joplin Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 I currently own the Onkyo MD133/Sony MZ-RH1 and I'm very interested in getting the new SONY NWZ-X1060(32G) to be released soon or the latest IPOD TOUCH 32g.I want to end up with really good sound in the end with CD quality. My music source is all on CD right now.I need to know a few things.,1/ Between the Sony NWZ-X1060 and the latest Ipod touch which is the better unit sound wise and why?2/ What is the best format to record in and how do I go about it?(I'm assuming my music has to be all uploaded to my PC?)3/ How does the sound of the above Onkyo MD133 & Sony MZ-RH1 MD compare to the Itouch/Sony NWZ-X1060?I realize the MD produces great sound but I don't like the idea of carrying around a bunch of MDsRight now I'm more interested in the Sony NWZ-X1060 because it seems to be a lot better in the spec's dept compared to the Itouch which looks really nice and can do a lot of different things. But is it the best when it comes right down to the music? Its music not a bunch of games/apps that I'm in to. PERIOD!!!!!I'm not trying to start a war about different recording formats I'm just looking for your honest opinions. I'm not into all this technical jargon. Keep it plain and simple.Look forward to what you have to say.Greg Joplin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShriDurga Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 The one with the best sound, the most meaningful measurement, is that one that sounds best to your ears. Plain and simple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joplin Posted March 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 The one with the best sound, the most meaningful measurement, is that one that sounds best to your ears. Plain and simple.I know this is true in the perfect world I would buy both units and a great set of earbuds and go home and try them. I'm not Bill Gates.So this is my way!!!!Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShriDurga Posted March 19, 2009 Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 Are these discontinued models?Do you have a retailer nearby where you can compare?My apologies if the answer to either is no. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joplin Posted March 19, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2009 Are these discontinued models?Do you have a retailer nearby where you can compare?My apologies if the answer to either is no.The Sony is new and the Ipod Touch is now available.. The problem is when you go into a store you can't just try expensive ear buds and most stores won't have both products.. So now in regard to sound I want input in regard to Sound formats from these units and how they differ and which is best.Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmp64 Posted March 21, 2009 Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 I currently own the Onkyo MD133/Sony MZ-RH1 and I'm very interested in getting the new SONY NWZ-X1060(32G) to be released soon or the latest IPOD TOUCH 32g.II have a lot of iPods, and I have a lot of Sony stuff, and I've never heard an iPod that could touch (no pun intended) any of my Sonys. Except maybe the NW-S23. That didn't sound that great. I don't have a Touch, but from what I've read, they aren't known for great sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trott3r Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 The iTouch has a Cirrus Logic DAC; not very highly regarded by audiophiles; the Wolfson present on the 5 & 5.5G iPod Video was much better.If you really will only choose between those to, I'd go for the Sony.But if you want my best recommendation, get a refurbished 5.5G iPod Video, get its HDD upgraded to 240GB via RapidRepair, put .alac on it and you have a great sounding player with compatibility with numerous Hi-Fi docks and car interfaces.I seem to remember on some of the email groups I am a member of, that the first ipod was the best sounding of apples output.Its apparently declined with time presumably due to cutting costs to fit more featuresand capacity to hold off its rivals. Specifically its the headphone amp/stage thats being going down in quality allegedly.Martin N Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kino170878 Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 Dude you're writing iPod and Sony in the same sentence, urgh. An iPod sounds like an old radio wrapped in tin foil. Stick to Sony if you want the best sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky191 Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 Funny on Head Fi most people thing the current 2 generation (2G) iPod Touch sounds very good. That people are writing it off with out having heard it, or making any distinction between which generation they are talking about, says it all really. I don't think anyone is heard the Sony NWZ-X1060 yet so I'd wait to see. That said I think its safe to safe its going to sound decent. Personally I have a Sony A818 and it sounds better to me than my NH700 HiMD, but with a bit more hiss. When I say better. Sometimes better on some devices can sound too clinicial, and I generally prefer the warmer Sony sound. I liked my NH700, but I don't use it now the A818 is just far handier to use and sound slightly better to me. My favorite MD's were the older Sharp units myself. If you're not interested in the PDA/Computer side of the iPod Touch you really are losing a lot of the reasons to get one. The Sony will come with half decent earphones too. I'm a bit wary of touch screens other than Apples as they aren't as sensitive and thus harder to use. So it were me I'd try the Sony before deciding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kino170878 Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 (edited) 5th and 5th "enhanced" (5.5) specifically only, with the Wolfson Microelectronics WM8758 DAC. It went down from then on .Primal iPod bashing gets you nowhere. Have you ever tried lossless on an iPod, let alone a 5/5.5G iPod Video? And with decent ear/headphones / Hi-Fi rig, not with the stock Apple earbuds? Well, you wouldn't use Sony's stock earbuds with one of their devices either, really...The iTouch probably doesn't sound half bad at all indeed, just if Apple would