NWZ-ZX1 - Sony Audio Service Manual (repair manual)

2014J33-1

© 

2014.10

Note:
Be sure to keep your PC used for service and 
checking of this unit always updated with the 
latest version of your anti-virus software.
In case a virus affected unit was found during 
service, contact your Service Headquarters. 

– Continued on next page –

CAUTION
Danger of explosion if battery is incorrectly replaced.
Replace only with the same or equivalent type.

•  This unit is not supplied the headphone.

Android™ Version 4.1, Jelly Bean

4.0-inch (10.2 cm) / FWVGA (854 x 480 Pixels)

TFT color display

Hi-Speed USB (USB 2.0 compliant) 

Stereo mini-jack

WM-PORT (multiple connecting terminal): 22 pins

IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n

Communication system: Bluetooth specification version 3.0

GPS receiver (Canadian, AEP, UK and E models only)
Accelerometer

Monaural

Monaural

Frequency response
20 Hz to 40,000 Hz

ClearAudio+ (On/Off)

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Equalizer

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Clear Bass 

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Surround sound

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DSEE HX (On/Off)

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Dynamic normalizer (On/Off)

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xLOUD (On/Off)

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Clear Phase (On/Off)

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Built-in Rechargeable lithium-ion Battery
USB power (from a computer via a USB connector of the player)

Approx. 3 hours

5 °C to 35 °C (41 ºF to 95 ºF)

59.7 mm x 122.3 mm x 13.5 mm (The thinnest part: 9.8mm) (2 3/8 inches x 4 7/8 
inches x 9/16 inches (The thinnest part: 13/32 inches))

60.7 mm x 128.8 mm x 15.3 mm (2 1/2 inches x 4 7/8 inches x 5/8 inches)

139 g (5.0 oz)

128 GB

approx. 113 GB
122,342,834,176 bytes

approx. 1.00 GB
1,073,741,824 bytes

(*1)

 Available capacity may vary. A portion of the memory is used for data management functions.

(*2)

 Actual available memory for application software includes the memory space which is used for 

factory-preinstalled applications.

“WALKMAN” specifications and designs are subject to change without notice.

FLEXIBLE  CIRCUIT  BOARD  REPAIRING
• 

Keep the temperature of soldering iron around 270 °C during 
repairing.

• 

Do not touch the soldering iron on the same conductor of the 
circuit board (within 3 times).

• 

Be careful not to apply force on the conductor when soldering 
or unsoldering.

Battery life

The time below may differ depending on ambient temperature or the status of use.

Actual battery life may vary depending on settings. The estimated battery usage 
hours shown below are based on typical usage conditions with “Settings for battery 
life measurement” as shown in the table below. 

MP3 128 kbps
Bluetooth OFF: approx. 32 Hrs
Bluetooth ON: approx. 23 Hrs

Linear PCM 1,411 kbps
Bluetooth OFF: approx. 34 Hrs
Bluetooth ON: approx. 24 Hrs

FLAC 96 kHz/24 bit
Bluetooth OFF: approx. 25 Hrs
Bluetooth ON: approx. 16 Hrs

FLAC 192 kHz/24 bit
Bluetooth OFF: approx. 16 Hrs
Bluetooth ON: approx. 7 Hrs

MPEG-4 384 kbps
Bluetooth OFF: approx. 5 Hrs
Bluetooth ON: approx. 5 Hrs

Even if the player is turned off for an extended period, a small amount of battery 
power is still consumed. 

‡

Battery life may vary depending on volume setting, conditions of use and ambient 
temperature.

‡

Maximum recordable number of songs and time (Approx.) 

The approximate times are based on the case in which you transfer or record only 4 
minute songs (not including videos and photos) in the MP3 format. Other playable 
audio file format song numbers and times may differ from MP3 format. 

Maximum recordable time of videos (Approx.)

The approximate times are estimated in the case where only videos are transferred. 
The time may differ, depending on the conditions under which the player is used.

Video: 384 kbps/Music: 128 kbps
Approx. 466 hr. 40 min.

