[formyears]

can only hope when my ta1z wears out. the next model will not be 10k

 

[nanaholic]

I will leave the EE discussion aside.....but the DMP-Z1 cand definitely be built better with those large spaces and price point, and that is from my technical standpoint

I'll be interested to hear what your technical view on the space usage is that is somehow also not related to EE, because the EE view here is also directly related to the sound quality angle (less interference = a cleaner path thus a cleaner signal), so it can't be about sound quality either.....

 

[purk]

can only hope when my ta1z wears out. the next model will not be 10k

At this rate, 10K or 12K will be very likely. Give me my Stax SR-009 + SRM-D10 for my portable rig...thank you.

 

[Whitigir]

can only hope when my ta1z wears out. the next model will not be 10k

At this rate, 10K or 12K will be very likely. Give me my Stax SR-009 + SRM-D10 for my portable rig...thank you.

You better believe it

 

[thanatosguan]

can only hope when my ta1z wears out. the next model will not be 10k

what is the ta1z?

 

[bmichels]

I know I repeat myself, but... I still will be interested buying the DMP-Z1 only when Sony will provide an iPAD App to manage the playback. Something like the conductor's app of my Aurender that is awesome and easy to use. I still can't imagine managing + 1Tb of music through such a small screen !

There is room for improvement for a new version as you say...

 

[thanatosguan]

I know I repeat myself, but... I still will be interested buying the DMP-Z1 only when Sony will provide an iPAD App to manage the playback. Something like the conductor's app of my Aurender that is awesome and easy to use. I still can't imagine managing + 1Tb of music through such a small screen !

There is room for improvement for a new version as you say...

If you're not too worried about the transportable aspect, HAP-S1 might be more fitting for you.

It's got an HDD for storage and a remote control app that you can use on your smartphone / tablet.

HDD is easily upgradable to bigger specifications.

 

[bmichels]

If you're not too worried about the transportable aspect, HAP-S1 might be more fitting for you.

It's got an HDD for storage and a remote control app that you can use on your smartphone / tablet.

HDD is easily upgradable to bigger specifications.

thanks for the advice, but I need portability. For home I already have an Aurender + Denafrip DAC.

 

[formyears]

what is the ta1z?

sony ta zh1es too many odd letters

 

[formyears]

You better believe it

it will be 500 extra for black (like the stax srm t8000 is now, and mine is grey or gray; forgot which was cheaper)

 

[HiFiGuy528]

Did you tried the Z1R on TA-ZH1ES feed by the WM1Z?

ZH1es sounds thin and weightless (even with Westone W80 IEM) compared to DMP. ZH1es is a great amp/dac but it doesn't remotely compare to the sound of DMP.

iOS app control will be coming soon... At least from what I have gathered through the grapevine.

How? there's no WiFi on DMP.

 

[bmichels]

ZH1es sounds thin and weightless (even with Westone W80 IEM) compared to DMP. ZH1es is a great amp/dac but it doesn't remotely compare to the sound of DMP.



How? there's no WiFi on DMP.

May be by BlueTooth ? An iPad app will be a very good news....

 

[Kakki]

That’s a silly picture posted by people who don’t know how the knob is put together.

This is what the ALPS RK501 looks l like:



In the DMP-Z1 the centre thin turning rod sticks out of the chassis while the body is embedded inside the device. The supposed cap which fell off is not part of the RK501. Now to connect the outside volume knob cap to the centre turning rod the usual method is to drill a screw hole in the outside cap and into the centre turning rod and screw the two pieces together, however in the DMP-Z1 the designer had decided to make the cap completely seamless so when you touch it you won't feel a screw hole, and to achieve this they first mounted a plastic base on the rod (it's plastic because you want it to be an insulator so it doesn't interact with the actual RK501 knob to change its characteristic as this is a pure analogue component), and then they glue the outside gold plated cap onto this plastic base. This is exactly how it should be done and making fun of it just shows a lack of understanding of how things are put together.



The RK501 in the DMP-Z1 is a brass body, coated in copper, then coated in gold. So it is completely unique to the DMP-Z1 and not an off the shelf part.

Also speaking as an electrical engineer, the space in the components in the DMP-Z1 shows Sony's "cost is of no concern" approach in the DMP-Z1 rather than corners being cut. Electrical engineers likes to pack as many components in the smallest space possible is a result of maximising space efficiency and reducing production cost - this is because a smaller PCB is cheaper to make and that the smaller the PCB the shorter you can make the copper tracks which means production cost is reduce. An electrical engineer being able to make a smaller PCB means he is a master of cost saving and a master of space efficiency. However if you think back to high school science you would also know that a moving electric current generates a magnetic field, which means when exposed copper tracks and components are placed closed together they will be subjected to nearby interference, and to guard against these interference you either put in shielding, but since this isn't possible with exposed copper tracks on the PCB so putting plain old space between the components such that propagation loss reduces the effects of such interference. And obviously this is how the DMP-Z1 does it. This is most definitely a feature and not a bug.

So why are they using ICs for DAC and amplifier that are the 2 most essential components in a DAP? ICs are full of transistors, resistors and caps in minimum space interfering each other. They are highly imperfect too, as all the components and tracks are made from silicon etching.
SONY used to use discrete DAC and amplifier for the flagship products and was stating that ICs were inferior to discrete. And some of the companies are still using discrete DAC and amplifier for mobile products for the maximum sound quality.
According to your explanation, SONY now became the master of cost saving and space efficiency?

 

[Whitigir]

So why are they using ICs for DAC and amplifier that are the 2 most essential components in a DAP? ICs are full of transistors, resistors and caps in minimum space interfering each other. They are highly imperfect too, as all the components and tracks are made from silicon etching.
SONY used to use discrete DAC and amplifier for the flagship products and was stating that ICs were inferior to discrete. And some of the companies are still using discrete DAC and amplifier for mobile products for the maximum sound quality.
According to your explanation, SONY now became the master of cost saving and space efficiency?

Wasn’t Sony the first to introduce discrete S-Master for 32 bits back In the 90s ?

 

[Kakki]

Wasn’t Sony the first to introduce discrete S-Master for 32 bits back In the 90s ?

Yes. If I remember correctly, all the R series from SONY used discrete DAC and amplifier. The one I had was using discrete S-Master which used custom ICs to control analogue discrete switching modules. You can see it in my profile photo.