have stayed with WM for their DAC chip, it probably would have been best.True that the Sony sound signature is that of a slightly warmer coloring, but it is always a question of what ear/headphones you pair with what device, and how much you need to change settings in the graphic equalizer.Admittedly it has been a while since I last listened to an iPod. Going by what most iPod owners themselves say though, they also feel like throwing it against a hard surface sooner or later. Especially after listening to a Sony device I would say in any case that the plain and simple fact of the matter is that the Sony sound exceeds that of the iPod, even from a compressed sound source. Pinning your hopes on lossless audio on the device doesn't always guarantee the best listening experience. There are many factors to consider and a manufacturer will usually decide to focus more on some areas while neglecting others. I cannot follow a company that sacrifices on sound, therefore I will almost always choose Sony. On the other hand, if by some incredible chance a super version of an iPod finally comes out that matches the Sony on the sound front, I will immediately jump ship and buy it believe me. It's all about the sound, that's the most important thing I am sure you'll agree. Edited March 22, 2009 by kino170878 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky191 Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 I think I'd choose to believe those who actually have listened to these units and can make a valid comparison. http://www.head-fi.org/forums/f15/ipod-tou...ressive-408270/No one has heard the new Sony's yet. I'm sure they'll have great sound, and the Sony signature sound too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobt Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 Ultimately it boils down to taste, the only way to truly answer the question is a double blind in very controlled circumstances, in the real world if you think it's going to sound like crap, it will, and vice versa. An ipod with lossless will likely sound better than an N707 on LP4. Has anyone here put the same material in the same bitrate on lets say an RH1 and a touch or 8 gb ipod and the same phones? Personally I can't be bothered, to me what the pod excels at is mass storage, MD wins face down for execution. They are two very different boats doing two different things.Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky191 Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 (edited) A lot would depend on which MD, and which iPod. unless you're being specific, its just rambling gibberish. Anyway its doesn't really matter. Choose what you like, not what other people like. Satisfy your own ears.Why not wait until the SONY NWZ-X1060 is released before deciding? Personally I prefer players with decent buttons. Edited March 22, 2009 by Sparky191 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sony_Fan Posted March 23, 2009 Report Share Posted March 23, 2009 The sound quality of any music player depends on:1.) The format of the music2.) The bitrate of the music3.) The quality of the earphones4.) The amplifier/sound reproduction of the unit (equalizers, bass boost, dynamic sound)My suggestion, find an MP3 player with plenty of storage and that has a bass enhancing feature. Get some good earphones, and download all your music in 256 kbps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmp64 Posted March 23, 2009 Report Share Posted March 23, 2009 I liked my NH700, but I don't use it now the A818 is just far handier to use and sound slightly better to me.Yes, the new Sony's do sound very good - at least the ones, like the A818/816 that have all of the various sound tweaking doodads (and I don't mean "Live," "Hall," etc.). I have the A816 - I've done a lot of comparison between it and my various MDs and the NW-HD1. Granted, it's a bit apples and oranges - but I would definitely put my A816 playing a well-encoded VBR MP3 in the same ballpark with HiSP on the NH1. But that's just me. As far as the Touch, I was basing my comments on things I've been told from people I trust, and reading lots of posts and reviews. I will say that my 1st Gen Nano does not sound bad - I have to run it w/ no EQ because I don't like the Apple EQ - so it sounds very clean, if that makes sense. It certainly does not sound like an AM radio or whatever someone said. It just doesn't sound as good as my Sony's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky191 Posted March 23, 2009 Report Share Posted March 23, 2009 Links are wonderful things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpteasy Posted March 23, 2009 Report Share Posted March 23, 2009 Hi,i have old Sony MD units, a HiMD unit, Sony's older Network Walkmans including the NW-A800 series and the newer NWZ-A818. I also have the iPod Touch 1G.I found with the NWZ-A818 and iPod Touch that I need to use a higher bitrate to enjoy the sound. As with all my previous Sony's the NWZ-A818 gives a really nice sound and its presets work properly. My Touch however, is good at the higher bit rate, but don't dare to use the presets.The Sony's earphones are amazing and I use for all my players. I believe in the Sony shop they are worth £40.00.I started with mp3 at 256kps, but I have restarted and i am now recording my CDs at AAC 192kps.An honest recommendation is the Sony for its sound, accessories i.e. free earphones, buttons for use when you can't see it e.g. in your pocket, cost and portability. Plus Media Manager and drag and drop is pretty good.Hope this helps.PS I use my Touch mainly for video due to its large screen and my MDs/HiMDs/Network Walkmans for music Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky191 Posted March 23, 2009 Report Share Posted March 23, 2009 I think when you need to up the bitrate to enjoy the music, thats a sign of a good player as it highlighting flaws in low bitrates, which a good player should. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpteasy Posted March 24, 2009 Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 I don't know how much I can agree with that sentiment. I agree that a good player would highlight flaws in compressed music and therefore you would need to use higher bitrates to overcome them. However, why should the average user have to buy a player with a capacity of 250GB or more to listen to music that sounds good by encoding them at a high bitrate?Its a backward step.In its heyday Minidisc showed to the music community that you didn't need something the size (physical and memory capacity) of a CD to hold excellent quality sound.A really good player is one that can make 'anything' sound good. unfortunately no-one has made such a device as yet and so we have to rely on programmers to design new codecs that are efficient while at the same time excellent quality. I do not think any, even the mighty Atrac, are close to this yet. Not even the new kids on the block.mp3 small - efficient but very poor qualitymp3 large - very inefficient but near CD qualitymp3 small - efficient but poor qualitymp3 large - very inefficient but near CD qualityatrac small - efficient but poor qualityatrac large - inefficient but near CD qualityflac / lossless formats - inefficient but CD qualitywav / pcm - extremely inefficient but perfect qualitywe seem to be going towards the lossless route, which is good for audiophiles and the battery / electric industry, but bad for the average user who pays the bills / battery repair costs.To continue the discussion about the Sony and Touch I would say the Sony will be better at disguising the lower bitrates. The higher bitrate you go arguably they may be no difference apart from aesthetics and audio clarity that only dolphins can hear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky191 Posted March 24, 2009 Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 Average user? Who is that. The average Joe isn't interested in SQ, and can't hear it anyway. The worlds most advanced codec isn't going to help if the music is from an unknown sources, transcoded umpteen times, then listened to with €10 earphones. Even of those who are interested, not many can hear differences above 192/256. The average Joe isn't interested in Lossless. Only purists are interested in Lossless, and I doubt most of them could hear the difference between that and hi quality lossy formats in a true blind ABX test. I dunno how any of this is backward. SQ is there is you want it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tekdroid Posted March 24, 2009 Report Share Posted March 24, 2009 I currently own the Onkyo MD133/Sony MZ-RH1 and I'm very interested in getting the new SONY NWZ-X1060(32G) to be released soon or the latest IPOD TOUCH 32g.I want to end up with really good sound in the end with CD quality. My music source is all on CD right now.I need to know a few things.,1/ Between the Sony NWZ-X1060 and the latest Ipod touch which is the better unit sound wise and why?First you should ask who is qualified to measure sound quality here? I say nobody but you and your ears. Even those crazy Head-Fi'ers who most people 'look up to' when nervously spending on new gear I would disagree with nearly always, more times than not most definitely. One man's 'great' is another's craptastic.2/ What is the best format to record in and how do I go about it?(I'm assuming my music has to be all uploaded to my PC?)Best in what area? If sound, WAV 44.1KHz sample rate, 16bit for CD should give you identical sound to the source, all things being equal. If you want the same sound in a smaller and more taggable file, try FLAC http://flac.sourceforge.net3/ How does the sound of the above Onkyo MD133 & Sony MZ-RH1 MD compare to the Itouch/Sony NWZ-X1060?I say only you are qualified to answer that, after some first-hand experience.I realize the MD produces great sound but I don't like the idea of carrying around a bunch of MDsIndeed.Right now I'm more interested in the Sony NWZ-X1060 because it seems to be a lot better in the spec's dept compared to the Itouch which looks really nice and can do a lot of different things. But is it the best when it comes right down to the music?See above.I'm not trying to start a war about different recording formats ...Too late Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gabgar Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 Hello, I am back. Using currently a Sony MZ-NF610 and hooked it up to a Denon A/V receiver at my brothers place. wanted to compare the sound from his Iphone to it.Tested it with "englishman In New York" track from Sting.The one on his Iphone supposedly was lossless.The one on the MD was an analog recording that had been conducted from a Sony DVP-s7000 -player to a MDS-Jb930.The Iphone lost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gujarati Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 Hello, I am back. Using currently a Sony MZ-NF610 and hooked it up to a Denon A/V receiver at my brothers place. wanted to compare the sound from his Iphone to it.Tested it with "englishman In New York" track from Sting.The one on his Iphone supposedly was lossless.The one on the MD was an analog recording that had been conducted from a Sony DVP-s7000 -player to a MDS-Jb930.The Iphone lost.Why are you comparing Iphone w/ MiniDisc? It is obvious that phones are made for calling primarily and audio players are made for listening to music.PS: I love minidisc, but you are comparing eaten apple phones to audio players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gabgar Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 Why are you comparing Iphone w/ MiniDisc? It is obvious that phones are made for calling primarily and audio players are made for listening to music.PS: I love minidisc, but you are comparing eaten apple phones to audio players.Well the Iphone is like an Ipod with a phone capability....Just making a statement that Ipods, Iphones and any other MP3 player can't compete. Everyone here just about knows that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sparky191 Posted March 30, 2009 Report Share Posted March 30, 2009 Well the Iphone is like an Ipod with a phone capability....Just making a statement that Ipods, Iphones and any other MP3 player can't compete. Everyone here just about knows that.I know not to take seriously anyone who doesn't differentiate one generation, iPod, iPhone, MP3/4, MD/HiMD from another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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