[musicasmedicine]

There's no doubt that sony threw the research sink at WM1 series. Tbe 1z provides fatigue free listening - though it's FW was too dark and it needed @MrWalkman chameleon for me. They dont measure well

Audio Science W1A review

But their sound processing is unique and combats some of the drawbacks of digital music reproduction.

So improvements to this high baseline will be incremental. The enginners have said as much.

But one instant market leader change would have put 1tb of internal storage plus SD.

Market leader position on a very niche market? And not expensive to do. So the question is...why not?

Yeah, very good points. Even after 6 years in the audio hobby, I still struggle with the objective vs subjective differences. Did I enjoy music more from my WM1Z because it cause me thousands or dollars or was it actually sounding better to me? Im not sure what the answer is. To play devil's advocate, I guess it doesn't matter if it's all psychoacoustics if my perceived enjoyment is greater hey?

 

[WAmadeusM]

Let's ignore the whole discussion about sound quality differences between on board vs SD card. I think that is way too subjective to the point that it borders on lies in my opinion.

As for why they did not upgrade the storage, well, the whole purpose of putting Android in the walkman is so that you can stream the music that you once needed storage for. So I guess they just didn't add it on the pretext that its cost saved that can go elsewhere and you can add your own SD card if you need more storage.

Also, I have a feeling that if we ask this to Sato-san he might say that higher capacity memory on board may generate more "noise".

Android streaming such a quality issue they have to put it in a physical sound jail box inside the player. And even then it won't deliver the processing quality of the WM app. So basically that part if it is no better than a flagship phone. Which begs tne question....
So you arrive back at the start...that it's a niche product for ultra music quality fans...and the one thing that would have been a clear step up was not done. More internal storage. Oh...but you can pointlessly convert everthing to DSD and watch the battery drain like a sink hole....

 

[ttt123]

This is the type of stuff that makes me want to continue checking out from the audio sphere. So much fake news and faux science. I highly doubt specks of gold in the solder change anything drastically - especially to a perceivable difference.

Might just stick with my objectively good JDS Atom+ stack. Shame because I do love Sony products.

There is a simple solution. Try it. If you don't like it, don't enjoy it, then don't buy it.

As for the question of why not increase internal storage, most users need the space that a bigger MicroSD card offers. That is also probably cheaper, and the user can buy the card that they want. And they can spend as much, or as little, as they want on the MicroSD card.
If you try a model of card and like it better than another, then buy it. If the cheapest card sounds the same to you, then you can save money by buying the cheapest. Really, this is the simplest solution. Buy what you enjoy, and makes you happy.

As to what other people buy, would you deny them their happiness? Audio beauty is in the eye of the beholder....

 

[Amber Rain]

But one instant market leader change would have put 1tb of internal storage plus SD.

Market leader position on a very niche market? And not expensive to do. So the question is...why not?

Are there any DAPs on the market with 1TB (or more) of internal storage?

How many people do you think need more than 1TB of storage you can get on an SD card (at present)?

I expect that a Venn Diagram would show a number of people wanting to buy the M2 versions and having large storage needs to have an overlap , but would this make it worthwhile to increase the storage?

I've probably got a few years to go before my 1TB card is used up and even then I could be more judicious on what I put on it.

Typo edit!

 

[Sonywalkmanuser]

Sonywalkmanuser said:
Sato: Actually, both "NW-WM1ZM2" and "NW-WM1AM2" have the same board. The only major difference is whether the chassis, housing material and internal cables are kimber cables. Today, I brought a prototype model that shows the internal structure of "NW-WM1ZM2", so I would like you to take a look. The internal kimber cable is a little long, but the sound changes obviously.

I have a different interpretation. The fact that there is a WM1ZM2 says that the design team thought that the WM1ZM2 was worth doing. Both models have something to offer, to different users and requirements.

So it is up to each user to decide on what meets their own requirements (as usual).
- Some will be ecstatic with the WM1AM2.
- Some will happily pay for the WM1ZM2, even if they only just take it out occasionally to fondle it.
- Some will be fully convinced that the WM1AM2 is the perfect choice, and that the WM1ZM2 is garish, with only minor differences, not worth the price, too heavy, too "Gold", etc. And then after awhile, will somehow change their mind, and realize that they "must" have the "Z" version, and will proceed to take a loss, sell the "A" and buy the "Z". So the cost will be even higher than if they had bought the "Z" right from the start. (That's what I did on the 1st generation)

Audio people would never be satisfied with one solution, when they can have 2 solutions. And there will be fanatic believers for both solutions.
And rightly so. There would be concern if we ever found that everybody agreed that one "thing" was perfect, and nothing else would ever be better. Because that would be so abnormal that we would suspect that everybody had been brainwashed, or bought off.

In my case, I actually prefer the sound of the 1AM2 over the 1ZM2. This may sound blasphemous to some but I felt that the 1ZM2 has a sound that is overly brutally pure for my taste. It’s like every music note is vying for your full attention all the time as they sound very present in the soundscape.

 

[Sonywalkmanuser]

If you feel Sony Engineers are trying to bullsh1t their way by using gold solder and gold plated chassis then by all means don’t buy their Walkman. There are plenty of other cheaper audio products out there you can use to play music too, if you don’t already know.

If you don’t believe microSD cards makes a difference to sound quality then don’t do anything about it. Nobody is pointing a gun at you and forcing you to change or experiment with microSD.

 

[ttt123]

In my case, I actually prefer the sound of the 1AM2 over the 1ZM2. This may sound blasphemous to some but I felt that the 1ZM2 has a sound that is overly brutally pure for my taste. It’s like every music note is vying for your full attention all the time as they sound very present in the soundscape.

