SONY NW-ZX500
Jan 18, 2022 at 8:52 AM Post #7,937 of 8,633
A couple of things:

1) Does the 507 plateau after 200 hours burn-in, or are there further improvements/changes?
2) Been testing UAPP and the stock player on internally stored 16 and 24 bit FLAC files. Both sound great, at least as good as or better than the high end DACs I've been using of late, and as others have noted, the stock app is fuller and warmer and UAPP cleaner and brighter. I have noticed, though, that the stock app can sound a bit congested at times, bringing in a bit of distortion. Anybody else notice this? (it might just be my IEMs - Westone W80s, single ended - which do prefer a very clean signature). (I guess these questions are related - i.e., does any perceptible stock app congestion lessen with further burn in?)

Thanks.
 
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Jan 19, 2022 at 11:05 AM Post #7,938 of 8,633
A couple of things:

1) Does the 507 plateau after 200 hours burn-in, or are there further improvements/changes?
2) Been testing UAPP and the stock player on internally stored 16 and 24 bit FLAC files. Both sound great, at least as good as or better than the high end DACs I've been using of late, and as others have noted, the stock app is fuller and warmer and UAPP cleaner and brighter. I have noticed, though, that the stock app can sound a bit congested at times, bringing in a bit of distortion. Anybody else notice this? (it might just be my IEMs - Westone W80s, single ended - which do prefer a very clean signature). (I guess these questions are related - i.e., does any perceptible stock app congestion lessen with further burn in?)

Thanks.
In Hi-Fi, especially in Head-fi, brighter usually comes off as 'more detailed'. Therefore a warmer signature might come off as 'more congested' by comparison. Obviously this also relies heavily on the synergy between DAP and IEM, impedance-wise, sound signature-wise, etc. That being said, we discussed UAPP vs Walkman app a few pages back; I'm certainly getting the same impression with my IER-M9. (See Post #7,901 of 7,937)
 
Jan 19, 2022 at 11:18 AM Post #7,939 of 8,633
I have a strange problem... The sound in the 4.4 jack suddenly became terrible (quiet, flat, muddy, dull, lifeless), while in the 3.5 jack it's still brilliant. I have restored the factory settings of my 507, but that didn't help. The device is new, bought 3 weeks ago. Any idea?
 
Jan 19, 2022 at 1:02 PM Post #7,940 of 8,633
Is there a more detailed explanation as to how each of DC Phase Linearizer settings affect the sound - Type A vs B and standard, high and low? I perceive Type A Standard as having the strongest bass response but slightly scratching my head as to what the others do. Which setting has the tightest bass response for example?
 
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Jan 19, 2022 at 1:14 PM Post #7,941 of 8,633
In Hi-Fi, especially in Head-fi, brighter usually comes off as 'more detailed'. Therefore a warmer signature might come off as 'more congested' by comparison. Obviously this also relies heavily on the synergy between DAP and IEM, impedance-wise, sound signature-wise, etc. That being said, we discussed UAPP vs Walkman app a few pages back; I'm certainly getting the same impression with my IER-M9. (See Post #7,901 of 7,937)
Thanks. Yes indeed I take your point. That said, the 'congestion' is leading to some distortion in this case. Could well be my IEMs in that configuration. Anyway, I'm burning in the balanced output now. Early indications are that it may be more open... Many, many, many hours of burning to go!
 
Jan 20, 2022 at 3:01 AM Post #7,942 of 8,633
For me the best combo:

Sony NW-ZX507 + Sony MDR-1AM2 + balanced cabel...

I have also the sennheiser momentum 3 wireless. He sounds great. But the Sony MDR-1AM2 for me is better... Love this sound...
Nice! I use it with Sony MDR-z7 and the balance cable. It sounds fantastic. Now I use it with my Shure IEM SE846 and the balance cable. It sounds great too. The Sony NW-ZX507 drives the Shure IEM SE846 well also, but feeling different kind of tone and nuance from the SONY MDR-z7 though. Different kind of airy, vivid and atmospheric. Both headphones are greats. Same music but different sound signatures and projections. It is amazing different headphones have different interpretations of the sound. Probably the Sony MDR-Z7 is more realistic because it is an over-the-ear headphone. The Shure IEM is more intimate I guess.
 