Supported formats

Audio Formats (Codec) 
MP3
Media File format: MP3 (MPEG-1 Layer3) file format
File extension: .mp3
Bit rate: 32 to 320 kbps (Supports variable bit rate (VBR))
Sampling frequency (*1): 32, 44.1, 48 kHz

WMA (*2) 
Media File format: ASF file format
File extension: .wma
Bit rate: 5 to 384 kbps (Supports variable bit rate (VBR))
Sampling frequency (*1): 8 to 48 kHz

FLAC
Media File format: FLAC file format
File extension: .flac
Bit depth: 16, 24 bit
Sampling frequency (*1): 8, 11.025, 12, 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 
192 kHz

Linear PCM
Media File format: Wave-Riff file format
File extension: .wav
Bit depth: 16, 24 bit
Sampling frequency (*1): 8, 11.025, 12, 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 
192 kHz

AAC (*3) 
Media File format: MP4 file format
File extension: .mp4, .m4a, .3gp
Bit rate: 16 to 320 kbps (Supports variable bit rate (VBR)) (*4)
Sampling frequency (*1): 8, 11.025, 12, 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48 kHz

HE-AAC
Media File format: MP4 file format
File extension: .mp4, .m4a, .3gp
Bit rate: 32 to 144 kbps 
Sampling frequency (*1): 8, 11.025, 12, 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48 kHz

Apple Lossless
Media File format: MP4 file format
File extension: .m4a, .mp4
Bit depth: 16, 24 bit
Sampling frequency (*1): 8, 11.025, 12, 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 
192 kHz

AIFF
Media File format: AIFF file format
File extension: .aif, .aiff, .afc, .aifc
Bit depth: 16, 24 bit
Sampling frequency (*1): 8, 11.025, 12, 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48, 88.2, 96, 176.4, 
192 kHz

System requirements

Computer 

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Windows® XP Home Edition (*1) (Service Pack 3 or later)
Windows® XP Professional (*1) (Service Pack 3 or later)
Windows Vista® Home Basic (Service Pack 2 or later)
Windows Vista® Home Premium (Service Pack 2 or later)
Windows Vista® Business (Service Pack 2 or later)
Windows Vista® Ultimate (Service Pack 2 or later)
Windows® 7 Starter (Service Pack 1 or later)
Windows® 7 Home Basic (Service Pack 1 or later)
Windows® 7 Home Premium (Service Pack 1 or later)
Windows® 7 Professional (Service Pack 1 or later)
Windows® 7 Ultimate (Service Pack 1 or later)
Windows® 8
Windows® 8 Pro
Mac OS® X v10.6 or later

Not supported by OSs other than above.
“Compatibility mode” for Windows XP (included with Windows Vista and Windows 
7) is not supported.
Pre-installed.

(*1)

 Excluding 64-bit OS versions.

CPU: 1 GHz processor (2.6 GHz recommended for video playback)

‡

RAM: 1 GB or more (2 GB RAM required for Windows 8 64-bit)

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Hard Disk Drive / Solid State Drive: 600 MB or more of available space

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Internet Explorer 7 or later

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Internet connection (for Gracenote® MusicID® service, podcast features, Store 
access, or online help)

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We do not guarantee operation for all computers even if they meet the above System 
Requirements.

Not supported by the following environments:

Personally constructed computers or operating systems

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An environment that is an upgrade of the original manufacturer-installed operating 
system

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Multi-boot environment

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Contents

List of accessories and manuals supplied with your Walkman.

USB cable (1)

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Carrying Pouch (1)

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Spacer (1)

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Quick Start Guide 

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Headphones are not supplied with your Walkman.

Design and specifications are subject to change without notice.

DSD (*1) (2.8224 MHz/1 bit)
Bluetooth OFF: approx. 10 Hrs
Bluetooth ON: approx. 6 Hrs

Sound adjustment
ClearAudio+ (*3): OFF (default setting: OFF)
Equalizer (*4): OFF (default setting: OFF)
Surround sound (*4): OFF (default setting: OFF)
DSEE HX (*4)(*5): OFF (default setting: OFF)
Dynamic normalizer (*4): OFF (default setting: OFF)
xLOUD (*4): OFF (default setting: ON)
Clear Phase (*4): OFF (default setting: ON)

(*1)

 DSD format is available for Walkman software that has been updated to Ver.1.10 or later.

Display
Brightness (*2): Default

(*2)

 The maxmum brightness setting shortens the battery life for continuous video playback by about 27 

% compared with the default setting.

(*3)

 The [On] setting shortens the battery life about 37 % compared with the [Off] setting.

(*4)

 Setting [Equalizer] to other than [None], [Surround sound] to other than [None], [DSEE HX] to [On], 

[Dynamic normalizer] to [On], [Clear Phase] to [On] and [xLOUD] to [On] shortens the battery life for 
continuous music playback by about 77 %.

