[kintsaki]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FenderP /img/forum/go_quote.gif First, don't base any decision just on my word. I'm just giving my opinion. I'm on a business trip this week and am only taking the A847, so I'll see how I get on with it as my only player. I had both on my last major trip and switched off. So I'll know more from my perspective which I'll wind up keeping after this week. However, I wouldn't say that your 730-818 difference is the same since the design of the A isn't that far off of the X, and the A does have some significant advantages over the X (namely the 64GB capacity). I have had to set up new settings in my video ripping program because the X is 320x240 for display, but the A is 400x240. 320x240 videos don't look quite right on the A. I also think you use will determine things as well - if you're on a plane or somewhere that you're not doing critical listening, it may not matter. If you mainly listen at home, it could be a whole other story.

Thanks for responding.

My question was on SQ only for serious home listening.
I also asked SoozieQ through a PM and she helped me also.

I trust (both) your opinions after careful reading of your posts and past experiences and after noting a similarity on preferences.

However I was surprised to note a difference as I went back and tried the 739 and 818 with different headphones. I cant believe this is happening but the 739 sounds better with Sony's SA-5000 than the 818.
It is as if the amazing speed of the 5-110000Hz bandwidth associated with Sony shows that the 739 is not brighter but it does have actual musical content which is presented rather than muddied by the Westone 3 and the Image X 10 for example.

If any of you have a fast phone (Qualia, Senn800, SA5000, Alessandro Music-Pro, Koss or Stax) would you please try again and see if the X series midrange is still better than the new A series ?
when i tried that test with the 739 and 818 I found that the 739 is better but with slower phones ( if one can really call balanced armature IEMs slow) the 818 is better

 

[TCD1975]

When is this thing coming to Europe? Reports in early January said the A845 would appear in the middle of February but there's been no sign of it.

 

[tds101]

Is there a version available to visitors (In Japan) that has the English language on it, in 64gb of course??? If so, how can I get 1 imported???

 

[tk3]

There is no English version, but it's not hard to navigate through the menus.
You also don't need to use the Japanese SonicStage program, because you can use drag and drop to put files on the player, and then you can browse either by tag or folder.

IMO having the UI in Japanese is no big deal, and should not be a deal breaker if you want this player.

 

[charlie0904]

I saw the A846 today at my local sony store. very sleek indeed.

 

[tds101]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tk3 /img/forum/go_quote.gif There is no English version, but it's not hard to navigate through the menus. You also don't need to use the Japanese SonicStage program, because you can use drag and drop to put files on the player, and then you can browse either by tag or folder. IMO having the UI in Japanese is no big deal, and should not be a deal breaker if you want this player.

For me it IS a deal breaker, as I refuse to meander through the menus guessing what's in there. I'd get it down eventually, but I don't need the steep learning curve personally. I'll get it in English, and the 64gb model only, or I'll not get it at all.

That's me, YMMV.

 

[maporter]

According to this months Stuff magazine here in the UK, it's rumoured to be release in the USA in February in 2010

 

[tds101]

Quote:

Originally Posted by maporter /img/forum/go_quote.gif According to this months Stuff magazine here in the UK, it's rumoured to be release in the USA in February in 2010

Well, I'm in the USA, and its not here yet. I do hope your correct though, as I'm dieing for this little baby. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[maporter]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nywytboy68 /img/forum/go_quote.gif Well, I'm in the USA, and its not here yet. I do hope your correct though, as I'm dieing for this little baby. Thanks for the heads up.

Sorry I made an error, it wasn't in stuff magazine it was in T3, furthermore it's the NWZ-A845 that's being released first - Sorry to have mislead you all, I had to go and dig the magazine out of the pile, to confirm I'd gotten my facts right (or wrong as it turned out to be, please accept my apologies).

It's the NWZ-A845 that's rumoured to be launched in Feb 2010.

Cheers

Mark

 

[tds101]

Ok, thanks anyways,..............I'll keep my hopes up.

 

[Jezza]

Hi all, I've been following this thread for a while and been especially interested in FenderP's comparison between the A847 and X1060. I would love to hear if there have been any more further comparisons/conclusions drawn about the sound quality of these two players. Many thanks!

 

[chicagojammer]

Its March now, guess the window for the release has passed, the player wont be released now, haha.

