[Sonywalkmanuser]

@ttt123
According to this research, blind people have better hearing abilities than normal people.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378595515300174

Maybe it’s a good idea to start thinking about blocking our vision when listening to music, it could likely bring us closer to the audiophile gods? I wonder…

 

[Sonywalkmanuser]

For those who wish to learn about how Sony trains its DSEE Ultimate AI, these two articles is worth a read:

https://towardsdatascience.com/audi...rt-1-state-of-the-art-techniques-da1d3dff2504

https://towardsdatascience.com/audi...sound-classification-step-by-step-cebc936bbe5

 

[ttt123]

@ttt123
According to this research, blind people have better hearing abilities than normal people.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378595515300174

Maybe it’s a good idea to start thinking about blocking our vision when listening to music, it could likely bring us closer to the audiophile gods? I wonder…

Perhaps it is also worthwhile to look at "Flow" state, where you are optimally focused on the task. The idea of reducing distractions, and being fully focused on the moment is an interesting area. Your thoughts on listening in the dark go along with the idea of reducing distractions.

This is also a concept of Zen, training to put yourself in a state of "no mind". Which is similar to Flow state, in that the mind exists for the moment, and is fully focused and concentrated on the now. But "no mind" is the hardest thing in the world to achieve. Try to think of nothing, and see how easy that is.

How I see the above as being factors, is the common situation where you are listening to music, while exposed to continuous interruptions, reading email, browsing the web, etc. This is treating music as a background task, with no chance of being able to focus on the music.

Another thought is that the system needs to be good enough to let you achieve flow. If it is not good enough, then the odds are against achieving Flow. Though not impossible. A musician can achieve flow listening to a cheap transistor radio, because the mind can flesh out what is physically not present. But this is hard, or impossible, for an amateur.

*********************************************************************************************************************
https://medium.com/@mdtalbot/peak-performance-programming-and-the-flow-state-fa946bace9bc

Instead, the answer may lie in a concept drawn from psychology. In 1990, the psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (roughly pronounced like “chick sent me high”) published a book called Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, in which he described what he deemed the “flow” state of mind. Flow, to Csikszentmihalyi, is a state of complete absorption with the task at hand — when one is so consumed with an activity that nothing else seems to matter. More colloquially known as being “in the zone” or “in the groove,” a flow state is a feeling of great fulfillment, skill, and engagement.

In a 1996 interview with Wired, Csikszentmihalyi characterized flow as “being completely involved in an action for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.”

 

[justanut]

New pelican storage case arrive, but 1am2 still long time to reach.

How is the fit? I'm thinking of getting the 1060 so that i can have space for IEMs and my Sho ACT tubes with the foam inserts?

 

[andrewski]

Perhaps it is also worthwhile to look at "Flow" state, where you are optimally focused on the task. The idea of reducing distractions, and being fully focused on the moment is an interesting area. Your thoughts on listening in the dark go along with the idea of reducing distractions.

This is also a concept of Zen, training to put yourself in a state of "no mind". Which is similar to Flow state, in that the mind exists for the moment, and is fully focused and concentrated on the now. But "no mind" is the hardest thing in the world to achieve. Try to think of nothing, and see how easy that is.

How I see the above as being factors, is the common situation where you are listening to music, while exposed to continuous interruptions, reading email, browsing the web, etc. This is treating music as a background task, with no chance of being able to focus on the music.

Another thought is that the system needs to be good enough to let you achieve flow. If it is not good enough, then the odds are against achieving Flow. Though not impossible. A musician can achieve flow listening to a cheap transistor radio, because the mind can flesh out what is physically not present. But this is hard, or impossible, for an amateur.

*********************************************************************************************************************
https://medium.com/@mdtalbot/peak-performance-programming-and-the-flow-state-fa946bace9bc

Instead, the answer may lie in a concept drawn from psychology. In 1990, the psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (roughly pronounced like “chick sent me high”) published a book called Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience, in which he described what he deemed the “flow” state of mind. Flow, to Csikszentmihalyi, is a state of complete absorption with the task at hand — when one is so consumed with an activity that nothing else seems to matter. More colloquially known as being “in the zone” or “in the groove,” a flow state is a feeling of great fulfillment, skill, and engagement.

