Mobile Audio Prowess
Portable music players catering to audiophiles have actually been around for a while, but they have been rather obscure in terms of retail presence. Well, Sony has good news for those with discerning ears as it introduces the Walkman NWZ-ZX1, a premium audio playback device for those who demand the absolute best in quality when they're on the go. Part of Sony's Hi-Resolution line of audio playback products, the ZX-1 is beautiful both inside and out, with a body carved out of a single aluminum piece and outfitted with an S-Master digital amplifier.
The device is powered by a 1GHz dual-core OMAP 4 Cortex-A9 processor, the ZX-1 runs on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, leveraging on what Google Play has to offer, including mobile apps like Spotify. The DSEE (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine) HX technology that comes with it boosts the audio quality of compressed sound, giving them a high-resolution upgrade. The device comes with a generous 128GB of storage, with online streaming giving you a potentially limitless music collection. A 4in 854 x 480 pixel TRILUMINOS touch display at the front lets you browse through your content intuitively.
Of course, the hardware is only one part of the equation, and it's not really an audiophile's best pal if it can't play your music. The ZX-1 supports a variety of video and audio formats, as well as some formats normally not supported by Android out of the box. Aside from the usual AAC-LC, WMA, AIFF and MP3 files, the Walkman NWZ-ZX1 also supports FLAC – something that all audio enthusiasts will no doubt be pleased. Video formats supported include MPEG4/AVC and Windows Media Video 9.
The Walkman NWZ-ZX1 is available exclusively in all Sony Store outlets, and is priced at RM 2,199.
