[aisalen]

I stopped craving for other DAP after i got 1A

Same here. I start acquiring for desktop setup instead.

 

[nanaholic]

ha ha yes my mistake to say nobody will do it. obviously some people do that.
Personally i would not do it. Overspend on one component. Where the performance of the system is the sum of all the components. It is a free world, people can make decision for themselves. I will not criticise it. I myself will not do it.

Most people would consider spending the most money on the earphone/headphone being the wisest investment when it comes to getting the most improvement in sound quality in the entire chain. Also I wouldn't consider getting a pair of Just ear to pair with 1A is overspending, as the 1A is absolutely capable of getting a lot out of the Just ear as the Just ear were designed to be efficient to begin with.

 

[Malevolint]

Most people would consider spending the most money on the earphone/headphone being the wisest investment when it comes to getting the most improvement in sound quality in the entire chain. Also I wouldn't consider getting a pair of Just ear to pair with 1A is overspending, as the 1A is absolutely capable of getting a lot out of the Just ear as the Just ear were designed to be efficient to begin with.

I agree with you! At the end of the day, a dadc/dap is supposed to carry clean sound and deliver some power. We have that. We have the cleanest sound we're probably going to get. After that, it's all about flavor and extras. Some DAPs are more warm than others, or have different apps and features.

Spending 3k on earphones for a WM1A is perfectly fine and I frankly see no reason not to. You'll get the biggest difference in sound quality there instead of quibbling for another 2/3% better sound going from dap to dap.

 

[Mindstorms]

I stayed 2.0 finally after allmy trips to 3.01 and 1.2 it still the best i wish sony could master 3.02 with more subbass for WM1A at least make the 31hz eq band response deeper and all sub-bass frecuencies stronger 2.0 its proof that WM1A its bass capable of course nowere near 1Z, if 3.02 has more bass i will install it. 3.01 still has the best stage imaging i remember zx100 when i enable clear audio+ stage becamed wider like 2x now the bass was trimmed when clear audio was enabled i wonder if the wider the imaging the faster bass distrorts when boosted via EQ... also when i use it in dac mode and use my pc Sony stage-mastering studio and VST plug ins (for all sony fanboys like me) when i add bass with EQ and other effects and bass sound really deeper and it wont distort that is proof that WM1A response exceeds the sony eq maximum I really prefer some songs distorting a little i will lower volume or reduce EQ bass band 31hz a little but that the bass control its on user side and not device lol ( I feel the EQ its being shy on boost) also in the 16 hz band it will be awesome that it do the same boost a little of the high frecuencies not only 16khz since modern gear IEM and Headphones surpass 16kz by a lot.. and the only wahy to boost that frec its via DSEE, for me it should boost a little higher but never cut of those precious frecuencies also can be sayd for the lower end lol

 

[bflat]

My thoughts on price:

• Don't blame the manufacturers on price, blame the people who pay. Even Apple is starting to realize how small the market is for $1200 phones.
• While a couple thousand for a non-essential item is a lot of money, stop buying coffee at Starbucks and bring your lunch to work using the same principle.
• There are no laws that say a headphone should cost xxx% of the amp and the amp cost yyy% of the source, etc.
• Portable devices are generally more expensive than their desktop counterparts due to added complexity and R&D (like PCs).
• Try calling or emailing a local or in-state hi-fi specialty store and ask them for their best price on something that has a hard MSRP. You will surprised how much wiggle room there is especially if you bundle with other components.
• Lastly, thank goodness for Headfi Classified!

 

[Whitigir]

A DAP, or DAC and or Digital readers, are not simply just equally made. There are plethora things within the chain that can affect your outcome. Nevertheless, it won’t be as pronounced or observable unless and until you have a very capable headphones or IEMS. There is no such thing as over spending on a headphones for the audio-chain

If there is such thing, a top tier capable headphones such as Stax SR009 and a T2, it would reveal how bad your DAC, Interconnect Cables, and the Digital sources can sound, and when you upgrade, it will expose clearly how much improvements at which devices you upgraded and swapped out.

Saying this headphones or earphones is too much for a DAP, or DAC to handle, is like saying, this is the best the DAC or DAP can do, regardless of how good your headphones or earsphones are, you won’t see improvements....which means admitting defeat. Some headphones or even IEMS will need an external amplifier to drive it properly.

But that is just how I see it

My personal experiences, I often hook up my WM1Z into my Stax SR009 and T2 system to listen. It clearly tells me the pros and the cons of WM1Z vs my other DAP such as Opus DAP or Dx200....and Desktop system. Is Stax SR-009 and T2 an overkill for WM1Z as a source ? not at all! The WM1Z is very good for being a portable, beautiful timbres, excellent battery. But it can go further, and so I built a dedicated desktop for that.

