Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Sony NWZ-ZX1 High-Resolution Walkman Review
Sony reckons the way to resurrect the MP3 player is to ditch MP3s and go all high-end and high-res. Your ears will love it, but your wallet less so
Since smartphones came along, more people have been using
them as their sole means of listening to music on the go. Carrying
multiple devices around is a pain, after all.
But there are those who care more about sound quality than convenience, and they’re in for a treat, because the latest Walkman sounds awesome. The Sony NWZ-ZX1 is a seriously premium player, and one that focuses on hi-res, Studio Master music. It’s also the best sounding portable device we’ve ever heard.
But there are those who care more about sound quality than convenience, and they’re in for a treat, because the latest Walkman sounds awesome. The Sony NWZ-ZX1 is a seriously premium player, and one that focuses on hi-res, Studio Master music. It’s also the best sounding portable device we’ve ever heard.
Resolution revolution
So what’s high-res audio? Short version: it’s a bit like 4K for you ears. It’s better sound quality than CD (you do know they compress your music before they put it onto a disc, don’t you?), with "better" meaning "closer to what musicians and engineers intended in the studio". It’s the Next Big Thing in audio.It’s all about reconstructing an analogue sound wave as accurately as possible, and this is where we introduce The Science Bit.
You see a sampling rate is the number of samples taken per second when analogue sound waves are converted to digital. The more samples taken per second, the closer the sound is to the original sound wave. Meanwhile, bit depth describes the accuracy of that sample. A typical CD measures 16-bit/44.1kHz. A high-res audio track, meanwhile, may measure 24-bit/192kHz.
Got it? No? Don’t worry – just remember it all results in more data and therefore more detail and better sound and you’re golden.
High-res audio itself is nothing new. There are already smartphones around that can handle these files – LG G2, Google Nexus 5, Samsung Galaxy Note 3, to name a few. What’s new is that high-res audio has now taken off far enough for big companies to make dedicated players that sound way better than those phones.
Enough numbers! How does it sound?
Load up a high-res track and you get an impressively refined sound with layers of subtle detail. You’ll spend a lot of time noticing parts of your favourite songs you’ve never heard before. The soundstage is wide, well organised and timing is spot-on.
The ZX1’s tonal balance is good, too, but the well-defined, hard-slapping bass deserves a special mention. Combine that with extended, punchy dynamics and it’s a seriously engaging, exciting sound.
We started comparing the ZX1 to an iPod Touch and things got ugly for Apple very quickly. The Sony is way ahead in every department, from its weighty delivery to its extraordinary precision. We’ve always been keen on the iPod’s sound, but next to the ZX1 it comes across as brash and unsophisticated. It comfortable beats those high-res-playing phones we mentioned, too.
It’s not all down to the high-res tracks, either. We loaded up both devices with the same CD-ripped WAV files and it was still easy to pick the devices apart.
A question of content
There is still one fairly significant problem, though - high-res music might be the next big thing, but right now it's not that easy to get hold of. You can't get any on iTunes, and even Sony itself seems reluctant to go any higher than MP3 for its own download store. The likes of Naim and Linn have high-res music stores, but the selections aren't especially mainstream.For now your best bet is to go with HDtracks. It's officially US-only but there are easy ways to work around that, and a Indian launch is expected in the next few months. A direct connection from player to download store and a whole load of new music is definitely needed if Studio Masters are going to make a proper impact, though.
Unusually good looking
It’s not just the sound that separates the ZX1 from the competition. If there ever was such a thing as an anti-iPod, this is it. Sony has clearly tried to distance itself from Apple’s aesthetics, and the result is gorgeous. It’s a striking design with a premium feel that rivals anything coming out of Cupertino, and feels less delicate, too.
It’s a proudly asymmetrical slab of aluminium that wants nothing to do with simplicity and rounded edges. The glass face drops off abruptly into a straight edge, where the physical controls make us happy by allowing us to change tracks in our pockets.
The bottom edge of the ZX1 has a gleaming brass cylinder that’s so big it rises slightly above the screen. We’re not sure why: theoretically it allows internal cabling to be a bit thicker (and improve sound quality). Sony says it reduces contact resistance.
The literally outstanding aspect of the ZX1’s design is its bottom third, which protrudes at the back. This is because Sony felt like putting in a larger amplifier block, straight lines be damned. It’s unusual, but it serves the handy secondary purpose of sitting in your hand quite nicely. It doesn’t wobble on a table, but Sony has included a tiny wedge of plastic in case you’re that worried about perfect flatness.
Standard features
While the ZX1 has been outstanding in its sound and design, its features are fairly normal. It runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, which is safe but not particularly exciting these days. The 4in screen makes it easy to navigate the device. There are good colours, but the picture isn’t sharp enough for proper movie watching or gaming.
There’s also NFC at the back for easy Bluetooth pairing, as well as a tiny speaker masquerading as a Walkman logo. We’re quite not sure why you’d spend £550 on a high-end audio device and then play music that way.
