[Holdmyown83]

Z5 and the 4.4 Sony Kimber
My PHA-3 is packed in the box ever since the arrival of WM1Z.

Z5. Period. Dun even need to think for a split sec.

Gotcha and thanks. I already have to kimber cables ordered them by accident and kept them for just in case. Thanks all will try and order another pair of z5's from amazon first pair somebody returned and replaced them with cheap crappy headphones.

 

[Witcher]

Don't think you need the PHA-3 to power an IEM, unless you want cans. I read somewhere (forgot where, sorry) that the PHA-3 and WM1A signature is nearly the same. PHA-3 just has more juice, but WM1A in balanced mode can power some cans as well.

That said, go Z5 or a better IEM.

That might've come from me, as I did mention before that the sound signature is very very close between the PHA3 and the WM1A. At the same time, I've yet to encounter a set of cans (non electrostatic, of course) that the WM1A cannot power on high gain. The HD800S at 300 ohms works great with the WM1A on high gain, single ended.

I also agree with the recommendation of the Z5. It has the best synergy with Sony products. I've not heard the A3, but I did test out the N3 when considering the Z5. It's boomy, but not enough bass detail, which is all there with the Z5. I almost took the N3 until I tried the Z5. After that, it was no contest.

 

[Witcher]

Hey guys should I go for the Z5 or The Pha-3. I'm using the XBA H3's and Wm1a at the moment.

Why would you need the PHA3 if you have the WM1A? My PHA3 is permanently connected to my PC, which acts as my source at home. When I'm out and about, the WM1A is more than enough. I'm currently using the Z5s with Kimber balanced on the WM1A. I also use the Z1R with Kimber SE on the WM1A. Both work perfectly fine. (until my Norne cables arrive next week... )

 

[Witcher]

Sorry to spoil the fun, but to me this cover is ugly. I prefer the brown or the black version.

I understand. I have the black, and the brown is incoming. But I also used to own that very same original Walkman, and this brings back childhood memories. I want one, just can't find one.

 

[productred]

Sorry to spoil the fun, but to me this cover is ugly. I prefer the brown or the black version.

I understand. I have the black, and the brown is incoming. But I also used to own that very same original Walkman, and this brings back childhood memories. I want one, just can't find one.

Yeah everyone got their own preferences. But for this case, while it is beautifully made (you have to give them that), it is not that the design or color scheme is particularly pleasing to the eye............the beauty is in that nostalgia feeling and how well that is executed and translated into a leather case with fine details.

 

[Witcher]

Yeah everyone got their own preferences. But for this case, while it is beautifully made (you have to give them that), it is not that the design or color scheme is particularly pleasing to the eye............the beauty is in that nostalgia feeling and how well that is executed and translated into a leather case with fine details.

I hardly think that anyone who doesn't have the nostalgia when seeing that would buy that case. Probably why they made so few of it.

 

[Witcher]

I've been looking at this DAP lately and it seems as if it's a great "all in one package" type of value. I haven't seen many comparisons, how does the WM1A compare to a Chord Mojo or even a Chord Hugo 2? I've seen other people on here using the WM1A with the Chord Mojo as well; how does that sound in comparison to another DAP or a Hi-fi Android Smartphone with the Mojo?

Sorry if this is a little late, cos I just saw this post. I own the mojo, the PHA3, and the WM1A.

I have tested the H2 in the past and deemed it not to my liking (even in "mojo" mode) as I found it a little too bright and forward. I use the mojo and the PHA3 (2 separate setups) to process my PC audio. When I game, and listen to music which I need to decipher for music learning, I use the mojo, put through the ifi audio stack that I have, paired with a HD800S. This gives me a crisp, analytical sound, which is a lot of clarity and separation.

The PHA3, is tuned differently. I was impressed when I first got it, that the DAC quality doesn't lose out to the mojo in terms of layering, separation, and clarity, and it has a wider soundstage than the mojo. for me to get the mojo to match the PHA3, I need to turn the 3D sound setting on the ifi iCan SE to full. The PHA3 is paired only with the Z1R, as I find the soundstage too strange (almost inverted) when putting the HD800S thru it. And since the Z1R is warm enough, it doesn't need any other pairing with more amps other than the PHA3. I bought the PHA3 primarily because I wanted to find a one-box-solution for my PC rather than put the signal through 3 boxes like I do with the mojo and ifi stack.

The PHA3 is a more relaxing listen than the Mojo, which in contrast, is very clear, has very focused mids, bass and treble. The Mojo is fantastic in it's own right, and I don't think there's a DAC/Amp of that size and price that can match the Mojo for what it does. The PHA3 is more expensive than the Mojo, and has a great DAC implementation. It's layered, has great separation, but has also slightly less treble than the mojo, and it's mids aren't as forward, since much of these are compensated by the Z1R itself. I use the PHA3 when I only listen to music and read at the same time.

