Hi all, this is my first post here in the audiophiles forum. I'm a fan of Sony, started quite a bit of years ago when I got my first portable mp3 player. Can't remember the model. But it looks like a giant USB and metal silver, and the LED display was on directly on that metallic surface. I was blown away by the design and sound quality of it. Especially when I compared with someone else's MP3 player. That's when I started to appreciate sound quality. When the earphones went kaput, I got another similar pair for RM60 + (which is quite a big amount for me as a student and the most I've spent).

My subsequent Sony products:
1. The portable wireless over-ear mp3 player (1st generation) for sports. Again, unique and interesting design. But sound quality is just so-so.
2. sony xperia s.
3. MH1c. I actually got this cos I thought I lost the earphones that came with my xperia. But then I found it again later. It was after buying it that I saw many reviews praising it. I still can't tell if it's really amazing, but SQ it's quite good lah. The only thing I dislike is the cable and mic dragging it down.

Anyway, my main question is that I"m planning to get a nw-f886 player, mostly for listening at work (using an macbook pro) or while travelling/walking. The reason is I want an Internet capable player to stream from Music Unlimited at work. Does anyone know if the player also supports Ogg? I'm also planning to add my music library which is mostly in Ogg. If not I will convert them to 320 kbs mp3.

Questions:
1. Do you think the SQ of the f886 will be a big upgrade from my current mbp?
2. I heard the stock IEM that comes with it isn't so good. Any suggestions to pair with it? Is the MH1c good enough?
3. When does Sony Malaysia usually have sales on their audio products? Or is it totally unpredictable?

Thanks!

This post has been edited by jonoave: Feb 12 2014, 07:00 AM

Thanks for your reply. Thing is, I'm studying in Germany now. And the f886 cost 300 euros here. Plus apparently in EU there is a regulation on max volume from audio devices which some ppl claim can lead to sound distortion.

Sony Germany doesn't seem be as active as Sony Malaysia and don't really have lots of promotions.
I might be coming back end of the year, so I'm hoping there will be sale then. If they have promotion at other times, it might be a bit difficult for me.

As for headphones, I found out that I hate headphones (my ears feel really warm and uncomfortable after 20 minutes), and I don't like the grip of the headphone. So I only use earphones. The Sony PFR-V1 looks interesting, but some reviews mentioned issues with fit and comfort, and I'm very wary of that. Maybe I might reconsider later.

And yes, I'd like to hear your impressions of PFR-V1. Some say that the XBA-H3 is great to pair with the f886 (hi-res audio).
1. How would you compare between them?
2. How's the fit and comfort of it, especially for long periods? I'm wary of something that clamps onto the side of your head.. (I think i have a big head..hahaha).

Edit, never mind. I just realised the PFR-V1 has a distance between your ears and the phones. I plan to use this in the office, and it would be distracting to other ppl around me and myself since i will hear ppl talking and other noises around me.

This post has been edited by jonoave: Feb 15 2014, 08:17 PM

I know! Regret I didn't think of buying portable media player when I went back last time. Only last week started to think I want to get a player.

Yeah, I think so. Actually last week I was googling around and found the f805, that looked decent enough. But then when I went to sony website it's not available anymore, and it seems to be discontinued and replaced with 886.

If I had thought of getting a player last time I would have gotten the 805, I wanted a player with internet capabilities.

The next time I'm going back to Malaysia is probably in December..

Thanks for your reply.



I know! Thing is, the next time I'm coming back to Malaysia is likely end of the year. Not sure if I can hold out on the f886 for so long (RM999 vs 300 euros)

I'm thinking maybe I could get the walkman first over here, and then when I'm back in Malaysia I could pick up the xba-h3 (RM999 vs 305 euros again..). Though I'm still not sure whether I can afford to spend so much....

Well i haven't tried out the H3 yet, so I'm not sure how it'll sound like. I just read reviews that makes it seems quite good. Considering that the H3 is supposed to be designed for "hi-res audio", which complements the "hi-res audio" design of the f886.

That's why i'm thinking of picking that up from Amazon actually to try it out. If I'm not happy with the signature sound of H3, I can return it within 30 days.

Unfortunately I'm not really much of an audiophile so I don't know how the EX series sounds like. I wish I could try them out, again unless I ordered them all from amazon and return the ones I don't like.

What european IEMs do you recommend? Well personally I'm more of a Sony fan so I try to stick to sony gear.

This post has been edited by jonoave: Feb 23 2014, 07:15 PM

I see. Well, I guess since I'm a noob to this, I just try to follow the recommended label and guidelines by the manufacturer.
But again, since sound preference is subjective, someone could prefer other "regular" headphones compared to a "hi-res audio" one.

I just wish there was a way to test them out before buying.

Maybe I didn't clarify properly. While I do care a bit about sound quality and an audiophile noob, I don't intent to really invest too much time, effort and money such as accumulating gear and meeting up with others.

For me, if I can get a decent gear at decent price that suits my preference, I'm happy.

I've already checked out head-fi, when looking for reviews on sony stuff. But I'm not too interested in the other brands and the level of detail they put into them.

