[Redcarmoose]

I wonder... Does the super-expensive cable plays really better than cheaper stock cable? I doubt. In many cases it's a placebo effect or psychosomatic deceiving. I've bought Oriveti Afinity SE cable and it sounds a little better than stock Andromeda Litz. 5% better IMO. For 300 bucks quality increase is unprofitable.

I’ve never spent more than $190-$400 on a cable. But it’s scary if you add up all the purchases. They are nothing more than wire?

 

[534409]

I knew some audio enthusiasts, that believe in changing electrical outlets in home to audiophile grade ones In this case changing outlets only doesn't work, it's better to change power plant and all cables between

 

[Gamerlingual]

It’s kind of a situation by situation choice. I’m not sure about currently, but in the past there has been huge threads comparing cables. Some folks even choose the cable first and IEM second to go with the music they think they are optimizing.

But in measurements IEM cables do actually offer difference electronic resistance. Also even whole groups with different DAPs and different IEMs will at some point agree on a tone character for a particular cable.

So in general people will agree on different traits from a 4 wire or 8 wire cable, gold and silver mixtures will sound brighter at times and OFC or OCC cables are known to make differences. Some people hear them, and whole groups will agree on traits. Though typically these purchases are either as insurance to make sure your doing it right, or to try and use a cable to dial in a particular sound.

It’s nothing worth anyone getting emotional about really. Some people hear a difference and some don’t. Probably the biggest success in our group here has been the addictions of both Kimber and AXIOS cables making a special noticeable improvement on full size headphones.

Though it could be said that the area is at the level of fractions of improvement per $100 spent, still some focus and believe in the success and reality of the added improvement.

I’m seeing those cable prices for the Focal Clear and thinking, I’m good with the stock ones. The Kimber wasn’t too over the top, price wise, and really made the Z7M2 and MDR-Z1R shine with the 1A/1Z. Talk about a pleasant surprise

 

[Whitigir]

 

[MrWalkman]

Edit: If you want to post this on other forums, it would be nice to provide a link to the main post, and not
a direct Google Drive link. Thanks!

Hello,

A small update has arrived.

Changes:
- removed the modified Certificate images
Installing the mods will no longer modify the "Certificates" images. This means that we won't need
to use "WM1 Back to Stock" anymore. In order to get back to stock, just make sure you switched
the model to the original one for your device, and then just flash the official stock firmware of your
choice. If you used previous versions of the mods, I uploaded an updater which is made only to
restore the "Certificate" images to the original ones.

- really updated the translations for all languages
It seems that I missed some last time, regarding the "DSEE HX AI" and the "Model Switcher" options.

- the "WM1A to 1Z" mod name has been changed to "CHAMELEON"
As the mod's main purpose is to allow switching your model, without adding any improvements to
the stock sound, and also to make it less confusing when mentioning both mods, the name was
changed.

- the update bar fills up to the end now - really important fix, haha


I also added these mods for the 3.00 and 3.01 firmware versions, for those of you who would like
to try them.


As always, please read the indications in the main post, as well as the Frequently Asked Questions
section that can be found there.

MAIN POST

Link to firmware in the main post: CLICK


Thanks!

 

[Mystic Traveller]

The device when introduced in 2016 was touted as less bells and whistles. <>...............Sony has always stated that these were more sound quality statement products.

Exactly the same thoughts, that's the SQ in the first place.

 

[Mystic Traveller]

A small update has arrived.

Wonders never cease, thank you for all your time and efforts!

 

[minzink]

Hello,

A small update has arrived.



Changes:
- removed the modified Certificate images
Installing this mod will no longer modify the "Certificates" images. This means that won't need
to use "WM1 Back to Stock" anymore. In order to get back to stock, just make sure you switched
the model to the original one for your device, and then just flash the official stock firmware of your
choice. If you used previous versions of the mods, I uploaded an updater which is made only to
restore the "Certificate" images to the original ones.

- really updated the translations for all languages
It seems that I missed some last time, regarding the "DSEE HX AI" and the "Model Switcher" options.

- the "WM1A to 1Z" mod name has been changed to "CHAMELEON"
As the mod's main purpose is to allow switching your model, without adding any improvements to
the stock sound, and also to make it less confusing when mentioning both mods, the name was
changed.

- the update bar fills up to the end now - really important fix, haha


I also added these mods for the 3.00 and 3.01 firmware versions, for those of you who would like
to try them.


As always, please read the indications in the main post, as well as the Frequently Asked Questions
section that can be found there.

MAIN POST

DOWNLOAD LINK


Thanks!

MrWalkman thanks a lot! Really awesome. I will give it a try this afternoon.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Hello,

A small update has arrived.



Changes:
- removed the modified Certificate images
Installing this mod will no longer modify the "Certificates" images. This means that won't need
to use "WM1 Back to Stock" anymore. In order to get back to stock, just make sure you switched
the model to the original one for your device, and then just flash the official stock firmware of your
choice. If you used previous versions of the mods, I uploaded an updater which is made only to
restore the "Certificate" images to the original ones.

