[Sonywalkmanuser]

You should also look at operating current...Micron for example uses very low current vs other industrial cards which means less noise thus a cleaner sound.

This is what i got from the datasheets, swissbit more detailed datasheet access requires request from the Company:

Operating current (read)

Swissbit S-55U 256GB :
Typical: 110 mA
Max: 140 mA

Micron I300 256GB
Typical: Not listed
Max: 133 mA

There's another specification of standby current:

Swissbit S-55U 256GB:
Typical 0.3mA
Max: 4 mA

Micron I300 256GB:
Not listed

My ZX2 walkman has an activity led light indicator at the microsd card slot. When you switch track or first play a song, depending on the size of the music file, the activity light will be flashing for 5 to 15 seconds(for AAC, MP3, Flac), If the file size is like 50MB or more(e.g. PCM, DSD), the activity light resume flashing about two minutes or so.

I think outside that read activity, the microsd card will be in idle mode, not drawing much current from the walkman.

I do think there is more than just read current affecting the sound, maybe there's also better EMI shielding on Industrial cards which works both ways to prevent the microsd card from receiving EMI and as well as preventing the microsd from transmitting outbound EMI.

It's a very complex issue with regards to why Industrial cards sound better. My guess is that it has to do with the better overall design(Better ECC Engine, Less Power consumption, Better shielding) and materials(Better grade NAND with less factory errors) used.

Sony seems to have associated the difference due to the electrical noise generated by the microsd card:

 

[nc8000]

can I put a 1tb card in the walkman?

Yes and it should support up to 2TB cards if they ever appear

 

[psikey]

can I put a 1tb card in the walkman?

Yes

 

[Sonywalkmanuser]

I found out a reason why GAN FET is not used in Walkman. The dedicated Gan FET are not produced for portability yet. The GaN being used inside quick charger and other stuff are different and not the same as Sony used on SA Z1, which is dedicated to audio integrity. In order to use those, the voltage rails will have to be a lot higher than even tube amplifiers. We will not see those new technologies anytime soon. Especially, with all the pandemic and constrained supplies going on.

It seems the M2 will be in for a long run like the last one as well

Maybe GAN FET will show up on the successors to TA-ZH1ES or DMP-Z1. These have a lot of more chassis space and as well as more system voltage to work with.

Let’s hope Sony don’t name it TA-ZH1ESM2 and DMP-Z1M2. Really a mouthful to speak or write these product names.

Seems like this designer is having issues with EMI for his ganfet audio amp:
https://epc-co.com/epc/GaNTalk/Post/20519/Intelligent-Power-Amplifier-Module-based-on-GaN-FETs

https://www.analogictips.com/class-...ersus-silicon-virtual-roundtable-part-2-of-2/

 

[denis1976]

Seems like all the units from the first fatch of the nwwm1am2 in supersonido.es is sold out, there are no feedback about the EU volume cap? Come on guys give us some light

 

[nc8000]

Seems like all the units from the first fatch of the nwwm1am2 in supersonido.es is sold out, there are no feedback about the EU volume cap? Come on guys give us some light

Has anybody in EU/UK actually received one yet (an EU unit that is) ?

 

[Whitigir]

Maybe GAN FET will show up on the successors to TA-ZH1ES or DMP-Z1. These have a lot of more chassis space and as well as more system voltage to work with.

Let’s hope Sony don’t name it TA-ZH1ESM2 and DMP-Z1M2. Really a mouthful to speak or write these product names.

Seems like this designer is having issues with EMI for his ganfet audio amp:
https://epc-co.com/epc/GaNTalk/Post/20519/Intelligent-Power-Amplifier-Module-based-on-GaN-FETs

https://www.analogictips.com/class-...ersus-silicon-virtual-roundtable-part-2-of-2/

That one possible issues is because he is using switching PSU to cheat and supply 80V into GAN.

