Sony's Latest Goodies - NW-ZX2 High-Resolution Walkman, MDR-1ABT Headphones, PHA-1A Headphone DAC/amplifier

Sony announced a slew of new products at CES 2015. Here are some of the products announced that are likely to be of interest to readers.

Walkman NW-ZX2

This is the Walkman for the discerning Audiophile. Compared to the preceding flagship model (ZX1), the ZX2 gains DSD support (2.8 MHz and 5.6 MHz).








Specifications
NW-ZX2
Memory Capacity
128 GB

External Memory

microSD (card not included)
Key Features

High-Resolution Audio playback, S-Master HX Digital Amplifier, DSEE HX (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine), ClearAudio+, Clear Bass, Equaliser, VPT, one-touch listening via NFC and Bluetooth® connectivity
Compatible Audio Formats

MP3, WMA, FLAC (192KHz/24bit), Linear PCM (192KHz/24bit), WAV (192KHz/24bit), AAC-LC, HE-AAC, Apple Lossless (192KHz/24bit), AIFF (192KHz/24bit), DSD (2.8MHz, 5.6MHz)
Battery Life

MP3: 60 hours
Hi-Res Audio: 33 hours
Charging Time

Approx. 4.5 hours
Operating Platform

Android™ 4.2
Display

4.0 inch FWVGA (854x480) TRILUMINOS™ Display for mobile
Communication Mode

Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11b/g/n/a)
Bluetooth®
Bluetooth® (A2DP/AVRCP/OPP/HID/SPP)
Supported Codec: SBC/LDAC
NFC
Yes
Included Applications
Media Go (for Windows), Content Transfer for Mac (for Mac OS)
Dimensions (W x H x D)
65.1 x 131.2 x 18.5 mm (excluding max. protruding section)
Weight
Approx. 235 g
Accessories
USB cable, leather carrying case, Spacer (headphones not included)

MDR-1ABT Headphones

Hmm - closed headphones with wireless capability via Bluetooth. The specifications seem to suggest that there is a built in DAC too with a sampling rate of up to 96 kHz.





Specifications
MDR-1ABT
Type
Closed Dynamic
Driver Unit
Φ40 mm, Dome type (CCAW Voice coil)
Sensitivity
98 dB/mW (1kHz)
(when using the supplied headphone cable)
Frequency Response
4 Hz - 100,000Hz
(when using the supplied headphone cable)
20Hz - 20,000Hz (44.1kHz Sampling) / 20Hz - 40,000Hz (LDAC 96kHz Sampling, 990kbps)
Impedance
24Ω (1kHz) (when using the supplied headphone cable)
Power Handling Capacity
100mW
Plug
Gold-plated stereo mini plug
Weight (exclude cable)
Approx. 300g
Battery Life (continuous music playback time)
Music playback time: Max. 30 hours
Communication time: Max. 26 hours
Standby Time: Max. 200 hours
Supplied Accessories
Headphone cable (1.2m), Micro USB cable (0.5m), Carrying pouch
PHA-1A Portable DAC/Headphone Amplifier

The PHA-1A handles PCM sampling up to 192kHz with a maximum of 24 bit resolution. It is quite light and compact, with it's built-in rechargeable battery good for 6 hours of use. 



Specifications
PHA-1A
Sampling Frequency/Bit
PCM: Max. 192kHz/24bit
Frequency Range
10 Hz – 100,000 Hz
Impedance
8Ω – 600Ω
Maximum Output
Approx. 148mW + 148mW (8Ω, 10% distortion) Approx. 80mW + 80mW (32Ω, 1% distortion)
Approx. 16.4mW + 16.4mW (300Ω, 10% distortion)
Output(s)
Stereo mini jack (Only a 3-pole stereo mini plug is supported)
Input(s)
Computer/WALKMAN®/Xperia connecting port, iPhone/iPad/iPod® connecting port
ThBattery Type
Built-in lithium-ion rechargeable battery
Battery Life
Approx. 6 hours
Battery Charging Time
Approx. 2 hours
Dimensions (W x H x D)
Approx. 62 x 18.5 x 109 mm
Weight (Without Cord)
Approx. 145g
Supplied Accessories
Digital cable for WALKMAN®, Digital cable for Xperia®, Micro USB cable, Silicone belts, Protection sheet
Pricing and availability of the above products in Singapore will be announced at a later date. All photos are courtesy of Sony.

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