So far, i have to say I feel a bit lukewarm about the WM1A.....I know people will say I'm crazy but I think 1Z should be better.
Compared to the ZX2, its a lot of energetic and you notice the expanded soundstage and extended treble.
But it comes with a lot of drawbacks. The player doesn't sound as lush or musical anymore...it sounds a bit more analytical.
The treble though more extended sounds a bit grainy and crispy....to the point where for me it seems the main emphasis. It does add edges around every note, giving more detail but also adds a little harshness...making it slightly unnatural. Treble reminded me a bit of the mojo, esp on cymbal hits. There is much less bass quantity in comparison, especially to the ZX2, as it its a more brighter tuning than a warm analog tuning. Its more towards QP1R signature than the ZX2.
The soundstage does seem bigger, but also for me it feels odd. It was wider but didn't have much depth. Its almost like watching a movie on a big screen, but someone just moved the display closer to your face. So when you look at the screen it looks bigger because its very close, but in actuality, the soundstage isn't that big. What I would prefer for a real bigger soundstage is if there was more screen room and everything scaled according to the screen space, giving a more natural presentation. I really sometimes felt the soundstage was a blanket over my face, which along with the treble was a bit fatiguing. Vocals and mids are very forward(a bit like the mojo).
Also something I miss with this presentation, is though it seems larger scaled and more detailed, the WM1A does not have the same driver grip as the ZX2 on the transients. Its really not as explosive and punchy, which didn't give me the toe tapping I was hoping from the sony. The unit has been playing for only 10 hrs, so I will keep burning it in (recommended around 200 hrs) to see if there are changes.
. Hey denis, why selling 380Cu already
