[zeddun]

I had a Calyx M and an Z1.  The M had awesome sound quality and great storage capacity but also drawbacks (poor battery life, manufacturer stopped supporting it and it distorted with some IEMS unless you used the M Jack).  I used the Z1 for music streaming only and to offload my Tidal lossless playlists as it does not have any expandable storage so it could not handle my music collection.  Recently I sold both and purchased a used ZX2 which I'm very happy with.  The sound quality of the ZX2 is very good with all my headphones and IEMS and it combined functionality of the M and ZX1 into a single device.  Unless I'm streaming music services like Tidal, Pandora, Sirius XM or offloading Tidal tracks I keep the ZX2 in airplane mode for all other listening and it works well. Using my cell phone for Tidal etc isn't a great option as my cell phone (iPhone 6s) is a work phone so it wouldn't put me in too good of favor with my employer when our IT person goes to update my phone and finds it loaded with Tidal music tracks and other personal music apps. 

 

[Earbones]

Hey guys... Considering a ZX2. By considering, I mean the girl has bought one and is planning on giving it to me for Christmas, whether or not it stays or goes back to Best Buy is the consideration, ha ha...

Our main concern is continued app support, specifically Tidal... Jellybean will be literally half a decade old by the new year. This is approaching seriously ancient... I simply can't see this device functioning with apps in, say, another five years, unless Sony updates the OS. I'm not a software engineer, but I don't think expecting only two years of actually being able to stream Tidal and others is particularly pessimistic... And since I use Tidal for like 75% of our music, I'm understandably wary of a $1200 expenditure that possibly boils down to two years of use and done... Or $600 a year, ha ha.

Furthermore, with the introduction of the second-tier NW-WM1A player at the exact same price point as the ZX2, it appears Sony has consolidated it's high end players under the "signature" umbrella, and abandoned Android... Adding to my fears that updates to the ZX2 will not happen.

Are my fears unfounded? Is an update happening any time soon? You guys who love your ZX2 but mostly listen to stored music... If 75% of your music was Tidal, would you be confident with the device as a long-term (4-5 year) solution?

Thanks, and also apologies, as I'm sure this has probably been discussed, but the idea of wading through 905 pages is a little daunting...

UPDATE... Looking over the Tidal tech support page for Android, it appears their new requirements for playing tracks in HiFi is Android 4.4.0 or later... Since the ZX2 is running 4.2.2, it appears that Tidal is already only partially functional on the device?

 

[Cagin]

Should've bought a used zx2 $500-600 and enjoy it till legacy support ends. Or buy an AR M20, bit less battery but more recent Android version. Don't know if you can still get a 20% discount on it from AR USA though cuz that would be even cheaper than the zx2.
But yeah buy a used zx2 for cheap, so you won't lose much when tidal won't work. You'd still be able to resell it 400 because it's still an awesome player with great sq with an outstanding battery even without streaming.

 

[proedros]

Should've bought a used zx2 $500-600 and enjoy it till legacy support ends. Or buy an AR M20, bit less battery but more recent Android version. Don't know if you can still get a 20% discount on it from AR USA though cuz that would be even cheaper than the zx2.
But yeah buy a used zx2 for cheap, so you won't lose much when tidal won't work. You'd still be able to resell it 400 because it's still an awesome player with great sq with an outstanding battery even without streaming.

 
+1, buying a new one for jus tidal is too much
 
btw @Cagin i still have your zx2 and it kicks ass bro 

 
(only way to sell it if i buy the wm1a and like it way better - but this is 6-8 months away from now)

 

[zeddun]

I use my ZX2 to play and offload Tidal tracks. The HiFi feature still works on my ZX2 as HiFi is lit up when I play tracks and after mounting the phone as USB mass storage on my PC I checked where the Tidal files are stored and size of the files, 25-30 megs or more per track on average correspond with lossless file sizes.

 

[zeddun]

What's the best way to connect my ZX2 to my desktop Erzetich Bacillus Tilia headphone amp. The desktop amp only has rca inputs. Should I use my Monster interlink 400 Y cable plugged into the ZX2s headphone jack with the ZX2s volume cranked or should i purchase a KK brand WM port to dual RCA cable from Amazon? Thanks. I apologize if this question has been previously answered in this thread.

 

[Earbones]

I use my ZX2 to play and offload Tidal tracks. The HiFi feature still works on my ZX2 as HiFi is lit up when I play tracks and after mounting the phone as USB mass storage on my PC I checked where the Tidal files are stored and size of the files, 25-30 megs or more per track on average correspond with lossless file sizes.

That's so weird... I double-checked it, and Tidal definitely says that with the exception of Samsung devices, which can have as old as 4.3.0 installed and play HiFi, every other device needs at least 4.4.0 to 4.4.3 depending... And the ZX2 is definitely 4.2.2... I would have said that the Tidal app was just showing HiFi and not actually playing it, but you mentioned that you checked the file sizes and confirmed they are indeed HiFi...