(*5)

 The [On] setting shortens the battery life about 66 % compared with the [Off] setting.

128 kbps: Approx. 20,000 songs
1,411 kbps (Linear PCM): Approx. 2,800 songs

128 kbps: Approx. 1,333 hr. 20 min.
1,411 kbps (Linear PCM): Approx. 186 hr. 40 min.

DSD (*1) (2.8224 MHz/1 bit): Approx. 700 songs

DSD (*1) (2.8224 MHz/1 bit): Approx. 46 hr. 40 min.

(*1)

 DSD format is available for Walkman software that has been updated to Ver.1.10 or later.

Video Formats (Codec)
AVC (H.264/AVC) 
Media File format: MP4 file format, “Memory Stick” video format
File extension: .mp4, .m4v
Profile: Baseline Profile/Main Profile/High Profile
Level: 4
Bitrate: Max 20 Mbps
Frame rate: Max 30 fps
Resolution: Max 1,920 x 1,080 (*6)

MPEG-4
Media File format: MP4 file format, “Memory Stick” video format
File extension: .mp4, .m4v
Profile: Simple Profile/ Advanced Simple Profile
Bitrate: Max 20 Mbps
Frame rate: Max 30 fps
Resolution: Max 1,920 x 1,080 (*6)

Windows Media Video 9 (*2)
Media File format: ASF file format
File extension: .wmv
Bitrate: Max 20 Mbps
Frame rate: Max 30 fps
Resolution: Max 1,920 x 1,080 (*6)

DSD (*5)
Media File format: DSF, DSDIFF
File extension: .dsf, .dff
Bit depth: 1 bit
Sampling frequency (*1): 2.8224 MHz

AAC-LC (AVC, MPEG-4)
Bit rate: 32 to 144 kbps (Supports variable bit rate (VBR)) (*4)
Sampling frequency (*1): 8, 11.025, 12, 16, 22.05, 24, 32, 44.1, 48 kHz

WMA (Windows Media Video 9)
Bit rate: 5 to 384 kbps (Supports variable bit rate (VBR))
Sampling frequency (*1): 8-48 kHz

Photo Format (Codec)
JPEG
Media File format: Compatible with DCF 2.0/Exif 2.21file format
File extension: .jpg, .jpeg
Profile: Baseline Profile
Number of pixels: Max. 6,048 x 4,032 pixels (24,385,536 pixels)

PNG
File extension: .png
Number of pixels: Max. 2,048 x 2,048 pixels (4,194,304 pixels)

(*1)

 Sampling frequency may not correspond to all encoders.

(*2)

 Copyright protected WMA/WMV files cannot be played back.

(*3)

 Copyright protected AAC-LC files cannot be played back. 

(*4)

 Non-standard bit rates or non-guaranteed bit rates are included depending on the sampling 

frequency.

(*5)

 DSD format is available for Walkman software that has been updated to Ver.1.10 or later.

(*6)

 These numbers indicate the maximum resolution of playable video, and do not indicate the player’s 

resolution.

(*7)

 Some photo files cannot be played back, depending on their file formats.

Google, Android and other marks are trademarks of Google Inc.

‡

The Android robot is reproduced or modified from work created and shared by Google 

and used according to terms described in the Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution 

License.

‡

“WALKMAN” and “WALKMAN” logo are registered trademarks of Sony Corporation.

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“DSEE” and “DSEE” logo are registered trademarks of Sony Corporation.

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“12 TONE ANALYSIS” and its logo are trademarks of Sony Corporation.

‡

SensMe and the SensMe logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony Mobile 

Communications AB.

‡

“LCMIR” and the “LCMIR” logo are trademarks of Sony Corporation.

‡

Microsoft, Windows, Windows Vista and Windows Media are either trademarks or 

registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other 

countries.

‡

IBM is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation.

‡

Apple, Mac and iTunes are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other 

countries.

‡

Pentium is a trademark of Intel Corporation in the U.S. and/or other countries.

‡

The Bluetooth word mark and logos are owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use 

of such marks by Sony Corporation is under license. Other trademarks and trade 

names are those of their respective owners.

‡

Wi-Fi, the Wi-Fi CERTIFIED logo, WPA, WPA2 and Wi-Fi Protected Setup are 

trademarks or registered trademarks of Wi-Fi Alliance.

‡

DLNA, DNLA logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Digital Living 

Network Alliance.

