New Sony Walkman

[Harpy]

Maybe this has already been commented on, but it seems pricey.

 

New Walkman available soon to tune of $1,120

[flatmap]

Very nice looking design. I hope it is a great success.

 

The price is daunting, but if it can deliver into full size headphones

without the need for an extra amp (do not currently know if it will or won't)

then it may not be quite as high priced as it seems.

 

Looking forward to reviews.

[burnspbesq]

Funny price point: midway between A&K 100 and A&K 120, and 4x the price of a fully loaded iPod Touch. Who are they targeting with this? It may be a great device, but it may end up dominant in a category that nobody else cares about.

[monteverdi]

Looks nice at but turn it over and than it's quite cheesy. Some interesting engineering like 2 clocks, super caps etc but no OLED.

Lacks digital out or digital in (DAC function) so much less functionality than A&K.

[One and a half]

The Xperia Z2/Z3 has digital out that can stream DSD to a native DAC, quite nicely. This Walkman would need a bit more power from its battery to move things along, if it doesn't, then the analog out to their own or other headphone amp, won't cut much I'd daresay.

[Musicophile]

Where do I insert the tape?

[jcbenten]

The ZX1 sounds great. I wonder about any improvement to sound...

[InfernoSTi]

So USA Today is reporting on a Sony portable hi res audio device capable of DSD formats? It was just a year ago that we were lamenting that hi res audio wasn't of interest to the masses. Since Pono, it has been a media darling and something everyone has to "keep up with" to stay relevant (except Apple, of course). This is what we all said we wanted (not the player but the exposure and choices).

 

John

[Boris75]

This new player has to be very, very good to justify the price difference over the Pono player.

[songswelove]

Very nice looking design. I hope it is a great success.

 

The price is daunting, but if it can deliver into full size headphones

without the need for an extra amp (do not currently know if it will or won't)

then it may not be quite as high priced as it seems.

 

Looking forward to reviews.

 

Also wondering about the extra amp for headphones. I will be interested to try it out when it's available on the market.. I once owned the 1st walkman when it was first sold. Kind of still in love 'walkman' logo.

[jexby]

at that price point, even more inclined to stick with my iDevices, lossless streaming, a CCK cable to a bona fide, battery powered DSD DAC/Amp such as Geek Stream of iFi iDSD micro.

 

sure, not the sexy portability of the new walkman, but more $ left in my pocket for better headphones.

[maelob]

its too huge in my opinion, why so big

[jexby]

its too huge in my opinion, why so big

 

yes, the iFi iDSD micro is large. mainly due to it's big battery, digital/analog inputs and outputs, full dual-mono DAC, good amplifier, other features like filters, impedance settings, etc.

 

it's a technical marvel all that fits in the existing size.

 

even the smaller upcoming Geek Stream won't have many of those features.

[maelob]

Jexby sorry, I meant the actual Sony Walkman, looks bit chunky.

[flatmap]

Jexby sorry, I meant the actual Sony Walkman, looks bit chunky.

 

Walkman: 62 x 18.5 x 109 mm

iPhone 5s: 59.2 x 8.97 x 124.4 mm

 

Just over twice as thick as the last gen iPhone. Length and width seem pretty reasonable though.

[jcbenten]

Walkman: 62 x 18.5 x 109 mm

iPhone 5s: 59.2 x 8.97 x 124.4 mm

 

Just over twice as thick as the last gen iPhone. Length and width seem pretty reasonable though.

 

If the ZX2 is similar to the ZX1 it will be heavy which feels good in the hand.

[maelob]

cool thanks

[songswelove]

Funny price point: midway between A&K 100 and A&K 120, and 4x the price of a fully loaded iPod Touch. Who are they targeting with this? It may be a great device, but it may end up dominant in a category that nobody else cares about.

 

Have you used A&K 120? Do you like it? I will be on the road a lot.

 

I am almost sold to follow Sony because of the brand. (dummy consumer). All Sonys I owned are still functioning and they definitely surpassed all my abuses.

[gmgraves]

Funny price point: midway between A&K 100 and A&K 120, and 4x the price of a fully loaded iPod Touch. Who are they targeting with this? It may be a great device, but it may end up dominant in a category that nobody else cares about.

 

 

There are a number of portable players showing-up in this price range, Another intriguing one is the HiFiMan HM-901 and it's variants.