Thanks for your advice though.

Sorry if my last post was misleading, but I completely believe you! I was just explaining why I thought of going with the h3 just from the reviews and I thought from the manufacturer's guidelines. And people can still like completely different things!

Personally, I'm a sony fan myself so I like to stick to sony gear. I do agree with the post-purchase disorder thing, I bought the mh1c and after trying it for a while thought it was ok. But then I saw the reviews on headfi saying how awesome it is, and I was like really?. So I tried it again, readjusted the fit and everything and now it sounds a bit better (in my mind. ) but still probably not to the levels that the folks at headfi is praising over. Or maybe it's because my song source quality isn't that great in the first place.

I have read some ppl say they don't like H1, and H3 is much better. But then there are still ppl who like H1. That's why I thought maybe if I could compare between the different models (maybe even including the EX800 that you posted) then I would get an idea of what they sound like and what I like or don't like. I have read some stuff over on head-fi, but I find that there's too much detail etc and mention of other brands that I'm not interested in.

These are my preferences that I can think of for now:
1. Comfort - important. That's why I don't do headphones, only earphones. Can't stand the clamp and warmth in my ears.
2. Songs, mostly pop, R&B, bit of nu-metal rock ala Linkin Park. Occasionally instruments e.g. soundtracks.
3. Budget: well around RM500. (H3 was really pushing it for me. )

Ok, thanks. I will try them out. Unfortunately afaik where I am there isn't any big store or lifestyle stores where I can try them out. So I guess I'll have to look at reviews.

Hm.. thanks for your insight. Actually I always thought of myself as someone who don't like heavy bass, but just a bit. That's because I've been in cars with extra boomy stereos that just go "thump, thump" and I can barely make out the vocals and instruments, and i hated that. However, I do like a bit of bass especially if I'm listening to songs by britney or some other pop dance songs, then some bass is nice. Or some hip-hop and R&B. But if I"m listening to ballads, live, or instruments, then vocal and instrument clarity is preferable. Especially if I can make out the piano or strings clearly and strongly. So I dunno, I actually think I prefer a neutral sound? Lol .. but it's hard to tell what I like or not unless I can try out different songs on different earphones and see what I like.

I actually do have a pair of headphones, which I regretted buying now. It made me realise that I head headphones, as after 15 minutes I feel uncomfortable already. It's not a bad fit of headphones either, it's very light and it's not too thick padded/cushy. I don't know how ppl can wear headphones for so hours, and I even seen a colleague wear headphones while wearing a beanie!

Unless I start hoarding differrent earphones for different types of songs.. but I really don't want to go down that road. And besides, I like to switch around what I want to listen to on a whim.

This post has been edited by jonoave: Feb 24 2014, 01:01 AM

Yep, i'll try that! I'll post some updates later.. after I made up my mind..

Well Amazon here has a nice 30-day return policy if you're not satisfied with the item. I have just returned an electornic equipment around 200 euros, turns out it didn't work with my current equipment model. It was hassle-free and I got the refund within a day. So one way could be to order some headphones and then return those I don't like.

I also tried looking up the Sony Germany website and apparently I can try to order through the Sony Education store since I'm a student and they offer up to 20% discount on certain items and 30-day return policy (I think should be the same as amazon, but I'll need to double check).
1. NWZ-f886 is listed at 329 euros compared to sony malaysia at RM999. Unfortunately this item was not available for sale in the Education store, they mostly discount the older walkman models. It's up for 299 euros on Amazon though, so if I can't wait till end of the year to get it when I'm in Malaysia then I might get it from Amazon.
2 The XBA-H1 is listed as 99 euros on the official sony website, and in the Education section they're available for 90 euros. That's quite a nice deal compared to the RM499 listed on Sony Malaysia. I'm highly tempted to grab this as most reviews have stated that the H1 seems to be the most neutral-sounding one compared to H3 which can be a bit bassy.

It's available for sale now in Germany for 698 euros (> RM 2.8k).

Unfortunately I have not seen it in stores, only the f886.

Ok now I'm back to being confused again..

Woot! I've been waiting for a while thinking/hoping this would come and it finally did!

There is a 20% discount now on all Walkman till end of March, thanks to the Xperia Priviledge app that is available for Xperia phones. That pushes the prices from 329 euros to 263 euros on the official Sony store.

And just in time for my birthday next month too!

Haha.. Lol jalaluding hasan

I'm definitely getting the walkman for now. As for the earphones, I'll ponder on that for a bit longer while i use the default ones that come with it.

I was initially favouring the H1, but then Lego Warfare said it was bassier than H3.
So i think would wait for a sale (hopefully not too long a wait) on earphones first and grabbed both to try them out, and return the one I don't like.

Just got my f886 yesterday night.

Photos and review to come!

Can I ask why did you get 2 units? And how much did the delivery/postage cost? Are there additional customs/tax fees?

My recently purchased NWZ-F886 is also Made in Malaysia (bought in Germany). So was the wireless walkman for sports that I bought in Malaysia a a few years ago.

