[PCheung]

It is named MIDAS, not MADIS, like king MIDAS, a king known in Greek mythology for transforming everything he touched into gold. But I doubt if you put a WM1A into the case it will turn into a WM1Z...

Some other pictures...I like the blue grey one

Oops, typo.
I like the blue one but seems brown and black match with 1Z better...

Where to get the case?

Just wait a little bit longer

 

[audionewbi]

Beside cosmetic protection that case has no other practical use. I rather have a case with screen protection.

 

[nanaholic]

Beside cosmetic protection that case has no other practical use. I rather have a case with screen protection.

 
https://twitter.com/iriver_Lyumo/status/805940443280076802
MITER case

 

[echineko]

To those who wonder about D.C. Phase linearizer. This is document from Desktop ES amp DA1000. The one in WM Walkman shall be similar

http://www.manualsdir.com/manuals/442593/sony-str-da1000es.html?page=11

Hey, thanks! I'd been looking for that for a while now, will read.
 

   
Those are the NDICS Pentaconn DIY jacks.  E-earphones had them but they get snapped up in an instant and had been on back order since forever.

Yup, the E-earphones listing seems to be sold out:
 
http://www.e-earphone.jp/shopdetail/000000108564/022/
 
While I was there, I came across this relatively unknown (to me anyway) product by a company called Acoustune which somehow uses the 4.4mm balanced jack:
 
http://www.e-earphone.jp/shopdetail/000000110206/ct2308/
 
 
This is interesting, because on the Japanese home page for NDICS, there's a mention about them signing a distributorship agreement in 2015 with Acoustune for amplifiers and earphones in Japan:
 
http://www.ndics.com/index.html
 
 
Coincidental, no? 

 

 

[echineko]

To those who wonder about D.C. Phase linearizer. This is document from Desktop ES amp DA1000. The one in WM Walkman shall be similar

http://www.manualsdir.com/manuals/442593/sony-str-da1000es.html?page=11

So it looks like Sony went with the second implementation (with 7 positions) in the WM series? Could you tell much difference when using it, either with your Z1R or home theatre? I found it very subtle, not sure I could really pick out the changes.

 

[nanaholic]

  While I was there, I came across this relatively unknown (to me anyway) product by a company called Acoustune which somehow uses the 4.4mm balanced jack:
 
http://www.e-earphone.jp/shopdetail/000000110206/ct2308/
 
 
This is interesting, because on the Japanese home page for NDICS, there's a mention about them signing a distributorship agreement in 2015 with Acoustune for amplifiers and earphones in Japan:
 
http://www.ndics.com/index.html
 
 
Coincidental, no? 

 

 
Not really, since the basic 4.4mm jack design is an open and license free standard where anyone is free to make a mould and start pumping them out, that's the whole point of making it a standard. The reason NDICS is first to market is because they developed and designed the basic design of the jack and worked closely with Sony on the WM1 series, so they had planned a launch of their plugs and jacks to go with the WM1 launch.
 
The story I could piece together from all the official interviews was that NDICS made the jack and managed to sell its sonic and physical advantages to Sony and Sony was completely ready to include it in its products (as in the WM1 engineer interview), and just about the same time JEITA was looking to standardise balance connection in portable audio equipment, so NDICS and Sony took the 4.4mm jack to JEITA and convinced them to consider it as a possible standards candidate (Sony learnt its lessons regarding using proprietary things!), then JEITA got sold on it and convinced the other OEM makers of its merits and then it was finalised, and that process in itself took something like 18 months (in typical Japanese fashion to get agreement from every participating member) and that announcement was made April this year. Most OEMs obviously took a wait-and-see approach as nobody else besides Sony and NDICS had any horses in the race nor believe it would over take the market leader AK 2.5mm connection overnight (probably the biggest reason neither Onkyo nor Pioneer's new DAP uses it), which leaves a huge vacuum in the current supply of these 4.4mm parts. To NDICS though they bet big but obviously now everything is paying off as they are now selling as fast as they produce.
 
Also why NDICS is happy to let the 4.4mm jack/plug be taken as a license free JEITA standard is because they also have the Pentaconn design - where they made several technical improvements to the basic design and those bits are patented (for example, the Pentaconn jack used in the WM1 series which has a U shaped contact plate instead of the traditional single ball point contact is a patented design of NDICS/Pentaconn), this allows them to sell 4.4mm products that are of known higher quality and charge a much higher price as a result. It's some very fine business play by NDICS.

