[IMG]http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/AM-BE356_WALKBA_G_20140720194504.jpg[/IMG]
[url]http://online.wsj.com/articles/sonys-walkman-makes-comeback-1405896826[/url]
[QUOTE]TOKYO—Thirty five years after its debut, Sony's Walkman is enjoying a little comeback.
But while the original cassette player of 1979 heralded the age of mass-market, portable music, the new $700 Walkman is aimed at premium buyers, as technological advances help more audio-on-the go users head upscale.
The ZX1, as Sony's gadget is called, is in many ways the antithesis of Apple's slender iPod, and the Walkman's own svelte predecessors. It has a heavy, bulky body that houses 128 gigabytes of storage for ultra-high-quality music files. Sony says each ZX1 is manually carved from a block of expensive aluminum, which helps reduce noise.[/QUOTE]
Prepare for MGS nostalgia.
I'd totally get one of these if Apple didn't have my balls in a death grip.
I'm keeping my 2006 iPod video 80GB for the time being, but maybe something like this is what I'll replace it with. Sony has always been pretty good at making nice hardware.
If I could have a simple, highly durable, highly reliable MP3 player that'd last 20 years put in the case of an old Walkman I'd be all over it. And given how ridiculously good we are as a society at miniaturization that huge-ass case could hold a battery with enough power to start my damn lawnmower, so hello 5 days straight of listening between charges. Could even be super clever and hide the touchscreen beneath the cassette door!
Sadly they're not doing that, it's just another "Oh this isn't a smartphone it's an mp3 player" package. Oh well. Still, good on 'em and I hope they kick the iPod off the top spot.
[QUOTE=TestECull;45454566]If I could have a simple, highly durable, highly reliable MP3 player that'd last 20 years put in the case of an old Walkman I'd be all over it. And given how ridiculously good we are as a society at miniaturization that huge-ass case could hold a battery with enough power to start my damn lawnmower, so hello 5 days straight of listening between charges. Could even be super clever and hide the touchscreen beneath the cassette door!
Sadly they're not doing that, it's just another "Oh this isn't a smartphone it's an mp3 player" package. Oh well. Still, good on 'em and I hope they kick the iPod off the top spot.[/QUOTE]
This guy, this guy right here.
[img]http://images1.opticsplanet.com/755-405-ffffff/opplanet-iriver-america-ifp-195t-512-mb-flash-mp3-player.jpg[/img]
This motherfucker has lasted ages. I got it this thing 10 years ago and it's a fucking trooper. It has 512mb and lasts years on a single battery charge. Like, no kidding. I had lost this thing for about a year and couldn't find it, then one day I decided to clean out my backpack and it was at the very bottom underneath a bunch of paper. And guess what, it turned on with the same charge it had before. Even without loosing it the charge would last for weeks with general use (maybe i'm a bit shrouded but I swear I remember it like this). I loved this little thing..
[IMG]http://puu.sh/akLme/8937750f95.jpg[/IMG]
I still have this Walkman, and it's absolutely fantastic. I may not be a fan of Sony computers and cellphones, but I ADORE their Walkman line of products.
I thought from the title they were making a new tape player and got excited because I really need a new portable cassette player.
I'd just like more WAV support in general.
[QUOTE=lazyguy;45454735]I'd just like more WAV support in general.[/QUOTE]
Almost everything supports wav. If anything, support for flac should go up.
[QUOTE=TestECull;45454566]If I could have a simple, highly durable, highly reliable MP3 player that'd last 20 years put in the case of an old Walkman I'd be all over it. And given how ridiculously good we are as a society at miniaturization that huge-ass case could hold a battery with enough power to start my damn lawnmower, so hello 5 days straight of listening between charges. Could even be super clever and hide the touchscreen beneath the cassette door!
Sadly they're not doing that, it's just another "Oh this isn't a smartphone it's an mp3 player" package. Oh well. Still, good on 'em and I hope they kick the iPod off the top spot.[/QUOTE]
For $700, though, I have a feeling that it's a bit more than a "smartphone in an mp3 player" package.
People do spend hundreds of dollars on quality headphone amps and DACs and Sony does make a good smartphone for around that price (but much thinner), so chances are there's some good audio hardware packed behind that bulky exterior.
From Sony's specsheets and Head-Fi, the ZX1 seems to come built-in with Sony's proprietary "S-Master HX" digital headphone amp which outputs pretty decent sound according to reviews, for example.
It looks pretty much to be marketed at audiophiles and not much else.
[QUOTE=splenda;45454760]If anything, support for flac should go up.[/QUOTE]
This. Lack of FLAC support on mp3 players is something that astonishes me.
320 kbps mp3's are fine until you have to convert 10h+ of music stored in FLAC.
finally, audio players with some fidelity.
As a proponent of heavy and bulky handheld electronics this pleases me greatly.
Whoever says 320kbps MP3 isn't enough for them and then wears Beats or any other portable headphones is laughable.
[QUOTE=Amiga OS;45454995]FLAC and ATH-M50 masterrace, 64Gb SDcard + the 16Gb of internal storage in my phone is doing me very well.[/QUOTE]
Well yes if you want FLAC then I don't know why not just use a phone. Teeny meeny MP3 players won't push the quality anyway.
[QUOTE=surfur;45454624]This guy, this guy right here.
