[emilsoft]

Oh yes I did more experimentations:

A direct source on
B dsd remastering on
C dsee ultimate

He liked C the most, followed by B then A. He say A is boring, B is quite nice and C is very good

I also let him listen to the same album encoded in 16bit 44.1KHz FLAC vs Apple AAC 320kbps VBR with direct source on:

He was able to pick out the lossy file most of the time(70%).

Also I let him compare the same music file, one stored on the Walkman internal storage, the other on the swissbit microcard

And he preferred the one stored on the swissbit because he find it easier to hear the drums beats.

This cohort study is flawed, a larger sample is required to be able to conclude anything... but then I did read that swissbit sd cards have excellent dynamics and are the preferred choice for drummer musicians who like to carry around daps, and they also like to record their drum solos on these sd cards as their double bass pedal macro dynamics are captured better.

 

[emilsoft]

Everyday everywhere everytime

I have the BA300 too, what a waste of money it was for me, makes everything sound rougher, edgier and more distorted.. the opposite of when i plug stuff into the Woo WA8.. it seems to have quite a few positive reviews though so perhaps something is off with mine

 

[maceto]

This cohort study is flawed, a larger sample is required to be able to conclude anything... but then I did read that swissbit sd cards have excellent dynamics and are the preferred choice for drummer musicians who like to carry around daps, and they also like to record their drum solos on these sd cards as their double bass pedal macro dynamics are captured better.

Did you ever compare the videos with the differences between 1Z and 1A? And what if any was the conclusion?

 

[emilsoft]

Did you ever compare the videos with the differences between 1Z and 1A? And what if any was the conclusion?

The conclusion was - no audible difference detected.. wether it was due to flawed test is the question.

 

[Tchu1337]

I think that there are two ways to install apps :
- side loading application using an XAPK installer and downloading the apps from apkpure.com so you don’t need the Play Store
- installing the firmware from another region, you can find the links to download here https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sony-nw-wm1z-m2-wm1a-m2.962054/page-237#post-16943326

BTW I have a question for you: how is the pairing Sony walkman - Yatono cable - FitEar ?
And how comfortable us the Yatono cable ?

Thank you! Your most recent link seems to be working, but it's downloading very slowly, and I'm not sure if it'll work given that I'm already on WM1AM2 build 1.03.00. I'll have to give it a try nonetheless; thanks again!

This pairing consists of: Sony WM1AM2 -> Brise Audio Yatono-LE 3.5mm -> FitEar MH334.

I'm happy with this pairing! I listened to the MH335DWSR just a few days ago, and I was truly impressed with how dynamic it sounds and how satisfyingly grasping it was. Switching back to the MH334, it was clear that it (MH334) was doing something different with the mids. I interpreted it as more of a mid-centric warm and intimate tuning. I also perceived vocals to be slightly closer. Despite this, I still yearn for the 335DWSR for how amazing it also sounds! This is some context for the IEM alone.

Versus the FitEar stock cable (006) that came with MH334, my first impression of the Yatono-LE was that it increased overall impact of the sound, especially lower notes. Generally, I perceived greater presence and depth across the board, but other than that, I feel as though the cable is attempting to provide these adjustments while, for the most part, remaining neutral. The Yatono-LE is comfortable. It was soft and pliable when I got it, and I feel that it has only gotten softer and more "relaxed" ever since. In terms of ergonomics, I have zero complaints.

Now with the WM1AM2, this DAP brought vocals even closer. This was overwhelmingly obvious for songs where you would hear a bit of the music in the beginning and then BOOM, when vocals would jump in, they make their presence known by being very much in-your-face. I think the sound of the WM1AM2 smooths things out all around as well, which I appreciate; I didn't experience sharp highs or sibilance. I have no regrets here, for 90% - 95% of my playlist is female vocals over Mandopop/Cantopop. I haven't tried the WM1ZM2; I'm sure it's excellent as well.

 

[rlw6534]

Try this one if you have a 1A
http://info.update.sony.net/PA001/NW-WM1AM2_0000/contents/0003/NW-WM1AM2_0000_V1_03_00_NW_WM_FW.UPG

You can always find the most recent International firmware by looking for the url in this xml file:

http://info.update.sony.net/PA001/NW-WM1AM2_0000/info/info.xml

 

[justsomesonyfan]

Oh yes I did more experimentations:

A direct source on
B dsd remastering on
C dsee ultimate

He liked C the most, followed by B then A. He say A is boring, B is quite nice and C is very good

I also let him listen to the same album encoded in 16bit 44.1KHz FLAC vs Apple AAC 320kbps VBR with direct source on:

He was able to pick out the lossy file most of the time(70%).

Also I let him compare the same music file, one stored on the Walkman internal storage, the other on the swissbit microcard

And he preferred the one stored on the swissbit because he find it easier to hear the drums beats.

awesome, you should get the lil man a drum kit for his bday

 

[Andricop]

Thank you! Your most recent link seems to be working, but it's downloading very slowly, and I'm not sure if it'll work given that I'm already on WM1AM2 build 1.03.00. I'll have to give it a try nonetheless; thanks again!

