CHANGSTAR: Audiophile Headphone Reviews and Early 90s Style BBS
Main Deck => Discussion for Registered Members Only => Topic started by: lowdown69 on March 25, 2014, 02:36:32 PM
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Curious about this player and wondering which PORTABLE amp will work well with it?
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Personally I don't think the ZX1 needs a portable amp. Sony did a fairly good job making this a worthwhile standalone player.
I've paired it up with the Leckerton UHA-6S for instance, and I felt like there wasn't a strong enough justification sonically to put up with the increased bulk. Unless you want one of those ridiculously powerful portable amps for running orthos or something, I wouldn't bother. But that's just me.
Leckerton's stuff still ranks as my favorite for portable use, and it's a good place to start. I thought the Apex Glacier sounded good too, but the unit I had was very noisy for some reason. Lastly, the upcoming Cavalli portable is worth looking into, as the prototype remains one of the best portable amps I've heard by some margin. It should be out later this year.
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I usually listen to music on the go so a stand alone player is ideal. I have demoed portable amps with the DX100, DX50, and the X3 and for some reason I dont hear the music gets an better with the amps. All I hear is that it gets louder.
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I usually listen to music on the go so a stand alone player is ideal. I have demoed portable amps with the DX100, DX50, and the X3 and for some reason I dont hear the music gets an better with the amps. All I hear is that it gets louder.
The amp you used sucked. The DX100/50 and X3 stand to improve quite a bit with a better amp section, though their DAC sections suck ass. Those have made my personal wall of shame, especially the 100.
I can't comment on the ZX1 as the unit I heard was loaded with Chinese mp3s.
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Well I demoed and borrowed: Ray Samuels SR71, Mustang, and Hornet, Pico Slim and Ibasso amps. I am talking about portable amps but if it works great for you that is good. Anaxilus which stand alone portable dac/amp you suggest that doesnt suck ass?
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Well I demoed and borrowed: Ray Samuels SR71, Mustang, and Hornet, Pico Slim and Ibasso amps. I am talking about portable amps but if it works great for you that is good. Anaxilus which stand alone portable dac/amp you suggest that doesnt suck ass?
ODAC>Leckerton UHA6Smk2 (w/ 4627BRZ opamps) doesn't suck ass. If you need a digital pot then the Apex Glacier might be the way to go. Most of the ones you listed above suck ass to me except the Hornet which is just okay but overpriced and old school unrefined but pretty neutral and half decently resolving. SR71 (demo'd a few times) was too warm and compressed, Pico Slim (formerly owned) is unresolving with a low bass accentuation I found fatiguing and colored. Ibasso amps (many demo'd) tend to sound very dry, unrefined and grainy, not especially resolving either. Of course they can be opamp dependent but iBasso stuff seems to have a signature to them, even in the PP6 and DX100. I'd rather just have a used Hornet over most iBasso amps.
If you want to spend some dosh, the Portophile 627 is pretty good with the caveat you let it warm up and your phones don't react negatively with it. The LISA is still the best I've heard in production but is more a transportable desktop solution than truly portable.
The ODAC isn't perfect but it's the lesser of evils available in the portable world.
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Well I walk and take trains about 2 to 3 hours a day so during these times I am listening music. Also I am walking with a huge back pack with clothes and sneakers because I coach Basketball. I will look into the amps you approve.
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When it comes to portable audio players, I usually suggest folks start with the best standalone player and pair of earphones they can afford on their budget and go from there. I suspect for many folks the ZX1 and AK120 (and likely the Calyx M) will sound good enough with their IEM of choice for them to not want to forsake the appeal of a single unit. Otherwise, you can always add on an amp down the road.
Lekerton UHA-6 and Apex Glacier are probably the best choices out there right now.
The upcoming Cavalli portable amp however might be a game changer for me, as the first one I'd actually be amazed enough by to carry around on the go.
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MF, what's your general take on the ZX1? Worth it?
My rockboxed ipod classic is starting to wear down, and I've always liked the Walkmans. Fiio X5 looks interesting, but I've never liked any of their products sq wise to be honest.
Any other pirates have experience with the ZX1, besides Anax with Chinese music?
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I don't know whether Mike or Romy has heard the iCan Nano. I have one and I'm very happy with it, especially in tandem with the Herus.
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I usually listen to music on the go so a stand alone player is ideal. I have demoed portable amps with the DX100, DX50, and the X3 and for some reason I dont hear the music gets an better with the amps. All I hear is that it gets louder.
Bingo. Makes things much easier, even with all the "your gear/ears suck" bullshit to contend with.
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Bingo?
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It's a word you shout in a senior's home that makes the residents angry at you.
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Exactomundo
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Thinking of getting this...whats the battery life like?
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Bingo?
It's Anax for "precisely." Learn Anax FFS!
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Ressurrected after a year?!? Is this some type of subliminal message due to the holidays?!?!
Anyway, ZX1 battery like goes from 13 to 20-something hours. At least it did for me depending on the music I was listening to (i.e. mp3s vs FLAC vs HiDef Flacs)
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I'm interested in it but I'm hoping to get it below $400... on amazon I saw one for $590...
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They run that used...
I think I sold mine for that or $425 or something similar...
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Why'd you sell yours?
