[Review] Sony Walkman Z-1000 - a sweet mainstream portable player- (2024)

Main Specifications:

Nvidia Tegra 2 dual-core 1GHz, 512mb ram
Android™ Version 2.3
4.3-inch (10.9 cm WVGA Display
MP3, WMA*1, AAC*2, Linear PCM
AVC (H.264/AVC), MPEG-4, WMV 9 *1 *3
WM-Port Lineout
Hi-Speed USB (USB 2.0 compliant) / HDMI micro
IEEE 802.11b/g/n
Bluetooth specification version 2.1+EDR
FM Radio
S-Master MX, DSEE (On/Off), 5-Band equaliser (None/Heavy/Pop/Jazz/Unique/Custom 1/Custom 2 & Clear Bass, VPT(None/Studio/Live/Club/Arena/Matrix), Clear Stereo (On/Off), SP Output Optimiser (Clear Phase) (On/Off), Dynamic Normaliser (On/Off)
Battery Life approx. 20 hours
Available in 16GB, 32GB, 64GB
156g

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Introduction

Being a cowon user for about 3 years, it is finally time for me to jump the wagon to the latest sony walkman flagship series. Some of you might be wondering why i decided to go for the sony Z instead when the recently released cowon Z2 which has a micro SD slot + lossless file support + better video support format at a cheaper price. I will explain it as part of my review which should be up soon. As stated in the specs, battery life is indeed average for an android player which is simillar to the cowon Z2. There is a price to pay for high technology so I will definitely miss the J3's superior battery life. The walkman is no hifiman/colorfly/dx100 so i will take the cowon and other mainstream players as its closest competitor.

Package was well protected by bubble wraps


A premium 'feel' to its packaging unlike the other walkman series.


Sony MDR-EX300SL (stock earphones)


The walkman Z is indeed huge


Size comparison to the piano keys


Charging


Note: My review will be from an audio gear perspective so i wont be covering on stuffs like 'web browsing' experience and 'video playback'. I wont stop you from asking and i will gladly try to find the answer if time permits. And please do not expect in depth audio reviews with the technical junkies as i am not technically inclined like many of the reviewers here

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[REVIEW PART 1]

Design and Build Quality

Reference devices: Cowon J3, Samsung Galaxy sII, Ipod Touch 3G

The NWZ-1000 sports a 4.3" screen which makes it one of the biggest portable media player around. If you are contented by the photos posted online , well im sad to say that a picture isn't worth a thousand words when it comes to this walkman series. It's design is one the best ive come across and it looks even more fantastic up closed. It is a reminiscent of the xperia arc s and the samsung galaxy s2 . The NWZ-1000 of a simillar size to the galaxy s and it's very pocketable for a normal fitting pocket.

Only the right part of the device is equipped with the buttons and ports. There is a hdmi port, a dedicated volume control and sony's unique 'on-the-go' button. Unlike the cowon j3, the walkman does not have a play/pause/fwd button and this is the only flaw ive found in the design especially after being a cowon user for at least 3 years. Sony's answer to this is its 'on-the-go' button which brings up a mini player controller which is only accessible from the screen. The headphone jack is located at the bottom of the walkman and next to it is a dedicated lineout which is an excellent feature for audiophiles with their amp setups; a feature that ive longing for the cowon to come out with. The rear end of the player is of a matt finish and there's only a speaker and a reset hole which I never bother trying out.

The walkman is about 30g heavier than the samsung galaxy s2 which is one of the reasons why the player feels like a brick. Its weight ~156g may be an added advantage or disadvantage depending on what you're seeking for.

It's rear form factor is similar to sony's very own xperia arc. The bottom front of the player is embroided with a 'back, home and settings' touchscreen button.

I dont know what is it made of but the NW-Z1000 feels really really solid and elegant in your hands. It certainly feels expensive and is of a much better build than the galaxy series while making the cowon feel inferior in contrast. The ipod touch feels more solid than the cowon and samsung but is nowhere close to the walkman. The device is a fingerprint magnet though but somehow it is less evident than the cowon and obviously the fingerprone ipod touch.

I've received 100% positive feedbacks from my many friends who've held the walkman. The design and build is already enough for them to justify the costly price of this player.


User Interface

Reference devices: Cowon J3, Samsung Galaxy sII, Ipod Touch 3G

The NW-Z1000 interface is based entirely on the android 2.3 gingerbread. I will not touch on the android part as it is vastly covered in youtube. Minor annyoing quirks include; having to swipe back to adjust volume via the controller and device locks itself once the screen times out. Apparently these are quite apparent in android devices and it may take some time getting used to.

