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Sony Walkman NWZ-ZX1 is a luxury audio player for the rich audiophile (pictures)

The Sony Walkman NWZ-ZX1 plays lossless audio files and has a high-quality amplifier built in, aiming it squarely at the audiophile with deep pockets.

Andrew Lanxon
Andrew is CNET's go-to guy for product coverage and lead photographer for Europe. When not testing the latest phones, he can normally be found with his camera in hand, behind his drums or eating his stash of home-cooked food. Sometimes all at once.
Andrew Lanxon
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1 of 8 Andrew Hoyle/CNET
The Sony Walkman NWZ-ZX1 is an audio player, capable of playing back high-quality, lossless audio files. With its 549 pound price tag (around $900), it's aimed squarely at the audiophiles who demand top audio clarity and don't care how much it costs.
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With its aluminum body and leather-effect back panel, it's an attractive piece of kit. You'd hope so though, given the high price.
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It has dedicated media control buttons on the outside.
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If you tend to listen to Spotify through Apple earbuds, this isn't for you. Snag yourself some lossless music and buy a pair of Sennheiser HD750 headphones to really hear what it can do.
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It has 128GB of storage, which Sony reckons can store around 800 high-resolution songs.
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It'll play back most lossless audio formats, including Apple Lossless, and will show MP4 videos as well.
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It runs on the now quite old Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean, although most of the new features of Jelly Bean aren't particularly relevant to an MP3 player.
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The display isn't particularly high resolution, which is a shame given the high price. If it had a Full HD display like Sony's own Xperia Z1 smartphone, it would be much better for watching video on the go.

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