My personal review of my latest purchase Sony HAP Z 1 ES
Dec 3, 2016 21:49:57 GMT -5
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Post by vneal on Dec 3, 2016 21:49:57 GMT -5
I have owned my Sony HAP-Z1ES for 1 month what follows is a mini review.
First of all I switch equipment alot.. If I dont like it or don't see improvement I sell or trade it. I have been listening to Flac Hi Res files thru an external hard drive to the Oppo 105D. I would get handshake issues every once in a while. Oppo could never help. So I tried my first media player. And I am really satisfied.
The Sony HAP-Z1ES is a music-file media player. What sets it apart from most other media players is that it is ready to go right out of the box. Most other units I have seen either don’t have an internal memory or a built-in DAC, the Sony has both. It has a 1TB internal hard drive for storage, a connection for an external hard drive memory, a built in DAC, wired and wireless network connectivity to and from your computer (to load music files), and as a plus is it comes with Spotify loaded and has internet radio streaming via the Sony vTuner. Another feature that sets it apart is Sony has included its Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE). This is supposed to restore MP3s to a more natural sound. All my files are FLAC so I must take their word for it.
So, what files does it play? Almost all formats, lossless; ALAC, ATRAC, MP3, ACC, WMA, WAV, AIFF, and of course FLAC. What doesn’t it play? The Sony unit feels substantial. It’s a heavy weight weighing in at 32lbs. This is part of Sony’s upper end ES line of components. It is available with a silver only face plate. I would have preferred an option for a black faceplate in that all my equipment is black. Never the less it is a good-looking unit.
The front panel is dominated by a bright, clear color display. At the far left are the power button and remote-control receiver window. Immediately to the left of the display is the LED indicating whether DSEE processing is active; to the display's right is the navigation knob, surrounded by three navigation pushbuttons: Home, Back, and Enter. To the extreme right is the Play/Pause button. The real heart of the unit is the navigation knob. Rotating it from top to bottom reveals: Now Playing, Genres, Artist, Albums, Tracks, Folders, SensMe, Playlist, Favorites, Music Server, Import CD, Settings. I use the Album setting because I like the Album picture displayed in the display window. You sync the unit up through the Settings with a portable laptop and router to download music files with a program called HAP Music Transfer . You can hardwire it but for my application I used the wireless route. Everything performed as was designed. I also connected an external Hard Drive to use as a backup for the music files. I downloaded or ripped all music from my computer using the J River program.
The HAP-Z1ES comes with a remote control, if that’s what you want to call it. It has On/Off, Play/Pause, Skip Forward/Back, Mute, and Volume Up/Down. It works, sort of. I never have gotten the remote control to work the volume properly. In the on-line owner’s manual, they explain in some cases you have to reprogram the remote. Me I just downloaded the APP to my Apple phone and to a small IPAD and use both as a remote. This works like a charm and the other benefit is the larger display and the addition of album cover information and cover art. Note I later read that you cannot adjust volume of the unit’s analog output.
SOUND
And the unit sounds wonderful. Critical listening comparing the unit to my reference CD player (Oppo 105D), it sounds identical. This is a good comparison in that most consider the Oppo 105D to have great sound, I know I do. I used Hi Res versions of Fleetwood Mac Rumors, Eagles Greatest Hits, and Sonny Rollins Sax Colossal, all of Steely Dan,all Neil Young, CSN, Paul Simon, and Nora Jones catalog to compare the two units. I used numerous HiRes files to listen to the Sony most were downloaded from hd tracks. The Spotify as expected is very convenient but you can tell it is not as good as a downloaded file.
LIKES
Sounds great, Very smooth detailed information
Looks good
Has built in DAC with 1 TB hard drive
You can connect external hard drive
Easy to use. APP works great!
No handshake issues
DISLIKES
Remote is worthless
Offer the unit with a black faceplate also
No manual-you must download from the net
Costs $1999.
