 Sony are Simply Fantastic!, 2010-07-26
First of all if you are going to compare this to the ipod touch don't even bother! They are 2 different companies but the one with 30+ years experience is showing the new kids on the block how to produce excellent sound quality.
I bought this as I originally misplaced my Sony NWZ-S639FR the sound and features on that were simply amazing. Sony seemed to have picked up where they left off with the S series (My one little gripe is they got rid of the Sensme channel and I loved that feature).
From opening the box I was already in love. I picked it up and was originally taken aback by the granite finish on the case (compared to the smooth sided S Series) I have since got used to it and think is adds a little something to the player. The X-series is simply bigger better and bolder then before. The OLED touch screen is faultless, impressive and nicely sensitive, I still only have the standard videos on the player and they are a good example of the abilities of the screen. The introduction of the buttons on the case is a life saver as I don't have to bring it out every time I want to change a song (guaranteed you put a MP3/4 player on and you like 5 out of 2000 tracks!), along with a quick way to change the volume and turn Noise cancelling on and off. I used a cheap pair of ear phones when I first bough this and I was slightly disappointed until the ear phones came to the end of their useable life and I plugged in the bundled ear phones and the sound quality almost blew my ear drums as it was sitting at a nice volume of 25.
It wasn't until I plugged the bundled earphones in I put on the noise cancelling. I think is noticeable to but this is up for debate, I think it works whereas other people don't notice it, it won't work for conversation on a busy train but it does slightly drown out the drone of the train engine on a commute to work. I think people expect 100% ambient noise to be cancelled and that is pretty much impossible but Sony appear to have done a pretty good job with this one.
I have not used the Internet or the YouTube functions due to me having just moved house and awaiting the arrival of the wireless router, so I can't really comment on the browser and people are complaining that its rubbish or jolty or not as good as Apples. Sony may have served up a bad egg with the browser and should not use it as a selling point, but again it is personal opinion. Though ask yourself why do you buy an Mp3/4 player? Is it to surf the web check emails and read the latest blog entries? Or is it so you can listen to music on the go?
For SUPERB sound quality, and fantastic video playback go for the sony, if not and you want an expensive toy you know where to go!
 disappointed, 2010-04-04
I bought this after reading the reviews here on Amazon raving about the sound quality. Well,after a month waiting for "burn in" to occur the sound quality is still disappointing.
So all those reviewers who reckon this is as good as it gets, I've got news for you: my old iRiver H320/340 knocks this Sony for six for sound quality - even listened to through cheapo earphones!
I've only given this two stars,though it is well made and user-friendly, but for this price I expected better sound quality than what this offers.
And the quoted time of 33 hours between charges can be roughly halved if you switch on the sound-enhancing amplifiers...and you'll need to if you listen to music and want to get any pleasure out of it.
I don't care for touch screens (what'll they think think up next?) but at least this one is reasonably responsive,and thankfully there are real buttons to cover the basic functions.
I suppose this isn't such a bad piece of kit considering its compact size,so maybe I was expecting too much from it. But I just think that it's far too expensive in view of its modest sound quality - even at Amazon's discounted prices.
Love it apart from options to turn off.....and USB playback, 2010-02-10
....by which I mean that even if you power off, it only powers down and according to the manual will only turn off completely if not used for a day. I have always bought Sony MP3 players and been pleased with them all, this is no exception, a great player, but why no facility to completely switch it off....I only want it to use power when I use it, not when it's lying around. Twice now I have had the player on a full charges but had it in my backpack and presumably, even though the hold tab is on, it must be constantly being powered on by pressing against other items in the bag and I end up with a flat battery...it's not a mobile...it's an MP3...it doesn't need a standby option....not for me anyway. Other than this one gripe...superb player.
It's July 2010 and I juat wanted to add another gripe which I've just discovered and which is somewhat more annoying. I bought Sony CMT-HX80R to use in the living room primarily so I could play back albums from the X1060, as it turns out, this is near impossible as when you connect the X1060 you loose all info onscreen as you get a continuous 'Do not disconnect' message, which cannot be turned off and the CMT-HX80R only lets you advance one folder at a time. In practical terms this means that out of the 900 + albums on my X1060, if I wanted to play a Pink Floyd album about 400 albums in I would have to press the 'Folder button on the CMT-HX80R instead of selecting an album in seconds via the X1060
touchscreen. I thought it might be me being thick, but I went into the Sony shop in Leeds and then rang Sony direct and got the same answer.....it's not a fault, that's just the way it is.......the really annoying thing is that it sems if you connect an ipod it will work fine !
Invaluable competion to Apple meglomania, 2010-07-22
As others have said, the sound quality leaves the gimmicky ipod trailing and all round class makes it money well spent. It's not (quite) perfect, the pc software provided could be a little more powerful and intuitive, but at least your hard earned bucks are rewarded with a piece of well thought out and propertly engineered kit, not just a 'must have' fashion accessory from the company who's phones have to be held a certain way.
Premium price justified for those focussed on Music, 2010-05-09
INTRO
I looked at all players on the market in a lot of detail (read all reviews and tried in-store) before choosing the Sony Walkman X. I'm really happy with it 6 months in. If you are looking for a PORTABLE AUDIO player (i.e. not a PMP - I use my pc to watch films and surf the web...), that stores a decent amount of music, this is currently the best offering.
Other players considered: Cowon S9, Apple Ipod Touch, Samsung P3, Zune HD
Previously owned: Cowon D2, Sandisk e280
REVIEW SUMMARY
:-)
Audio quality, build quality, user interface, OLED screen, you tube support, not tied to itunes/apple, long battery life (with WIFI off), nice included headphones
:-(
Web browser (though Firmware update 1.10 seems to have helped), limited video support, lack of on-the-fly playlists, no FLAC support, 32gb max capacity (only the Touch does fully integrated flash memory at 64gb), noise cancellation only works with included headphones
THE `GOOD's IN DETAIL
Audio quality - highs/mids/bass/clarity. The X IMO sounds better than the Touch, Cowon D2, Sandisk e280. I haven't listened to the Cowon S9 or Samsung P3, though I understand it is on a par with the S9. It sounds great out of the box. I haven't needed to use the equaliser
Build quality - It feels really solid. The size is also great; smaller than the touch and the S9 (the latter felt fat and cheap when I tried it in Korea). Small size factor, something that slips into your jeans/jacket pocket, is what you want for a portable audio player.
User interface - It's really intuitive. The cover flow setup is v cool and the responsiveness is actually better than that of the touch IMO (i.e. better than the rest of the market). From reviews the Samsung P3's interface looked a little childish which put me off it.
OLED screen - much clearer, sharper than the Touch & D2 though I preferred the S9's AMOLED screen
You-tube support - this surprised me, as though the web browser is generally rubbish, the you tube function works really well. I didn't expect to use it much, but it's actually been a real bonus to have a direct link to videos and interviews of bands you are listening to
Open operating system - being able to use Winamp/Media monkey and not being tied into itunes is a real blessing. This is one of the main reasons I chose not to get a 64gb touch. The best way to update Music is to sync using Media Monkey.
Included headphones - are v good, much better than those found on any other player (though I use my Phonak PFEs).
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