Anyway, on to my impression of the NWZ-F886 that I just bought as an early birthday gift for myself.

I was pondering a while on when I should get it, hoping for a sale or discount. I was excited when the price on Amazon dropped to 269 euros, but then a few days later it went back up to 279 euros. Guess it was nationwide cut, as the price at the Saturn electronic store also dropped down to 279 euros. And then the promotion for Xperia privilege (app on Sony Xperia phones) was 20% off all Walkman. So I ordered it from the official Sony online store (329 euros) and paid 263 euros for it.

Pictures of it.


There were no official cases, only a few available options from amazon which is either silicone based or leather based. Not a fan of the leather, so I got the silicone. Now a bit regret as it doesn't seem to be rugged enough if I put in my back. And the silicone does feel cheap and has a rubbery smell.



My impressions:
Interface: Nothing special, standard android stuff. I already have an Xperia S, so the interface was very familar to me. The music player app on this Walkman device is slightly different and has more features than the Walkman app (music player app) on Xperia mobile phones. It is packed with more features that allow album view, current song view, and song details view by swiping to the left or right.

Another difference is that the sound settings seem to apply globally, not just output from the music player app. The sound settings like DSEE, Clear Phase, Clear Stereo etc works with songs that were played from Music Unlimited app. The hard keys (rewind, play/pause, forward) also works with Music Unlimited. I'm not sure whether this features also works with other apps, but it's nice that they work with Music Unlimited app too.

Sound (as a non-audiophile)
The headphones provided (no model specified) seems to be quite good, if slightly bassy. Comparing it with my MH1c, it seems more spacious and roomy, and bassy as well. I tried using the noise-cancelling feature, I guess it does reduce the ambience sound a bit but not completely.

As for sound quality of the device, I tried it with some songs I uploaded (256 kbps Amazon MP3s). the bass was very strong and boomy. I found out later that this was due to the Clear Phase feature that claims to tighten the bass and make the mids and lows louder. It was nice for a while, but with the boomy bass it can get fatigue quickly. And after turning it off then you realise the slight unnatural-ness of the boom. So nowadays I don't use the Clear Phase feature so often, but it's a nice option to have. The DSEE feature which claims to restore the sound quality from compressed audio files, well I can't really tell it's effect. Maybe because my music files are already in decent 256 kbp MP3 or streaming from Music Unlimited, it is supposed to be 320 kbp AAC.

I was not initially blown away by the sound, although it does seem slightly clearer and spacious (I guess in audiophile lingo, this would be soundstage). The vocals and beats seem to come more from the middle rather than from below, which is nice. However, after putting it down and going back to my macbook, that's where I suddenly find the the audio quality from my macbook to be terrible: harsh, sibilant, and very controlled. Has it always been like that and I just never noticed it before? I think maybe it's just my brain adapting to the new sound and now the old audio seems to be much worse than I recalled.
Battery life:
This is a bit tricky. Seems decent and can last maybe a while day of non-stop playing you play directly from the music player app and don't fiddle too much with the screen. Also turn off Wif and other app syncing options. I'm still a bit skeptical that it will reach the 35 hours of battery life that Sony claims.

With Wifi, battery drains very quickly.Like 1 percent every 2 minutes or so. This is a problem for me if I'm streaming from Music Unlimited, as high quality audio (320 AAC) is only offered by streaming and not offline audio.

Summary:
a. Pros: Well-build device, feels great, good sound quality, good interface. Battery life to me, it's just so-so. Whether it is worth the price, maybe other audiophiles will think differently as they have used many players. Coming from a direct plug into my laptop, this is a good step up.

b. Cons:
i. No support for OGG. Most of my music files that are ripped from CDs are stored as ogg by default. I'm a bit disappointed that Sony doesn't support open source stuff, which I tried to do. I guess I'll have to convert them to MP3s. Or find another music player from the Play Store. But I'll have to see if the sound features and hard buttons work with a non-native player.

ii. Music Unlimited. I tried Music Unlimited a few months ago as it was on a promotion, and decided to make the switch from Google All Access. Since I already had a Xperia phone and getting a Sony Walkman, moving into the Sony ecosystem seems to be a good idea. But now I find that Wifi is a big drain on the Walkman battery when I stream it at work. Unless I keep it plugged in at all times and I worry about the battery life in the long run if I keep it charged often. And being plugged in also reduces the portability of the Walkman.

So after some googling, I found out that there is an option for high quality audio for offline playback when using Music Unlimited. However, this feature is only available for Android 4.3 above in Xperia phonss where they integrate this Music Unlimited feature in the Walkman app. My Xperia S is only 4.1.2 so it doesn't have this feature as well. It annoys me greatly that a feature to allow high quality offline audio is made available to mobile phones that run the Walkman app, rather than the actual Walkman players that are designed to provide high quality audio. mad.gif I wrote a feedback email to Music Unlimited, and I got a standard reply email thanking my feedback and saying the engineers are working on it, so I really hope there is a firmware update that provides this feature. (Hmm, maybe I should write an email to ask for OGG support too).

This post has been edited by jonoave: Mar 24 2014, 01:30 AM