The next TA may use GAN because it has the ability to do so, being a desktop plugged into a wall socket. The DMP ? There is no way to utilize 80V or 150V without using switching PSU

 

[Sonywalkmanuser]

I am tempted to try Swissbit. Has anyone had any experience with this seller: https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Swissbit/SFSD256GN1AM1MT-I-7G-211-STD?qs=sPbYRqrBIVmLv5sLjAf58Q== ?

If you decide to go with the swissbit, do note that it comes preformatted as 128GB exfat.

Using your wm1am2, go to settings > storage > sdcard > tap on three dots on top right corner > storage settings > format > format sd card

Once you have done so, it will show up properly as 256GB.

As with all Walkmans, you need to store your music files in the sdcard\music folder.

Also previously on my zx507, I have compared the sound quality between windows formatting, SDA formatter tool and Walkman Android OS formatting and found that the Walkman formatted sounds best to my ears.

 

[pdL389]

If you decide to go with the swissbit, do note that it comes preformatted as 128GB exfat.

Using your wm1am2, go to settings > storage > sdcard > tap on three dots on top right corner > storage settings > format > format as card

Once you have done so, it will show up properly as 256GB.

As with all Walkmans, you need to store your music files in the sdcard\music folder.

Also previously on my zx507, I have compared the sound quality between windows formatting, SDA formatter tool and Walkman Android OS formatting and found that the Walkman formatted sounds best to my ears.

Thanks for the tip! Always do my formatting on the device. Hate Windows (although use it as Bootcamp on Mac when forced to). Really want to go with Swissbit, but need at least 512. What would be my 2nd choice?

 

[Sonywalkmanuser]

Thanks for the tip! Always do my formatting on the device. Hate Windows (although use it as Bootcamp on Mac when forced to). Really want to go with Swissbit, but need at least 512. What would be my 2nd choice?

512GB would be Micron I300 as per recommended by others here.

 

[Sonywalkmanuser]

@Whitigir
This pdf will provide a deeper understanding into how digital music player works

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1474667015310132

The Fig. 2 presents the main part of the FPGA, namely, the SD host controller block diagram. The module contains set of the registers mapped into the main microcontroller memory space. Communication over the SD bus is based on command and data bit streams that are initiated by a start bit and terminated by a stop bit. A command is a token that starts an operation and is transferred serially from the host to a single card on the CMD line. Response is a token that is sent from an addressed card, to the host as an answer to a previously received command and is also transferred serially on the CMD line. If the command starts the data transfer the data is transferred via the data lines. In the simplified SD card transfer (the SPI mode) only one data wire is used – in the referred design, all four SD data signals are used as only parallel transfers meet the demanded data throughput and requested audio quality. Start and end bits, as well as the CRC bits, are transmitted for each DAT line. Each command token is 48 bits in length. Each token is protected by CRC bits, so that transmission errors can be detected and the operation may be repeated. Response tokens have one of four coding schemes, depending on their content – the token length is either 48 or 136 bits. The CRC status response and “busy” indication are sent by the card to the host on DAT0 only (DAT1-DAT3 during that period are irrelevant). The CRC protection algorithm for block data is the 16-bit CCITT polynomial.
SD card usage is based on quite a complex state machine diagram with Inactive, Idle, Ready, Identification, Stand-by, Transfer, Sending-data, Receive-data, Programming, and Disconnect states. Designed host controller has following sub-modules: Command Tx, Response Rx, Data Rx, Data Tx, Arbiter, IRQ Controller and Error Handler. Command Tx module is responsible for sending command tokens from AVR microcontroller memory space into SD card CMD line, including CRC calculation. Response Rx module receives SD

Card response tokens and reports to the AVR received token numbers and content. Data Rx and Data Tx submodules use Xilinx Spartan BRAM memories as the data FIFO buffers and they are used in SD data transfer commands. Error Handler module is actually the timeout counter which monitors SD bus operations time and can report to the host controller transfer errors (e.g. non existing block number read cycle request, etc.) IRQ Controller with Arbiter modules manage the work of the designed core. When audio samples from a particular SD data block are transferred to BRAM buffer an interrupt driven state machine is started and audio data are sent from the BRAM buffer to the output codec without any software action on behalf of the main microcontroller. FPGA SD host controller core is driven by the same clock generator as the audio D/A converter. Such a solution guarantees the most synchronous data transfer.
Implementation report shows that designed FPGA hardware requires 4 BRAM and ~ 600 flip flops.