‡

“Sony Entertainment Network logo” and “Sony Entertainment Network” are trademarks 

of Sony Corporation.

‡

“Clear Phase” and “Clear Phase” logo are trademarks of Sony Corporation.

‡

“Clear Bass” is a trademark of Sony Corporation.

‡

“xLOUD” and “xLOUD” logo are trademarks of Sony Corporation.

‡

The N-Mark is a trademark or registered trademark of NFC Forum, Inc. in the United 

States and in other countries.

‡

VPT, Virtualphones Technology is a registered trademark of Sony Corporation.

‡

All other trademarks and registered trademarks are trademarks or registered 

trademarks of their respective holders. In this manual, TM and ® marks are not 

specified.

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 .............................................  

4

2-1. Disassembly 

Flow 

...........................................................  13

2-2. Grip 

Assy 

........................................................................  14

2-3.  Panel (Rear) Block ..........................................................   14
2-4. Battery 

Assy 

(BAT1) 

Wire 

..............................................  15

2-5. Battery 

Assy 

(BAT1) 

.......................................................  15

2-6. EMMC 

Board 

.................................................................  16

2-7.  Support (Bottom) Block ..................................................   16
2-8.  Speaker Box Assy (SP1) .................................................   17
2-9. MAIN 

Board-1 

................................................................  18

2-10. MAIN Board-2 ................................................................   19
2-11.  SW FPC Assy (FPC2) .....................................................   19
2-12. Escutcheon ......................................................................   20
2-13. BT/WIFI/GPS Antenna (ANT1) .....................................   20
2-14.  LCD Module (LCD1) .....................................................   21
2-15. HP Board .........................................................................   22

 ....................................................   23

4-1.  Panel (Rear) Section .......................................................   34
4-2.  Battery, MAIN Board Section.........................................   35
4-3.  Antenna, Strap Section ...................................................   36
4-4. LCD 

Section 

...................................................................  37

 .......................................................   38

ABOUT  THE  HANDLING  OF  THE  BATTERY  ASSY 
(BAT1)
It cannot reuse, when the BATTERY ASSY (BAT1) is removed 
from adhesive sheet. Replace it with a new BATTERY ASSY 
(BAT1).
And when the BATTERY ASSY (BAT1) is removed from board, 
insulate the end of wire by a tape etc. to prevent short-circuited of 
the wire part of BATTERY ASSY (BAT1).

ABOUT  THE  REPAIRING  OF  THE  BATTERY  ASSY 
(BAT1)
When the BATTERY ASSY (BAT1) is replaced, refer to “3. SER-
VICE MODE” (page 31 to 33).

ABOUT  THE  REPAIRING  OF  BOARD
When boards installed by this unit are defective, replace the com-
plete mounted board or the whole part containing the complete 
mounted board.
Moreover, the EMMC and MAIN boards cannot exchange with 
single. When exchanging the EMMC or MAIN boards, exchange 
both at the same time.

NOTE  OF  MAIN  BOARD  HANDLING
When handling the MAIN board, please work without touching the 
parts shown by following 

.

RF performance may be affected, when it touches accidentally and 
the parts deformed.

Initializing your “WALKMAN”

Delete data such as Google account information and downloaded applications, and 

reset your Walkman to factory default. 

If you put a checkmark in the checkbox by tapping [Erase USB storage], the 

following data will be erased: Music and photo data transferred to your Walkman, 

preinstalled content, the Setup.exe file stored in Walkman memory for installation 

on your computer. Be careful because the preinstalled content and the files in the 

“FOR_WINDOWS” and “FOR_MAC” folders will not be offered again. It is best to 

back up such data to a computer before initializing the Walkman.

•

Tap 

 - 

 [Settings] - [

 Backup & reset] - [Factory data reset] - [Reset 

device].

1.

To delete transferred music or photos, etc., tap [Erase USB storage] to put a 

checkmark in the checkbox. 

Tap [Erase everything]. 

2.

Your Walkman restarts automatically after being initialized.

Resetting your “WALKMAN”

Try resetting your Walkman if operations become unstable. 

Before resetting your Walkman, check that no song, etc. is being played back, 

otherwise the data may be damaged. 

Press and hold the 

 button for about 8 seconds or press the RESET button 

with a pen or paper clip, etc. to reset your Walkman. 

1.

No data or settings will be deleted by resetting your Walkman.

•

Data and settings in use may not be saved when you reset your Walkman.

•