MrWalkman
Headphoneus Supremus
I saw you talking about some comparison between the A55 and some other gear. I'm curious about another comparison with the A55 and this mod
Sony NW-A50 Series
I saw you talking about some comparison between the A55 and some other gear. I'm curious about another comparison with the A55 and this mod
unifutomaki
1000+ Head-Fier
I saw you talking about some comparison between the A55 and some other gear. I'm curious about another comparison with the A55 and this mod
I'm finding it hard to believe that nothing about my A55's hardware has actually changed before and after the mod. To put things succinctly, the most significant aspect of the Q1's sound that I found the A55 to not quite match - the Q1's high end detail retrieval - is now rendered moot by this mod. My modded A55 has advanced a level in terms of putting out a dynamic and, dare I say it, holographic sound (to the extent that my IEMs will allow). At the same time, it has not lost any of the original analoguish warmth, and avoids sounding clinical or digital. Instead, you get a smooth, rich tonality that can be appreciated without any qualifiers. No more "good for the price"; enough with the "good for entry-fi"; no - this is simply "good".
MrWalkman
Headphoneus Supremus
Awesome!
I really like the A55 for how small it is, plus the partial aluminium body. And now with this sound, and for its price, it's a very good choice in my opinion.
I'm trying to convince a friend to buy at least a used A55. We're not currently in the same country, so he can't listen to my A55...
I really like these Sony players, maybe that also counts. I discovered them by trying the WM1A.
I really like the A55 for how small it is, plus the partial aluminium body. And now with this sound, and for its price, it's a very good choice in my opinion.
I'm trying to convince a friend to buy at least a used A55. We're not currently in the same country, so he can't listen to my A55...
I really like these Sony players, maybe that also counts. I discovered them by trying the WM1A.
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unifutomaki
1000+ Head-Fier
It's a sleek little thing that is thoughtfully designed, the UI is speedy, the display is nice and responsive, it lasts a long time on a charge, and it sounds good out of the box and even better after a 5 minute mod installation. Concerns about driving power are exaggerated as far as I can tell, at least for IEMs that can be sensibly paired with this player.
This is my first Sony DAP and I think there will be more Walkmen in my future. As much as Sony charges a premium for their gear, and as much as competitors seem to outclass it on paper, if one has the means then there's no point settling for less when it comes to subjective enjoyment.
fish1050
Headphoneus Supremus
I have downloaded the firmware though I don't have an A55 yet. Good chance it will be christmas present to myself come Black Friday. Looking forward to seeing users feedback to the firmware update.
fish1050
Headphoneus Supremus
Keeping in mind that Sony DAP's do have a different sound signature they may not be everyone's cup of tea. I have owned the A17 for 4 years along with a Shanling M0, the Fiio M7 and Fiio M9. I have also demoed the A105. The M9 is the most powerful DAP I have owned and it has a really dynamic sound especially compared to the Sony DAP's which tend to be more laid back. It would be a very different listening experience going from such an edgy dynamic sounding DAP to something like the much less powerful A55. When I demoed the A105 I kind of kept waiting for the sound dynamics I heard from the M9 and never really heard them. It would be great to have both the A55 and M9 because they should sound quite different and I would use them in different situations.
Star Mastering
100+ Head-Fier
This is very interesting! You have a Tempotec Sonata HD Pro and A55. You have the same devices as myself, and I've always regarded Sonata HD Pro as the most potentially accurate rendition of any sounds - 'competitors seem to outclass it on paper'. You are implying by 'there's no point settling for less' that A55 sounds more enjoyable than the rather boring Sonata HD Pro?
With no DSP settings ON on A55 - ALL turned off on A55, does it still sound more enjoyable than the Sonata HD Pro? Perhaps the context for this question could be narrowed to compressed file playback.
At present it appears that DSP all turned off but direct source on, still works well. But what is the extent of difference compared to Sonata HD Pro?
Star Mastering
100+ Head-Fier
Further, are there any additional features of Z1 that have been included in this A50 mod?
MrWalkman
Headphoneus Supremus
Nope, all that was included is mentioned in the "Features" section of the mod's post.
Star Mastering
100+ Head-Fier
So, as with before, A50's screen prevents ZX300 firmware?
And how would the difference between A50 and WM1 be characterised with both tuned to DMP?
And how would the difference between A50 and WM1 be characterised with both tuned to DMP?