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If you have the budget, I highly recommended the PHA-3. You can connect the ZX-1 to PHA3 using a supplied digital cable. Basically the ZX1 will act as a transport sending digital signal to the PHA3. The PHA3 is not exactly portable but it sounds really good especially in balanced mode. However, it may not be suitable for hard to drive phones such as the HD800. It mates quite well with the MDR-Z7 as well as my recabled CD3000 however.
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If you have the budget, I highly recommended the PHA-3. You can connect the ZX-1 to PHA3 using a supplied digital cable. Basically the ZX1 will act as a transport sending digital signal to the PHA3. The PHA3 is not exactly portable but it sounds really good especially in balanced mode. However, it may not be suitable for hard to drive phones such as the HD800. It mates quite well with the MDR-Z7 as well as my recabled CD3000 however.
I can say in no uncertain terms the pha3 sucks donkey balls in SE mode with the UERM. The Z7 did sound much better via balanced but it's not a reference phone I know well enough to compare versus a known quantity single ended. Sure is pricey as hell for that setup. I certainly wasn't blown away even disregarding price.
Might as well share the story of how a Sony rep/sales person tried to stop me plugging in my UERM to the pha3. Said it only works with hi-res phones!! Like he even knew what a UERM or hi res phone was. After a long quizzical stare and picking up my jaw off the floor, I asked the 'rep' if there were any actual Sony engineers around who weren't full of marketing BS to talk to. He said, "maybe somewhere." facepalm
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Has anyone heard the NW-ZX2? Is the price justified?
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Has anyone heard the NW-ZX2? Is the price justified?
Based on price? No, my GO>Leckerton beats it up.
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Yeah, I was reading through some of the reviews on amazon and this guy came up. Steven R. Rochlin, heard of him? Heres his review. He hated the Z1 but loves the Z2. I haven't heard either so I figure I'd ask.
Steven R. Rochlin
www.EnjoyTheMusic.com/magazine/equipment/0315/Astell_Kern_AK240_Vs_Sony_NW_ZX2_Walkman_Review.htm
Heres his review on the Z1
http://www.enjoythemusic.com/magazine/equipment/1214/Sony_NWZ_ZX1_NWZ_A17_Pono_Music_Player.htm
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The Z2 is better than the Z1, but that wasn't the original question. So 'what it's worth' is different things to different people. Is it the absolutely best sounding thing in portable audio? No. Is it bestest enough for someone with big pockets that wants an all-in-one? Maybe. The best DAP I've heard that's on my radar is the Questyle which is competitive with rig and does one or two things better. I haven't heard a production unit yet but for the money I'd look there before the Sony, Colorfly or AK rigs.
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The Questyle you mentioned. Whats the name of the DAP you're talking about? I'm on this site but haven't found any info on any DAP. http://en.questyleaudio.com/product
I found this. Is it the QP1?
http://www.stereophile.com/content/questyle-qp1-and-qp1-pro-portable-players
I found two models:
The QP1 is $599 and the QP1 Pro is $899
Other info I found:
The $599 QP1 and $899 QP1R, described as portable music server/digital audio players, are expected to ship in late April. They combine the company’s current-mode headphone amp technology with a high-end DAC and high-resolution music-file decoding. The players deliver native decoding of 2.8MHz and 5.6MHz DSD along with decoding of WAV, FLAC, AIFF and PCM files up to 192kHz/24 bits. Other decoders include MP3, WMA, and Ogg Vorbis. Both models feature 16GB and 32GB, respectively, of on-board storage, but each also features dual 256GB Micro SD Card slots. Both players also feature optical output, LCD display, 8- to 10-hour 3000mAh battery, and aluminum-and-glass finish in either champagne gold or space gray.- See more at: http://www.twice.com/news/audio/questyle-adding-high-resolution-music-portables/56555#.VRXWc9zazeo.twitter
Is there going to be a pre-order soon? Mid April....
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The Questyle you mentioned. Whats the name of the DAP you're talking about? I'm on this site but haven't found any info on any DAP. http://en.questyleaudio.com/product
I found this. Is it the QP1?
http://www.stereophile.com/content/questyle-qp1-and-qp1-pro-portable-players
I found two models:
The QP1 is $599 and the QP1 Pro is $899
Other info I found:
The $599 QP1 and $899 QP1R, described as portable music server/digital audio players, are expected to ship in late April. They combine the company’s current-mode headphone amp technology with a high-end DAC and high-resolution music-file decoding. The players deliver native decoding of 2.8MHz and 5.6MHz DSD along with decoding of WAV, FLAC, AIFF and PCM files up to 192kHz/24 bits. Other decoders include MP3, WMA, and Ogg Vorbis. Both models feature 16GB and 32GB, respectively, of on-board storage, but each also features dual 256GB Micro SD Card slots. Both players also feature optical output, LCD display, 8- to 10-hour 3000mAh battery, and aluminum-and-glass finish in either champagne gold or space gray.- See more at: http://www.twice.com/news/audio/questyle-adding-high-resolution-music-portables/56555#.VRXWc9zazeo.twitter
Is there going to be a pre-order soon? Mid April....
The QP1 Pro was changed to the QP1R (Reference). We are in the process of switching servers and putting up a new website, the QP1 has only just been added, as up until now it was only a prototype. The QP1 has 16GB internal while the QP1R has 32GB, only 128GB Micro SD cards have been tested, but 256GB cards will probably work. The rest appears to be correct. It is probably worth noting that we process DSD as DSD and PCM as PCM, no cross conversion takes place as to do so would be to add the deficiencies of both systems together.