[BlueThunder]

The WM1Z now has BT receiver mode and is able to handle connection in SBC, aac and LDAC, but you won't be able to use Tidal offline on it as it is not an Android based player.

If you want a stand alone device that can do Tidal offline, I guess the new AK players (SPK series, SE100 etc) which now supports direct install of APK via the Open App utility might be a better choice.

Further information of AK Open App:
https://www.astellnkern.com/eng/content/support/faq/view.asp?li=1000606

Thanks. Any idea how the 1A compares to the Z?

Assuming this is only when you have power connected to the KSE amp, it could be due to your power supply. You may want to consider a low noise linear power supply from one of many on eBay. If you hear the noise when using battery power, then that is not normal and I would contact your Shure support center.

Only hear it on battery. Thanks!

 

[bobeau]

@Piotr Michalak

What are you using to do your measurements? I know you said the MiniDSP is insufficient, but I was wondering if it's good enough to EQ the 3-10k area?

I have a truly excellent EQ with Roon (infinite bands, Q factor, shelving) but I have no way validate my adjustments.

I'm using spinfit 240m which work so well in mediums that they feel and isolate better than some CIEMs I have have, so to that end I'd like to EQ around those. Suggested settings? I took a look at graphs you posted as a reference and then tried tuning by ear, and came up with

kHz dB Q
2250 -2.7 1
3100 4.4 .8
9000 -5.0 3
12100 2.8 2
18800 -.38 2

Each measurement taken in isolation sounds 'correct', but as a whole something still seems off and I can't put my finger on it. Part of my issue is I'm using my 58x as sorta a neutral reference as it measures rather flat compensated. Compared to the stock sound, it sounds a bit too middy/lacks bass (but better) and while the treble sounds more correct, it still doesn't sound as smooth as it should be.

Also throwing this out there... Roon has a 14 day trial option. I'd happily pay for a reference EQ using it for the 240M tips!

 

[siruspan]

As for stacking the WM1A is not a half kilo brick like WM1Z but it's still very large and quite heavy. It fits in my pants pocket by itself but there's no way it will fit with KSA amp strapped to it's back.



I dont know the WM1Z myself but i'm thinking if I should upgrade for some time now. From what I was able to understand from other people who own both the WM1Z is warmer, has bigger bass, more and thicker highs, has better resolution, smaller but deeper soundstage. The WM1A sounds more neutral, cleaner and airy. The WM1Z is twice as heavy and 2,5 times more expensive.

I'm expecting to receive the Mojo and Hugo2 this week for testing so i should be able to shed some light how the WM1A compares to them.

As for other small portable daps i've checked the Hiby R3 and it stacks beutifully but it's sonic performance is underwhelming. The highs and upper midrange are ok but lower midrange and bass lacks resolution and control quite badly. It should work great as a digital transport for the KSE1500 but I would not recomend it for KSE1200.



Shanling M0 sounds better, and it's even smaller. It's not very capable on technical standpoint but it sounds like it knows his limits and it's uses this to his advantage. Outcome is that it sounds quite refined for what it is. It's very small and light but it also has very tiny screen so using it is not all that easy.

Ibasso dx120 sounds really great and stacks well but it's quite bright with softer bass. It's still very musical but i would like something thicker and with more powerfull bass for the KSE.

 

[SilverEars]

@Piotr Michalak

What are you using to do your measurements? I know you said the MiniDSP is insufficient, but I was wondering if it's good enough to EQ the 3-10k area?

I have a truly excellent EQ with Roon (infinite bands, Q factor, shelving) but I have no way validate my adjustments.

I'm using spinfit 240m which work so well in mediums that they feel and isolate better than some CIEMs I have have, so to that end I'd like to EQ around those. Suggested settings? I took a look at graphs you posted as a reference and then tried tuning by ear, and came up with

kHz dB Q
2250 -2.7 1
3100 4.4 .8
9000 -5.0 3
12100 2.8 2
18800 -.38 2

Each measurement taken in isolation sounds 'correct', but as a whole something still seems off and I can't put my finger on it. Part of my issue is I'm using my 58x as sorta a neutral reference as it measures rather flat compensated. Compared to the stock sound, it sounds a bit too middy/lacks bass (but better) and while the treble sounds more correct, it still doesn't sound as smooth as it should be.

Also throwing this out there... Roon has a 14 day trial option. I'd happily pay for a reference EQ using it for the 240M tips!

Here's Oratory's EQ settings for Harman IE 2017 target. He used Crin's measurement I've posted earlier.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pg6rsh6w2ollj4l/Shure KSE1500.pdf?dl=0

And here's all the headphones he has pre-set for various iems/headphones

https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/9o2f5n/psa_oratory1990s_list_of_eq_presets/

I wish there was an EQ front end for Tidal like Roon's. I just don't find Roon worth it for my purposes besides the EQ. I don't even like running Tidal through it, but I did try it for EQ, which seems handy. I really don't see why nobody has come up with something like Roon's EQ front-end. The other option we have is APO EQ, but with Roon, I think you can run EQ on WASAPI mode, in which you cannot with APO EQ, which is windows system controlled software.

 

[bflat]

I feel I just got schooled on EQ.....

