[normie610]

Wow, just tried Jupiter T2, such a visceral bass impact! And it retains much of the resolution as well! Wow wow wow!

And yes JT3 sounds worse on my setup than T2

 

[Whitigir]

Wow, just tried Jupiter T2, such a visceral bass impact! And it retains much of the resolution as well! Wow wow wow!

And yes JT3 sounds worse on my setup than T2

Spoiler: The Foreword to Firmwares Modding

Last year some Chinese enthusiastic worked out a way to modify firmwares and change their sound. ATM I won't dive into disclosing the technical specifics since it may be illegal and ultra troublesome to write, but the results are something profound. I will first elaborate on some basic principles.

Firmwares do affect sound (nonsense... we all know that). The firmwares of 1A/1Z provided to download all over the world are universal and totally identical (identical MD5 value). But there are TWO SETS of tuning codes to tune 1A/1Z separately, stored WITHIN THE SAME FIRMWARE. The firmware file simply identifies whether your device is 1A or 1Z then it applies the proprietary tunings accordingly. It reads the identification codes stored within the firmware and your devices as references to preceed the installation.

Secondly, firmware file contains two parts: the first part with the basic system functionalities, for example, the random / repeat buttons shown in now playing, introduced in 2.0; the usb dac / bt receiver modes introduced in 3.0, etc; The second part is the tuning codes, which are scattered in various sections of the firmware. We don't know how exactly the codes work, as they remain an encrypted black box. But we can switch the "box" between 1A and 1Z to alter each other sound. Thirdly and most importantly, the firmware of DMP-Z1 & ZX300 are of similar structure with slight differences of the functionality part, for example, DMP doesn't even has a skip button in the UI while 1Z does of course. HOWEVER, the tuning codes of DMP can be applied to 1A / 1Z perfectly fine.

Incorporating DMP's tuning, both 1A / 1Z enjoy a much expanded sound with better extension on both ends. With the new assets at hand, theoretically speaking, tuning codes can be switched and combined to approximate the desired sound profiles of many other DAPs. Yet the process was HIDEOUS, since it's a shot in the dark for modders to blindly test the wild combinations with our own ears. Thx to our Chinese pioneer, Deck24, who relentlessly keep experimenting the tunings with months of trials and errors, finally there are some results to be shared to the public.

Disclosure: Since the discovery of firmware tuning, I have been working with "the Step-Father of Walkman"@Whitigir to create and share a series of modded firmwares "in conspiracy". Theoretically speaking, each of these firmwares is a clear upgrade to your Walkman, but remember that your hardware limitations will play the bigger roles that scales up with the firmware performances.
The following firmware mods will bring about the sound signatures of DMP Z1 fine tuned for the Walkman. There will be differences as DMP Z1 and Walkman are too different in hardware engineering, sizes and implementations. If you are not happy with what you hear, please use the stock firmware, as there has been no known risk of damaging or bricking the player.
Both 1A and 1Z are tuned exactly and the same. Four sound profiles were composed, tastefully and painstakingly. They are Mercury, Jupiter, Mars and Venus for you to choose from:


Among all these 4 profiles, we also divided each of them into 3 different Tiers for various levels of setups. You can choose freely for your own preference. So there are a whole combinations of 4x3=12 versions to choose from.

To put it in a nutshell, these firmwares are all about the SYNERGY with your hardware. The higher the Tier ranks, the better hardware scales, and the higher output power perceived (illusionary). Tier 3 of each profile may not fit the majority out there, although they are the most technically capable.
For better performances, please also change regional code into Japan.

Spoiler: Additional Reading - Japanese Tunings

Japanese model of 1A/1Z sounds different than the other region models. Generally speaking, JP tuning has smoother timbre, better bass texture and a tad deeper/larger soundstage.



To obtain the Japanese tuning, simply run the Rockbox tool to change your region code to J. You can also find the Rockbox tool in the folder I shared.
How to change region code to "J" using Rockbox tool

P.S. You DON'T need to factory reset to activate J tuning! Don't reset or you will lose your clocking hours. Just restarting will suffice.
After changing to J, please run ANY firmwares again for your device to apply to the J FW. Restarting your device, u will find a new certificate item showing up at the bottom of setting's page, proving your FW is now the Japanese version. At the same time, u lose the ability to change language to others, but keeping your current language (such as English). Because Japanese FW initially doesn't support multi-language selection.

Upgrade methods: first make sure your device is on official 3.02. The mods are all based on the official 3.02, keeping all its vested functionalities. If u upgrade from any other official versions the installation will fail, though no harm will incur at all. The upgrading speed is much faster than official upgrade since only the tuning parts are being written in. The process is perfectly safe for your device, and you can always run the other mod to substitute, or revert back to the official FWs anytime by running their exe.

Choose the correct version for your device model to install. All devices except JP model and EU model should choose Universal. Unfortunately I cannot compile and maintain Mac versions.

***

Spoiler: Click for the link

Welcome to the Dark Side!

***

Yes, hardware scaling is very real....it could back-fire. That was why we had to put it all in the disclosures

 

[dninsan]

Yes, hardware scaling is very real....it could back-fire. That was why we had to put it all in the disclosures

For a stock WM1A with HD800s shoudl I go with Tier 1 or Tier3? I tried the HD800s on stock fw and had to put them almost up to 120 and didn't sound good.

 

[Whitigir]

For a stock WM1A with HD800s shoudl I go with Tier 1 or Tier3? I tried the HD800s on stock fw and had to put them almost up to 120 and didn't sound good.

To be safe , try Tier 2 first. Tier 3 is very picky on hardware front of everything, including cables and plugs

 

[gerelmx1986]

When will the rest be uploaded? Only see Jupiter and mercury

 

[Whitigir]

When will the rest be uploaded? Only see Jupiter and mercury

Slow down your horses.....we are working hard

 

[Morbideath]

When will the rest be uploaded? Only see Jupiter and mercury

For classical i think Mercury or Jupiter may be your types

 

[gerelmx1986]

Time to play :

 

[aceedburn]

For classical i think Mercury or Jupiter may be your types

Again my infamous question, which is the warmest and has the fullest sound with good bass? And my setup is WM1A not modded at all but changed to j region. Powering not very high end headphones and iems.

 

[Morbideath]

Again my infamous question, which is the warmest and has the fullest sound with good bass? And my setup is WM1A not modded at all but changed to j region. Powering not very high end headphones and iems.

Regardless of your setups, Mars T3 is a living volcano and raging hurricane. Maybe try T1 as a start.
Mars will be landing tomorrow.

 

[Sp12er3]

This thread is getting so busy... These development make me regret so much not picking up A WM1A for $500 last christmas.

 

[marionet]

I am in the Japanese version but the new mods only accept to be loaded in the universal or European version. Have I done something wrong? Thank you for the amazing work you are doing !!!!

 

[nc8000]

I am in the Japanese version but the new mods only accept to be loaded in the universal or European version. Have I done something wrong? Thank you for the amazing work you are doing !!!!

I think you need to run the version based on where your unit was bought, not what region you have set via rockbox tool, so universal unless your unit is one sold in EU or Japan

 

[aceedburn]

Regardless of your setups, Mars T3 is a living volcano and raging hurricane. Maybe try T1 as a start.
Mars will be landing tomorrow.

Roger that. Cheers mate.

 

[Vitaly2017]

Wow cant wait to get home and try all theis new beast modes!

Guys lets call our secret project.
Apocalyptic End Game