To many people who asked me this before. Since the time I got my modern Walkman Zx2 until this very date, and over so many experiences toward different systems, including modifications…etc. this question got popped now and then. Walkman appears to have some unique performances to it ? How is it so ?
I couldn’t find the detailed explanations for so long. But these uniqueness existed and I typically called it to be S-Master uniqueness. It only happened with S-Master, and especially with Walkman. Even the TAZH1ES have such traits, but not as much as Walkman. This is due to the implementations of these systems in specific architectures.
One of the essential reasons is the way the signals are being conducted, coupled from one stage to another. This is also why Sony is featuring a DSP called “DC Phase linearizer”. If you have a TAZ, you can clearly conduct the observations that when turned on, TAZ doesn’t have the bass being effected as much as Walkman. The lower-bass a den lower mid-bass appear to shift a bit from it images within the soundstage.
Then there is even more to these uniqueness, such as that Walkman has a super spherical soundstage, where everything just float around your head. The 1Z has it even more than the 1A for example.
All of these are something to do with
“Signal Integrity”! Basically, an idealistic amplifier is a wire with gain, and nothing in between.
These following pictures will show case these essentials components in designs that captures the technicalities of it.
Amplification from a typical analog amplifier (all class). Class D also has the issues and
Sony deem it being an “issues”, and Sony had designed the Walkman to overcome it, where even the TAZ also fall to the similar issues. This is showing class A blocks for example. Please look at C-out (red) and C-e (green). The red is right in the output signal path. We know them as “Coupling capacitor”. The C-e is Decoupling capacitor. These guys are what causing a phase shift issues
It doesn’t only stop there. Take a look at C-in (red), yet another Coupling capacitors right in the signal paths. These guys are “essentials”, and why changing them, swapping them, resulting in a so called “subjective upgrades”, and that is to put it politely as we all hear differently. So they are subjective. However, technically speaking, different capacitors have different parameters. Some of the most important factors is “precision tolerances, leakage current, dissipation factors, tangent of losses”. They directly effecting the proportionality of phase to voltage and current handling of a capacitor. Put in a simpler term that capacitor Do not conduct electricity directly. They only charge up and discharging away. There are some degradation between charge/discharge stages. Therefore, each of the capacitors carry with them the “special house sound”. Tweaking and tuning, placement of these capacitors are called “Analog tuning” and they are “No secret” to Sony.
In Walkman,
There is Zero Audio Signal Paths Coupling capacitors
Because we grew accustomed to the typical amplifications. These “issues” are not an actual “issues”. Once again, being a subjective matter, Sony studied it up and composed an algorithms to allow this to shine through as a feature that is called “DC Phase Linearizer”. The Type differences are a results of several differences from most audiophile capacitors that were studied by Sony. These effects are measurable.
Now, with that out of the way, let’s dive into Walkman. I will not talk about TAZ here. It is worth mentioning that I studied up TAZ, and can confidentially say that, S-Master conduct a straight through signals in square wave forms directly to amplifier inputs. Hence omitting the issue of Coupled capacitor input as mentioned above.
Walkman has this very essential path, a straight through direct path from S-Master output into the amplification input stages. You can see the highlighted path from S-Master straight into the Coils
Then next up is the output stages. Let’s talk about balanced out connection. The output is implemented in a full H-Bridge configurations. In this configuration, the push and pull actions between them do cancel out the errors differences that is presenting as “DC-offset”. This issues plagued the typical amplifier output and not Walkman as stated. Therefore, no Coupling capacitors are needed. The decoupling capacitors itself is always presenting in any implementations and as far as technical aspects are concerned in amplifications, only beneficials and not hindering any “negativities” in the sound-path or signal-path
Do pay attentions that cap 1 and 2 are in parallel between output +/- of the load (headphones) and hence the 3 can be omitted also. However, omitting both 1 and 2 but keeping 3 is not ideal. It would cause further “errors” as current paths between components are now out of symmetry.
The 2 grounds are not the same (noted Ground ! And noted why no ground is connected to balance out socket). It isn’t needed and better left so.
Also Noted is the Symmetry placements of components by Walkman and Sony clearly as shown here
In the end, you can see that with Direct digital in Walkman, Sony has completely approaching the idealistic amplifications of “Wire with gains”. Because there is “Zero coupling capacitors” that can pose the DC-issues that plagues the typical amplifications that we have grown accustomed to. But don’t worry, there is a DSP featured, and people may say “oh it isn’t Bit-perfect”
Bit perfect ? What ? Only on paper.
The moment you started to manipulate the nature of something, you have already altered it existence in nature. Therefore, I kept saying “there is no such thing as bit-perfect”, the term can be used loosely only. In that sense, Sony already introduced Walkman App with Direct Sources that preserve the binary information as much as possible from within the OS (operation system), bypassing the SRC (Sampling rate converters), and directly into digital processing of pulses generators engines.
It wouldn’t matter how much DSP you are using here, you are not going to have such issues from the typical amplifiers.
From all of those explained, we have Walkman and S-Master uniqueness.
Enjoy your Walkman