 

[bobeau]

Here's Oratory's EQ settings for Harman IE 2017 target. He used Crin's measurement I've posted earlier.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pg6rsh6w2ollj4l/Shure KSE1500.pdf?dl=0

And here's all the headphones he has pre-set for various iems/headphones

https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/9o2f5n/psa_oratory1990s_list_of_eq_presets/

I wish there was an EQ front end for Tidal like Roon's. I just don't find Roon worth it for my purposes besides the EQ. I don't even like running Tidal through it, but I did try it for EQ, which seems handy. I really don't see why nobody has come up with something like Roon's EQ front-end. The other option we have is APO EQ, but with Roon, I think you can run EQ on WASAPI mode, in which you cannot with APO EQ, which is windows system controlled software.

Thanks! I purchased a lifetime Roon license when it first came out in 2015, and at least back then there were obvious advantages for SQ and UX. Since then it has only gotten better insofar as the integration with my LS50Ws - I can literally do multi-room with that and my Naim Muso bedroom system, and add room correction for both w/ convolution filters. Have not used Tidal's since Roon added MQA unfolding about a year back.

I'll give these a shot, but I guess I'll have to reference your measurements for the 240Ms to tweak. Also from what I've seen Crin's measurements are in the ballpark of others, but differ somewhat. Will be interesting to hear the end result, I'l share my impressions tomorrow when I have a chance to listen.

 

[piskov]

Here's Oratory's EQ settings for Harman IE 2017 target. He used Crin's measurement I've posted earlier.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/pg6rsh6w2ollj4l/Shure KSE1500.pdf?dl=0

And here's all the headphones he has pre-set for various iems/headphones

https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/9o2f5n/psa_oratory1990s_list_of_eq_presets/

I wish there was an EQ front end for Tidal like Roon's. I just don't find Roon worth it for my purposes besides the EQ. I don't even like running Tidal through it, but I did try it for EQ, which seems handy. I really don't see why nobody has come up with something like Roon's EQ front-end. The other option we have is APO EQ, but with Roon, I think you can run EQ on WASAPI mode, in which you cannot with APO EQ, which is windows system controlled software.

Do you like the oratory’s eq with kse? Tried it on mac, sounds as anemic and muffled as possible. The best analogy is like listening from the _other_ side of the open heaphones.

 

[bosiemoncrieff]

I was listening to KSE last night after spending a lot of time with K1000. They sounded so bass heavy!

 

[nanaholic]

Thanks. Any idea how the 1A compares to the Z?

The 1A sounds drier, while the 1Z sounds more lush and enjoyable to me. I actually initially only pre-ordered the 1A, but in the end the 1Z just sounds more enjoyable and I knew I would regret it if I went with the 1A so I switched my pre-order to the 1Z, never looked back since then.

I don't pair the KSE1200 with the 1Z much though, the stack is just too much unless I have a waist bag for that day. An alternative to the 1A would be the ZX300 (which I had before), as the SE of those two are nearly identical, it's only where you go balance the difference is more noticeable but it doesn't apply when you use the KSE1200 anyway.

 

[Piotr Michalak]

What are you using to do your measurements? I know you said the MiniDSP is insufficient, but I was wondering if it's good enough to EQ the 3-10k area?

I'm not using Roon and this EQ is outta my league However I use a IEC compliant mic and coupler found here: https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?sp...8v0RMJQ&id=37135316408&ns=1&abbucket=9#detail

And as a sound card I will cite my measurement mentor @csglinux
"I would recommend the Focusrite Forte as a sound card. It has excellent specs (very low THD+N) and can accept line in, pre-amp'd and phantom-powered mics. They don't make them anymore, but you can find a second-hand Forte for less than $250. You must make sure to get one with both the loom cable and the (optional) power supply cable intact. In your case, the power cable is a must, because it's used to provide phantom power to the mics. You will also need a Rode VXLR Plus XLR to 3.5mm female TRS mic adapter (they're cheap), in order to step down the 48V phantom power to the voltage for the coupler mic"

 

[bobeau]

Do you like the oratory’s eq with kse? Tried it on mac, sounds as anemic and muffled as possible. The best analogy is like listening from the _other_ side of the open heaphones.

Did you copy exactly w/ Q-factor, setting to -9.1 db, etc? I've been listening with this EQ for the past hour and it sounds dramatically better to me... bass has more slam/focus, the hole in the mids appears to be fixed and the treble is far smoother.

The only issues I can tell is there still is some tizzyness up high - I don't think that 18k or so spike is just a measurement artifact, when I put a high shelf filter taking out -5 db it takes that away. And there are hints of hotness in the upper mids which could be due to my 240Ms.

In any case, highly recommend folks try this out. It's a game-changer to these ears.

 

[TYATYA]

I attach by double side tape. Very solid and durable than vencro is.

 

[Music junky]

I attach by double side tape. Very solid and durable than vencro is.

Try USB. You will not have to pad down.

 

[piskov]

Did you copy exactly w/ Q-factor, setting to -9.1 db, etc? I've been listening with this EQ for the past hour and it sounds dramatically better to me... bass has more slam/focus, the hole in the mids appears to be fixed and the treble is far smoother.

The only issues I can tell is there still is some tizzyness up high - I don't think that 18k or so spike is just a measurement artifact, when I put a high shelf filter taking out -5 db it takes that away. And there are hints of hotness in the upper mids which could be due to my 240Ms.

In any case, highly recommend folks try this out. It's a game-changer to these ears.

Yeah, coppied all the values and the resulting eq curve is exactly the same. Sounds like crap . Used menubus with nbandeq (it uses bandwidth instead of q-factor) just as he described it in the post

 

[TYATYA]

Try USB. You will not have to pad down.

I dont like the sharp sound and lack of low bass, narrow stage of internal dac. So only line in use.