[Dorder]

I'm curious about the Sony Vaio Pocket, cause it seems to be a pretty good allround DAP.
But how does the SQ compare to the H340 or the 4G ipod which I have and how high is the output power?
And are there any major drawbacks, except the bulkier size?

 

[boodi]

bump for pocket owners opinion on sound quality and comparison with other mp3 player.

 

[Cerith]

I can compare the Sony to the Zen Xtra, which I have. IMO the sound quality of the Sony is better. Seems to be more detailed and has more depth. Just a fuller sounding player. This is comparing same files, ripped EAC/LAME at 320k. Using AT ATH-EC7 phones.

I have listened to some iPods, but not long enough to make an informed decision, but from the short time I listened, The Sony, again seems brighter, detailed and more full. Although, I was not listening to same songs with same phones.

The quality of the Sony is beautiful. I really love it.

Drawbacks: SonicStage software is really SLOW. Not very intuitive. You must use it as no other management apps support the player as of yet. Although I am hoping either real or musicmatch will in the future.

On a positive note: With the firmware update transfer rates are fast when transferring native mp3's now that they do not get re-encoded.

Once you get your songs transferred the software really is a sidenote as the player is worth the hassle.

I find the size to be fine. It is a lot smaller than it looks in photo's on the net. Really solid, it oozes quality. I like it solid, does not feel cheap like my Zen. I feel like it will withstand more use. I also like the horizontal aspect of the player. You can hold on to both sides more comfortably than with a vertical player where there is not as much to grab hold of. I also like the fact that all functions are controlled from the touch pad. On the zen you have to push buttons on either side of the player.

The screen is gorgeous, very detailed and bright.

Overall I highly recommend this player now that it supports mp3's in native format.

BTW:
Buy.com has a great price of $424.00 for it going on now. Just the other day it was $471 and when I bought it was $428. For some reason the price is really jumping around at buy.com, but at $424 it is A STEAL.

UPDATE: Out of curiosity I checked the price on Sony's site and it is now $50 cheaper. It was MSRP at $499.99 for a while. Now they have it listed at $449.99. Maybe because the $50.00 rebate offer is over they decided to lower it to what it essentially cost with the rebate.

 

[Beethovenian]

Cerith, can you comment on the navigation? I've seen a manual for the Vaio Pocket, and it seemed to me you can browse genre>artist>album>song, besides the typical artist>album>song, and that you can reorder the tracks the way you want (alphabetically, by track number etc.). Also, it seemed you can create playlists on-the-fly. Can you confirm that? If it is like that, it's clearly better than the NW-HDs.

 

[Rumz]

I haven't spent much time browsing by artist / genre etc. I mostly browse by groups (I'm lazy I guess).

I can confirm that it does on-the-fly playlists-- there are 5 you can use. You select a playlist and from there can add songs to it on the player-- not bad at all.

SQ: I'm betting this has a more typical Sony amp of around 5mWx2 @ 16ohms or so-- it's not as loud as my iPod Mini, and when it comes to music of quieter volume (many of my soundtracks), there's a difference (the iPod's amp helps those quieter tracks to be a bit more detailed in my perception). Otherwise, the Pocket sounds excellent. YMMV.

 

[Cerith]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beethovenian Cerith, can you comment on the navigation? I've seen a manual for the Vaio Pocket, and it seemed to me you can browse genre>artist>album>song, besides the typical artist>album>song, and that you can reorder the tracks the way you want (alphabetically, by track number etc.). Also, it seemed you can create playlists on-the-fly. Can you confirm that? If it is like that, it's clearly better than the NW-HDs.

Yes, you can navigate by:

genre>artist>album>song
artist>album>song
album>song
or all songs

You can also navigate by album cover art which is is pretty cool, although tedious if you have a lot of albums. Closest things to flipping through an lp collection in the digital world.

You can order alphabetically or by track number in either ascending or descending order for both.

 

[boodi]

bump on the vaio pocket sound quality

 

[XP_98]

Who can tell us more (sound quality and eq settings) ?

How does it compare with Karma / M3 / Zen Touch (best sounding competitors) ?

What eq settings are available ?

 

[XP_98]

No one ?

 

[eclecticelectrix]

mine's commin tomorrow. i won't be able to give you an educated audiophile's report, but ill tell you my general feeling as it compares to what i remember about the iriver h140 and the ipod gen3. it's the best i can do.

 

[XP_98]

That's a start !

 

[eclecticelectrix]

alright after a two day nightmare with sonicstage (get an iriver if you just wanna drop the files in and go) i can finally listen to this thing and through my senn px100's(i know, nothing amazing but its what i have) id say i like the sound more than the ipod but less than the iriver. the iriver just sounds more... full. plus, on tracks that have been recorded recently (let's say iron maiden) there is a slight scratching noise that isnt there on older tracks(bob dylan). i think it is probably digital clipping or something since newer recordings are usually "hotter" than other ones. maybe ill try to take care of it with mp3gain or something. nah, ill probably just live with it. but damn this thing is cool and futuristic. i feel like i should be listening to this thing in my hovercar or something. so basically, superficially, the vaio pocket is rad as ****. but in terms of sound quality, you can do better.

 

[Achero]

Just got mine out of the box and put it on charge. I have to say, it looks stunning, and I was really surprised at how small it is!

I think that from the pictures I have seen, I was expecting it to be a bit bulky, but it is a lot slimmer than I imagined. The cradle is quite neat too, with the fold away stand.

Once I've got it running I'll be able to give more info on how well it works.

I'll try and take some pics too...

 

[IC-Silencer]

Hallo

I dont think that the irriver sounds fuller than the Sony Vaio Pocket. Ok my brother owens the Irriver H-320 but i couldnt hear a difference between both Players (Earphones: Sony MDR-EX-71L). I think both MP3 Players have a wonderful sound.

In my opinion the Sony Vaio Pocket is the best sounding MP3 Player ever manufactured!!!!

Sorry for my bad English!!!

Marco

 

[renesis_au]

hello, i'm interested in getting a vaio pcket as well, but from the various reviews i have read on the net is that the player is held back by being quite large for a mp3 player. another problem i have read about is that browsing through player involves quite a bit of lag, but it may just be the reviews were of the first batch so possibly the lag issues may have been fixed. Can anybody who has a vaio pocket and another mp3 player post up a picture comparing the size? if u can thats great, thanks!