[Whitigir]

Yeah, and some people still claim to hear the "hiss", very strange

 

[blazinblazin]

The only hiss i heard with my Andromeda + WM1A is only from the recording itself, not the player

 

[gerelmx1986]

Don't worry, go get the WM1A enjoy it and don't look any further for the time being. It is an excellent DAP. The guys who propose the WM1Z will probably jump on the next best ever player still within 2017......

I agree the WM1A does a very excellent job at the precisión of the recording reproduction, staging is as it was recorded, and the sound is sublume once you go balanced

 

[nanaholic]

Own the MDR-1000X, very nice headphone with easy "tap and done" NFC pairing
Enjoying it while I commute with my WM1Z and ZX100

I guess this function also work with other brand's BT device with NFC chips? I like to use it, no more device searching

Some Bluetooth speakers and home entertainment/audio components have NFC for pairing, theoretically they should work across the board.

 

[robin1990]

Yeah, and some people still claim to hear the "hiss", very strange

I hear hiss when i listen to the player while charging the unit

 

[nanaholic]

Yeah, and some people still claim to hear the "hiss", very strange

Well only one notable person (Nathan) did, and that was when he tried a demo unit at a store. He has since retracted/amended that comment when he had access to a different unit, as he had confirmed here in this very thread personally.

I won't be surprised that Nathan's comment has since then been repeated by others whom had not actually heard the device but rather just being quoted on authority as Nathan has done good work providing measurements for source components and his opinion is respected. As I have commented before elsewhere Sony's audio products predating the Signature Series haven't quite lived up to their brand's legendary reputation and it soiled their brand and a lot of people felt cheated so they won't easily trust their new products and is being overtly critical towards them, it's going to take a bit of time for them to rebuild their brand image, even with such excellent products like the Signature Series.

 

[productred]

Well only one notable person (Nathan) did, and that was when he tried a demo unit at a store. He has since retracted/amended that comment when he had access to a different unit, as he had confirmed here in this very thread personally.

I won't be surprised that Nathan's comment has since then been repeated by others whom had not actually heard the device but rather just being quoted on authority as Nathan has done good work providing measurements for source components and his opinion is respected. As I have commented before elsewhere Sony's audio products predating the Signature Series haven't quite lived up to their brand's legendary reputation and it soiled their brand and a lot of people felt cheated so they won't easily trust their new products and is being overtly critical towards them, it's going to take a bit of time for them to rebuild their brand image, even with such excellent products like the Signature Series.

Gotta say before the WM release DAPs keep improving in SQ and design (and price keep rising) but the WM simply seems to belong to just a few classes above the existing players (even the ones released after them) that catching up is quite impossible for the moment. My own experience with Sony had been one of love and hate as well but the WM series is just undeniably marvellous and forethinking works of engineering.

 

[Cagin]

Yeah, and some people still claim to hear the "hiss", very strange

Well only one notable person (Nathan) did, and that was when he tried a demo unit at a store. He has since retracted/amended that comment when he had access to a different unit, as he had confirmed here in this very thread personally.

I won't be surprised that Nathan's comment has since then been repeated by others whom had not actually heard the device but rather just being quoted on authority as Nathan has done good work providing measurements for source components and his opinion is respected. As I have commented before elsewhere Sony's audio products predating the Signature Series haven't quite lived up to their brand's legendary reputation and it soiled their brand and a lot of people felt cheated so they won't easily trust their new products and is being overtly critical towards them, it's going to take a bit of time for them to rebuild their brand image, even with such excellent products like the Signature Series.

I still hear hiss on my Empire Zeus/R, it's just non distracting, not annoying. Going balanced makes it noticeable, but like I said, it's not hampering my music listening.

 

[nanaholic]

I still hear hiss on my Empire Zeus/R, it's just non distracting, not annoying. Going balanced makes it noticeable, but like I said, it's not hampering my music listening.

I don't hear any hiss on my Just ear, Fitear, T8ie MK2 on balance. Also tried all sorts of earphones from low end to high end recently from 20 dollar buds to Dita Dream when I was at e-earphone and no hiss either. FWIW I can hear a tiny bit of hiss on the AK70 but I don't hear any on the WM1Z.

 

[Overkill Red]

The hiss is not very bad, only showing itself on extremely sensitive IEMs.

I've managed to get hiss out (4.4 Balanced) with the HUM Pristine (very obvious), Zeus 14 (obvious on 14, R tuning nearly inaudible) and some other sensitive flagships (slightly with the A18?).

Have to check again..

Edit: A18 is nearly inaudible. Zeus 14/HUM Pristine do hiss but the hiss is undetectable while listening to music. Its really no big deal.

 

[Overkill Red]

Well, I'm not sure if this'll really help anyone out at all, since the chances of our players turning out the same are low, but here are my quick impressions of...

SP1000 vs 1Z (modded with PWAudio 1960 internal wiring):


Treble:


SP1000SS has this strange metallic tinge to the treble, it sparkles and extends well but stuff like cymbals are not nice to listen to. The quantity is just right for most genres, though(?). YMMV.


WM1Z has darker treble but extends just as well. Cymbals don't have the metallic tinge. Its noticeably darker so it may not work for too many genres.


Mids:


SP1000SS: Mids are less thick sounding than the 1Z, seems there is more emphasis on the upper mids than the 1Z has. Clear sounding and unoffensive. Female vocals are better on the SP1000 due to the emphasis. Nice 'reverb'(?) on female vocals.


1Z: Mids are thicker than the SP1000SS. Sound seems to be evenly emphasized across the whole mid frequency. Still clear sounding and inoffensive, but the SP1000SS sounds more transparent during non-analytical listening due to the thinner sound and leaner body.


Bass:


SP1000: Bass pretty much loses out, unless you like high impact and slightly cold/thin-bodied bass, which a lot of people may actually prefer for faster genres with much more 'touch-and-go' bass.


1Z: Much more body, slam and impact. The resolution and layering is much better. The bass has more body and slightly longer decay, which works for and against the 1Z depending on the genre.


Soundstaging: 1Z wins, no contest. Currently the widest, deepest and tallest soundstage on the market IMO, even un-modded.

The SP1000 clearly has the best soundstage from AK so far though.

 

[Whitigir]

Nice! Thank you so much for the impression on the differences. Anakchan also said similarly about the tonal body between sp1000SS vs 1z. I do agree about the soundstage on the WM1Z. The most jaw dropping experiences from modifying and upgrading the inner wires is the soundstage. Before modifying, the soundstage were taller than width, but after the modifications, the soundstage gets wider and still tall but with better details and layering.

 

[Virtu Fortuna]

Can someone share their opinion about SE vs. Balanced on WM1Z?

Sorry if I missed it in the thread..

 

[Whitigir]

Can someone share their opinion about SE vs. Balanced on WM1Z?

Sorry if I missed it in the thread..

More power, and native DSD

 

[Virtu Fortuna]

More power, and native DSD

Just that for you?