Showing posts with label Audio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Audio. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Learning from Sony Walkman
Learning from Sony Walkman | Michael Anton Sim | LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/learning-from-sony-walkman-michael-anton-sim
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Review: Sony NWZ-ZX1 Part 1
Introduction - Why I Choose Sony NWZ-ZX1
Among all high end, or rather high resolution, Digital Audio Players, Sony has not been in consideration for years due to their stubborn policy of not playing several popular formats of high resolution audio recordings such as: FLAC, ALAC, AIFF, and more. This decision positioned Sony as the producer of retail mid end DAP that relies solely on MP3 based format. Even with research on developing MP3 format to a higher sounding format, not many fanatics of high resolution audio listeners were interested to use Sony's Walkman as their main DAP.
Until 2014, 35 years after Sony hatched the first product line of portable audio called Walkman, Sony decided to open the door and accepted their products to play nearly all formats of high end audio recording, the result: the 35th Anniversary Walkman called NWZ-ZX1.
I first got my interest on ZX1 after the Sony's announcement of the next portable high resolution audio player Walkman series A (NWZ-A15 and A17). Those 2 new units are sexy, well built and most likely to storm the market and win a lot casual listeners. I was about to shop for iBasso DX50 or AK100, which for those keen on high resolution audio immediately recognized as 2 of most preferred DAP in the market. And after reading tons of references in the Internet I found so many stories about how great both products are that I tested them both. They are exemplary excellent DAP in their own rights.
One notable feature that AK100 and ZX1 both have is Bluetooth; AK100 employs Bluetooth 3.0 (AK100 II uses Bluetooth 4.0) and ZX1 uses Bluetooth 3.0. So both are able to stream higher resolution sounds.
The Review
Design
All are designed to last and abuse, although DX50 is sturdier in comparison, ZX1 has its own perk of being the lightest and tiniest volume-wise among the three.
However, when walking around listening to music, I found ZX1 is more comfortable in my hand especially for prolonged listening for its lighter weight and smartphone sized body. Even with the lower back protruding in an awkward way, it tends to assist my hand in avoiding slippage combined with the leather-like material to cover the aluminium frame.
The touch screen is well-sized, and the physical buttons are well placed and again well-thought-out to present easy access by soft touch recognition, with little dots and different sizes. I love using the physical buttons since they are easy to recognize even without looking at the unit. However, the hardened leather-like case lacking access to the buttons really sucks.
User Interface
I'll keep it short, it's an older Android OS. Easy to use and access. Not the richest in features but adequate for listeners. Later on I'll review the apps available for this unit.
The Sound Impression
I put a lot consideration on how to represent the sound impression I get. I prefer to approach it differently this time around since talking about high end DAP won't be fair if not paired with the headphone used. That means the combination will come to account, since I have (although cheaper variances) several unique sound headphones, I will try to provide combination impression. So here we go, I hope you enjoy my approach.
Sony NWZ-ZX1 with Sennheiser MX760
Both are known for the wide sound staging. So what happened if I paired them together?
First of all, Senn MX760 is definitely a treble rich earbud with deep bass and big sound stage. So I tested it without EQ, but the treble becomes a bit too much. Then I turned on the ClearSound+ feature which nullified all eq settings to Sony pre-programmed sound signature, both literally become a new favorite matching for serious detail-minded listening.
I played Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful Day and if I close my eyes, I swear I can imagine Louis standing in front with violin players close to his left and drums and guitar further on his rear right side, bass player right side closer than the drums. The music and voice so clear that I have high appreciation on the 24 bit and 96 kHz recording. Even Louis signature lips play can be heard.
Then I played Linkin Park's In Pieces (from Minutes to Midnight album with 16/44 recording) and for a small earbud to represent ZX1 sound, it is unbelievably enjoyable experience. Big impact and deep bass, voice and instruments separation are clear and well-placed, smooth treble. The sound are loaded with details.
Those 2 songs I think has represented how well they both match up.
Note: Warning high impact bass means do not start the music with high volume, especially over 80%. It will be painful. I used 60% max volume which are plenty already.
On the downer side, some treble heavy songs and lower recording quality (128kbps MP3 or lower) becomes too sharp and too noisy to listen due to MX760 sensitivity of details, despite of Sony's DSEE HX feature turned on to smoothen the roughness.
Bonus Impression:
SanDisk Sansa Clip+ with Sennheiser MX760
Sansa Clip+ is a cheap but a high quality player, however it doesn't have the range ZX1 has. Two major differences that separates the two:
- Clip+ bass is tight and detailed but lacking the depth and clarity.
