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Demo Tracks on NW-A80x

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exaromar

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Hi everyone,

as i now plan to get a sony nw-a808 instead of the cowon d2,

i wanted to do a last "test".

The reason for changing my mind was a thread @ headfi.org.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=247441

They compared the D2 to the nw-a808 and many people had the impression,

that the sony unit is the better sounding piece of electronic :)

There is some last scepticism. I tested the sony in a shop and listened to

all the pre-loaded demo tracks. My very first impression was overwhelming,

but when it came to the climax of the rock song, i had the impression the sony is loosing

preassure.

To verify weather this is a song specific or a general problem,

I wanted to know what the song was called, so that i can try this at home on my himd.

Must be something with "mirror" or "shadow",...

I remember DSP had a similar observance, when he compared the sony to a cowon f2...

As i like rockmusic, this is very improtant to me

Thx !!!

Edited by exaromar
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Hi everyone,

as i now plan to get a sony nw-a808 instead of the cowon d2,

i wanted to do a last "test".

The reason for changing my mind was a thread @ headfi.org.

http://www.head-fi.org/forums/showthread.php?t=247441

They compared the D2 to the nw-a808 and many people had the impression,

that the sony unit is the better sounding piece of electronic :)

There is some last scepticism. I tested the sony in a shop and listened to

all the pre-loaded demo tracks. My very first impression was overwhelming,

but when it came to the climax of the rock song, i had the impression the sony is loosing

preassure.

To verify weather this is a song specific or a general problem,

I wanted to know what the song was called, so that i can try this at home on my himd.

Must be something with "mirror" or "shadow",...

I remember DSP had a similar observance, when he compared the sony to a cowon f2...

As i like rockmusic, this is very improtant to me

Thx !!!

I mainly listen to rock music myself. I can attest to the great -not very good- sound quality of the 808. As you certainly experienced in the store build quality is a cut above the competition. check out www.mp3flash.de

In the latest issue you will find a graph exposing the d2 to be tonally flawed, at least without eq and the firmware they tested it with. The problem in the response curve w/o eq is very pronounced so I think it´s a firmware issue. The reviewers found on the subjective side of things that the d2´s eq was able to compensate the problems the d2 suffers out of the box.

Also note that 808 price just dropped sharpy. You can get the 8 gig unit for the same price as the 4 gig d2. As far as pressure is concerned both clear bass and the eq are very usefull tools. Even the heavy preset does a very fine job. Bear in mind that the baseline sound on the 808 is very clear and uncolored.

You could also try samsung t9 or k3. Other than that I don´t see any viable options.

Edited by ceres
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Good thing I transferred the demo songs to my computer before I deleted them :)

The song is called Secrets In Mirrors by Spitalfield, from the album Better Than Knowing Where You Are.

To save you the trouble of finding it, I uploaded it to megaupload, so here's the link. Hope this helps in your decision. If you need the other songs, just send me a PM or something.

Here's the link: megaupload

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hey guys,

first of all thank you :D

@ceres:

i just wondered why you gave me a link to a german site...

but further investigations solved the riddle :) greetings !!!

there were just the sony and cowon for competition, the samsung

player can't convince me in terms of menu & haptics, it just looks

like a polished business unit.

thx for the frequency reponse :) this explains, the lack of bass!

the new price for a 8gb model of the sony looks really interessting compared to

the "only" 4 gb cowon !

do you own a sony ?

@ riceb0i87

puh, luckily you saved it :)

and thanks a lot for the link & the trouble connected with it :D !!!

i'll try to get it & go on testing

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hey guys,

first of all thank you :D

@ceres:

i just wondered why you gave me a link to a german site...

but further investigations solved the riddle :) greetings !!!

there were just the sony and cowon for competition, the samsung

player can't convince me in terms of menu & haptics, it just looks

like a polished business unit.

thx for the frequency reponse :) this explains, the lack of bass!

the new price for a 8gb model of the sony looks really interessting compared to

the "only" 4 gb cowon !

do you own a sony ?

@ riceb0i87

puh, luckily you saved it :)

and thanks a lot for the link & the trouble connected with it :D !!!

i'll try to get it & go on testing

Yes I do. Let me tell you that hardware wise there is nothing to improve on the player apart from the hold switch.

You´ll love the gui and snappy way to get around the entire player and its features. trust me, once in your pocket you´ll be amazed at how polished and refined an mp3 interface can be. It´s been a long time coming. And I don´t mean for Sony. Anyone who appreciates engineering skill will be tempted by the a8. Greetings to Stuttgart from CGN!

Edited by ceres
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hey,

tomorrow maybe i'll take the bait :)

Unfortunatelly there's just cyperport who has a a808 in stock...

mp3player.de lacks them... and i have the feeling that i hardly can

wait another 14 days, since i'm on this decision for alreasy 2 month.

what do you exactly mean with the following ?

"t´s been a long time coming. And I don´t mean for Sony"

okay...the player seems to be chosen, now the headphones will follow :)

but this will be a new thread !

thx!!!

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