Then there’s the matter of storage. You get 128GB on board, and that’s it. There are no models with different capacities, and no slot for external memory. It’s a pretty good offering for the money (the biggest iPod Touch has 64GB and costs £330), but not including a memory card slot feels a bit silly, especially when you consider that hi-res music files are often absolutely massive.
Sony NWZ-ZX1 Walkman verdict
We love it. We love the design and we love the sound. And its features are pretty decent, too.The problem is how niche it is. No-one’s buying dedicated MP3 players anymore because everyone’s using their smartphone as their portable music player, and you’re going to have to be seriously dedicated to the hi-res music cause to feel that it’s not only worth carrying around an extra portable and going the extra mile to find and download high-res music, but also worth spending an extra £550 on the privilege.
If you are that seriously dedicated, we applaud you, and we know you’ll love the way this pioneering Sony sounds. One day the rest of the world will catch up.
Focal Spirit Classic Review
France's solution for the hi-fi fan who wants a single pair of headphones to cover all occasions
We could review a new pair of headphones every single day and
never run out of models to test, so it takes something pretty special
for us to take notice. These Focals are pretty special.
The French company is aiming for the premium on-ear end of the headphone spectrum currently occupied by the likes of the excellent Sennheiser Momentums. Can the Sprit Classics compete?
The French company is aiming for the premium on-ear end of the headphone spectrum currently occupied by the likes of the excellent Sennheiser Momentums. Can the Sprit Classics compete?
Spirited Build
We’ve been stretching and bending the headband a fair bit, and although we’ve heard the odd, slightly worrying crack we’ve not managed to break it yet. We reckon these headphones will handle a commuting life well, and the bundled microfibre pouch will also keep them safe from scratches.
310g is far from lightweight, but your neck muscles are spared thanks to good distribution of the Focals’ mass. Just make sure you experiment with the fit a bit – we found loosening the headband a touch made them more comfortable without increasing the chances of them flying off during the regular bus-chase.
And while the likes of Beats tend to bash your eyeballs with colour at the same time they bash your ears with bass, Focal has gone a similar route to Sennheiser with a very tasteful, bronze metal finish. If you’re not an attention-craving footballer that should be just fine.
Connected ‘phones
Winner at home and away
But we think the portable performance is being downplayed. These are closed-back, so no-one’s going to hear the Bieber you’re secretly loving on the way to work, and the memory foam ear cups do a very good job of isolating the noise of your fellow commuters, too.
READ MORE: looking for a high-end portable music player to go with your high-end headphones?
This is a very hi-fi sound, but that’s as valid when out and about as it is in your stereo dungeon at home. It’s all about balance from top to bottom, really focused, detailed vocals, and dynamic swings from quiet to loud that really get the blood pumping.
What they don’t have is oodles of bass, but we’ll take overall balance, precision and fluidity over Beats-like ear carnage any day of the week.
Focal Spirit Classic verdict
If you’re after monster bass, you’re looking in the wrong place. You’re also missing out on large portions of your music as the low-end drowns out a whole bunch of the lovely mids and highs.
That’s what you’ll get back with the Focal Spirit Classics – a high-end pair of cans for the hi-fi fan who wants one pair of headphones that’s as happy at home as it is on the road.
So why do they not make it into our Top 10? Well, while the Sennheiser Momentums don’t sound any better than the Focals, they are a touch lighter, smaller and (to our eyes) more stylish, and we think that matters to enough people for them to just edge it in a head-to-head.
It’s a might close call, though, and home listeners in particular should definitely give the Focals a go.
Dash Smart Earphones
Dash Smart Earphones are amazing wireless earbuds that track your fitness, too
Cram technology in your lugholes: these headphones are an MP3 player, fitness tracker and Bluetooth headset all in one
So it's a set of in-ear headphones. Impress me.
The Dash earbuds are like something out of Star Trek. They're a set of wireless headphones that use Bluetooth 4.0 (with aptX) for streaming audio from your smartphone. And they pack 4GB of storage if you want to carry your music around without carting a phone about in your pocket. There's a touch-sensitive surface too, so you can control your music without faffing about with your phone.
Can I use them to make calls?
Yup – there's an ear bone microphone for making calls, and a transparent audio feature for when you need to hear what's going on around you; when you're cycling or running, for instance.
They're also a fitness tracker.
You heard us. The Dash tracks heart rate, oxygen saturation, pace, steps, cadence and distance, providing real-time feedback on your performance – and it doesn't need to be hooked up to your phone to do so. The Dash crams in an IR LED and optical sensor, 3-axis accelerometer, ambient mic and ear bone mic. And each bud contains a 100mAh battery, which should be good for three hours of use. And they're water resistant, too.
Blimey. Do they also make toast?
No, but they does pretty much everything else. This could be the wonder wearable we've been waiting for. The public thinks so too; Dash manufacturer Bragi has already raised US$412,000 on Kickstarter, blasting through its US$260,000 goal with 47 days still to go. And if you get in early, you can net yourself a bargain; they're expected to go on sale for US$300, but early bird backers can snap up a set for US$200.