 

[echineko]

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Not really, since the basic 4.4mm jack design is an open and license free standard where anyone is free to make a mould and start pumping them out, that's the whole point of making it a standard. The reason NDICS is first to market is because they developed and designed the basic design of the jack and worked closely with Sony on the WM1 series, so they had planned a launch of their plugs and jacks to go with the WM1 launch.
 
The story I could piece together from all the official interviews was that NDICS made the jack and managed to sell its sonic and physical advantages to Sony and Sony was completely ready to include it in its products (as in the WM1 engineer interview), and just about the same time JEITA was looking to standardise balance connection in portable audio equipment, so NDICS and Sony took the 4.4mm jack to JEITA and convinced them to consider it as a possible standards candidate (Sony learnt its lessons regarding using proprietary things!), then JEITA got sold on it and convinced the other OEM makers of its merits and then it was finalised, and that process in itself took something like 18 months (in typical Japanese fashion to get agreement from every participating member) and that announcement was made April this year. Most OEMs obviously took a wait-and-see approach as nobody else besides Sony and NDICS had any horses in the race nor believe it would over take the market leader AK 2.5mm connection overnight (probably the biggest reason neither Onkyo nor Pioneer's new DAP uses it), which leaves a huge vacuum in the current supply of these 4.4mm parts. To NDICS though they bet big but obviously now everything is paying off as they are now selling as fast as they produce.
 
Also why NDICS is happy to let the 4.4mm jack/plug be taken as a license free JEITA standard is because they also have the Pentaconn design - where they made several technical improvements to the basic design and those bits are patented (for example, the Pentaconn jack used in the WM1 series which has a U shaped contact plate instead of the traditional single ball point contact is a patented design of NDICS/Pentaconn), this allows them to sell 4.4mm products that are of known higher quality and charge a much higher price as a result. It's some very fine business play by NDICS.

Interesting, thanks for that. Looks like it's a good bit of business, while having actual merits for the rest of us.
 
Edit: For those who haven't seen it, NDIC's press release on the Pentaconn:
 
http://www.ndics.com/products/pentaconn_english.pdf

 

[Whitigir]

So it looks like Sony went with the second implementation (with 7 positions) in the WM series? Could you tell much difference when using it, either with your Z1R or home theatre? I found it very subtle, not sure I could really pick out the changes.

It is very subtles, yes, and it depends on setup , but right now my priority is burning in and these options are fun to play with but not for serious observation yet

 

[echineko]

It is very subtles, yes, and it depends on setup , but right now my priority is burning in and these options are fun to play with but not for serious observation yet

Good point. My balanced cables only arrive later this week 

 

[blazinblazin]

What volume do you guys listen at?
 
In quiet office I listen at 15/120 while when outside I listen at 60/120.

 

[kaushama]

My NW-WM1A is ordered and I am getting Westone W80 too. I have already got W60 and ZX2. Would do some comparisons!

 

[PCheung]

  What volume do you guys listen at?
 
In quiet office I listen at 15/120 while when outside I listen at 60/120.

 
With Andromeda usually 30 and Z1R usually around 60, 4.4 balance side.
 
if Z1R connect with 3.5mm usually 80.

 

[productred]

  What volume do you guys listen at?
 
In quiet office I listen at 15/120 while when outside I listen at 60/120.

 
With Andromeda 60 SE
With Vega 70 Balanced
 
Both on low gain

 

[audionewbi]

Reaching the 500 mark. I cant hear much difference with the midrange and upper frequencies but with the low freq I can hear the bass speed as increased, it somehow appears to be more prominent in regard of impact. All the sound enhancement is off and IEM used for burning and listening are the EX-1000 and T8iE MKII.

 

[kms108]

  Reaching the 500 mark. I cant hear much difference with the midrange and upper frequencies but with the low freq I can hear the bass speed as increased, it somehow appears to be more prominent in regard of impact. All the sound enhancement is off and IEM used for burning and listening are the EX-1000 and T8iE MKII.

How is the T8iE MKII with the wm1,  i'm considering the Xelento!, the new version.