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MrWalkman
Headphoneus Supremus
It's actually some differences to how the audio hardware is configured on the board.
At least the A50 firmware is up to date with the more lag-free UI, plus DC Phase Linearizer and Vinyl Processor which are missing from the stock firmware of the A40/A30, as well as USB DAC mode and BT Receiver.
Star Mastering
100+ Head-Fier
That's true, and I like the look of A50's round buttons vs old fashioned A40's narrow ones, as well as how A50 is closer to ZX300 (gold solder/aluminium casing), but in any case, A40 Reloaded+ was WM1 tuned, non+ was ZX300 tuned, and had VU meters and 4 selections of DSEE HX (ZX300) as well as AI...does A50 have VU meters etc?
Is there any characteristic difference between WM1 tuned, ZX300 tuned, and DMP tuned? I assume DMP is best and that's it. Up to now there has never been any case of 'A45 sounds better than stock ZX300 or something like that'.
Is there any characteristic difference between WM1 tuned, ZX300 tuned, and DMP tuned? I assume DMP is best and that's it. Up to now there has never been any case of 'A45 sounds better than stock ZX300 or something like that'.
MrWalkman
Headphoneus Supremus
They just sound different... I don't feel confident in my ability to narrow down exact sound differences, hence why I prefer that people would just try it out and see for themselves, and why I'm not really trying to compare them.
The DMP sound is the best one, at least for me.
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unifutomaki
1000+ Head-Fier
I did some A-B testing with the A55 and Sonata HDP running out of my ThinkPad. Volume matched by ear (sorry I don't have a more precise way of doing this), TinHiFi T2 Plus as transducers, all DSP features switched off on the A55, bitperfect output on the SHDP.
When it comes to sources, we are talking about slight differences which tend to be related to sound colouration rather than technicalities so this isn't meant to imply that the SHDP is rubbish next to the A55 or vice versa
- Of Monsters and Men: Róróró, 24/96 FLAC: Attack on the drums is cleaner on the SHDP; A55 is relatively more laid back, representing piano notes with a softer edge.
- Fleetwood Mac - Dreams, 24/96 FLAC: almost indistinguishable, drums sound slightly less flat on the A55.
- Hayley Williams - Simmer, 16/44 FLAC: Hayley's vocals are less dry on the A55. On the other hand, the Sonata HD Pro renders effects (e.g. stereo sweeps, manipulations of imaging) in a more salient manner.
- Tegan and Sara - The Con, 320kbps MP3: Can't say I am able to tell a difference.
- SCANDAL - Departure, 320kbps MP3: This track has a chorus involving two vocalists and the A55 does marginally better at presenting the layering in that section, but the SHDP extracts slightly more treble sparkle.
- Eve - Dr., 320kbps MP3: now we're getting into the compressed utaite part of my collection. Eve's vocals sound sweeter, with a smoothed attack, on the A55.
I think that comparing the Sonata HD Pro and the A55 again brings one back to the question of whether it is more important to listen to one's music with the gear or listen to one's gear with the music. The SHDP measures excellently, it is indeed very clean and resolving, and its design goal was clearly to take a digital signal and output all the information in that signal to the greatest degree possible. The A55 takes the same digital signal and adds warmth and naturality to it even without any DSP intervention, with a relative emphasis on achieving a rich tonality over raw accuracy. It's why I use the word "analoguish" a lot in reference to the A55, even if in the end it's all the same 0s and 1s being decoded to make the sound.
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Star Mastering
100+ Head-Fier
Gosh, I think you have written that post brilliantly. I cannot do it.
With both close to indistinguishable without DSP, it is clear the budget user goes for SHDP, while the sony fan who dislikes extra usb cables while outdoors and finds smartphones difficult to use would go for A55. And I guess DSP would make A55 win. Notwithstanding the fact that SHDP doesn't have a separate amp, and may perform average or even below A55 under load. But what we hear is not all that different.
And I use Thinkpad 25. So we have three shared devices/brands.
Many thanks!
With both close to indistinguishable without DSP, it is clear the budget user goes for SHDP, while the sony fan who dislikes extra usb cables while outdoors and finds smartphones difficult to use would go for A55. And I guess DSP would make A55 win. Notwithstanding the fact that SHDP doesn't have a separate amp, and may perform average or even below A55 under load. But what we hear is not all that different.
And I use Thinkpad 25. So we have three shared devices/brands.
Many thanks!
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