I was talking about price! I never said anything about "mid-tier" sound quality...
To be sure, this is the Proto-X you're referring to, right? Any idea of a potential release date?
flinkenick's 17 Flagship IEM Shootout Thread (and general high-end portable audio discussion)
To be sure, this is the Proto-X you're referring to, right? Any idea of a potential release date?
Congrats @Deezel177 ! Can't agree more, your impressions have been incredibly helpful in trying to navigate this hobby of ours.
proedros
Headphoneus Supremus
@flinkenick we hope you are back soon with more kickass reviews
in the meantime , let this thread be the home for everyone loving/looking to buy TOTL (c)iems
cheers
in the meantime , let this thread be the home for everyone loving/looking to buy TOTL (c)iems
cheers
EagleWings
Headphoneus Supremus
Congratulations @Deezel177 ! Looking forward to your first review.
@flinkenick , you guys have one heck of a team at THL now. Wishing you guys all success.
@flinkenick , you guys have one heck of a team at THL now. Wishing you guys all success.
Hello everybody,
It's been a while since I was around these parts. I love this thread dearly, but it became hard be creative and productive in my work, when my mind is always slipping into this virtual world. And over the last year, the shootout has taken a toll on my PhD. I've always had a mixed relationship with Head-Fi, so for the last weeks I've decided to take a break from Head-Fi to focus on my PhD.
I have also taken a step back from reviewing. I will continue to review on occasion, but on a much smaller scale. I'm not sure yet how I will fill that in, but we'll see what the future holds. I have to admit that after dedicating every hour of my free time on writing or analyzing for the last two years, the freedom of doing as I please with my free time feels like a precious gift. Anyways, not to sound too dramatic or anything as I am still very much involved with this hobby. In fact, I will be back in a week or two with some very exciting news. In a way, it can be seen as an extension of the shootout, or a culmination of it perhaps. All I can say right now is that I think it will be pretty spectacular, and I hope you will find so too.
Since I will be leaving some space at THL, I set out to find a replacement. There were a few options, but I found there was only one that really stood out for me, and he's no stranger to anybody in this thread. During the course of the shootout, Daniel proved himself a more than capable listener when it comes to analyzing sound. He understands the intricacies of the vocal reproduction and separation, as well as aspects like timbre and smoothness. But especially his emphasis on valuing both tone and performance was important to me - the two pillars of sound reproduction. Analyzing the music is breaking it down into little pieces, but equally, seeing the music as a whole: the coherency of a presentation, the sum of all its parts. Even so, technical analysis by itself is only one half of a reviewer's task; the next is putting it in words. A review should be understandable, but it's also up to the reviewer to make it come to life. With his posts, Daniel has already demonstrated a similar flair as @PinkyPowers and @jelt2359.
There is no doubt in my mind Daniel is going to be a fantastic addition to THL. My only fear, is acknowledging the day he supersedes me. So with great pride I would like to introduce the latest addition to The Headphone List:
Daniel will make his debut tomorrow with his first review.
Thanks for the wonderful introduction, Nic! I'm honoured to be a part of the THL family, and I look forward to writing more than ever for everyone here and beyond.
I highly regard both, but in terms of technical performance, I do lean towards the X, yes. Unfortunately, I'm not aware of any tentative release date, but I'm sure it won't be too far into the future. Thank you for your kind words!
Last edited:
Hello everybody,
It's been a while since I was around these parts. I love this thread dearly, but it became hard be creative and productive in my work, when my mind is always slipping into this virtual world. And over the last year, the shootout has taken a toll on my PhD. I've always had a mixed relationship with Head-Fi, so over the last weeks I've decided to take a break from Head-Fi to focus on my PhD.
I have also taken a step back from reviewing. I will continue to review on occasion, but on a much smaller scale. I'm not sure yet how I will fill that in, but we'll see what the future holds. I have to admit that after dedicating every hour of my free time on writing or analyzing for the last two years, the freedom of doing as I please with my free time feels like a precious gift. Anyways, not to sound too dramatic or anything as I am still very much involved with this hobby. In fact, I will be back in a week or two with some very exciting news. In a way, it can be seen as an extension of the shootout, or a culmination of it perhaps. All I can say right now is that I think it will be pretty spectacular, and I hope you will find so too.