- Clip+ has a smaller sound staging, the right analogy would be comparing a 1x1x1 cubical meter (Clip+) to a Studio size room (ZX1)
Don't get me wrong, I love my Clip+ as a casual daily driver. I have been using it for a couple of years. It's tiny size and light weight just slip to my shirt pocket inconspicuously without becoming a burden. While ZX1 requires a belt wallet or case to be used without bothering my movement.
Each has their own purpose.
So there, my first part of Sony NWZ-ZX1 impression. Next I will pair it with Sony MDR1RBT Mark II, wired and Bluetooth connected. Each has it's own sound signature that a little different one to another, especially with some hidden Sony NWZ-ZX1 features turned on.
Among all high end, or rather high resolution, Digital Audio Players, Sony has not been in consideration for years due to their stubborn policy of not playing several popular formats of high resolution audio recordings such as: FLAC, ALAC, AIFF, and more. This decision positioned Sony as the producer of retail mid end DAP that relies solely on MP3 based format. Even with research on developing MP3 format to a higher sounding format, not many fanatics of high resolution audio listeners were interested to use Sony's Walkman as their main DAP.
Until 2014, 35 years after Sony hatched the first product line of portable audio called Walkman, Sony decided to open the door and accepted their products to play nearly all formats of high end audio recording, the result: the 35th Anniversary Walkman called NWZ-ZX1.
I first got my interest on ZX1 after the Sony's announcement of the next portable high resolution audio player Walkman series A (NWZ-A15 and A17). Those 2 new units are sexy, well built and most likely to storm the market and win a lot casual listeners. I was about to shop for iBasso DX50 or AK100, which for those keen on high resolution audio immediately recognized as 2 of most preferred DAP in the market. And after reading tons of references in the Internet I found so many stories about how great both products are that I tested them both. They are exemplary excellent DAP in their own rights.
One notable feature that AK100 and ZX1 both have is Bluetooth; AK100 employs Bluetooth 3.0 (AK100 II uses Bluetooth 4.0) and ZX1 uses Bluetooth 3.0. So both are able to stream higher resolution sounds.
The Review
Design
All are designed to last and abuse, although DX50 is sturdier in comparison, ZX1 has its own perk of being the lightest and tiniest volume-wise among the three.
However, when walking around listening to music, I found ZX1 is more comfortable in my hand especially for prolonged listening for its lighter weight and smartphone sized body. Even with the lower back protruding in an awkward way, it tends to assist my hand in avoiding slippage combined with the leather-like material to cover the aluminium frame.
The touch screen is well-sized, and the physical buttons are well placed and again well-thought-out to present easy access by soft touch recognition, with little dots and different sizes. I love using the physical buttons since they are easy to recognize even without looking at the unit. However, the hardened leather-like case lacking access to the buttons really sucks.
User Interface
I'll keep it short, it's an older Android OS. Easy to use and access. Not the richest in features but adequate for listeners. Later on I'll review the apps available for this unit.
The Sound Impression
I put a lot consideration on how to represent the sound impression I get. I prefer to approach it differently this time around since talking about high end DAP won't be fair if not paired with the headphone used. That means the combination will come to account, since I have (although cheaper variances) several unique sound headphones, I will try to provide combination impression. So here we go, I hope you enjoy my approach.
Sony NWZ-ZX1 with Sennheiser MX760
Both are known for the wide sound staging. So what happened if I paired them together?
First of all, Senn MX760 is definitely a treble rich earbud with deep bass and big sound stage. So I tested it without EQ, but the treble becomes a bit too much. Then I turned on the ClearSound+ feature which nullified all eq settings to Sony pre-programmed sound signature, both literally become a new favorite matching for serious detail-minded listening.
I played Louis Armstrong's What a Wonderful Day and if I close my eyes, I swear I can imagine Louis standing in front with violin players close to his left and drums and guitar further on his rear right side, bass player right side closer than the drums. The music and voice so clear that I have high appreciation on the 24 bit and 96 kHz recording. Even Louis signature lips play can be heard.
Then I played Linkin Park's In Pieces (from Minutes to Midnight album with 16/44 recording) and for a small earbud to represent ZX1 sound, it is unbelievably enjoyable experience. Big impact and deep bass, voice and instruments separation are clear and well-placed, smooth treble. The sound are loaded with details.