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Jan 20, 2022 at 12:16 PM Post #7,943 of 8,633
Nice! I use it with Sony MDR-z7 and the balance cable. It sounds fantastic. Now I use it with my Shure IEM SE846 and the balance cable. It sounds great too. The Sony NW-ZX507 drives the Shure IEM SE846 well also, but feeling different kind of tone and nuance from the SONY MDR-z7 though. Different kind of airy, vivid and atmospheric. Both headphones are greats. Same music but different sound signatures and projections. It is amazing different headphones have different interpretations of the sound. Probably the Sony MDR-Z7 is more realistic because it is an over-the-ear headphone. The Shure IEM is more intimate I guess.
Unfortunately, the MDR-Z7 and the MDR-Z7M2 are currently available in Germany/Europe. I'm already waiting for a new release. Only it is not yet known when that will be. I also like the NW-ZX507 very well in combination with the Denon AH-D7200. That also sounds fantastic. But the MDR-1AM2 absolutely does not need to hide. Have fun with your MDR-Z7. I'm a little jealous...
 
Jan 20, 2022 at 5:56 PM Post #7,944 of 8,633
how do my fellow Mac users manage their files?
i find using a micro-sd card dongle (usb-c macbook user) to be the most convenient. ive tried the sony/android file transfer app for mac but its crashes at times and in general its not as quick or easy to use as Finder.
is there any way to just plug in my walkman via usbc to my mac and transfer files using Finder? when the pop up on the WM asks if i want to charge the device or use file transfer, the device doesnt show up under finder.

any advice would be appreciated. im not familiar with android devices, this is my first one.
After many hours of research my final solution for sync playlists and music files from my Mac m1 to the Walkman is the following procedure:

I use the Mac Music App, and all my music is on an external hard drive in a folder named Music. To transfer the music (500GB) I decided to just remove the SD Card and inserted in a SD Card reader to transfer the files, this is for me the fast and reliable way to do this. In the SD Card I created a folder named Music.

The Hard Drive is named: My Passport.
The Sd Card is named: My Passport.

In the Hard Drive I have a Folder named Music in which all the music files are stored.
In the SD Card I have a Folder named Music in which all the music files are stored. (I created a mirror of the file structure of the hard drive.)

To transfer the playlists created in the Music App I use the application from the Apple App Store named: Playlist Export, this is a paid app but it gets the job done. I use this app to export the playlist from the Music App to a M3U Playlist file, and the most important thing is that this app has a setting to change the music path structure from the Hard Drive file structure to the SD Card file structure to match the location of the files in the playlist from the Music App with the structure in the SD Card.

CHANGE FROM THIS
The music file structure in Apple Music App is:
/Volumes/My Passport
/Volumes/My Passport/Music/Rock Collection - 320kbps/Styx-Boat - The River.mp3

TO THIS
The file structure in the SD Card is :
/storage/B25A-EB18
/storage/B25A-EB18/Music/Rock Collection - 320kbps/Styx-Boat - The River.mp3

The B25A-EB18 is what you have to find out what is it in your own Walkman, otherwise the Walkman won't be able to find the music file in the SD Card.

Changing the music file structure can be done with the TextEdit App with the find and replace text option for free.
The Walkman Music App can't import or read the playlists, for that reason I use PowerAmp, Onkyo HD Player and JetAudio. My favorite is the Jet Audio Player for the sound, but the Poweramp player can export the playlists automatically once the M3U Playlist file is in the SD Card if programmed to do that.

To transfer the M3U Playlist file I could just remove the SD Card from the Walkman and insert it in the SD Card reader and send it to the Music Folder.
I like to put the M3U Playlist file in the Walkman Internal Memory in the Music folder, but the file can be placed in the Music folder located in the SD Card as well.

To send the playlists from the Mac to the walkman and to make this process more automatic I use the following procedure:

1. I installed Google Drive on the Mac and created folder named: JustMyPlaylists in the Google Drive.
2. I use the Playlist Export App to export the playlist from the Mac Music App to the folder JustMyPlaylists in the Google Drive.

Once is there I use another app DriveSync in the Sony Walkman which I bought from the Google Play Store, this app is free with advertising or pay, after testing the app I purchased because it gets the job done. I use this app to locate the files (playlists) in the JustMyPlaylists stored in the Google Drive and download them directly to the folder Music in the SD Card or the Music folder in the Sony Walkman internal memory.