Since I will be leaving some space at THL, I set out to find a replacement. There were a few options, but I found there was only one that really stood out for me, and he's no stranger to anybody in this thread. During the course of the shootout, Daniel proved himself a more than capable listener when it comes to analyzing sound. He understands the intricacies of the vocal reproduction and separation, as well as aspects like timbre and smoothness. But especially his emphasis on valuing both tone and performance was important to me - the two pillars of sound reproduction. Analyzing the music is breaking it down into little pieces, but equally, seeing the music as a whole: the coherency of a presentation, the sum of all its parts. Even so, technical analysis by itself is only one half of a reviewer's task; the next is putting it in words. A review should be understandable, but it's also up to the reviewer to make it come to life. With his posts, Daniel has already demonstrated a similar flair as @PinkyPowers and @jelt2359.
There is no doubt in my mind Daniel is going to be a fantastic addition to THL. My only fear, is acknowledging the day he supersedes me. So with great pride I would like to introduce the latest addition to The Headphone List:
Daniel will make his debut tomorrow with his first review.
Congratulations @Deezel177! Been biting my lip not to say anything, but I told you I was really looking forward to your Aether review!
Nice one, and very well deserved!
It took me longer than it should have, but I have written my acknowledgements on page 2.
Kerouac
Headphoneus Supremus
I'm honoured to be a part of the THL family, and I look forward to writing more than ever for everyone here and beyond.
Always enjoyed your imo great analytical and clear posts, so looking forward to your future reviews
While I'm here, I thought I would share some impressions on a special piece of equipment. A few weeks back I sent my WM1Z to be modded by Music Sanctuary. While there were some aspects I appreciated of the 1Z, there were also a few that kept holding me back from enjoying it. So at one point I decided I would either sell it and go for the A&K Ultima, or have it modded. After gaining some info from some members that had it modded, I opted for the latter.
Sony WM1Z MS Mod
Starting with the original 1Z, which is a pretty unique player in the current field. Where I find the majority of daps opt for a neutral, clear signature that tend to be somewhat detail-oriented, the 1Z provides a decisively warm tone. It does so by significantly attenuating the complete treble region, starting from 7 KHz on up. Accordingly, the 1Z creates a full-bodied presentation, with large instrument notes as well as vocals. It sets its notes against a black background, in a vast, 3D stage; at least with the balanced output. The combination of its warm tone and black background is what leads people to often describe the 1Z as 'analogue'. Despite the warm timbre, the 1Z offers a clean sound with excellent separation, resulting from its controlled bass. Even so, its transparency and resolution could be better compared to my RW AK380cu.
To be frank; the 1Z mod is a pretty drastic departure in signature from the original. They still share a characteristic black background, controlled bass, and clean separation, while the midrange has an inherently warmer tone. So on first listen, it feels similar. However, while its midrange is still sufficiently warm to sound accurate in timbre, it's not as decisively warm as it used to be. In addition, its vocal presentation has changed. The original 1Z creates large vocals, although they can equally feel a bit hollow by comparison; comparable to iems as Maestro V2 or Katana. After the mod, the vocals become slightly compacter, but denser. The midrange frequencies have become relatively more prominent, resulting in a rounder, more powerful vocal reproduction. This is my preferred tuning, which can be compared to iems as Zeus, W900, or Prelude, or both the LPG and RW AK380cu. Although its bass is largely similar in terms of control and impact, its bottom-end extension is improved.
But the most drastic difference is the treble. The 1Z's iconic sound results from its attenuated treble, which gives it the unique strength of making brighter tunings like the A18 and Dream sound relatively accurate in timbre. But it's also a signature where sparkle goes to die. And I for one, appreciate my sparkle. I love it in the NT6pro and Gemini, but I also loved it in the LPG. I recently borrowed Kerouac's LPG because I missed it so much for this reason, and was considering buying it again. But after extensively comparing the two I realised the modded 1Z has just as much sparkle, but is a signficant step up in terms of separation, timbre, and resolution. That should also give a good idea how much the treble has increased: in overall signature, the LPG and 1Z mod have become pretty close: powerful bass, dense and slightly forward vocals, while the treble no longer takes backseat to the midrange. It's a clear, sparkly treble, albeit with a touch of brightness. Accordingly, the 1Z mod has become signficantly more upfront in its detail presentation.
