Hey Afterdawners (specifically Walkman owners), I've done some research and decided to ditch buying iPOD 4th Gen and go for the superior Walkman. However, I'm stuck on deciding between 2 models; the NWZ S738F ($229AU) or the NWZ E438F ($179AU). The S738 has an in-built noise cancelling feature, which I think is the reason why its $50 extra, but is it worth it? Would the noise cancellation work on my Sennheisers? Do both models have the same sound quality? I'm just interested in music quality, not extra features, though it would be nice.
Most if not all mp3 plays have the same quality, which is very high. If you buy some good ear phones and play some HiFi tunes on your ipod you would be surprised. The quality will be exceptional.
Yea thanks Mez, well all the reviews support Sony's sound quality. So I've ended buying the NWZ A728, which is known for its sound quality. Well I must say the sound quality is clear, but I'm not sure how clear as I havn't compared it with anything yet. 320 Bit-rate does make a diffrence, and the in built 5-band equalizer is a great way to increase listening quality. I didn't find that the DSE Engine, Dynamic Normalizer, Clear Stereo or any other audio features seem to increase quality besides for the equalizer and Clear Bass. So I'm beginning to think I've fallen for some kind of advertisement scheme. However, it's very simple to use with the limited features (not sure if that's a good thing for some), looks great and most importantly my Sennheiser HD 202s work great on them. P.S The headphones provided by Sony are also magnificent, I think the jack is gold-plated; so conductivity is at its maximum. A very satisfying bonus with the purchase.
Converting digital to sound is old thechnology now. Even the cheapest chipod can delived low volume hifi. What costs the most is amplification without defects the next is converting the analog power to sound. I suspect haveing gold plated plugs does not indicate quality but the lack does indicate a lack of quality. I suggest you do an experiment. Try playing the ipod using the new plugs. I bet you will find they sound about the same. Probably the Sony will deliver a bit more volume. There are good reasons to drop an ipod, quality is not one of them. For reasons I can't figure Apple sells low quality ear buds at a wide range of prices. Even the 200 UDS plugs are not very good but the connections are gold plated.
AWWW!!! Now you made me regret buying that Walkman, I could of bought a cheaper model that had FM Radio. Now I'm missing out on the Hamish and Andy Show (Australian Comedy Radio Hosts). I guess you're right, the Walkman isn't all I hoped it to be. Either that or the Sennheisers are playing up on me. Alwell, it's too late now. However, I'm doing an electrical pre-apprenticeship right now. So I'm gonna get familiar with circuitry, maybe I can build myself one of those DIY headphone Amps; I forgot what they were called but Wiki has info on it.
The problem with the cheaper models are many are true junk (Chipods). Chipods are made to be bought then thrown away. My 10 yr old son has a $9 Chipod because he will probably lose it before it breaks. I suspect Chipods still have great sound. Sansa makes a cheap but superior mp3 player. Sony make a superior but not cheap product.
