Samsung YP-P2 vs Sony NWZA829 vs ?

ps3ud0

ps3ud0

ps3ud0

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Hi guys,

Really fancy a new MP3 player and noticed these 2 players have hit our shores with 16Gb and Bluetooth. How good can sound over BT be compared to wired?

The Samsung just looks so nice with it being touchscreen and seems to have good firmware support. Whats the sound like? While the Sony I guess has great sound just looks clunky...

Wouldnt touch an Ipod due to the poor sound quality - I generally look at Iriver/Cowon but nothing Ive seen excites me...

Decent codec support is a must which is why I keep going back to the specialists...

Am I on the right track?!?

ps3ud0 :cool:
 
bt output from the sony i expect will be first rate. its down to the supplied headphones and their amplifier as to how well they perform. still, the sony does have regular hedphone outputs as well if you end up not rating the BT output and id expect that to be at least on par with the current 81x series (ie, great)

other than that, there's not much i can suggest. the d2 is great but has problems with low impedance earphones and has a pretty 'cold' sound. the sonys are warm and as far as im concerned are just about the best players (sensible) money can buy. iriver havent bought anything out in quite a while that rival cowan or d2 in the sound departement.

the cowans are ahead of sony for format support. the ipod/ipod touch and iphone dont get a look in unless you are running an un-eq'd signal to an amplifier, then things start to get interesting.

i have run out of important things to say now lol
 
Cheers james.miller - I think its gonna be between the Samsung and the Sony for a change - the Sony comes with some decent EX wired earphones (suspect EX85s) and supposedly decent BT headphones (DR-BT21G).

With the Samsung Ill have my EX90s to pair with it though will have to shell out some BT earphones.

What should I be looking out for regards BT headphones? (really want it to be plain buds - been dreaming of just having those and no wires!)

Just not feeling the look of the D2 and want something just nice and simple. Have a touchscreen fetish though :p. Hmmm would be a pain to use without looking at it though (need some tactile buttons)...

ps3ud0 :cool:
 
looking at the reviews yep, they are the same 'phones as those supplied with the 81x series - ie: the ex85's. tbh the 81x series are fantastic value for money with those earbuds supplied. the 829 for me doesnt represent anywhere near as much value for money and from what i can see, you have to buy your own bt headphones????? from what ive read, and from what sony's site says, only the 8gb a828kblk comes with bt headphones for about $20 less than the price of the 16gb a829. without included BT headphones, its basically an 81x with a bigger screen and more memory. for the money, i think id rather have an 818 even with 'only'' 8gb of memory. bluetooth audio is a great idea but its more expense on top of an already expensive player.
 
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Yeah I thought the same but a popular uk mp3 seller that youve added your d2 review on stipulates differently...

If thats wrong then I agree the 8Gb version is great value for money - BT is kinda an important point for me as I hate tangled wires...

ps3ud0 :cool:
 
they say that the 829 includes the BT headphones? which site was this again? :o lol edit: i know the one you mean now. its best to confirm that with them as im sure they only come with the 8gb 828k but for ~£150, that isnt a bad price and i might consider that over the 818 if i didnt owne an 81x series player.
 
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Hmm slept on this an unfortunately decided that the 8Gb is just too small an upgrade from a 4Gb Zen Plus to warrant the change - why I was waiting for the 16Gb one. Dont really want to pay £200 (£50 more than 8Gb) for the 16Gb and then have to spend another £50 on BT headphones - be ok if the supplied BT headphones were rubbish - but they arent meant to be (big fish in a small pond atm).

ps3ud0 :cool:
 
Bumping this as its time to put my money where my mouth is...

Appreciate comments on either of my choices (especially the YP-P2 as I havent seen any user reviews) or Im open to an alternative (though Im indecisive enough already)

I also am thinking that in the non too distant future I may pick up an iphone 3G at some point too...

ps3ud0 :cool:
 
considering the 829 and the P2 16gb are almost the same price, I chose the 829. Wired quality is amazing, BT quality will depend on the phones as much as the player. The only advantage I can see the P2 having is that it can be pared with other things like mobiles and computers, whereas the sony cant (yet). Having a touchscreen has some advantages, but it also limits one handed operation.

And yes, I will also be getting a 3G iPhone :D.
 
Just saw this review and its kinda got me sold...

The normal issue of touchscreens is having no tactile buttons, for me, will be now fixed by a Sony BT headphone which have buttons for volume, play/pause and rew/forward (skip track) for ease of use...

Just hope they pair up 100%. Gonna be expensive though (£240 in all) though I was originally considering the Sony 828 which can be had for less than £150...

ps3ud0 :cool:
 
you could buy the yp-p2 and review :D then we have one of each ^^
I am actually kind of tempted to get the YP-P2 for reviewing (distance selling saves the day) but it means i would have to purchase a set of headphones as well adding to the cost.

Take that review with a pinch of salt, it's nto a critical review as they are just trying to sell their kit

The lack of playlist on the go is really annoying fo rme though as i usually create them on the train rather than at home in front of a pc,
I really want to get my hands on a D2 to see what the audio quality is like as james seems rather unimpressed with it
Out of curiosity James did you send your D2 back or you happy with it? as most reviews seem to praise its sound quality :s
 
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Been busy travelling with work so havent really thought about this further though Im still swaying between either...

One thing I have realised though is however good those BT headphones are they arent worth £50+ to me, but they add value as a 'freebie' to the Sony players...

Time for some review hunting - tell me how yours goes Chronictank...

ps3ud0 :cool:
 
Chronictank said:
The lack of playlist on the go is really annoying fo rme though as i usually create them on the train rather than at home in front of a pc,
I really want to get my hands on a D2 to see what the audio quality is like as james seems rather unimpressed with it
Out of curiosity James did you send your D2 back or you happy with it? as most reviews seem to praise its sound quality :s
Click to expand...

most reviewiers unfortunately dont touch on sound quality as much as they should. there were obvious flaws using low impedance earphones and no ability to adjust any frequencies below 70hz. not the manual eq or any of the setting (BEE, mach bass ect) touch on that area which is a big fail and the reason the sony is such a livelier and more involving player. now, with high impedance 'phones (we're talking > 100 ohms here) the eq issue isnt so bad, but with 16/32 ohm 'phones such as the ex082/85/90 series, there's a huge rolloff in the bass region:

d2_responce_ex90%27s%20inline.jpg


5.5db down at 30hz, 8db down at 20hz. thats a massive amount and destroys the sound and liek i said, you cant adjust anything below 70hz on the D2. in wins out in power (at times i find the sony could have a little more) but in sound quality it isnt quite there.

MY d2 was stolen, along with my ex90sl's unfortunately.
 
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if sound quality is priority, then the Sony is the only choice. Again if sound quality is priority, then you won't be uising the bluetooth headset anyway. It adds severe compression when being transmitted to keep the information total lower.
 
Ive realised that BT headphones will be nowhere near the quality of wired headphones, but I particularly get annoyed with tangled wires especially while walking/travelling. If Im on a train or car Ill naturally use wired, but when in commuter rush hour BT phones seem an useful compromise...

Its just I want to know which of these players provide the best sound over BT and with which headphones...

Thats a very distinct requirement outside of wanting something with the best sound quality full stop.

ps3ud0 :cool:
 
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