However, this not only results from a more prominent upper treble, but improved extension: the transparency and resolution have made a big step up. While I wouldn't say the difference in resolution is drastic between my AK and the Sony, their transparency is; where it struggled before, the 1Z sounds remarkably more transparent than my AK. Importantly, these impressions are all from its single-ended output. One of the things that really frustrated me about the 1Z, was its useless single end. Balanced, it was a nice alternative to my AK, although I preferred the latter. But now I've been using it single-ended most of the time, due to the termination of most of my cables. Overall, the AK and 1Z have become more similar than different. The AK sounds a bit warmer and smoother due to its richer mid- and upper-bass. It's a bit more natural and coherent, as the presentation just feels comfortably intertwined, thought at the cost of some cleanliness. The 1Z in turn has clearer treble with a beautiful touch of sparkle. It sounds cleaner, but also, a bit more separated rather than unified, although that's not necessesarily a bad thing as its separation is very good. But it's the striking difference in transparency that has caused the modded 1Z to slowly become my main player.
The main problem of this story is that it is pretty difficult to straight up recommend the 1Z mod. This isn't a case where you send something for just an improvement; you get a different product altogether. When you're used to the original sound, you value it for its specific strengths. So when I got it back and automatically turned to those original strengths, I was a bit dissappointed, or confused maybe. For this reason, it took a while for me to get used to the 1Z mod after I got it back. You need to undo what was learned, and find new strengths in different areas. Now that process is completed, I embrace the mod as a significant improvement, and prefer its signature besides the improved performance. What can I say, I love my mids, but I'm a sucker for some sparkle. I had some savings reserved for the Ultima, since I was such a big fan of my AK. But I was dissappointed by their choice for such a neutral sound, when the AK380(cu) was such a harmonious combination of performance and tone. The 1Z mod also has a bit of a 'reference' feel to it, but not in a sterile way; its midrange is sufficiently warm, and its timbre accurate. Its treble sounds clear, detailed, and sparkly. For me, it's a complete package.
The WM1A/Z Mod is priced at $699 SGD. The mod includes a whole list of aspects, but please email Music Sanctuary for more info. It's also fully reversible, in case of warranty.
Sony WM1Z MS Mod
Starting with the original 1Z, which is a pretty unique player in the current field. Where I find the majority of daps opt for a neutral, clear signature that tend to be somewhat detail-oriented, the 1Z provides a decisively warm tone. It does so by significantly attenuating the complete treble region, starting from 7 KHz on up. Accordingly, the 1Z creates a full-bodied presentation, with large instrument notes as well as vocals. It sets its notes against a black background, in a vast, 3D stage; at least with the balanced output. The combination of its warm tone and black background is what leads people to often describe the 1Z as 'analogue'. Despite the warm timbre, the 1Z offers a clean sound with excellent separation, resulting from its controlled bass. Even so, its transparency and resolution could be better compared to my RW AK380cu.
To be frank; the 1Z mod is a pretty drastic departure in signature from the original. They still share a characteristic black background, controlled bass, and clean separation, while the midrange has an inherently warmer tone. So on first listen, it feels similar. However, while its midrange is still sufficiently warm to sound accurate in timbre, it's not as decisively warm as it used to be. In addition, its vocal presentation has changed. The original 1Z creates large vocals, although they can equally feel a bit hollow by comparison; comparable to iems as Maestro V2 or Katana. After the mod, the vocals become slightly compacter, but denser. The midrange frequencies have become relatively more prominent, resulting in a rounder, more powerful vocal reproduction. This is my preferred tuning, which can be compared to iems as Zeus, W900, or Prelude, or both the LPG and RW AK380cu. Although its bass is largely similar in terms of control and impact, its bottom-end extension is improved.