I'm certainly interested.

 

HiFiMAN Innovating the art of listening - Products : HiFiMAN HM-901+Minibox Amplifier Card

[songswelove]

There are a number of portable players showing-up in this price range, Another intriguing one is the HiFiMan HM-901 and it's variants.

I'm certainly interested.

 

HiFiMAN Innovating the art of listening - Products : HiFiMAN HM-901+Minibox Amplifier Card

 

According to Cnet

..... The absolute best sound I heard from the HM-901 happened when I used it with the HiFiMan HE-560 headphones ($899), hooked up with a HiFiMan "balanced" cable. Transparency and the wide-open imaging jumped up a few points. The HiFiMan combo is a state-of-the-art music system.....

I think I have to clean my ears as well. >:< HiFi world is a galaxy of tastes and wealth. Sigh.. but I am so interested to see if I will be lucky to come across these babies in the future.

 

thanks for sharing

[gmgraves]

According to Cnet

..... The absolute best sound I heard from the HM-901 happened when I used it with the HiFiMan HE-560 headphones ($899), hooked up with a HiFiMan "balanced" cable. Transparency and the wide-open imaging jumped up a few points. The HiFiMan combo is a state-of-the-art music system.....

I think I have to clean my ears as well. >:< HiFi world is a galaxy of tastes and wealth. Sigh.. but I am so interested to see if I will be lucky to come across these babies in the future.

 

thanks for sharing

 

 

I haven't had the pleasure of hearing the HM-901 player, but I do have a pair of HiFiMan HE-560 phones, and they are magnificent. Light, comfortable and they sound great - much better than the company's first gen of isodynamic phones. Great bass, silken highs; like a pair of Stax ESLs without the hassle of special connectors, dedicated amps (although those are a good idea) and expensive non-standard extension cords. However, They aren't the only makers of isodynamic phones with a great product, the Audeze line is very similar in overall presentation as are the Abyss headphones (these latter are eye-wateringly expensive at more than US$5K, however).

[gmgraves]

Have you used A&K 120? Do you like it? I will be on the road a lot.

 

I am almost sold to follow Sony because of the brand. (dummy consumer). All Sonys I owned are still functioning and they definitely surpassed all my abuses.

 

 

That's a good point and certainly a valid reason for your "brand loyalty", but in this case, were I you, I'd check what music formats are and aren't supported on players in this price range before I decide on a single player. I think (and this is just my take on it, understand) that the player to buy is the one that supports the most formats (among its other features), both standard and hi-res. For instance, it would be a shame to plunk-down more than a thousand dollars only to find out that it doesn't support DSD or perhaps ALC, or some other format in which some piece of music that you might want might be encoded.

[shadow ewe]

That's a good point and certainly a valid reason for your "brand loyalty", but in this case, were I you, I'd check what music formats are and aren't supported on players in this price range before I decide on a single player. I think (and this is just my take on it, understand) that the player to buy is the one that supports the most formats (among its other features), both standard and hi-res. For instance, it would be a shame to plunk-down more than a thousand dollars only to find out that it doesn't support DSD or perhaps ALC, or some other format in which some piece of music that you might want might be encoded.

 

Couldnt agree more. The Pono was interesting as the price was okay but when I looked more closely at the specs and the need to get downloads from their exclusive store etc...I didnt like the fact that they tried to lock the customer in.

 

I prefer to spend my hard earned with companies that dont work with a closed system.

[goldsdad]

Couldnt agree more. The Pono was interesting as the price was okay but when I looked more closely at the specs and the need to get downloads from their exclusive store etc...I didnt like the fact that they tried to lock the customer in.

 

I prefer to spend my hard earned with companies that dont work with a closed system.

 

Pono hasn't tried to lock the customer in. Pono hardware isn't restricted to files from the Pono Music store.

[gmgraves]

Couldnt agree more. The Pono was interesting as the price was okay but when I looked more closely at the specs and the need to get downloads from their exclusive store etc...I didnt like the fact that they tried to lock the customer in.

 

I prefer to spend my hard earned with companies that dont work with a closed system.

 

 

I don't think that's right. I don't believe that you have to buy music from the Pono Store. If you do, it's news to me. What puts me off about the Pono is the form factor. I think a player shaped like an Italian chocolate bar is an awkward shape, especially for use as a portable player.