Conclusion For me this was a major purchase. Let me end in saying yes it cost $1999 but I know of no other unit that offers so much for so little. The convenience of using the Sony unit is off the chart. No more CDs for me. Except to rip to for this unit
First of all I switch equipment alot.. If I dont like it or don't see improvement I sell or trade it. I have been listening to Flac Hi Res files thru an external hard drive to the Oppo 105D. I would get handshake issues every once in a while. Oppo could never help. So I tried my first media player. And I am really satisfied.
The Sony HAP-Z1ES is a music-file media player. What sets it apart from most other media players is that it is ready to go right out of the box. Most other units I have seen either don’t have an internal memory or a built-in DAC, the Sony has both. It has a 1TB internal hard drive for storage, a connection for an external hard drive memory, a built in DAC, wired and wireless network connectivity to and from your computer (to load music files), and as a plus is it comes with Spotify loaded and has internet radio streaming via the Sony vTuner. Another feature that sets it apart is Sony has included its Digital Sound Enhancement Engine (DSEE). This is supposed to restore MP3s to a more natural sound. All my files are FLAC so I must take their word for it.
So, what files does it play? Almost all formats, lossless; ALAC, ATRAC, MP3, ACC, WMA, WAV, AIFF, and of course FLAC. What doesn’t it play? The Sony unit feels substantial. It’s a heavy weight weighing in at 32lbs. This is part of Sony’s upper end ES line of components. It is available with a silver only face plate. I would have preferred an option for a black faceplate in that all my equipment is black. Never the less it is a good-looking unit.
The front panel is dominated by a bright, clear color display. At the far left are the power button and remote-control receiver window. Immediately to the left of the display is the LED indicating whether DSEE processing is active; to the display's right is the navigation knob, surrounded by three navigation pushbuttons: Home, Back, and Enter. To the extreme right is the Play/Pause button. The real heart of the unit is the navigation knob. Rotating it from top to bottom reveals: Now Playing, Genres, Artist, Albums, Tracks, Folders, SensMe, Playlist, Favorites, Music Server, Import CD, Settings. I use the Album setting because I like the Album picture displayed in the display window. You sync the unit up through the Settings with a portable laptop and router to download music files with a program called HAP Music Transfer . You can hardwire it but for my application I used the wireless route. Everything performed as was designed. I also connected an external Hard Drive to use as a backup for the music files. I downloaded or ripped all music from my computer using the J River program.
The HAP-Z1ES comes with a remote control, if that’s what you want to call it. It has On/Off, Play/Pause, Skip Forward/Back, Mute, and Volume Up/Down. It works, sort of. I never have gotten the remote control to work the volume properly. In the on-line owner’s manual, they explain in some cases you have to reprogram the remote. Me I just downloaded the APP to my Apple phone and to a small IPAD and use both as a remote. This works like a charm and the other benefit is the larger display and the addition of album cover information and cover art. Note I later read that you cannot adjust volume of the unit’s analog output.
SOUND
And the unit sounds wonderful. Critical listening comparing the unit to my reference CD player (Oppo 105D), it sounds identical. This is a good comparison in that most consider the Oppo 105D to have great sound, I know I do. I used Hi Res versions of Fleetwood Mac Rumors, Eagles Greatest Hits, and Sonny Rollins Sax Colossal, all of Steely Dan,all Neil Young, CSN, Paul Simon, and Nora Jones catalog to compare the two units. I used numerous HiRes files to listen to the Sony most were downloaded from hd tracks. The Spotify as expected is very convenient but you can tell it is not as good as a downloaded file.
LIKES
Sounds great, Very smooth detailed information
Looks good
Has built in DAC with 1 TB hard drive
You can connect external hard drive
Easy to use. APP works great!
No handshake issues
DISLIKES
Remote is worthless
Offer the unit with a black faceplate also
No manual-you must download from the net
Costs $1999.
Conclusion For me this was a major purchase. Let me end in saying yes it cost $1999 but I know of no other unit that offers so much for so little. The convenience of using the Sony unit is off the chart. No more CDs for me. Except to rip to for this unit