[img]http://images1.opticsplanet.com/755-405-ffffff/opplanet-iriver-america-ifp-195t-512-mb-flash-mp3-player.jpg[/img]
This motherfucker has lasted ages. I got it this thing 10 years ago and it's a fucking trooper. It has 512mb and lasts years on a single battery charge. Like, no kidding. I had lost this thing for about a year and couldn't find it, then one day I decided to clean out my backpack and it was at the very bottom underneath a bunch of paper. And guess what, it turned on with the same charge it had before. Even without loosing it the charge would last for weeks with general use (maybe i'm a bit shrouded but I swear I remember it like this). I loved this little thing..[/QUOTE]
Creative made some pretty good MP3 players back in the day. Really did, I had a creative zen vision M and the one you just posted. Both great products, but I've switched to Ipod 120gb Classic along time ago and been using that for ages.
[editline]21st July 2014[/editline]
[QUOTE=fruxodaily;45454645][IMG]http://www.sony.com.au/product/resources/en_AU/images/Overview/PA/walkman/ZX1/image/original_master_sound.jpg[/IMG]
amazing[/QUOTE]
Wouldn't it make more sense to call it High fidelity?
my current ipod touch that i got for christmas 6 years ago seems to be finally kicking the bucket. every pair of headphones i buy won't work with it or last very long.
but $700? jesus that's a lot.
[QUOTE=surfur;45454624]This guy, this guy right here.
[img]http://images1.opticsplanet.com/755-405-ffffff/opplanet-iriver-america-ifp-195t-512-mb-flash-mp3-player.jpg[/img]
This motherfucker has lasted ages. I got it this thing 10 years ago and it's a fucking trooper. It has 512mb and lasts years on a single battery charge. Like, no kidding. I had lost this thing for about a year and couldn't find it, then one day I decided to clean out my backpack and it was at the very bottom underneath a bunch of paper. And guess what, it turned on with the same charge it had before. Even without loosing it the charge would last for weeks with general use (maybe i'm a bit shrouded but I swear I remember it like this). I loved this little thing..[/QUOTE]
What's it run on? Uranium?
[QUOTE=J!NX;45455165]What's it run on? Uranium?[/QUOTE]
Hm, that might explain a few things then..
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/xBhi7MD.jpg[/IMG]
Call me a hipster but I kinda miss the old blocky designs. I would probably get fed up with their clunkiness but I just like that, how should I say, "technology" kind of look. Nowadays everything has to be flat and glossy.
[QUOTE=buro;45455280][IMG]http://www.walkman-archive.com/wa/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/SONY-Walkman-WM-D6C-Boxed-vender-08.jpg[/IMG]
Call me a hipster but I kinda miss the old blocky designs. I would probably get fed up with their clunkiness but I just like that, how should I say, "technology" kind of look. Nowadays everything has to be flat and glossy.[/QUOTE]
To be honest, I hated it when they started introducing glossy shit. I love matte finish products because it tends to show wear and tear less, which also made it easier to re-sell. Now you'd have to use these glossy things with kid gloves in a dust free room if you want to have it looking nice after a while.
[QUOTE=buro;45455280][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/xBhi7MD.jpg[/IMG]
Call me a hipster but I kinda miss the old blocky designs. I would probably get fed up with their clunkiness but I just like that, how should I say, "technology" kind of look. Nowadays everything has to be flat and glossy.[/QUOTE]
I have that exact model sitting in a box in the other room.
Ehhh.
I'll stick to using my phone as an audio player.
I just use my phone :I
[QUOTE=Masterofstars;45455390]I just use my phone :I[/QUOTE]I'm thinking of getting a dedicated MP3 player, even though i've got a phone with a 32gb SD card; I [I]still[/I] get this fucking irritating duplicating playlist bug, despite 2 WP8 updates claiming to fix it.
The LG G3 does this for cheaper while also being a QHD smartphone. This thing is outrageously overpriced and anyone who buys it is a moron.
[QUOTE=Sgt Doom;45455404]I'm thinking of getting a dedicated MP3 player, even though i've got a phone with a 32gb SD card; I [I]still[/I] get this fucking irritating duplicating playlist bug, despite 2 WP8 updates claiming to fix it.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, had the same problem with my WP8.
That's why I moved to Android. It's not perfect for audio, but the fact that there are many music players to choose from makes it awesome.
I don't think it can compete with smartphones, which is why I reckon they should design an Xperia fully geared towards music. Physical controls out the ass, two outputs, a good built-in amp, and a decent amount of storage.
People just don't want to carry a second device that can do a thing "a bit better" than their phone. Even for audiophiles I imagine this would be a tough buy when [URL="https://teksyndicate.com/videos/hifiman-hm-700-re-400b-ear-monitor-balanced-portable-audio-player"]HifiMAN's[/URL] stuff exists, unless you really need your MP3 player to double as a half-TB portable drive.
[QUOTE=Amiga OS;45456253]That kind of design is so refreshing after being bombarded with glossy HP laptops that look half melted and Samsung phones that look like glossy amorphous blobs with fingernails for buttons.[/QUOTE]
Pure function, no room for fancy pants design language. It was designed to be used and not necessarily to be [I]seen[/I] which is why I think they look so good now.
On a side note, the only problem I have with individual sound devices (like iPods and the like) is that I tend to miss a lot of phone calls because of it, which is why I use my phone now. Anyone found a way around this which isn't turn the volume down or set the vibrate mode to "blow your cock off when the phone rings"?
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