But the most drastic difference is the treble. The 1Z's iconic sound results from its attenuated treble, which gives it the unique strength of making brighter tunings like the A18 and Dream sound relatively accurate in timbre. But it's also a signature where sparkle goes to die. And I for one, appreciate my sparkle. I love it in the NT6pro and Gemini, but I also loved it in the LPG. I recently borrowed Kerouac's LPG because I missed it so much for this reason, and was considering buying it again. But after extensively comparing the two I realised the modded 1Z has just as much sparkle, but is a signficant step up in terms of separation, timbre, and resolution. That should also give a good idea how much the treble has increased: in overall signature, the LPG and 1Z mod have become pretty close: powerful bass, dense and slightly forward vocals, while the treble no longer takes backseat to the midrange. It's a clear, sparkly treble, albeit with a touch of brightness. Accordingly, the 1Z mod has become signficantly more upfront in its detail presentation.
However, this not only results from a more prominent upper treble, but improved extension: the transparency and resolution have made a big step up. While I wouldn't say the difference in resolution is drastic between my AK and the Sony, their transparency is; where it struggled before, the 1Z sounds remarkably more transparent than my AK. Importantly, these impressions are all from its single-ended output. One of the things that really frustrated me about the 1Z, was its useless single end. Balanced, it was a nice alternative to my AK, although I preferred the latter. But now I've been using it single-ended most of the time, due to the termination of most of my cables. Overall, the AK and 1Z have become more similar than different. The AK sounds a bit warmer and smoother due to its richer mid- and upper-bass. It's a bit more natural and coherent, as the presentation just feels comfortably intertwined, thought at the cost of some cleanliness. The 1Z in turn has clearer treble with a beautiful touch of sparkle. It sounds cleaner, but also, a bit more separated rather than unified, although that's not necessesarily a bad thing as its separation is very good. But it's the striking difference in transparency that has caused the modded 1Z to slowly become my main player.
The main problem of this story is that it is pretty difficult to straight up recommend the 1Z mod. This isn't a case where you send something for just an improvement; you get a different product altogether. When you're used to the original sound, you value it for its specific strengths. So when I got it back and automatically turned to those original strengths, I was a bit dissappointed, or confused maybe. For this reason, it took a while for me to get used to the 1Z mod after I got it back. You need to undo what was learned, and find new strengths in different areas. Now that process is completed, I embrace the mod as a significant improvement, and prefer its signature besides the improved performance. What can I say, I love my mids, but I'm a sucker for some sparkle. I had some savings reserved for the Ultima, since I was such a big fan of my AK. But I was dissappointed by their choice for such a neutral sound, when the AK380(cu) was such a harmonious combination of performance and tone. The 1Z mod also has a bit of a 'reference' feel to it, but not in a sterile way; its midrange is sufficiently warm, and its timbre accurate. Its treble sounds clear, detailed, and sparkly. For me, it's a complete package.
The WM1A/Z Mod is priced at $699 SGD. The mod includes a whole list of aspects, but please email Music Sanctuary for more info. It's also fully reversible, in case of warranty.
Last edited:
Mimouille
Headphoneus Supremus
I'll pass on the mod, I do like the Z this way, and I have the LPG. And honestly the treble is great with the SE5U or S-EM9.
dongster
100+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2016
- Posts
- 279
- Likes
- 144
Kerouac
Headphoneus Supremus
The following masterplan just entered my brain:
$699SGD? I think I still have enough budget for that mod => I'll contact MS asap, before it's sold out.
Once I've got it, I can start saving up for the upcoming years for the WM1Z itself as well
Brilliant!The following masterplan just entered my brain:
$699SGD? I think I still have enough budget for that mod => I'll contact MS asap, before it's sold out.
Once I've got it, I can start saving up for the upcoming years for the WM1Z itself as well
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2010
- Posts
- 9,018
- Likes
- 1,769
I need to adopt a rich parent to keep up here...(not that big a pool of parents out there to adopt you when you get into your 60's, unfortunately)
Last edited:
No, that's the wrong approach. I have been working for multi-millionaires for years and haven't got a penny. Know why they are so rich? Because they never part with any of it! What you need is someone with a huge income, but who is still constantly broke. Ah see...
Users who are viewing this thread
