00 and the fiio m11 is £449 so no idea how that compares. The zx500 is £700, so that one is out for me.

Only reason for me to use android is to install audiobook/podcast apps. If sony had done that anyway on the a35 and up I wouldn't have had to get an android player in the first place.

I used that price to set the minimum I might be able to pay CDN. With the current exchange rate that is about $519.00 CDN + tax and maybe shipping so close to $600.00 CDN all in. This DAP given its specs and missing features is not worth that price.

Sorry for the above late night post, let me clarify 320 pounds UK is about $520 CDN + tax. So that is about the starting point for me for the A105. The M11 is currently $629 CDN and available here now. Despite being about $100 more guestimate than the A105 it actually seems like a better deal.

M11 infinitely more power (255 mW into 16 ohms single ended vs 35 mW), much bigger screen, double the onboard storage + dual microsd card slots, USB DAC mode, bluetooth receiver mode, despite much more power battery life is still pretty good. If I was considering spending $520 on an A105 then I surely would step up to the M11 for $100 more when you also get so much more. Plus the M11 has killer hardware sufficient enough to running pretty much any Android apps.

When you say the new Shanling are you referring to the M5S which would be the closest competitor right now from Shanling at $599 CDN. I have been eyeballing the M2X which holds its own very well against its bigger brother is much cheaper but not available in Canada for now. I personally would love to hold out for the M3X or whatever they will call it. No word on it yet but something between the M2X and the M5S would be a really nice option.

I did check out the Hiby R5 briefly online and it does look like a pretty sweet DAP but Hiby DAP's are scarce in Canada and price would be comparable to the M11. So many choices but still so much money.

 

[fish1050]

Okey just saw the Shanling M6 on the Shanling site, suggested price at $499 USD would be a little more than the A105. They took a step up from the Fiio M11 with 4GB of RAM with a slightly smaller but still huge 4.7" screen. Fully open Android OS so support for lots of Android apps. Decent battery life at 12 hours SE and power at 160 mW into 32 Ohms with a huge 4000 mAh battery, 32 GB on board memory. Even comes with a brand new Shanling Music App as the stock player.

Pricing is interesting given the M5S is $429 US on amazon so the M6 won't be much more expensive. So Sony is going to have alot of competition at or near the price of the A105 and the M6 is set for release this fall. That looks to be several months before we see the A105 in North America. The Sony A105 could be dead in the water here before it ever gets released, once again Sony's slow to rollout product cycle could hurt them big time.

So you have the currently available M11, the upcoming Hiby R5 and now the upcoming Shanling M6. and the release date yet to be determined A105. Seems like the $500 US price point is becoming the sweet spot for the DAP market. I may have to up my budget for my next DAP.

 

[snapandslide]

Okey just saw the Shanling M6 on the Shanling site, suggested price at $499 USD would be a little more than the A105. They took a step up from the Fiio M11 with 4GB of RAM with a slightly smaller but still huge 4.7" screen. Fully open Android OS so support for lots of Android apps. Decent battery life at 12 hours SE and power at 160 mW into 32 Ohms with a huge 4000 mAh battery, 32 GB on board memory. Even comes with a brand new Shanling Music App as the stock player.

Pricing is interesting given the M5S is $429 US on amazon so the M6 won't be much more expensive. So Sony is going to have alot of competition at or near the price of the A105 and the M6 is set for release this fall. That looks to be several months before we see the A105 in North America. The Sony A105 could be dead in the water here before it ever gets released, once again Sony's slow to rollout product cycle could hurt them big time.

So you have the currently available M11, the upcoming Hiby R5 and now the upcoming Shanling M6. and the release date yet to be determined A105. Seems like the $500 US price point is becoming the sweet spot for the DAP market. I may have to up my budget for my next DAP.

I'm leaning to the M11 - Hiby is scarcer in the UK and for my use I'm not fussed about the slightly chunkier form factor of the Fiio. But as you point out, lots of choice available. Maybe we'll see some discounts because of the competition!

 

[fish1050]

I'm leaning to the M11 - Hiby is scarcer in the UK and for my use I'm not fussed about the slightly chunkier form factor of the Fiio. But as you point out, lots of choice available. Maybe we'll see some discounts because of the competition!