Although the 64gb is only exclusive to japan, Sony has included the english language in its settings menu which is only a button away during your first android startup. The first blow to the walkman would be its startup time. It averages to about 20 seconds which is much longer than the reference devices stated above. It will only take a quarter of the time if sony had not included its fancy walkman animations at the start. Shutting down takes about 10 seconds with no animations in this regard. Those are the major quirks.. you should start smiling from the next sentence onwards !

Sony has gone the right way with the nvidia tegra dual core + 512mb in the walkman Z. The touchscreen UI is superbly fast! My walkman Z is on 3/4 load (~40gb occupied) and scrolling is a breeze with songs and album arts instantaneously being uploaded. It takes less than 5 seconds for 40GB worth of songs to be updated in your library after a transfer's been done. The cowon is fast but lags with 3rd party interface or when capacity is heavily loaded.

A click of the power button will function as a lock for the device, hold it for more than 2 seconds and it will prompt you to shutdown/airplane mode. Unlocking the device would be in a swipe fashion and it is fast and snappy such that it shows no delays in between the swipes.

Picture/Video interface are android based and you might want to demo the galaxy s2 for a similar experience. Pictures are loaded in a blink of an eye and zooming is done in a pinching motion which is the same as apple products. File/folder browser is possible but is only accessible from the 'photo viewer' or 'video player' app meaning there is no root directory unlike the cowon where you can access via a 'My Computer' folder.

There are many more bonus features (e.g flicking to switch songs, wifi checker, DLNA) to be explored in the UI but i'll leave that to you.

There are two stock players for the walkman Z; 'music' and 'w.music'. I dont know why sony came up with two but the only difference are its interface and the fact that sony's sound enchancement can only be accessed via the w.music (more on that on my part 2 review). Music interface is much snappy and more user friendly than the cowon.

Now the complication starts here. The 'music' player supports multiple playlists on the go but the 'w music' doesnt. In fact, the latter will only be able to load playlist that is been created on your PC. I am sure that Sony wanted its 'w music' player to be its point of attention (due to the sound enhancements and eqs) but why is it that the 'on-the-go' multiple playlist option is only available in its other inferior player?

Well i highly recommend you the poweramp app which is indeed an excellent substitute for the 2 stock players. It has a wonderful interface and handles lossless and flac files in a breeze. Of course bugs are existent but they're minor and shouldnt be affecting your listening experience. High end IEM/headphone users with 320kbps/lossless will have nothing to lose as sony's sound enhancement only affects greatly on poorly decoded tracks and average earphones.

There are probably bugs that i didnt noticed but ive spotted nothing so far that could ruin your listening and browsing experience. Unlike my past few years of experience with the cowon, the walkman Z-1000 does not require any tweaking to its interface as it is simply fantastic by default, probably the best ive seen from any audio geared portable player.

This completes my first half of the review. It will take a while to get the second half done as i still have the westone and heir audio customs to play around with

Feel free to ask any questions in the mean time.

Quote:

underhysteria said:

WM-Port Lineout
Hi-Speed USB (USB 2.0 compliant).

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What does that mean?
Is it compliant with USB Audio Class 2?
http://thewelltemperedcomputer.com/KB/USB.html

If it's the case, the Sony Walkman Z1000 should be able to output a 24/192 audio stream to an external 24/192 USB DAC, and the original ALSA (Advanced Linux Sound Architecture) of Android 2.3 should be replaced by the latest USB Audio Class 2 ALSA.

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dtkz said:

Not to be nit-picky but by dedicated line-out, do you mean the WM-Port which can be used as a line-out? If so, you might want to change your description a little. When I hear dedicated line-out, I tend to think of 3.5mm outputs not a LOD. Thanks for the review though, I've got a Z1070 on its way to me and the waiting is killing me. Also, have you tried Neutron Music Player on the Z1070? I've never used it but from what I've read, it sounds very promising.

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Noted. And I'll try out the music player as mentioned

Quote:

danba said:

What does that mean?
Is it compliant with USB Audio Class 2?
http://thewelltemperedcomputer.com/KB/USB.html

If it's the case, the Sony Walkman Z1000 should be able to output a 24/192 audio stream to an external 24/192 USB DAC, and the original ALSA (Advanced Linux Sound Architecture) of Android 2.3 should be replaced by the latest USB Audio Class 2 ALSA.

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I'm afraid that i dont have the exact answer to that. Sony have been using the same WM-port for their walkmans for the past few years.

Quote:

bravo4588 said:

what are the included accessories and stuff?
And is the android market available?

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Accessories include manuals, MDR-EX300SL (with the different colored tips), manuals and usb cable.

Quote:

gfc56 said:

How does theZ LCD display compare to Amoled.

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Which amoled device are you specifically referring to?

Quote:

underhysteria said:

Which amoled device are you specifically referring to?

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I think he meant in general (like the J3 and Samsung galaxy player maybe?)