Lakerfreak
100+ Head-Fier
Are you going to use a 4.4 to 2.5 balanced adapter?
I am debating whether to get a 4.4 balanced Kimber cable from Sony.
Are you going to use a 4.4 to 2.5 balanced adapter?
Ah, I'm waiting on the non-Kimber Sony 4.4 cable to compare to the Azla. I don't imagine it will be that much better/different than what I'm using. The Kimber's speaker cable look isn't as discreet as I like when I'm wandering the subway, but I'm sure it'll sound great.I am debating whether to get a 4.4 balanced Kimber cable from Sony.
I had the Kimber and lovely build quality. Sounds no better than the cheaper Sony one IMO.I am debating whether to get a 4.4 balanced Kimber cable from Sony.
A SQ purist view/listen (I care mostly about clarity, detail, instrument separation and natural sound, not so much about sound stage):
ZX500 sounds very similar to WM1A with the latest firmware 3.02. Similar level of instrument separation, WM1A still has better detail in both male and female vocals. Bass is not the most detailed on both. However NW-WM1A with fw 3.01 trumps them. The instrument separation is better and the level of detail is better across the board. Vocals sound very detailed and natural. Bass has a good balance between a good slam and detail.
Interesting how Sony sound signature changes with firmware upgrades. If only Sony releases ZX500 firmware that makes it sound like WM1A v3.01.
As of now ZX500 <= WM1A v3.02 < WM1A v3.01
WM1A might still be a good buy at the end of 2019, if you really only care about SQ and battery life, and online capabilities are unimportant.
Thanks for the detailed response. Man this is a tough one.
So you're basically choosing
SQ + Battery Life (WM1A)
or
SQ + Streaming (ZX500)
This is a tough one. But SQ for me would be priority over everything else only because you're paying so much to obtain the one thing that no phone can offer is supreme fidelity for music.
Probably a stupid question to ask, but does the ZX500 include an option to include an option to display the battery percentage?
Probably a stupid question to ask, but does the ZX500 include an option to include an option to display the battery percentage?