Those 2 songs I think has represented how well they both match up.
Note: Warning high impact bass means do not start the music with high volume, especially over 80%. It will be painful. I used 60% max volume which are plenty already.
On the downer side, some treble heavy songs and lower recording quality (128kbps MP3 or lower) becomes too sharp and too noisy to listen due to MX760 sensitivity of details, despite of Sony's DSEE HX feature turned on to smoothen the roughness.
Bonus Impression:
SanDisk Sansa Clip+ with Sennheiser MX760
Sansa Clip+ is a cheap but a high quality player, however it doesn't have the range ZX1 has. Two major differences that separates the two:
- Clip+ bass is tight and detailed but lacking the depth and clarity.
- Clip+ has a smaller sound staging, the right analogy would be comparing a 1x1x1 cubical meter (Clip+) to a Studio size room (ZX1)
Don't get me wrong, I love my Clip+ as a casual daily driver. I have been using it for a couple of years. It's tiny size and light weight just slip to my shirt pocket inconspicuously without becoming a burden. While ZX1 requires a belt wallet or case to be used without bothering my movement.
Each has their own purpose.
So there, my first part of Sony NWZ-ZX1 impression. Next I will pair it with Sony MDR1RBT Mark II, wired and Bluetooth connected. Each has it's own sound signature that a little different one to another, especially with some hidden Sony NWZ-ZX1 features turned on.
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Comparison: Ultrasone HFI450 vs Sony MDR1RBT Mark II vs Audio Technica ATH-M50 (classic black)
The 3 listed headphones are my favorite headphones. Ultrasone HFI450 has been my loyal companion for years. Now, Sony MDR1RBT Mark II has started taking over its place due to the fact that it has Bluetooth functionality. Then the one headphone that I have always wanted to have but has never been able to own it: Audio Technica M50. All 3 are the definitive all-rounder headphones so you can listen to any music genre you like with any of the 3.
Just a small note, my Holy Grail of headphones is Ultrasone Edition 8.
Any way, let's start the comparison shall we?
Physical Features:
1. Design: Sony MDR1RBT Mark II is the definitive winner
Regardless of anything, I haven't seen any headphone designed to impress. It's one d### sexy headpiece. Matte black finish with a gracefully placed metallic maroon lines, brushed platinum joints and soft luxurious leathers cushioning and padding. Need I say more?
2. Comfort
Okay, soft memory foam-like cushioning brings Sorry MDR1RBT Mark II as the winner. You can wear this baby for hours and never feel uncomfortable. The tightness of the cans has been measured extremely well while others are trying to clamp themselves to my head.
Audio Technica ATH-M50 came second since it's tighter and with firmer foam. Ultrasone HFI450 is also comfortable but it has the hardest foam of the 3. Although I can wear any of the 3 all day.
2. Sound Quality
- Treble/High Frequency
All 3 are have very clear and excellent treble, but Ultrasone HFI450 does sharper and brighter high. Listening to rock and alternative metal songs sounded like the drummer danced with the cymbals in front of my ears, I mean like I'm sitting on the drummer's chair and play the drums. Being an all-rounder headphone, Ultrasone HFI450 is a unit I would recommend to any beginner Headfiers since it is cheaper and you will understand why Hifi or high end headphones are sooo much fuuun.
Both Sony MDR1RBT Mark II and Audio Technica ATH-M50 has controlled treble. Both produce smoother treble in comparison, no harshness but clear and well defined.
- Mid Frequency
Sony MDR1RBT Mark II won this one. This cans certainly have a flatter frequency reproduction with a twist.
The other 2 are definitely tuned to have V-Shaped equalizer so the mid-range frequency are a bit suppressed.
- Bass/Low Frequency
Oh wow, all 3 has bass that I like and each has different characteristics. I will explain why.
First the Ultrasone HFI450. It is tuned as a bass dominant headphone. The bass has enough impact for fun listening but not for bass-head due to the equally lively treble. Ultrasone's S-Logic prevents bass impact to attact my ear drums so that means less fun, but safer/healthier. The detail of the bass is a bit eliminated by the can's limited frequencies reach (20Hz - 20kHz). That also means HFI450 can't really reproduce lower and deeper bass.
Audio Technica ATH-M50 is has bigger frequency range so and it's bass impact is such a legend. It can however reproduce the details of the instruments that place ATH-M50. You can hear the details of the bass and at the same with little loss of details. This is the cans you will love you use for fun and high-spirited listening.
