Sony’s latest digital music player, the DMP-Z1 is literally a heavy duty one. It packs in a top-end stationary class headphone amplifier, and is able to resolve High Resolution Audio (HRA) up to Native DSD 11.2 MHz/PCM 384 kHz/32bit.
You’ll notice that the volume dial on the DMP-Z1features most prominently, and this is for good reason. It’s an Analog Rotary Volume Controller that has both copper substrate plating and gold-plating for better signal purity.
Inside, the DMP-Z1 features a dual DAC (the Asahi Kasei Microdevices AK4497E) and an analog amplifier (The high performance TI TPA6120A2 amp chip) to ensure both high output power and quality sound.
A H-shaped aluminum Monocoque chassis and frame has been used for higher rigidity and lowered interference from vibrations for better performance in the low end. This design also allows for isolation of the amplifier circuit board and the main circuit board, so there’s less noise.
Another major design decision is to use a total of five battery cells to power both the digital and analog blocks. Each block has its own power system, so noise doesn’t propagate between them. Noiseless, clean and powerful sound!
On the side, you’ll find two microSD slots so you can easily add storage to complement the 256GB internal storage in the player. There are also USB type C connections and a Bluetooth receiver so you can easily connect to the player.
There’s also a 3.1” Touch Panel LCD on the top of the player that gives you some basic information on what’s playing. It’s a little small compared to the rest of the player, but provides some useful information when you need it.