In a 1996 interview with Wired, Csikszentmihalyi characterized flow as “being completely involved in an action for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one, like playing jazz. Your whole being is involved, and you’re using your skills to the utmost.”

Makes me think of Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai - "Too many mind". Think I'll rewatch that

 

[ttt123]

Makes me think of Tom Cruise in The Last Samurai - "Too many mind". Think I'll rewatch that

Here's something to aid in the understanding of the movie. A Book of Five Rings, by Miyamoto Musashi.

https://terebess.hu/zen/mesterek/A-book-of-five-rings.pdf
https://www.orionphilosophy.com/stoic-blog/a-guide-to-the-book-of-five-rings-miyamoto-musashi

 

[maceto]

I am still waiting for your WM1 mark II review

Aren’t we all…

 

[Doug2507]

Aren’t we all…

Wow, just realised how old that quote is!

 

[maceto]

Wow, just realised how old that quote is!

Yea… he’s had it for a long time and no review - what’s that about

 

[Doug2507]

Need to ask the man! @twister6

 

[Sonywalkmanuser]

Another thought is that the system needs to be good enough to let you achieve flow. If it is not good enough, then the odds are against achieving Flow. Though not impossible. A musician can achieve flow listening to a cheap transistor radio, because the mind can flesh out what is physically not present. But this is hard, or impossible, for an amateur.

I think a musician listening to a cheap transistor radio to achieve flow is like a historian reading ancient text from a parchment paper, he focuses on the information, not from the visual sensory quality aspect of the experience.

 

[SebaE2012]

Guys, my apologies in advance for asking a question that, I am sure, it must have been asked before.

How much of SQ increase/difference would you say there is between WM1A and WM1AM2? I own a WM1A in mint condition which only sees use at home, so it still has a long life ahead. On the other hand, sometimes I use streaming services to access to music I can't purchase or simply to explore new music. I'm trying to make up my mind as to whether it makes sense to keep enlarging my Wallman collection with a WM1AM2.

I follow the thread, but I can't seem to find the prior questions and answers on this topic. Plus, I thought new answers might have the benefit of a longer experience with the new models.

Also, what kind of synergy have you found between WM1AM2 and SE846/Sony Z7M2?

Thanks for your input!!

 

[Sonywalkmanuser]

Guys, my apologies in advance for asking a question that, I am sure, it must have been asked before.

How much of SQ increase/difference would you say there is between WM1A and WM1AM2? I own a WM1A in mint condition which only sees use at home, so it still has a long life ahead. On the other hand, sometimes I use streaming services to access to music I can't purchase or simply to explore new music. I'm trying to make up my mind as to whether it makes sense to keep enlarging my Wallman collection with a WM1AM2.

I follow the thread, but I can't seem to find the prior questions and answers on this topic. Plus, I thought new answers might have the benefit of a longer experience with the new models.

Also, what kind of synergy have you found between WM1AM2 and SE846/Sony Z7M2?

Thanks for your input!!

This is a very helpful comparison made by a Japanese publication. I felt that the descriptions he used to describe the 1AM2 is spot on.

https://av.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/series/torii/1394024.html

Round 1: Old and new WM1A showdown

From left to right: NW-WM1AM2, NW-WM1A
Now it's time to listen. First, let's compare the NW-WM1A and NW-WM1AM2. The sound source was "Hikaru Utada/BAD mode" and the FLAC 96kHz/24bit sound source was transferred to the internal memory of each device for listening. The earphones used for listening were my Technics EAH-TZ700, with the 3.5mm unbalanced cable supplied, and the 4.4mm balanced cable using an ONSO connection cable.

First, I listened to the WM1A with the unbalanced connection. It has been a while since I have listened to it, but the sound is highly competent. The sound was grainy and the vocals were clear. Rhythms also sounded solid, although they were a bit light. The sound is well-balanced, with a good breadth of sound and lightly bouncing melodies.