 

[FenderP]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kintsaki /img/forum/go_quote.gif If any of you have a fast phone (Qualia, Senn800, SA5000, Alessandro Music-Pro, Koss or Stax) would you please try again and see if the X series midrange is still better than the new A series ? when i tried that test with the 739 and 818 I found that the 739 is better but with slower phones ( if one can really call balanced armature IEMs slow) the 818 is better

Sorry for the delayed response - haven't been on much.

Unfortunately, I don't own any "fast phones" - and I'm not sure if the Final Audio Design ones I have count.

Either way, I did take the A847 exclusively on my last trip out to the West Coast; I left the X1060 at home. I could tell a bit of difference, but on the plane, I found some EQ settings I liked and that was that - just some minor tweaks. I still prefer the lower end on the X "out of the box" since it needs no tweaking.

If Sony can take the high end/clarity of tha A847 and marry it to the low end of the X, I think it'd be great.

My only real gripe is the display screen and having to re-encode a few things I didn't get around to watching on the X.

I really need to get rid of one of them but I'm having a hard time choosing.

 

[kintsaki]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FenderP /img/forum/go_quote.gif Sorry for the delayed response - haven't been on much. Unfortunately, I don't own any "fast phones" - and I'm not sure if the Final Audio Design ones I have count. Either way, I did take the A847 exclusively on my last trip out to the West Coast; I left the X1060 at home. I could tell a bit of difference, but on the plane, I found some EQ settings I liked and that was that - just some minor tweaks. I still prefer the lower end on the X "out of the box" since it needs no tweaking. If Sony can take the high end/clarity of tha A847 and marry it to the low end of the X, I think it'd be great. My only real gripe is the display screen and having to re-encode a few things I didn't get around to watching on the X. I really need to get rid of one of them but I'm having a hard time choosing.

Thanks fenderP for your response again.

As you can see there are more people like me and "Jezza" that are interested in the SQ issue. And this is because this Walkman is more of a very high end source and amp device than a gadget to store your favorite music and slip it in your shirt pocket and go around with it.
Seven years ago you could spend 5 to 20 thousand dollars to a Teac D2 P2, or a Linn Sondek, or a Wadia or a Sony SCD-1 to get that kind of performance.

I remember reading a similar comment to yours (X series with great lows and mids and A series with high end clarity) somewhere in Headfi and now it seems it was not you.

As I looked into the matter a bit further I realized that the 739 is an S Series Walkman and according to Sony it does have the S master amp (and it should since it has the active noise cancellation feature). But the S 739 does not have the power of the X and new A series that everybody talks about. However it does immediately give you the sense of clarity and maybe brightness of the high end when you compare it to the old A series (818).

That means that Sony has tweaked the S master amp in the 3 versions as they are implementer in the S, X and new A series.

I do not have any problem tweaking with the EQ to find the perfect setting that meets the phones music and mood of the time and it seems that you have found a tweak yourself that makes you think the X and A series are almost the same.

Although IEM's are very fast phones their bandwidth is severely limited when placed in the ear canal ( 13KHz for Etys, to 17KHz for multiple driver customs, compare that to 110KHz for Sony, 40KHz for Stax O2, and 35KHZ for Music Pro, AKG and Sennheiser) so for this case any good quality full size phones will be 'fast' and may result in a set that sounds like the X lows with the A highs.

Speed is not the one and only thing that matters and I enjoy my IEMS very much and use them most of the time but the best system I ever heard was the S 739 out of the Sony Qualia or SA-5000 and this is why I want to get an X series or a new A series to upgrade the power amp.

Some people use a power amp with the X series but this is to drive louder difficult to drive phones and it comes at the expense of quality none of my amps can amp the 739 without introducing noise and slowing it down.

 

[shigzeo]

^^ nice comment. There is something you miss, however. High end BA earphones can and DO go above their specs, unless their specs are cobbled like the majority of headphone company's specs are. Basically, that 17kHz is an arbitrary definition of resolved musical energy. Any earphone should be able to go beyond that, but after sustaining how much roll off? Headphones which state up to 40kHz and more are really just knocking the specs up with their favourite chemical - they don't reach that far as read by any realistic benchmark, just they go that far. Spec'd by the same definition, a roll off of 30dB or more is acceptable and iems certainly go to 25kHz or more.

The S series doesn't have an S-master amp, however. It is a shame, but the current crop of S-master is limited to the top A 840 series and X models only.