Like Ultrasone HFI450, Sony MDR1RBT Mark II employs a similar technology. It doesn't shoot the music to your ears directly, instead it shoot the music to your ear walls. So the bass impact is more powerful, but not as powerful as ATH-M50 that shoots the music directly to your ear canals. Among the 3, MDR1RBT produces astonishing details and it does play deeper bass. For music listening, MDR1RBT wired is my weapon of choice when listening to complex music since it is capable of producing the most details.
Special Note on Sony MDR1RBT Mark II :
Being a Bluetooth and wired headphone, Sony has dual characteristics. Bluetooth has less details but certainly it's built-in amp drives a slightly powerful bass. While wired, MDR1RBT Mark II is more flat (not truly flat flat) and analytical so less impact on the bass but definitely deeper and detailed bass instruments.
Sound Separation:
Winner Sony MDR1RBT Mark II. It plays the most detailed separation of sound and very natural sounding. The minor upgrade that Sony gave to Mark II is making the headphone Bluetooth listening fun, while wired a tad more analytical quality like the original.
I must say both ATH-M50 and HFI450 is about even in this case.
Sound Staging :
No 1 is of course Sony MDR1RBT Mark II with the slightly crooked positioning of their driver to bounce frequency before reaching listeners ear drums. The music sounded naturally comes from a wider room, like in a studio. I can locate where each musician is located and how far they are from me. Please note the digital music player and the source format plays important role also. Interestingly enough, in Bluetooth mode, MDR1RBT Mark II is better at sound staging compared to the wired mode. It's build-in amp is brilliant.
No 2 is Ultrasone HFI450. The drivers are located below ears so sound travels around ear lobs before landing to ear drums. It is the safest headphone also since it has the least pressure to ear drums no matter how high the volume is. However, its sound staging is different. You feel you place yourself behind the musicians instead of in the musicians circle or in front of them. Think of it like you are sitting on the drummer's seat and listen.
No 3 is Audio Technica ATH-M50. Being a direct blasting headphone, it has the thinnest sound staging. It is a more fun headphone if you don't care about sound staging, but you need to be careful with the volume since it has the highest sound pressure among the 3.
Special Note on Sony MDR1RBT Mark II :
This might not count as music listening headphone, but Sony MDR1RBT Mark II is incredible when used to play movies. I feel like I'm in a theatre. I feel the rumbling of the woofer in action movies and definitely accurate surround sound. If you use the headphone for playing movies, this is my choice of can. It is as if MDR1RBT Mark II has dual personality, for movie watching and high-end music player.
The others don't have such characteristics.
Quiet Tone:
Sony MDR1RBT Mark II wins. It is more quiet then others is presenting zero sound. Usually it marks the higher end of headphones driver.
Final Judgement
All 3 has different characteristics and each has its own extra points. I personally now grab MDR1RBT Mark II more often since it delivers musics and movies the way I love. It does have drawbacks especially when listening to lower end recordings, despite of the masking Sony system does, I still can hear the imperfections. I prefer to use the Bluetooth functionality when listening through a smartphone, especially lower quality songs recording. But each headphone has its own merits and worth the purchase. I love all 3 cans but favor Sony and Ultrasone.
Just a small note, my Holy Grail of headphones is Ultrasone Edition 8.
Any way, let's start the comparison shall we?
Physical Features:
1. Design: Sony MDR1RBT Mark II is the definitive winner
Regardless of anything, I haven't seen any headphone designed to impress. It's one d### sexy headpiece. Matte black finish with a gracefully placed metallic maroon lines, brushed platinum joints and soft luxurious leathers cushioning and padding. Need I say more?
2. Comfort
Okay, soft memory foam-like cushioning brings Sorry MDR1RBT Mark II as the winner. You can wear this baby for hours and never feel uncomfortable. The tightness of the cans has been measured extremely well while others are trying to clamp themselves to my head.
Audio Technica ATH-M50 came second since it's tighter and with firmer foam. Ultrasone HFI450 is also comfortable but it has the hardest foam of the 3. Although I can wear any of the 3 all day.
2. Sound Quality
- Treble/High Frequency
All 3 are have very clear and excellent treble, but Ultrasone HFI450 does sharper and brighter high. Listening to rock and alternative metal songs sounded like the drummer danced with the cymbals in front of my ears, I mean like I'm sitting on the drummer's chair and play the drums. Being an all-rounder headphone, Ultrasone HFI450 is a unit I would recommend to any beginner Headfiers since it is cheaper and you will understand why Hifi or high end headphones are sooo much fuuun.