You like what you like. Nothing more needs to be said. Of course, musical tastes, equipment, and what you listen to may/will change over time, so the choice of equipment will also change....but that is for the future.

 

[Vamp898]

There's no doubt that sony threw the research sink at WM1 series. Tbe 1z provides fatigue free listening - though it's FW was too dark and it needed @MrWalkman chameleon for me. They dont measure well

Audio Science W1A review

But their sound processing is unique and combats some of the drawbacks of digital music reproduction.

So improvements to this high baseline will be incremental. The enginners have said as much.

But one instant market leader change would have put 1tb of internal storage plus SD.

Market leader position on a very niche market? And not expensive to do. So the question is...why not?

Well to be fair, a lot of measurements from Audio Science Review are, like all Measurements from Crinacle, neither 100% reproducible nor reliable.

Also, he always measures at 100% Volume which is the worst setting for Digital Amps (but the best for Analog Amps).

I don't think the measurement is wrong, its just absolutely irrelevant in multiple aspects.

 

[dennarwhal]

This discussion here is exactly why I love this hobby. Its more than just subjectivism vs objectivism, its more than the brigading and outright aggression sometimes. It really is just a bunch of people passionate about sound from their black or gold box.

 

[musicasmedicine]

This discussion here is exactly why I love this hobby. Its more than just subjectivism vs objectivism, its more than the brigading and outright aggression sometimes. It really is just a bunch of people passionate about sound from their black or gold box.

At the end of the day, it's all about enjoying music and the hobby itself. I've been through all of the flagship headphones and found an unlikely home in the Final Audio A8000 IEMs - this coming from someone who's never been an IEM fan They just clicked with me.

I agree with you. Will this 1800 AUD Black box sound better than my 150 dollars JDS Atom Amp? Maybe, maybe not. But it's Sony and I'm a techie so ill probably go try it anyway lol.

 

[WAmadeusM]

Are there any DAPs on the market with 1TB (or more) of internal storage?

How many people do you think need more than 1TB odd storage you can get on an SD card (at present)?

I expect that a Venn Diagram would show a number of people wanting to buy the M2 versions and having large storage needs to have an overlap , but would this make it worthwhile to increase the storage?

I've probably got a few years to go before my 1TB card is used up and even then I could be more judicious on what I put on it.

It's the simplest way to improve its value. You are selling a product for over $4,000 which is 6 years on from its original version. It should not really be a consideration. The ability to have all your music collection on board with option to add more via MCSD should surely be standard. Not money gor glossy PR videos taliking about gold flake solder. It's such an oversight its like a magician using misdirection. I just can't work out why....

The streaming is - and looks in the vids - like a painfully forced by circumstances addition - (to be kept locked up in a jail physically in the player) to the core top tier digital playback proof of concept drive of the original WM1z

And when all is said and done....its the same Smaster and same 256gb.... ....

 

[HTML]

Gonna drop by Sony tomorrow to see it in action.

Chances of pre-ordering is high due to the fact that it now allows for streaming. (Apple Music guy here lol)

 

[ttt123]

It's the simplest way to improve its value. You are selling a product for over $4,000 which is 6 years on from its original version. It should not really be a consideration. The ability to have all your music collection on board with option to add more via MCSD should surely be standard. Not money gor glossy PR videos taliking about gold flake solder. It's such an oversight its like a magician using misdirection. I just can't work out why....

The streaming is - and looks in the vids - like a painfully forced by circumstances addition - (to be kept locked up in a jail physically in the player) to the core top tier digital playback proof of concept drive of the original WM1z

And when all is said and done....its the same Smaster and same 256gb.... ....

If Sony put 1GB memory into their new DAP, some people would complain that it is too much, some that it is not enough. Makes sense that they focus on the SQ as that is what we expect from them, and that they have control over. Audio people buy a DAP for the SQ, and not the amount of memory. At least, that is my preference.

 

[Amber Rain]

It's the simplest way to improve its value. You are selling a product for over $4,000 which is 6 years on from its original version. It should not really be a consideration. The ability to have all your music collection on board with option to add more via MCSD should surely be standard. Not money gor glossy PR videos taliking about gold flake solder. It's such an oversight its like a magician using misdirection. I just can't work out why....

The streaming is - and looks in the vids - like a painfully forced by circumstances addition - (to be kept locked up in a jail physically in the player) to the core top tier digital playback proof of concept drive of the original WM1z

And when all is said and done....its the same Smaster and same 256gb.... ....

I totally agree with you. When I see an internal storage on siome DAPs of 32 or 64gb, I just think "What am I going to do with that?" It's pointless really and I find it more of a pain as I have to look elsewhere for some files (I tend to put my compilation albums there).

I was just saying that for a lot of people the internal memory + SD card is sufficient. For the money some DAPs sell at, the internal storage offered is ridiculously low.

 

[nc8000]

Open question to all friends here....WM1 series for serious music lovers with big collections of music. Why update the Sig WM1Z and not increase the on board storage? There's domestic Twitter talk over sound quality differences in the new models between Onboard and Micro SD. Even ignoring that rabbit hole...surely increased capacity for storage should have been a priority over gold flake solder.
Because we know the streaming cannot match quality output of the W app on the players. So your library anf getting as much of it in the best quality should be the paramount consideration.

Given all the new PR of the pseudo-science of copper chassis and gold flakes...the utility of the players had taken a downgrade....

Probably because the focus has shifted away from on board music to streaming which you don’t need storage for