[Mathieulh]

so now I bought the WM1A. I going to put the ZX300 up for sale.

surprisingly ZX300 and WM1A is very close in sound quality, and similar too.

Once burned in, they sound exactly the same, that was the whole point when Sony designed the ZX300 in the first place.

The SE output sounds noticeably worse on the ZX300 before burn-in than it does on the WM1A in the same conditions though, once the burn-in is done however you will be hard pressed to notice any difference on either outputs between the ZX300 and the WM1A.
The balanced output before the 200hrs burn-in sounds the same as the one on the WM1A with a similar amount of burn-in.

Once the burn in is done on both units, they will sound the same provided the WM1A is on firmware 2.00 or higher (Sony has made changes that tweaked the sound signature in firmware 2.00, the changes were already made on the ZX300 1.00 firmware so there is no way to go back to the "older sound" on those units)

The advantage of the WM1A over the ZX300 are:

1. The screen real estate
2. The more premium look and feel
3. The extra 10mW power output on SE and extra 50mW powwer output on balanced.
4. The extra 64GB of internal storage
5. You can have a different sound signature if you downgrade the firmware to a version lower than 2.00 (some like it, some don't)

The ZX300 on the other hand has the following advantages:

1. Lower MSRP
2. Smaller footprint/form factor
3. Lighter
4. Has the built-in DAC feature

If you want a different sound signature, (not a better mind you, although opinions are subjective), you might want to turn to the (much more expensive and less portable) WM1Z unit instead which sounds warmer than the WM1A giving it a slightly more "analog feel", that said, the WM1A is brighter than the WM1Z, so it's mostly all about your preferences and how deep your pockets are.

 

[Luckyleo]

i had moon audio modify my ie800s for balanced input, they did a great job

I’ve used Moon Audio for all of my recabling. They are quick, professional, and their products improve the performance of my equipment by a noticeable amount. I couldn’t been happier. Right now listening to the Grateful Dead, live at RFK stadium. JH Audio Lola, Sliver Dragon Balanced Cable (Moon Audio) and the 1Z.

Highly recommend the combo!

 

[gerelmx1986]

I was considering Windows Groove Music as an alternative to mediaGO, nut it doesn't even load DSF files, not to mention it doesn't seem to have DAP transfer feature

 

[animalsrush]

Question - there is definitely a difference in sound signature between 1.2 vs 2.0 FW.. so if direct source bypasses sound settings and fw affects only Sony sound settings.. then sound signature on source direct must be same irrespective of the fw.. I tested it by upgrading my fw from 1.2 to 2.0 .. I couldn’t tell difference between fw on direct source on both Sony z1r or k10s. has anyone experienced this?

I was a huge fan of 1.2 and actually downgraded my fw when 2.0 was released and my player was still in burn-in phase. However my wm1z hit 300 hr on balanced today and I thought I would give 2.0 a shot again. It have to say I love the sound.. it is airy, vocals still good and bass kicks way too deep..also looks soundstage has expanded..it can’t say it is fatiguing or not as I have not done long session yet.. but so far it sounds excellent

Btw I didn’t like sound signature using source direct on both fw , I use non source direct with all settings to off and eq set 0. (Tone not selected). This gives the typical Sony sound

So people still on fw 1.2 wait for player burn in beyond 300 hrs and give it a shot .. you may be surprised

Pc

 

[Quadfather]

6 months after purchasing , i am still so much in love with my WM1A

if anyone here pairs wm1a with Zeus XR , let me ask you - what 4.4 cable are you using and how does it sound with Zeus ?

thanx

I love my NW-WM1A as well, but I'm still lusting after the NW-WM1Z.

 

[surfratt]

Currently reading through this thread, but was wondering how the Sony WM1A compares to ak120ii. My current iem is Kumitate Trio. I would be listening through balanced. Would it be a worthy upgrade to go from the ak to the 1a? Any thoughts/impressions would be appreciated.

 

[Bart147]

I love my NW-WM1A as well, but I'm still lusting after the NW-WM1Z.

I'm suffering from upgradeitis as well

 

[NickL33]

I love my NW-WM1A as well, but I'm still lusting after the NW-WM1Z.

 

[Wyville]

I'm suffering from upgradeitis as well

Not me... Not at all... It is all entirely practical. After giving away my A15 and buying the AK70 I found that 9 hours of battery life is just not enough, so naturally I will at some point need to get the WM1A, although perhaps I could convince myself that "end game" would be the WM1Z. ...modded, because you know "end game".

See, I have no issues at all. I am being perfectly sensible.

 

[bana]

I love my NW-WM1A as well, but I'm still lusting after the NW-WM1Z.

Luckly for me I ordered my Zeus XR with the balanced cable so I'm set.

 

[Quadfather]

Luckly for me I ordered my Zeus XR with the balanced cable so I'm set.

I love my Sony NW-WM1A. I also own Lotoo Paw Gold Diana and Questyle QP1R.

 

[Jamiroquai]

Hi, I was wondering if someone can tell me exactly what I need to hook up my Fiio A5 to the line out on the WM1a. Do I need a usb dock and dongle?

I have a dock but it doesn't work because evidently the Sony doesn't do analog over the line out.

Thanks everyone!

 

[Whitigir]

New Flagship 1Z with Older references headphones Sa5000 (back when Sony was still hardcore about headphones). A portable setup that is Recommended for details and treble freaks

 

[asquare3376]

Hi, I was wondering if someone can tell me exactly what I need to hook up my Fiio A5 to the line out on the WM1a. Do I need a usb dock and dongle?

I have a dock but it doesn't work because evidently the Sony doesn't do analog over the line out.

Thanks everyone!

Fiio5 only does analog 3.5 in, correct? So, you can only use the 3.5 SE out of 1A. You have to utilize the 1A DAC.

 

[gerelmx1986]

I've been listening exclusively to my XBA-Z5 this whole recovery week. and i Can say the sony MUC-M12SNB1 is a pretty good cable between bass quality and quantity and detail retrieval.

PS. surgery was a success: from being 20/200 (no glasses) (only seeing the Huge E at the top of the chart) to be 20/70