Both Sony MDR1RBT Mark II and Audio Technica ATH-M50 has controlled treble. Both produce smoother treble in comparison, no harshness but clear and well defined.
- Mid Frequency
Sony MDR1RBT Mark II won this one. This cans certainly have a flatter frequency reproduction with a twist.
The other 2 are definitely tuned to have V-Shaped equalizer so the mid-range frequency are a bit suppressed.
- Bass/Low Frequency
Oh wow, all 3 has bass that I like and each has different characteristics. I will explain why.
First the Ultrasone HFI450. It is tuned as a bass dominant headphone. The bass has enough impact for fun listening but not for bass-head due to the equally lively treble. Ultrasone's S-Logic prevents bass impact to attact my ear drums so that means less fun, but safer/healthier. The detail of the bass is a bit eliminated by the can's limited frequencies reach (20Hz - 20kHz). That also means HFI450 can't really reproduce lower and deeper bass.
Audio Technica ATH-M50 is has bigger frequency range so and it's bass impact is such a legend. It can however reproduce the details of the instruments that place ATH-M50. You can hear the details of the bass and at the same with little loss of details. This is the cans you will love you use for fun and high-spirited listening.
Like Ultrasone HFI450, Sony MDR1RBT Mark II employs a similar technology. It doesn't shoot the music to your ears directly, instead it shoot the music to your ear walls. So the bass impact is more powerful, but not as powerful as ATH-M50 that shoots the music directly to your ear canals. Among the 3, MDR1RBT produces astonishing details and it does play deeper bass. For music listening, MDR1RBT wired is my weapon of choice when listening to complex music since it is capable of producing the most details.
Special Note on Sony MDR1RBT Mark II :
Being a Bluetooth and wired headphone, Sony has dual characteristics. Bluetooth has less details but certainly it's built-in amp drives a slightly powerful bass. While wired, MDR1RBT Mark II is more flat (not truly flat flat) and analytical so less impact on the bass but definitely deeper and detailed bass instruments.
Sound Separation:
Winner Sony MDR1RBT Mark II. It plays the most detailed separation of sound and very natural sounding. The minor upgrade that Sony gave to Mark II is making the headphone Bluetooth listening fun, while wired a tad more analytical quality like the original.
I must say both ATH-M50 and HFI450 is about even in this case.
Sound Staging :
No 1 is of course Sony MDR1RBT Mark II with the slightly crooked positioning of their driver to bounce frequency before reaching listeners ear drums. The music sounded naturally comes from a wider room, like in a studio. I can locate where each musician is located and how far they are from me. Please note the digital music player and the source format plays important role also. Interestingly enough, in Bluetooth mode, MDR1RBT Mark II is better at sound staging compared to the wired mode. It's build-in amp is brilliant.
No 2 is Ultrasone HFI450. The drivers are located below ears so sound travels around ear lobs before landing to ear drums. It is the safest headphone also since it has the least pressure to ear drums no matter how high the volume is. However, its sound staging is different. You feel you place yourself behind the musicians instead of in the musicians circle or in front of them. Think of it like you are sitting on the drummer's seat and listen.
No 3 is Audio Technica ATH-M50. Being a direct blasting headphone, it has the thinnest sound staging. It is a more fun headphone if you don't care about sound staging, but you need to be careful with the volume since it has the highest sound pressure among the 3.
Special Note on Sony MDR1RBT Mark II :
This might not count as music listening headphone, but Sony MDR1RBT Mark II is incredible when used to play movies. I feel like I'm in a theatre. I feel the rumbling of the woofer in action movies and definitely accurate surround sound. If you use the headphone for playing movies, this is my choice of can. It is as if MDR1RBT Mark II has dual personality, for movie watching and high-end music player.
The others don't have such characteristics.
Quiet Tone:
Sony MDR1RBT Mark II wins. It is more quiet then others is presenting zero sound. Usually it marks the higher end of headphones driver.
Final Judgement
All 3 has different characteristics and each has its own extra points. I personally now grab MDR1RBT Mark II more often since it delivers musics and movies the way I love. It does have drawbacks especially when listening to lower end recordings, despite of the masking Sony system does, I still can hear the imperfections. I prefer to use the Bluetooth functionality when listening through a smartphone, especially lower quality songs recording. But each headphone has its own merits and worth the purchase. I love all 3 cans but favor Sony and Ultrasone.
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