Maybe it's a grandfathered-in thing? Like if you installed Tidal on a device with an older OS before they made the changes to the app, it will still play HiFi, but if you do a fresh install on a device with an older OS, the HiFi feature will be disabled? Dunno what the point of that would be, though, unless I'm missing something?... Any programmer types know if that's a viable explanation?

Or is it possible Sony has a special deal with Tidal where the app will work with the older OS only on the ZX2? Different but similar to how the Sony Android TVs have the Amazon movies app, but no other Android TVs on the market do? But this seems really unlikely to me... Sony is fully on board with Android TV, making a ton of sets with the OS, and Amazon On Demand is a huge app, so cutting a special licensing deal and maintaining support for a custom version of the app makes financial sense for both parties. A special Tidal/ZX2 partnership makes zero sense...

Completely bizarre...

At any rate, I think I'll be returning the ZX2. Damn. Don't want to go used for $600... (eBay used ones are around $750 on average, anyway)... Even half off is too much if I'm looking at roughly 2 more years of Tidal support...

 

[JamesInLondon]

I use my ZX2 to play and offload Tidal tracks. The HiFi feature still works on my ZX2 as HiFi is lit up when I play tracks and after mounting the phone as USB mass storage on my PC I checked where the Tidal files are stored and size of the files, 25-30 megs or more per track on average correspond with lossless file sizes.

How do you offload your Tidal tracks on to your PC?

 

[zeddun]

I do not offload them to my PC but I have about 15 GB of my Tidal playlists in lossless downloaded to the micro SD card on my ZX2. I usually keep the Tidal app in offline mode as i usually keep the ZX2 in airplane mode for my music listening.

 

[zeddun]

That's so weird... I double-checked it, and Tidal definitely says that with the exception of Samsung devices, which can have as old as 4.3.0 installed and play HiFi, every other device needs at least 4.4.0 to 4.4.3 depending... And the ZX2 is definitely 4.2.2... I would have said that the Tidal app was just showing HiFi and not actually playing it, but you mentioned that you checked the file sizes and confirmed they are indeed HiFi...

Maybe it's a grandfathered-in thing? Like if you installed Tidal on a device with an older OS before they made the changes to the app, it will still play HiFi, but if you do a fresh install on a device with an older OS, the HiFi feature will be disabled? Dunno what the point of that would be, though, unless I'm missing something?... Any programmer types know if that's a viable explanation?

Or is it possible Sony has a special deal with Tidal where the app will work with the older OS only on the ZX2? Different but similar to how the Sony Android TVs have the Amazon movies app, but no other Android TVs on the market do? But this seems really unlikely to me... Sony is fully on board with Android TV, making a ton of sets with the OS, and Amazon On Demand is a huge app, so cutting a special licensing deal and maintaining support for a custom version of the app makes financial sense for both parties. A special Tidal/ZX2 partnership makes zero sense...

Completely bizarre...

At any rate, I think I'll be returning the ZX2. Damn. Don't want to go used for $600... (eBay used ones are around $750 on average, anyway)... Even half off is too much if I'm looking at roughly 2 more years of Tidal support...

FYI I have only owned my ZX2 for less than two weeks. You might want to try installing Tidal on your ZX2 and make sure under the app settings that the HiFI option is selected for streaming and downloading then try to offload tracks and see if it works. It worked for me. I'm not holding my breath but I hope Sony releases a final android software update for the ZX2. Even though the ZX2 has been replaced with the NW-WM1A the ZX2 is still listed as being for sale at the full retail price $1199.00 on the Sony USA Walkman product page. So if Sony is still listing it as an active product and trying to sell it my opinion is that it should still be supported but I don't expect it to be supported forever. That's one of the reasons I sold my Calyx M-Calyx stopped supporting the M very early on. Can't believe it would be too difficult for Sony to release an update especially considering Sony also makes android cell phones.

 

[AUDIOBREEDER]

Sony should support and update to the android as both the newer walkmans are Android-less.
Since it is still on there website it wouldn't make sense for people buying it if they need it for streaming, internet etc.

 

[yakkosmurf]

I remember reading on the ZX1 thread that the ZX1 processor wasn't compatible with newer versions of Android than what it already had. I suspect the ZX2 might have the same limitation preventing Sony from being able to update it further. Does anyone know for sure?

I was looking seriously at a ZX2 to replace my battery failed ZX1. But, I'm concerned the only advantage to me of the ZX2 over the WM1A is the streaming feature and that might not be fully functional much longer. So, I am going to pick up the WM1A to gain the DSD output capability to my PHA3, and I'll use my Xperia phone for streaming.

 

[Whitigir]

Well, when you do WM1A, I don't think you even need pha-3 . How do we know that the streaming ability of Zx2 will not be there any longer ? .

 

[George A]

Hi, Does anyone  know if there is a way to unlock or wake the device without pressing the power button? I installed many double tap apps but does not work.

 

[Whitigir]

Nope, I always use power button

And here come, another titan to take on Zx2