[bmichels]

indeed @phonomat, you are right.

This one bellow is in fact what I am looking for : Transportable and battery operated, BIG tiltable screen, up to 8 Tb SSD, Wifi, streaming, iPad app, fixed Line-out and variable line-out, SE and BAL Headphone out, digital-in, Digital-out.

.... all this in 2015, 5 years ago !

--> It is really too bad A&K never updated this transportable server to reduce it's size and improve it's sound quality... like they regulary did with their DAPs !

`

 

[Whitigir]

It is just a matter of practicality VS sound quality . How do you carry that cube around with you or be categorized as “Carriable” ? Let’s put sound quality aside first

 

[mozilla77]

Finally! version 1.01 which I love and adore With the Exception that this is “the Galaxy” with it

what is so special about this ? Well...the bass! It is actually with more subbass textures and more bloom, a little less in soundstage than 1.02 but this one has a more musical feelings in comparison. Soundstage has always been good on DMP-Z1, but to me, this bass of 1.01 is ways more desirable

Hi Whitigir, could you share the Galaxy 1.01J firmware for DMP-Z1? I already change it to Japanese region and still on 1.02.
Thanks in advance.

 

[nanaholic]

indeed @phonomat, you are right.

This one bellow is in fact what I am looking for : Transportable and battery operated, BIG tiltable screen, up to 8 Tb SSD, Wifi, streaming, iPad app, fixed Line-out and variable line-out, SE and BAL Headphone out, digital-in, Digital-out.

.... all this in 2015, 5 years ago !

--> It is really too bad A&K never updated this transportable server to reduce it's size and improve it's sound quality... like they regulary did with their DAPs !

`

This is just slapping together a bunch of off the shelf components and calling it a day, I don't see what is so impressive about this except if you really must have everything in a single package.

If I need something stationary and does streaming with a good interface, I'll buy an iPad mini, a Roon Nucleus and a Hugo 2 TT and call it a day, no need for this piece of ugly mess.

 

[Whitigir]

This is just slapping together a bunch of off the shelf components and calling it a day, I don't see what is so impressive about this except if you really must have everything in a single package.

If I need something stationary and does streaming with a good interface, I'll buy an iPad mini, a Roon Nucleus and a Hugo 2 TT and call it a day, no need for this piece of ugly mess.

Totally agreed!

 

[nanaholic]

That ergonomics of the AK500N server looks really poorly thought out, it's such as mess. What I don't get is it wants to be a network music server, build in DAC/amplifier player, AND a personal headphone player? Huh? All the of the possible usage scenario clashes with each other.

As a headphone player, the tall design of this device looks like an ergonomic nightmare to use on a computer desk unlike the low sitting DMP-Z1. With the screen on top and inclining upwards the AK500N looks like it should be placed on a low side table next to a comfy sofa or la-z-boy incliner when used as a headphone player, but then I'll be wasting all the balance audio outputs at the back, because obviously the balance and RCA output is for this to be use in front of me connected to bookshelf or floor speakers as the DAC/amp combo source no? Okay so now in order to use it as a DAC/amp combo in an AV rack system setup and not caring about the headphone outputs, then why would I want it to sit on top of the shelf just so I can access the screen while taking up valuable space? Now that I have a turntable, top shelf space is always going to be reserved for my turntable! Also as a previous tube amp owner I can see tube amp owners needing that top shelf to give their tall tubes room to breath. So that cube design is a waste of space and rather it should blend into a normal component cabinet with the other AV components and go for a short but wide foot print. If I'm using it ONLY as a music server and even forgetting about the screen, I can for sure build something better myself as a music file server, or if I don't feel like it, just pay for a Roon Nucleus. And I can throw in a pair of KEF LS50W or LSX and I'll be up and running and kicking ass in sound in no time for a much simpler streaming capable speaker setup.

Even if given the niche scenario where I want to be enjoying ALL of these features in this device depending on my mood, I'll be moving it around a lot, but 12kg to move around? No thanks.

Also 12k US for this? All with off the shelf components and not a single custom audio parts? Come on....

The only thing I can see as being somewhat useful is the build in disk drive to rip CDs which would be a convenience for adding music directly onto the server.

This thing is like one of those comically oversized Swiss army knife that has everything on it but looks impossible to use well. Whereas the DMP-Z1 is a specialty knife that is limited in usage scenarios but excels at the job it is suppose to do.

 

[Whitigir]

I still don’t get why Stretch over Superbly sound quality on the very last drops of performances % but....then.....Streaming ?

Hell, when talking about the very last drop of sweats, and we literally be talking in cables and Powercord and so on.

The next important thing is how the Playback interfaces, the app, and the algorithms goes together with the OS, the firmwares, the Hardware, and everything else right ?
Then why be using something that was Universally designed for other OS ? For example Tidal was built for all Android OS including a Samsung or Xiaomi ? With any revealing gears and high end systems, you can always easily hear the differences from a streaming services on the same album and track in comparison to a local file storage.

