SONY NW-WM1Z / WM1A
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Mar 3, 2020 at 9:10 PM Post #33,181 of 45,723
I am disappointed that the new firmware is named after planets after all my hard work in suggesting condiments names...
Sorry for not adopting your proposals. I adore the motives behind condiments, but then two things come to my mind:
1. Condiments are not universally accepted. Coming from my part of the world, most people never have ketchup (do I spell correctly?) for any food only if they occasionally go to MacDonalds.
2. The condiments u proposed are mostly applied after the meal is done, other than before, or while cooking. Firmwares are not like those DSPs to make up the sound while playing. it happened before the music is played

just my 2 cents
 
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Mar 3, 2020 at 9:15 PM Post #33,182 of 45,723
@Morbideath do I simply download this file on a Windows 10 computer and follow the prompts to change my DMP-Z1 to Japan firmware? Want to double check before I go buy a PC for this. Thanks for your help.

1583284212504.png
Mike, I'll update the link I put in the W11 Topaz thread soon. Have a look at this meanwhile, maybe better to refer to this :-
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sony-nw-wm1z-wm1a.815841/page-2209#post-15495493
Jupiter: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16xcK7PsvD78D9G-zgnaPR1OFegwt3FLI
Mercury: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1hhp_Nzk4W-suwthu4MQrNSXLtcIjslNX

@Whitigir @Morbideath can/should the DMP-Z1 1.02.exe be removed from GoogleDrive if it causes confusion?
 
Mar 3, 2020 at 9:19 PM Post #33,183 of 45,723
Mike, I'll update the link I put in the W11 Topaz thread soon. Have a look at this meanwhile, maybe better to refer to this :-
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sony-nw-wm1z-wm1a.815841/page-2209#post-15495493
Jupiter: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16xcK7PsvD78D9G-zgnaPR1OFegwt3FLI
Mercury: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1hhp_Nzk4W-suwthu4MQrNSXLtcIjslNX

@Whitigir @Morbideath can/should the DMP-Z1 1.02.exe be removed from GoogleDrive if it causes confusion?
I deliberately left it there because people love this mod. the newcomers may not know what is D1.02 but it was the most popular before.
Think I need to further explain it to avoid confusion.
 
Mar 3, 2020 at 9:26 PM Post #33,184 of 45,723
Sorry for not adopting your proposals. I adore the logic behind condiments, but then two things come to my mind:
1. Condiments are not universally accepted. Coming from my part of the world, most people never have ketchup (do I spell correctly?) for any food only if they occasionally go to MacDonalds.
2. The condiments u proposed are mostly applied after the meal is done, other than before, or while cooking. Firmwares are not like those DSP effects to make up the sound while playing. it happened before the music is played

just my 2 cents

All DSP works even better with modified firmwares as reported, EQ, Vinyl
Processor, DSEEHX, Tone controls, Phase Linearizer....whatever you throw at it.

DSP effects is different than DSP Processing, 2 very different things. DSP processing involves Algorithms, Shaping, Filtering, Quantizations, feedbacks....etc that takes from Bit perfect feeds. The reason why you can not use any DSP Effects is because you are in Bit perfect mode

DSP Effects is another set of algorithms that allow adjustments of amplitudes during quantization processing and then combine with DSP Processing to output Adjusted Sound performances

So, please keep in mind that they are both very different thing
 
Mar 3, 2020 at 9:28 PM Post #33,185 of 45,723
All DSP works even better with modified firmwares as reported, EQ, Vinyl
Processor, DSEEHX, Tone controls, Phase Linearizer....whatever you throw at it.

DSP effects is different than DSP Processing, 2 very different things. DSP processing involves Algorithms, Shaping, Filtering, Quantizations, feedbacks....etc that takes from Bit perfect feeds. The reason why you can not use any DSP Effects is because you are in Bit perfect mode

DSP Effects is another set of algorithms that allow adjustments of amplitudes during quantization processing and then combine with DSP Processing to output Adjusted Sound performances

So, please keep in mind that they are both very different thing
changed my wording to be more accurate.
 
Mar 3, 2020 at 9:42 PM Post #33,187 of 45,723
@Morbideath do I simply download this file on a Windows 10 computer and follow the prompts to change my DMP-Z1 to Japan firmware? Want to double check before I go buy a PC for this. Thanks for your help.

1583284212504.png
You could just install a copy of Windows on a virtual machine or boot camp on your Mac. Would be a lot cheaper :)
 
Mar 3, 2020 at 10:02 PM Post #33,188 of 45,723
A3C0D787-A878-46D3-8A8D-3B391407988D.jpeg

Mars is here. Anyone wish to try it, pls refer to the same Google Drive folder to download your version.
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sony-nw-wm1z-wm1a.815841/post-15495493
 
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Mar 3, 2020 at 10:13 PM Post #33,189 of 45,723
I deliberately left it there because people love this mod. the newcomers may not know what is D1.02 but it was the most popular before.
Think I need to further explain it to avoid confusion.

D1.02 is charismatic and singular in nature. IMO :)
 
Mar 3, 2020 at 10:13 PM Post #33,190 of 45,723
Sorry for not adopting your proposals. I adore the motives behind condiments, but then two things come to my mind:
1. Condiments are not universally accepted. Coming from my part of the world, most people never have ketchup (do I spell correctly?) for any food only if they occasionally go to MacDonalds.
2. The condiments u proposed are mostly applied after the meal is done, other than before, or while cooking. Firmwares are not like those DSPs to make up the sound while playing. it happened before the music is played

just my 2 cents

How about name after dead poets then LOL? Great work on the latest planets! Loading all these different firmware does take a heavy toll on battery life since I disconnect as soon as database starts to index. My K-Mod WM1z and IER-Z1R seems to like J3 the best. M3 produced some digital artifacts in the upper mids giving a very metallic tone to female vocals. M2 was a little better in this regard. Lastly, I think J3 sounds faster in the lower bass than M3. My WM1z is originally US version, but I have changed to Japan.
 
Mar 3, 2020 at 10:17 PM Post #33,191 of 45,723
Originaly my 1A has E version, I change it to J using the rockbox tool. What do I need to download for the modified firmware? Japan or Universal irregardless of Tier?
 
Mar 3, 2020 at 10:39 PM Post #33,194 of 45,723
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.
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.

How to identify the region your device originally subjects to

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 corresponding with your device model to install. All devices except JP model and EU model should choose Universal. Changing regions will not effect the region your device originally subjects to. Unfortunately I cannot compile and maintain Mac versions.

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thanks for dropping mars I have a question. If you say that the firmware are tuned the same for 1z and 1a why are there different exe files for both of them?
 
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