[ad_1]
The Sony NWZ-ZX2 audiophile player is the standard of the Japanese brand in terms of Walkman. With the Astell & Kern AK120/240 and Cowon Plenue 1, it is indisputably in the top three of the best readers.
On paper, this Sony NWZ-ZX2 impressed ! High-end components, advanced technical solutions, renowned in-house technologies… We couldn’t wait to get our hands on this audiophile player heralded as the best of its kind.
Manufacturing
Upon unpacking, you can clearly feel that sony put the package. The walkman still weighs 235 grams, and we appreciate the quality of materials used, from the glass that covers the screen, to the aluminum frame. The connection is also of excellent quality, and we appreciate the robustness of the gold-plated mini-jack. Like its competitors from Astell & Kern or Cowon, the portable Sony NWZ-ZX2 therefore displays a very neat finish, and a beautiful construction.
Main duties
With compatibility DSD 2.8/5.6MHz and support for the best audio formats up to 24/192 (WAV, FLAC, ALAC…) this audiophile player Sony ZX2 will delight in your entire digital audio collection. Compressed files benefit from the improvement process DSEE HX, which it must be said, brings a nice gain in detail. Exploiting the OS Android 4.2 associated with a processor Dual Core, this walkman is also capable, incidentally, of reading videos and Pictures !
Key components
The excellent sound of this walkman is based on the component quality accommodated by the motherboard. the DAC 24/192 is assisted by separate clock oscillators for multiples of 44.1 and 48kHz. The capacitors selected are of the highest grade (dual layer, OS-CON…), and the digital amplification circuit S-MASTER HX, with its oversized spool, is one of the best of its kind. Even the Li-ion battery has been the subject of special attention because of its influence on the bass and treble. OFC wiring and 99.99% pure solder.
Connected player
the Sony NWZ-ZX2 is equipped with a nice touch screen Triluminos of 10 cm, which allows easy navigation in the menus. Connected in Wireless, this player can access Google Play to allow you to download apps, just like you would with your smartphone. This wireless connectivity also allows it to broadcast the files it contains on devices connected to the same network (an amplifier DLNA for example). We also appreciate the integration of Bluetooth, here boosted with technology LDAC (3x higher speed than ordinary bluetooth).
Storage and autonomy
At the storage level, sony opts for an internal memory of 128 GB, which corresponds to approximately 800 files encoded in FLAC 24/96 format. This memory can be doubled by simply adding a MicroSD card optional! This brings us to 1600 files, or 80 hours of music. The Li-ion battery fully recharges in less than 5 hours, and is advertised for 33 hours of battery life with high-resolution files (60 hours with MP3s). Attention, with the Wi-Fi activated, the autonomy decreases quickly!
Audio quality
No need to go there by four paths: the sound qualities of this audiophile player Sony NWZ-ZX2 are absolutely exceptional. Combined with Grado SR325 headphones and Sutdio Master files in FLAC 24/96, the sensations obtained are close to those of a monitoring system. Speed, transparency, precision, clarity, relief, placement of instruments… Everything is perfectly orchestrated, and every tiny nuance is transcribed with perfect intelligibility.
This Sony ZX2 unquestionably rises to the level of the best DAPs of the moment (Astell & Kern AK240, AK120 II, Cowon Plenue 1…). For listen and compare these 4 references, a single address in France: the BHson boutique in Paris!
[ad_2]