- really updated the translations for all languages
It seems that I missed some last time, regarding the "DSEE HX AI" and the "Model Switcher" options.

- the "WM1A to 1Z" mod name has been changed to "CHAMELEON"
As the mod's main purpose is to allow switching your model, without adding any improvements to
the stock sound, and also to make it less confusing when mentioning both mods, the name was
changed.

- the update bar fills up to the end now - really important fix, haha


I also added these mods for the 3.00 and 3.01 firmware versions, for those of you who would like
to try them.


As always, please read the indications in the main post, as well as the Frequently Asked Questions
section that can be found there.

MAIN POST

DOWNLOAD LINK


Thanks!

These firmwares are absolutely historic for us! MrWalkman is ushering in a new and exciting era. IMO

 

[Focux]

It would be nice to have a 1Z or 1A with an USB-C port. However, I never had any issues with the Walkman port either. You just need to make sure you have the cable with you if you're gonna leave the country or anything like that.

I own the 1A, and before buying it, I was considering the ZX507. However, at that time I also had the FiiO M11 Pro, and there was nothing special related to the battery or to the Android OS it was using. I actually ordered the ZX507, but Amazon Germany didn't ship the device in almost 2 days, and I changed my mind in the meanwhile, cancelled the order, and ordered the 1A from Amazon.com. I didn't exactly know how the regions thing works, but I knew I didn't want to have to deal with it.

I decided against buying the ZX507, as the 1A and 1Z have the Bluetooth Receiver function. If I really wanted to stream music, I could just send it via Bluetooth from my phone. Plus, I would get to have an awesome battery life, and an awesome looking device.

Edit: I'm pretty sure the WM Port could be removed and an USB-C port added instead (thinking about the port's pinout). It's not something impossible, though I'm not sure anyone tried it. We used other ports than USB-C before. It was never a problem for me, though USB-C is more convenient, for sure.

is this common for people to do?

if so, i presume there is little to no lag etc.

 

[MrWalkman]

is this common for people to do?

if so, i presume there is little to no lag etc.

Indeed, there is just the normal Bluetooth lag that you would get from a smartphone to some Bluetooth headphones. Movies/Youtube will be in sync, but if you're gonna play computer games, for example, you'll notice a slight delay (you would need aptX Low Latency in order to play games with no noticeable delay, which the player does not have).

There is more lag via the USB DAC function than via the Bluetooth Receiver one.

 

[MrWalkman]

Edit: If you want to post this on other forums, it would be nice to provide a link to this post, and not
a direct Google Drive link. Thanks!

Hello,

A small update has arrived.



Changes:
- removed the modified Certificate images
Installing the mods will no longer modify the "Certificates" images. This means that we won't need
to use "WM1 Back to Stock" anymore. In order to get back to stock, just make sure you switched
the model to the original one for your device, and then just flash the official stock firmware of your
choice. If you used previous versions of the mods, I uploaded an updater which is made only to
restore the "Certificate" images to the original ones.

- really updated the translations for all languages
It seems that I missed some last time, regarding the "DSEE HX AI" and the "Model Switcher" options.

- the "WM1A to 1Z" mod name has been changed to "CHAMELEON"
As the mod's main purpose is to allow switching your model, without adding any improvements to
the stock sound, and also to make it less confusing when mentioning both mods, the name was
changed.

- the update bar fills up to the end now - really important fix, haha


I also added these mods for the 3.00 and 3.01 firmware versions, for those of you who would like
to try them.


As always, please read the indications in the main post, as well as the Frequently Asked Questions
section that can be found there.

MAIN POST

DOWNLOAD LINK


Thanks!

Just a quick note. If you wish to spread the news about this, it would be nice to provide a link to the main post from this forum, and not just copying the Google Drive link to the other forum.

The main post on this forum also contains indications, plus the Frequently Asked Questions section, for people who never tried the mods before.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sony-nw-wm1z-wm1a.815841/post-15747959

Thanks!

 

[captblaze]

Just a quick note. If you wish to spread the news about this, it would be nice to provide a link to the main post from this forum, and not just copying the Google Drive link to the other forum.

The main post on this forum also contains indications, plus the Frequently Asked Questions section, for people who never tried the mods before.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sony-nw-wm1z-wm1a.815841/post-15747959

Thanks!

does that mean all embargos are lifted?

 

[MrWalkman]

does that mean all embargos are lifted?

If I wanted the firmwares to not be public, they would not be published.

I guess everyone is free to share them now, I can't keep anyone from coming here and sharing a link.

Just share the link to the post instead of sharing the GDrive link. The post will always be up to date with the latest indications and answers to frequent questions.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sony-nw-wm1z-wm1a.815841/post-15747959

 

[WAmadeusM]

I've never had any need of search

I work in radio - so the ability to search for specific feature - like songs with 'red' in the title for example - especially if you have a large SD - card just seems a logical extension of having a database. Is anyone aware why the Sony WM1 engineers decided against a search function?