 

[RobertP]

There are many areas the 1A may still be improve on. Same goes for the 1Z. Sony did many things right under the hood on these DAP's already but still not a perfect 10 yet. It will be interesting what the next signature series devices may brings. I used to think that 1A and $3k IEM could be the endgame too but not any more after I listen to those very expensive highly resolve sound systems.
Do we need $3k headphones or IEMs? Easy yes for me. Cheap monitors will never show the full capability the DAP. You don't want to miss out the dynamic, warmth, fullness, airy, ambiance, imaging, and fine details that high end monitors can give. IMO, good headphones are more important than DAP.

 

[buzzlulu]

My personal experiences, I often hook up my WM1Z into my Stax SR009 and T2 system to listen. It clearly tells me the pros and the cons of WM1Z vs my other DAP

My understanding of how the output of the 1Z works is that both the 3.5 or 4.4 can be used as a line out (with no problem of the famous double amping). As such my question is that it should make no difference which headphone out port (3.5 or 4.4) is used when feeding your Stax T2 ( or in my case my Carbon)?
It's probably easier sourcing a 3.5 to XLR cable rather than a 4.4 to XLR?

 

[nc8000]

My understanding of how the output of the 1Z works is that both the 3.5 or 4.4 can be used as a line out (with no problem of the famous double amping). As such my question is that it should make no difference which headphone out port (3.5 or 4.4) is used when feeding your Stax T2 ( or in my case my Carbon)?
It's probably easier sourcing a 3.5 to XLR cable rather than a 4.4 to XLR?

Best to use 3.5 to dual rca or 4.4 to xlr

 

[Whitigir]

My understanding of how the output of the 1Z works is that both the 3.5 or 4.4 can be used as a line out (with no problem of the famous double amping). As such my question is that it should make no difference which headphone out port (3.5 or 4.4) is used when feeding your Stax T2 ( or in my case my Carbon)?
It's probably easier sourcing a 3.5 to XLR cable rather than a 4.4 to XLR?

Single ended and balances will always be different. It is more pronounced on the WM1Z from the observations of sound performances on the same PCM or FLAC. Not to mention that 4.4mm is the only possible way to do Native DSD.

Yes, you can also use 3.5mm line out, but I never tried that, so I can not be sure. I could have any cables at my disposal, so I only went for the best X_X

 

[buzzlulu]

Thanks for the replies
If you search this thread quite a bit comes up about the topic - and answers are different each time.
This link which has interviews with the designers seems to put the issue to rest - there is no analogue line out - period.
It was removed for sound purposes

https://www.sony.jp/walkman/special/flagship/manufacturer/interview04.html

 

[nc8000]

Thanks for the replies
If you search this thread quite a bit comes up about the topic - and answers are different each time.
This link which has interviews with the designers seems to put the issue to rest - there is no analogue line out - period.
It was removed for sound purposes

https://www.sony.jp/walkman/special/flagship/manufacturer/interview04.html

Yes there is no analogue line out but the headphone out is clean so you should have no ill effects from using it

 

[Whitigir]

Thanks for the replies
If you search this thread quite a bit comes up about the topic - and answers are different each time.
This link which has interviews with the designers seems to put the issue to rest - there is no analogue line out - period.
It was removed for sound purposes

https://www.sony.jp/walkman/special/flagship/manufacturer/interview04.html

Well, I can only tell you what I personally went through, and how I observed it. Unless I am as deaf as a duck, you can use any of the headphones out to be acting as line out

 

[bflat]

If you search this thread quite a bit comes up about the topic - and answers are different each time.

Yes, because people continue to theorize rather than actual use. There is zero chance you can damage something using the WM1a/z headphone out as line out. Just remember to use 90-100% volume for line out levels. It will take all of 30 sec for you to try it out yourself using a simple 3.5mm to RCA cable. If it sounds good to you, the balanced out will be even better but requires a harder to find 4.4mm to dual XLR adapter.

But the big question is "why?". Everyone has their own reasons for wanting a line out from their DAP so it's best to describe your own use case and I'm sure you will get much better answers.

For example, if somebody wants the line out so they can connect to their home amplifier, I would recommend buying a good desktop DAC like one of the Schiit low to mid range models. Then use the WM1a/z as a transport.

 

[buzzlulu]

Right now I have my Stax amplifier connected to my big two channel system into my preamp - feed by uber totl Linn 2 channel sources vinyl and digital. I want the option of removing the headphone system from my two channel setup. I can use the 1Z or buy something such as a Cord DAC. Neither will sound as good as my Linn sources however I will have the option of no longer being tied to my two channel setup