3. Run DriveSync and press the Button Sync, and the playlist is in the Walkman.
4. Run Poweramp, then press playlists, then press rescan/ resolve playlists and done!
4. Run JetAudio, then Playlists, then Import, then navigate to the folder where the playlist is stored and import.
4. Run Onkyo HF Player and it will search for the playlist and load it. Just give it some time. 20 seconds maybe.

The Sony Music App can't read the playlist, well once all this is setup with a few clicks I can transfer the playlists from my Mac to the Sony Walkman. I hope this help you.
 
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Jan 21, 2022 at 1:55 AM Post #7,945 of 8,633
I have a strange problem... The sound in the 4.4 jack suddenly became terrible (quiet, flat, muddy, dull, lifeless), while in the 3.5 jack it's still brilliant. I have restored the factory settings of my 507, but that didn't help. The device is new, bought 3 weeks ago. Any idea?
Hi Ursego,
be patient... out of the box also for me the sound was amazingly flat and dull... Both jacks need to burn in. My player now has approx 250 h on the 4.4 jack and the sound is incredible 😀. Using the 4.4 jack constantly will be a strong improvement in sound quality. I couldn't believe it first but now I have experienced it. Since I use the 3.5 jack very rarely my player still has a thin and dull sound at this port. Invest the time to burn in and you will not regret it.

my end-game combination is the ZX507 with Sony MDR1AM2
 
Jan 21, 2022 at 10:45 AM Post #7,946 of 8,633
(...)Using the 4.4 jack constantly will be a strong improvement in sound quality.
+1, the balanced 4.4 output is objectively the better option for my Sony M9 too!
(...) my end-game combination is the ZX507 with Sony MDR1AM2
No such thing as an endgame in our hobby, but I consider myself happily settling on the ZX-507 / IER-M9 combo over many years to come. I've experienced this with my stereo system (see signature) and the Sony pair is the first time I'm 'feeling it' in Head-fi territory (IEMs and over-ear HPs included equally)! All this obviously having accepted the limitations of IEM listening.
 
Jan 21, 2022 at 11:10 AM Post #7,947 of 8,633
Yeah, you may be right... it's better not to come to final solution in hifi... haha.

I am sure, ZX507 and the IER M9 combination is great. Personally I do not like IEMs. I was looking for a MDRZ7MK2 but these are not available in Germany for a reasonable price at the moment. And due to my bad ears I doubt that I can hear a big difference to my MDR1AM2 either.

But let's see. Maybe when new WM1-Series/ successor will appear and also adequate new Sony headphones will be on the market, I may get nervous again .... hmm I am even pretty sure about that... 😀
 
Jan 21, 2022 at 11:10 AM Post #7,948 of 8,633
Hi Ursego,
be patient... out of the box also for me the sound was amazingly flat and dull... Both jacks need to burn in. My player now has approx 250 h on the 4.4 jack and the sound is incredible 😀. Using the 4.4 jack constantly will be a strong improvement in sound quality. I couldn't believe it first but now I have experienced it. Since I use the 3.5 jack very rarely my player still has a thin and dull sound at this port. Invest the time to burn in and you will not regret it.

my end-game combination is the ZX507 with Sony MDR1AM2
I'm only about 70 hours in to burning-in my 4.4 jack. It's already better than the 3.5 jack after that had the full 200+ hours. Very pleased with that. Using Westone W60s, with power to add from my W80s when a new balanced cable arrives.
 
Jan 21, 2022 at 12:06 PM Post #7,949 of 8,633
I have also read in some manual that you should burn in the two outputs (4.4mm and 3.5mm) at least 250h. So that they lost their full potential. But I use almost exclusively the 4.4mm output. And there I have probably already over 200h on it. He sounds fantastic now. I like the NW-ZX507 in conjunction with the MDR-1AM2. The bass is absolutely divine. I prefer to listen to techno, trance, harder, club... With very fast beats. But the combination is perfect...
 
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Jan 21, 2022 at 4:11 PM Post #7,950 of 8,633
Hi Ursego,
be patient... out of the box also for me the sound was amazingly flat and dull... Both jacks need to burn in.
The sound was already amazing after burning in for some time (not sure for how many hours), but something went wrong, and the sound suddenly - booom! - became terrible. The device is defective, I am returning it. Probably, will buy NWWM1A later.
 

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