Yeah as nice as the M11 is it is huge by DAP standards, basically like carrying another smartphone and one is plenty for me. The Shanling M6 should be smaller and I do prefer Shanling DAP's for sound quality over Fiio DAP's. Very wary of HIby as I have never had the chance to try one of their DAP's.

We do have Canadian Thanksgiving in October so possibly some early Black Friday deals on the way or in November for the actual Black Friday. I think I can hold off until then!!

If Sony had any clue they would release the A105 in the US for Thanksgiving and in time for Christmas. I never understood why the always wait until the next year before releasing DAP's in North America since most of their competition has been released or will be releasing this fall.

 

[davidcotton]

I'm leaning to the M11 - Hiby is scarcer in the UK and for my use I'm not fussed about the slightly chunkier form factor of the Fiio. But as you point out, lots of choice available. Maybe we'll see some discounts because of the competition!

Amp3 have the r6, r3 and r6 pro listed as does amazon for the r6 and 3 at least.

November has been mentioned on preorder for amazon uk which surprised me as normally we don't get the new stuff till march/april.

 

[snapandslide]

Amp3 have the r6, r3 and r6 pro listed as does amazon for the r6 and 3 at least.

November has been mentioned on preorder for amazon uk which surprised me as normally we don't get the new stuff till march/april.

Thanks. I was meaning the R5, but I'm leaning more to Fiio M11 anyway. At the mo 10% discount Amp3 and another 6 odd % with topcashback seems the best price. I'd love a 15% (plus topcashback) discount if I can

 

[davidcotton]

Thanks. I was meaning the R5, but I'm leaning more to Fiio M11 anyway. At the mo 10% discount Amp3 and another 6 odd % with topcashback seems the best price. I'd love a 15% (plus topcashback) discount if I can

Not much help but would 12 percent sweeten the deal a bit? AMP312EXCL319

 

[snapandslide]

Not much help but would 12 percent sweeten the deal a bit? AMP312EXCL319

Ta, maybe! I'm on holiday at the moment, when I'm back in 10 odd days let's see where I'm at!

 

[Sp12er3]

I'd be very interested to hear your thoughts on the SQ difference to the ZX1.

I wonder if the ZX507 can also record audio like the Japanese ZX1 can. Love that feature and replaces the need to resurect my Hi-MD recorders.

One of the spec i read meantioned it support DNC like the other walkmans are, meaning it support 5 pole jacks that's used on their (very small) DNC IEMs, it also means the jack has audio in support for most mic.
I'm looking forward to being able to record more binaurals using my NC750 on future Walkmans.

 

[Sp12er3]

I want, need SA-Z1....

Ha! I knew you'd be the first to catch on that one. Mike!
Some hands on, whathifi did theirs at IFA, AudioHead from RMAF
https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/sony-sa-z1
https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/sony-walkman-nw-a100
https://audio-head.com/sony-debuts-new-signature-series-sa-z1-near-field-music-system-rmaf-2019/

 

[purk]

Gotta love the future NW-ZX705 model....seriously...

 

[twd2003]

Ha! I knew you'd be the first to catch on that one. Mike!
Some hands on, whathifi did theirs at IFA, AudioHead from RMAF
https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/sony-sa-z1
https://www.whathifi.com/reviews/sony-walkman-nw-a100
https://audio-head.com/sony-debuts-new-signature-series-sa-z1-near-field-music-system-rmaf-2019/

I personally think the problem with What Hi-Fi? is that they don't review a lot of players from China like from FiiO and iBasso so they're comparing the Walkmans to a smartphone. Sure it has better sound than a phone but the Chinese players offer hella more performance per dollar

 

[fish1050]

I personally think the problem with What Hi-Fi? is that they don't review a lot of players from China like from FiiO and iBasso so they're comparing the Walkmans to a smartphone. Sure it has better sound than a phone but the Chinese players offer hella more performance per dollar

I get the sense that Sony still thinks its name recognition is worth the premium price they charge. As someone who sold Sony products for many years I can say it does not have the cache it once did. The Chinese DAP makers have closed the gap on Sony big time and to me the Sony name is no longer worth paying more for.

 

[purk]

I get the sense that Sony still thinks its name recognition is worth the premium price they charge. As someone who sold Sony products for many years I can say it does not have the cache it once did. The Chinese DAP makers have closed the gap on Sony big time and to me the Sony name is no longer worth paying more for.

No doubt, many have closed the gap and same is happening in a DACs market.