[EagleWings]

I'd even through @EagleWings as another community member whose point of view I can always appreciate and respect.

Thanks man! I agree; Vishnu is a class act, and he was one of the first who actually gave me the confidence to start writing impressions and reviews.

That is very kind of you guys, thank you.

@Deezel177 , even back then I was confident, one of the review sites was going to grab you soon. Lol.

 

[bana]

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.

Hi Flinkenick, that was a great review of the mod to the 1Z. However, it seems like you did not spend the time listening in the balanced mode, where a lot of the strengths of the 1Z lay.
I was frustrated in SE but know that I have converted my Weston, and waiting to receive my IE800 conversion, I think I'm set.

 

[sansfin]

After hearing Rhapsodio Galaxy V3 along with Utopia, one recurring thought: we need more well-mastered records, not the crap with high noise floors & imbalances across all regions.

 

[fuhransahis]

After hearing Rhapsodio Galaxy V3 along with Utopia, one recurring thought: we need more well-mastered records, not the crap with high noise floors & imbalances across all regions.

Any impressions of the v3?

 

[sansfin]

Most resolving, most revealing, most unforgiving of the series. Treble can be harsh at times if the recording is not well mastered. Doesn't sound veiled- a bright signature. Well placed positioning and instrument separation.

 

[sansfin]

Sorry I was lying half tucked in my bed to type out the impressions...v3 can also be very power hungry... Fit is great, seal is better than v2... Mids still sound dry but is an improvement compared to v2.

 

[dongster]

Sorry I was lying half tucked in my bed to type out the impressions...v3 can also be very power hungry... Fit is great, seal is better than v2... Mids still sound dry but is an improvement compared to v2.

Hi sansfin, are you Chinese?

 

[sansfin]

Hi sansfin, are you Chinese?

Shanghai is where home is, though I've established myself in the States.

 

[dongster]

Shanghai is where home is, though I've established myself in the States.

Lucky man, both great places to audition gears, unlike Europe...

Lol u know how I know youre Chinese?
The mentioning of "technicalities" and "power hungry".

 

[sansfin]

The mentioning of "technicalities" and "power hungry".

That gives me a good chuckle: those are the terms first referred to me by Sammy the owner of Rhapsodio himself... That said, I'm fluent in English, Chinese and German while dabbling a bit in French in recent years.

You should have asked me , "why are these cans so expensive," to which I'd answer, "because they sound so good." That is the Chinese way of marketing.

 

[Deezel177]

That gives me a good chuckle: those are the terms first referred to me by Sammy the owner of Rhapsodio himself... That said, I'm fluent in English, Chinese and German while dabbling a bit in French in recent years.

You should have asked me , "why are these cans so expensive," to which I'd answer, "because they sound so good." That is the Chinese way of marketing.

*searches for button that can give you 10,000 likes*

 

[Wyville]

64 Audio just announced the driver count on their prototypes. Looks very interesting!

So what are they? Product Y is a 3 driver model with the full tia system, we’re calling it tia Trió. Product X is the U12t, 12 driver model with a tia high driver and tia single-bore design.

 

[Deezel177]

64 Audio just announced the driver count on their prototypes. Looks very interesting!

Gosh darn it; I was hoping for more affordable mid-tier offerings from them, considering how saturated the high-end market is with their latest two releases (three if you consider the U18 and A18 separate products). Welp, I guess we'll just have to wait another year or two for the A8-and-A6-Tzar's...

 

[Gavin C4]

I wonder how long will the Fourte and U18 stands as flagship

 

[Wyville]

Gosh darn it; I was hoping for more affordable mid-tier offerings from them, considering how saturated the high-end market is with their latest two releases (three if you consider the U18 and A18 separate products). Welp, I guess we'll just have to wait another year or two for the A8-and-A6-Tzar's...

Yes, it surprised me a bit too. Had not expected such high-end models. Would have been great to see mid-tier ones, but at least it is great to see the tia tech trickling down now!