Sony's Latest Goodies - NW-ZX2 High-Resolution Walkman, MDR-1ABT Headphones, PHA-1A Headphone DAC/amplifier

Sony announced a slew of new products at CES 2015. Here are some of the products announced that are likely to be of interest to readers.

Walkman NW-ZX2

This is the Walkman for the discerning Audiophile. Compared to the preceding flagship model (ZX1), the ZX2 gains DSD support (2.8 MHz and 5.6 MHz).

Specifications

	NW-ZX2
Memory Capacity	128 GB
External Memory	microSD (card not included)
Key Features	High-Resolution Audio playback, S-Master HX Digital Amplifier, DSEE HX (Digital Sound Enhancement Engine), ClearAudio+, Clear Bass, Equaliser, VPT, one-touch listening via NFC and Bluetooth® connectivity
Compatible Audio Formats	MP3, WMA, FLAC (192KHz/24bit), Linear PCM (192KHz/24bit), WAV (192KHz/24bit), AAC-LC, HE-AAC, Apple Lossless (192KHz/24bit), AIFF (192KHz/24bit), DSD (2.8MHz, 5.6MHz)
Battery Life	MP3: 60 hours
	Hi-Res Audio: 33 hours
Charging Time	Approx. 4.5 hours
Operating Platform	Android™ 4.2
Display	4.0 inch FWVGA (854x480) TRILUMINOS™ Display for mobile
Communication Mode	Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11b/g/n/a)
Bluetooth®	Bluetooth® (A2DP/AVRCP/OPP/HID/SPP) Supported Codec: SBC/LDAC
NFC	Yes
Included Applications	Media Go (for Windows), Content Transfer for Mac (for Mac OS)
Dimensions (W x H x D)	65.1 x 131.2 x 18.5 mm (excluding max. protruding section)
Weight	Approx. 235 g
Accessories	USB cable, leather carrying case, Spacer (headphones not included)

MDR-1ABT Headphones

Hmm - closed headphones with wireless capability via Bluetooth. The specifications seem to suggest that there is a built in DAC too with a sampling rate of up to 96 kHz.

Specifications

	MDR-1ABT
Type	Closed Dynamic
Driver Unit	Φ40 mm, Dome type (CCAW Voice coil)
Sensitivity	98 dB/mW (1kHz) (when using the supplied headphone cable)
Frequency Response	4 Hz - 100,000Hz (when using the supplied headphone cable) 20Hz - 20,000Hz (44.1kHz Sampling) / 20Hz - 40,000Hz (LDAC 96kHz Sampling, 990kbps)
Impedance	24Ω (1kHz) (when using the supplied headphone cable)
Power Handling Capacity	100mW
Plug	Gold-plated stereo mini plug
Weight (exclude cable)	Approx. 300g
Battery Life (continuous music playback time)	Music playback time: Max. 30 hours Communication time: Max. 26 hours Standby Time: Max. 200 hours
Supplied Accessories	Headphone cable (1.2m), Micro USB cable (0.5m), Carrying pouch

PHA-1A Portable DAC/Headphone Amplifier

The PHA-1A handles PCM sampling up to 192kHz with a maximum of 24 bit resolution. It is quite light and compact, with it's built-in rechargeable battery good for 6 hours of use. 

Specifications

	PHA-1A
Sampling Frequency/Bit	PCM: Max. 192kHz/24bit
Frequency Range	10 Hz – 100,000 Hz
Impedance	8Ω – 600Ω
Maximum Output	Approx. 148mW + 148mW (8Ω, 10% distortion) Approx. 80mW + 80mW (32Ω, 1% distortion) Approx. 16.4mW + 16.4mW (300Ω, 10% distortion)
Output(s)	Stereo mini jack (Only a 3-pole stereo mini plug is supported)
Input(s)	Computer/WALKMAN®/Xperia connecting port, iPhone/iPad/iPod® connecting port
ThBattery Type	Built-in lithium-ion rechargeable battery
Battery Life	Approx. 6 hours
Battery Charging Time	Approx. 2 hours
Dimensions (W x H x D)	Approx. 62 x 18.5 x 109 mm
Weight (Without Cord)	Approx. 145g
Supplied Accessories	Digital cable for WALKMAN®, Digital cable for Xperia®, Micro USB cable, Silicone belts, Protection sheet

Pricing and availability of the above products in Singapore will be announced at a later date. All photos are courtesy of Sony.