Mobile Hifi Rediscovered

Oh my got, so we should go for it........., another thing on the still not smaller list...

It doesn't seem to have a bettery on board - so does it dramatically affect the battery runtime of the Walkman itself ?

@Bert - yes no battery in the headphone amp. I powered it from a USB charger, an Anker 3300mAh, gave me about two and a half-hours usage. The battery run-time of the Walkman doesn't seem to massively impacted either way.

@ChrisSU - agreed re bulky and if you didn't want an all Sony setup the Hugo and the Oppo are definitely worth a try both of which have internal batteries. Although I think its only the Sony amp that will support the digital output of the Walkman.

However.. on the way back, with no external power I had a play with some of the Sony sound settings and turned off the ClearSound feature which gave a much cleaner sound, without the headphone amp. So I need to do some more listening this week when haven't had five pints in the Yorkshire sun before making final call. Will update over the weekend.

Russ

In the beginning I thought the ClearSound feature was great. But I very quickly switched it off and since then always listen clean. For some albums it might give the much more richer sound. But for some albums I thought it colored to much, and then I also started to appreciate the more clean sound with just the normal settings.

Thanks for your update on the battery thing.

The mobile world is getting more interesting. The new Pioneer Mobile Player will also support MQA from Meridian......

Pioneer's joined the DAP world with the introduction of the XDP-100R. In from Phileweb is still a little sketchy but it seems to sport the ESS ES9018K2M DAC whilst the amp is 9601K. As expected it supports HiRes up to 11.2MHz DSD. The Android 5.1.1 OS is driven by a quadcore CPU and has a 4.7" with a resolution 1280 × 720 - so it's by no means a small DAP. It weighs about 200g.

There's a 32GB built-in storage but will accept a microSD card (photo seems to show maybe 2 microSD slots?). It has WiFI too and Bluetooth that supports aptX. For those into streaming there seems to be Spotify, TIdal & Deezer.

Except for the top handle bumper, I can't help but feel the design has been some foundation from the AK series but just volume on the left, rather than right. No price has been shared on the news yet but sounds like an interesting player. Fingers crossed it'll be priced competitively.

Thanks for this one Bert, all very interesting. 

Then let's complete while already a bit older news. So it looks we have now besides the existing brands some premier brands as well getting into this market. So now the question is will Apple follow ?

Onkyo’s All-in-One DAC/Amp Music Player Enables 192/24 and DSD Playback from iOS and Android Devices

OSAKA, JAPAN. Introducing the end-to-end solution for native 192 kHz/24-bit Hi-Res Audio playback via iPhone and Android. The new DAC-HA300 D/A Converter/Headphone Amplifier/SD Player from Onkyo adds sophisticated high-fidelity headphone amplification and D/A decoding for Hi-Res Audio to the listener’s everyday portable audio setup.
 
With a slot accommodating up to 128 GB of music stored on microSD card, an OLED screen, and easy playback controls, the DAC-HA300 also serves as a self-contained media player and headphone amplifier, while a Micro USB Type-B input enables asynchronous D/A conversion of Hi-Res Audio from PC without need to install drivers. 
         
The device also features a switching optical/coaxial/analog input capable of accepting digital signals from connected devices up to a maximum 192/24 resolution, making it the perfect all-rounder for home, desktop, and portable use.
 
The DAC-HA300 dovetails with Onkyo’s HF Player application for iOS and Android devices. When the DAC-HA300 is connected to the mobile handset via USB (standard Lightning cable for iOS devices, On-the-Go cable for Android), a free app upgrade to HD Player Pack enables output of Hi-Res PCM and 5.6 MHz DSD files at native resolution to the DAC-HA300 for decoding and playback. 
 
The application also imports and seamlessly presents other audio formats stored on mobile in an intuitive user interface, and includes a 16,384-band FIR equalizer that allows users to create and save their preferred EQ settings for specific artists, genres, or albums. 
 
The real difference between the DAC-HA300 and similar devices, though, is its manifestly superior sound quality. Rather than using a low-cost integrated circuit amplifier, the unit is based around the acclaimed MUSES8920 op-amp, a discrete, high-quality audio component with an optimized circuit layout to ensure signals are amplified with minimal distortion—just 0.004% THD+N at 32 Ohms (100 mW + 100 mW, JEITA). Combined with a fully discrete push-pull output stage and a selectable gain adjustment function, the DAC-HA300 will effortlessly drive any headphones, from low impedance IEMs to full-sized 600-Ohm open-backed cans.
 
Likewise, the 192 kHz/32-bit TI Burr-Brown PCM1795 Digital-to-Analog Converter was hand-selected for its exceptionally low out-of-band noise performance and excellent resistance to jitter. Whether listening to 5.6 MHz DSD downloads on the office PC or compressed files from mobile on the way home from work, the combination of DAC and discrete amplification technology presents music with the utmost clarity, timing, and energy.
 
The DAC-HA300 includes a long-life internal lithium-ion battery that returns approximately seven hours of playback when connected to an iPhone via USB Type-A input, and can be recharged via USB and PC or more rapidly with the supplied 5 V DC cable and plug. 
 