I meant if you don’t take Firmware, cables and OS being so serious, then I understand why you would want those Streaming features. In this case, then you should not buy DMP Z1 by any meanings

I do agree with @nanaholic that if I was to have a desktop PC, I would have built it instead of that AK....and in fact I did build one and still have one

 

[nanaholic]

Also if you need a audiophile class digital network music file server that supports streaming to sit on a rack to compliment and modernise your existing analogue component system, Sony wants you to buy their HAP-Z1ES, which was released in 2013/2014 and hasn't been replaced yet. So Sony already has something which predates that AK device which does most of the same thing, plus has Sony's own FPGA DSD remaster engine and DSEE technology onboard. I also don't think the AV team is going to be happy with the Walkman team cannibalising their market share in such a way either.

The compliant is always that the DMP-Z1 doesn't natively support streaming, but why would I want it to support streaming and open up all the disadvantages of including some sort of Android system inside of the DMP-Z1 (you need to install those official Android apps, else you ain't gonna get access to those offline mode), increase the battery consumption due to Android, worry even more about EMI due to now need to have a WiFi transciever, when just connecting an iPad to the DMP-Z1 and using it in USB DAC mode works just as well if not better because you will always have the latest version of the app on iOS and about 5 guaranteed years of OS support from Apple? It's also asking for your device to be made obsolete sooner than it needs to be if you use Android and that's the last thing I want to happen to a 8k device.

The DMP-Z1 is a device that is designed to be a personal music play back device that plays music files locally at the best quality possible in a single package and does this with a laser sharp focus, anything else added to it is just noise that gets in the way of its usage.

 

[Whitigir]

Sony paid as much attention to even the grounding and it designs, and already mentioned that if not carefully implemented, the sound could compromise it inner resolutions in trade off for better background silent. The team had to conduct many trials and errors to carry out the best of both worlds on the DMP Z1.
So my question will remain, why squeeze every last bit of performances but then use streaming instead of local storage ? There are plenty of other devices out there to do just that

 

[Whitigir]

Edited, no longer available

 

[Der1Sascha]

Hello,

does DAC operation work for you without a power supply being connected? So only with pure battery operation? In my DAC operation on Windows PC without a connected power supply, there are always dropouts.
Could someone check that out?

Thanks a lot

 

[Damz87]

I have been using the galaxy firmware for a couple of weeks now thanks to @Whitigir . I’m still assessing the sound, but I can confirm that the difference is noticeable and definitely worth checking out if you haven’t yet

 

[Mindstorms]

you cant embed this for 1A/Z right? I really liked 1.01 and 1.02 i reviewed both

 

[briant4pres]

That ergonomics of the AK500N server looks really poorly thought out, it's such as mess. What I don't get is it wants to be a network music server, build in DAC/amplifier player, AND a personal headphone player? Huh? All the of the possible usage scenario clashes with each other.

As a headphone player, the tall design of this device looks like an ergonomic nightmare to use on a computer desk unlike the low sitting DMP-Z1. With the screen on top and inclining upwards the AK500N looks like it should be placed on a low side table next to a comfy sofa or la-z-boy incliner when used as a headphone player, but then I'll be wasting all the balance audio outputs at the back, because obviously the balance and RCA output is for this to be use in front of me connected to bookshelf or floor speakers as the DAC/amp combo source no? Okay so now in order to use it as a DAC/amp combo in an AV rack system setup and not caring about the headphone outputs, then why would I want it to sit on top of the shelf just so I can access the screen while taking up valuable space? Now that I have a turntable, top shelf space is always going to be reserved for my turntable! Also as a previous tube amp owner I can see tube amp owners needing that top shelf to give their tall tubes room to breath. So that cube design is a waste of space and rather it should blend into a normal component cabinet with the other AV components and go for a short but wide foot print. If I'm using it ONLY as a music server and even forgetting about the screen, I can for sure build something better myself as a music file server, or if I don't feel like it, just pay for a Roon Nucleus. And I can throw in a pair of KEF LS50W or LSX and I'll be up and running and kicking ass in sound in no time for a much simpler streaming capable speaker setup.

Even if given the niche scenario where I want to be enjoying ALL of these features in this device depending on my mood, I'll be moving it around a lot, but 12kg to move around? No thanks.

Also 12k US for this? All with off the shelf components and not a single custom audio parts? Come on....

The only thing I can see as being somewhat useful is the build in disk drive to rip CDs which would be a convenience for adding music directly onto the server.

This thing is like one of those comically oversized Swiss army knife that has everything on it but looks impossible to use well. Whereas the DMP-Z1 is a specialty knife that is limited in usage scenarios but excels at the job it is suppose to do.

You realize dmp z1 dac uses 1.50 amp chips from ti and 15 dollar dac ICs from akm...

 

[Whitigir]

You realize dmp z1 dac uses 1.50 amp chips from ti and 15 dollar dac ICs from akm...

So, what is your point ? the chip alone will sing for you ? and Other devices using the same chips will sound the same ?