Strange, I was able to download it in less than one minute over a 5G connection.
Installing the firmware manually should work even if you are already on 1.03
Let us know how it goes!

 

[Andricop]

Thank you! Your most recent link seems to be working, but it's downloading very slowly, and I'm not sure if it'll work given that I'm already on WM1AM2 build 1.03.00. I'll have to give it a try nonetheless; thanks again!

This pairing consists of: Sony WM1AM2 -> Brise Audio Yatono-LE 3.5mm -> FitEar MH334.

I'm happy with this pairing! I listened to the MH335DWSR just a few days ago, and I was truly impressed with how dynamic it sounds and how satisfyingly grasping it was. Switching back to the MH334, it was clear that it (MH334) was doing something different with the mids. I interpreted it as more of a mid-centric warm and intimate tuning. I also perceived vocals to be slightly closer. Despite this, I still yearn for the 335DWSR for how amazing it also sounds! This is some context for the IEM alone.

Versus the FitEar stock cable (006) that came with MH334, my first impression of the Yatono-LE was that it increased overall impact of the sound, especially lower notes. Generally, I perceived greater presence and depth across the board, but other than that, I feel as though the cable is attempting to provide these adjustments while, for the most part, remaining neutral. The Yatono-LE is comfortable. It was soft and pliable when I got it, and I feel that it has only gotten softer and more "relaxed" ever since. In terms of ergonomics, I have zero complaints.

Now with the WM1AM2, this DAP brought vocals even closer. This was overwhelmingly obvious for songs where you would hear a bit of the music in the beginning and then BOOM, when vocals would jump in, they make their presence known by being very much in-your-face. I think the sound of the WM1AM2 smooths things out all around as well, which I appreciate; I didn't experience sharp highs or sibilance. I have no regrets here, for 90% - 95% of my playlist is female vocals over Mandopop/Cantopop. I haven't tried the WM1ZM2; I'm sure it's excellent as well.

I’m using WM1Z M2 with FitEar DC Ti and bespoke Nightjar Acoustics balanced cable.
Listening in Direct mode ON and High Gain OFF
Best combo I’ve ever had, everything is well balanced, every kind of music seems to flow easily, everything is effortless.
Voices are wonderful, soundstage big, background black, technical enough, non fatiguing. Treble are not harsh, bass are clean and just at the right level for my tastes.
I was looking at the Brise Audio cables, I like very much their look and I was wondering if they could bring a different « colour » to music, I think I’ll try them

 

[roofus]

The conclusion was - no audible difference detected.. wether it was due to flawed test is the question.

However the Gold Version looks a lot cooler, so that's what I ordered!

 

[Ghisy]

Hey there,

How many custom EQs can you store on the WM1A M2? I use a Cowon Plenue R2 as my daily driver and it can store up to 16.

I'm considering the Sony at some point because it has one of the best battery life. I might pick one up when I get to go to Japan in a few months.

Thanks!

 

[Benesyed]

I pulled the trigger on the NW-WMA1M2 and implemented the tweaks for improving android performance (disabling non essential apps per the guide that can be found on this site). So far I have not had any significant speed issues with the walkman app or tidal/spotify. They are as fast as they are on my pixel 7.

I have paired it with both my thieaudio monarch mk2 and my MDR Z1R. I am using the US version and I get great volume on the latter at 65 (out of 120) on high gain.

Looking forward to playing around with it more and being able to give a better review/insights.

 

[audionewbi]

That's our house sound indeed, in general we lean more towards warmth and color than details. There are some exceptions, however, like our micro iDSD Diablo purposely tuned for more details and openness. Hope this helps, thanks!

I would have loved Diablo if it was not for the volume knob. At low volumes, the channel imbalance is very noticeable.

 

[maceto]

I pulled the trigger on the NW-WMA1M2 and implemented the tweaks for improving android performance (disabling non essential apps per the guide that can be found on this site). So far I have not had any significant speed issues with the walkman app or tidal/spotify. They are as fast as they are on my pixel 7.

I have paired it with both my thieaudio monarch mk2 and my MDR Z1R. I am using the US version and I get great volume on the latter at 65 (out of 120) on high gain.

Looking forward to playing around with it more and being able to give a better review/insights.

Would love to know what battery life is compared to Sony’s readings as they use a bloated android and don’t apply any upscaling etc

 

[audionewbi]

I’m using WM1Z M2 with FitEar DC Ti and bespoke Nightjar Acoustics balanced cable.
Listening in Direct mode ON and High Gain OFF
Best combo I’ve ever had, everything is well balanced, every kind of music seems to flow easily, everything is effortless.
Voices are wonderful, soundstage big, background black, technical enough, non fatiguing. Treble are not harsh, bass are clean and just at the right level for my tastes.
I was looking at the Brise Audio cables, I like very much their look and I was wondering if they could bring a different « colour » to music, I think I’ll try them

DC Ti has been on my list for along time. I hope next year I get to buy it and call it my true end game. I personally love my AM2 as this is the first generation that I had a really hard time justifying paying for the higher model walkman. I personally can't wait for the next gen walkman.