 

[Sonywalkmanuser]

After 206hours of aging on the balanced port and switch over to swissbit microsd.

This is how I find the sound of the WM1AM2 on balanced MDR-1AM2 (Dsee ultimate, dc phase linearizer type A high, high gain, volume 70):

The Walkman seems to work well across many genres of music. When the music is Japanese rock/anime (Jam Project, Macross 7, Initial D), the Walkman goes into its super fast high dynamics presentation, when the music is bossa nova jazz genre (Norah Jones, Lisa Ono, Olivia Ong), the Walkman goes into a very delicate soft sound presentation with silky smooth vocals with lots of details in the soundstage.

Bass feels very tight and well controlled and very dynamic, which is something unusual for the bass aggressive MDR-1AM2 which can sound uncontrolled/fabby bass at times. You can feel alot of bass variation/texturing. Deep booming bass and tight punchy bass are all part of the bass experience on the WM1AM2 .

Every strum of the guitar has alot of airiness and the twang sound has a lot of bite.

Piano sounds has an excellent high tone presentation. There is a great sense of soundstage space from the piano decay.

Cymbals has great sharpness and extremely fast transient presentation. It also has proper/real metallic like splash to the sound.

Vocals has a pristine clarity with very solid 3D imaging in the soundstage. You get to hear the detailed sibilant S of the singer voice but it feels so very finely presented without overstaying it’s welcome. You don’t get that ear piercing feeling that you get with most ESS Sabre dacs.

There a sense of soundstage spacing/reverberation around each object in the music. It is very easy to identify each instrument and vocals as it’s own sound in the wide and tall soundstage. And yet everything feels very harmoniously presented as a whole sound in the soundstage.

Also even if you push the volume high up, the imaging and tonal balance still remains great.

Mid range has a very clean presentation that feels absolutely distortion free(distortion as in the very tiny FM synthesis like noise that you sense in certain instruments)

High frequencies feels very well extended and doesn’t feel fatiguing to listen at all. The MDR-1AM2 can have an unforgiving sharp treble brightness but this is not present on the WM1AM2 as it’s source, instead you get a delicate and smooth sounding tonality to the treble.

That’s all for now.

 

[fish1050]

I really cannot understand the music that the young ones of today are listening to:



How is this considered good music?
I am sorry if you happen to be Billie Eilish fan but I totally cannot find myself to be listening to this kind of poorly produced music that has almost zero rhythm and the lyrics consist of just a few simple words that is sung in a very monotonous manner.

It's music for a fast food generation, churn out as much as you can and move on to the next one. God forbid lyrics make you feel something or make you think. This is why I can't be bothered with streaming music, it's about quantity not quality. I already have all of the music I will ever like on my microsd card and I might download 2 or 3 albums a year if I am lucky. EMO music is this generations elevator music, audible Xanax.

 

[Damz87]

TPU case arrived today fits nicely and looks great imho.

 

[Sonywalkmanuser]

It's music for a fast food generation, churn out as much as you can and move on to the next one. God forbid lyrics make you feel something or make you think. This is why I can't be bothered with streaming music, it's about quantity not quality. I already have all of the music I will ever like on my microsd card and I might download 2 or 3 albums a year if I am lucky. EMO music is this generations elevator music, audible Xanax.

Same here. My music on my sdcard seem to have a trend. I have more 80s and 90s music files. It gets increasing lesser and lesser for 2000s, 2010 and 2020.

You can check out your music collection release year using your Walkman music app.

At the main screen of the Walkman music app
Swipe down to go to the library
Swipe left to go next page
Tap on Release Year
Here the Walkman will list the number of songs that you have according to the song’s id tag year of release.