Constructed from durable aluminum and with a user-friendly knurled volume control knob, bump protectors, and positive action gain switch, the DAC-HA300 is equally at home on the road, on the desktop, or connected to a compatible turntable for late-night listening. 
 
When used with the HF Player application, users can bring the power of their home Hi-Fi or computer audio setup with them on the road while being free to use other phone applications as they enjoy pure high-fidelity sound.
 
The DAC-HA300 joins an award-winning range of Onkyo on-ear and in-ear headphones—including the flagship ES-CTI300s with inline controls for iOS, 40 mm titanium drivers, and 6N oxygen-free copper cable—offering audiophile performance to music lovers that demand the ultimate in quality and versatility.

I've recently added a Moon audio replacement cable for the Shure IEMS. Two reasons - i find the standard cable rather fiddly and secondly i wanted to take advantage of the Sony's 4 way (TRRS) headphone connector - something you don't get with the standard cable and something i wondered would be holding back the potential of this setup.

It's been well worth doing - more detail and the amazing bass these phones have has even more depth and clarity (and no fiddly cable !). 

James

Interesting - but quite an investment as it looks to be 15-20% on top of the IEM's

Says the man with Super Lumina cables 

Seriously though for me at £150 including delivery from the USA it's a good bang for buck upgrade and really makes the most of what these components can really do. 

I've just invested in the Sony NWZX2 and MDR Z7s.  Very good indeed.  Think I will be investing in the amp next. 

Of course you are right. But a funny thing is that one seems to be more ok to invest on these additional things for the main system than for the mobile setup. I will put it on my list for Christmas :-)

Did you get the silver or the black dragon cables - as they have a different sound signature ?

Hi Bert - Silver Dragon with the TRRS gold connector option

A Silicone rubber gel case cover and screen protector provides a bit of protection...  Excellent quality.  

Moderated Post: Please no commercial links in here, thanks.

My NW-ZX2 is, I think, now fully burnt in, having improved steadily over a few weeks. The improvement  was clear even through my relatively cheap £70 headphones, so much so that I occasionally found myself wondering if I needed anything better.

What to replace them with was always going to be a bit of a stab in the dark, given that I could't find a dealer within 200 miles who could give me any advice, less still let me audition anything - I guess the hygiene issue around a dem room full of in-ear phones is always going to be a problem! So I decided to take a chance on a pair of Shure SE846s when I saw some at a decent discount. For the first 30 mins or so, they were not a huge improvement on my cheap Final Audio earphones (given that, at full price, the Shures cost more than 10 times as much!) Then, the 846s suddenly seemed to up their game, especially in terms of detail, and bass extension. They've still only had about 20 hours of use, but the sound quality of this setup means that I no longer feel that, when away from home, I'm being deprived of high quality music. So thank you, Bert, and others, for sharing your findings on this top quality mobile kit.   

Has anyone listened to the Oppo HA-2?

I'm considering it as an iPhone add-on as I don't really want an all-in-one player.

Happy to see that you are content with your purchase. Also the Shure's need some decent time to sound at their best like the Sony. So just give it some time and you will see you keep on smiling.

I have heard this setup at the high end in Munich, and I was quite impressed even while a show is not the perfect place to test these type of things, so give it a chance and have a listen. It will definitely improve things for you.

Hi all,

Further feedback on my use of the Sony PHA-3AC headphone amp when used with the ZX2.

I'm really undecided on this. Does the combination sound better, yes. Is the difference worth the bulk, that's the tricky bit.

To put the delta into a context ZX2 with ClearSound On compared to ClearSound off is about the delta between ZX2 ClearSound off to ZX2 ClearSound Off plus the PHA.

So its definitely noticeable and up front on a plane worth it. On a train when traveling less lightly loaded and in a noisier environment - not so sure.

Horses for courses for sure....

Russ

It's been a while since I tried a dedicated mobile music player and I was amazed at the sound a Astell & Kern could make when I tried one yesterday. 

I can see that this could be another pocket emptying exercise! 

From what i hear in these threads, the Sony devices are worth a listen.

Indeed - my Sony just keeps on getting better, so worth a listen if you get the chance to compare them with the A&Ks. If I hadn't already parted with my money, I'd be keen to give this new Chord Mojo a listen, too.

The appeal with the mobile set up is that it's so good just with phones and the player that it negates the need to piss about with external amps, DAC's etc. 

Interesting what you say about the burn in of the Shure phones Chris - they sounded distinctly ordinary straight out of the box but after a few hours left running, well what a difference. I'm still amazed how good this set up is and i can end up spending much too long listening. For me it's audio Nirvana. 

Hi Russ,

I think you made an important point - the environment also plays an important role in the whole discussion. Are you in a busy environment, how good do your headphones seal off etc. I saw an interesting review some time ago where multiple devices where compared and where the reviewer was of the opinion that the headphones made a bigger impact than the devices itself when looking to the sound quality.