When this is changed to a balanced connection, the sound becomes even richer, and the bass becomes more powerful. Rather than becoming more dynamic, the sound becomes finer and more detailed. The sound is a little more refined and subdued, but the reproduction of each individual sound and the nuances of the voice are well reproduced.


NW-WM1AM2
Switching to the NW-WM1AM2, the first thing I noticed with the unbalanced connection was the increased density and energy of the sound. The basic sound quality trends are similar, with vocals and accompaniment reproduced in an orderly and grainy manner, but the individual sounds are more vibrant and lively. I feel that this has changed the way I hear music. The voice, which has an exquisite sense of rhythm as if it were murmuring, is well expressed. The sound field seems to have been enlarged, with a sense of depth in addition to the left and right expanses. The encompassing melody in the interlude also gives the impression of being enveloped.

With the balanced connection, the well played drums and bass are extended more powerfully to the low end, giving a sense of strength and dynamism. Not only the attack is vigorous, but also the lingering sound and resonance are beautiful. The vocalist's voice has a strong tension. The reproduction of the individual sounds with a sense of power and grain stands out even more, and the stage becomes three-dimensional in harmony with the expanse of the space. Although the sound field does not extend outside of the head as in the case of out-of-head localization, the sound field is very natural despite the in-head localization, and it is almost as if the speakers are reproducing the sound in a high-quality room.

I do not mean to emphasize the fact that this is the first model change in five years, but I feel that the sound has clearly made great progress. The amount of information, bass extension and power, and stereo feel have all been enhanced, but the total musical sound has changed dramatically, with a thicker, clearer sound image and the feel of a real human voice.

When I first heard the WM1AM2, I vaguely thought it sounded excellent for a 200,000 yen player, but when I later checked the price, I was surprised to learn that the actual sales price was 160,000 yen. Even if we assume that the base and the WM1ZM2 are almost the same, this is quite a good product, and I would like to say that it is an amazingly powerful player in this price range.

 

[Whitigir]

Guys, my apologies in advance for asking a question that, I am sure, it must have been asked before.

How much of SQ increase/difference would you say there is between WM1A and WM1AM2? I own a WM1A in mint condition which only sees use at home, so it still has a long life ahead. On the other hand, sometimes I use streaming services to access to music I can't purchase or simply to explore new music. I'm trying to make up my mind as to whether it makes sense to keep enlarging my Wallman collection with a WM1AM2.

I follow the thread, but I can't seem to find the prior questions and answers on this topic. Plus, I thought new answers might have the benefit of a longer experience with the new models.

Also, what kind of synergy have you found between WM1AM2 and SE846/Sony Z7M2?

Thanks for your input!!

I will sum it up for you, the M2 overall regardless A/Z, is a total and complete upgrade over M1. Arguably, if you have a heavily modified M1, it will be unique on it own. However, considering upgrades as far as technical aspects, the M2 is a complete upgrade that even modified M1 can not reach.

Simply put, a redesigned power supplies throughout from digital to analog is not something that modifications can do

 

[Sonywalkmanuser]

Sony not just made improvements to the hardware design, also they made significant improvements to the digital signal processing.

DSEE Ultimate on the M2 is now powered by a hardware accelerated NPU and has been trained even further to improve even lossless pcm playback. The other day I was playing back on shuffle mode, there was an old song playing that I couldn’t remember the name of the song, so I turned on my screen to checkout the name, and I was shocked to see: WMA 128kbps above the song title. I didn’t imagine that WMA codec can sound so dynamic, clear and refined, as I have always associated WMA with very low quality sound.

The M2 Walkman is capable(you do need to use Sony 360RA certified headphone/iem) of producing an immersive 360 spherical soundstage that divides the instruments into its own individual positioning and spacing and to me, it fully passes my litmus test of not sounding artificially processed. This is something not even the more expensive DMP-Z1 or the TA-ZH1ES is able to reproduce.

I would say that it is a very transformative music experience with the m2 DSP. The old familiar music that you are so used to for decades, will definitely have even much more new sound information to be heard.