Because I fell in love with the PHA3, I wanted that sound everywhere I went, regardless of IEM or headphone used. More so than the mojo's sound. I mean, who wants to decipher how a particular guitar solo piece is being played while having coffee at a café on a nice Sunday afternoon? Or have some enjoyable background music while working on some reports in the office? So I set out looking for a DAP that has it. Due to price point matching, I had estimated that the WM1A was closer to the PHA3, and that the WM1Z was likely closer to the TAZH1ES. I've not tried either of the latter 2, so this was completely guesswork. So after trying the WM1A extensively at Sony, I took the plunge. It was indeed nice enough as a DAP, that I would probably be able to live with it even if the sound was different. The WM1Z was too expensive a gamble.

When I got home, my first task was to AB the PHA3 and the WM1A. I set both to have the same music playing at the same time, same sequence, and same volume so I could just switch my Z5 and Z1R between devices. That switch is very quick since I don't have to do anything else. What I discovered was that their sound signatures were almost identical as far as I could tell. If there are differences, then you'd need instruments to show them because my ears couldn't discern any. Note, this is with WM1A's settings on DirectSound.

Previously I had considered using the mojo with iPhone for a portable solution. Heat generation, multiple devices and combined size made it suboptimal. Combine that with battery life limitation, and you're pretty screwed on long haul (<10 hrs) flights when you need to exit the plane and check your missed emails and messages. The WM1A has great battery life, and I have a total of 256 Gb of storage capacity which allows me to carry around over 10,000 songs. If this were my iPhone, I'd struggle with battery life, and space limitation.

Sorry for the long post. Just thought that by sharing my experiences and thoughts over the choices I had to make might help you a little.

 

[TheTrace]

Sorry if this is a little late, cos I just saw this post. I own the mojo, the PHA3, and the WM1A.

I have tested the H2 in the past and deemed it not to my liking (even in "mojo" mode) as I found it a little too bright and forward. I use the mojo and the PHA3 (2 separate setups) to process my PC audio. When I game, and listen to music which I need to decipher for music learning, I use the mojo, put through the ifi audio stack that I have, paired with a HD800S. This gives me a crisp, analytical sound, which is a lot of clarity and separation.

The PHA3, is tuned differently. I was impressed when I first got it, that the DAC quality doesn't lose out to the mojo in terms of layering, separation, and clarity, and it has a wider soundstage than the mojo. for me to get the mojo to match the PHA3, I need to turn the 3D sound setting on the ifi iCan SE to full. The PHA3 is paired only with the Z1R, as I find the soundstage too strange (almost inverted) when putting the HD800S thru it. And since the Z1R is warm enough, it doesn't need any other pairing with more amps other than the PHA3. I bought the PHA3 primarily because I wanted to find a one-box-solution for my PC rather than put the signal through 3 boxes like I do with the mojo and ifi stack.

The PHA3 is a more relaxing listen than the Mojo, which in contrast, is very clear, has very focused mids, bass and treble. The Mojo is fantastic in it's own right, and I don't think there's a DAC/Amp of that size and price that can match the Mojo for what it does. The PHA3 is more expensive than the Mojo, and has a great DAC implementation. It's layered, has great separation, but has also slightly less treble than the mojo, and it's mids aren't as forward, since much of these are compensated by the Z1R itself. I use the PHA3 when I only listen to music and read at the same time.

Because I fell in love with the PHA3, I wanted that sound everywhere I went, regardless of IEM or headphone used. More so than the mojo's sound. I mean, who wants to decipher how a particular guitar solo piece is being played while having coffee at a café on a nice Sunday afternoon? Or have some enjoyable background music while working on some reports in the office? So I set out looking for a DAP that has it. Due to price point matching, I had estimated that the WM1A was closer to the PHA3, and that the WM1Z was likely closer to the TAZH1ES. I've not tried either of the latter 2, so this was completely guesswork. So after trying the WM1A extensively at Sony, I took the plunge. It was indeed nice enough as a DAP, that I would probably be able to live with it even if the sound was different. The WM1Z was too expensive a gamble.

When I got home, my first task was to AB the PHA3 and the WM1A. I set both to have the same music playing at the same time, same sequence, and same volume so I could just switch my Z5 and Z1R between devices. That switch is very quick since I don't have to do anything else. What I discovered was that their sound signatures were almost identical as far as I could tell. If there are differences, then you'd need instruments to show them because my ears couldn't discern any. Note, this is with WM1A's settings on DirectSound.

Previously I had considered using the mojo with iPhone for a portable solution. Heat generation, multiple devices and combined size made it suboptimal. Combine that with battery life limitation, and you're pretty screwed on long haul (<10 hrs) flights when you need to exit the plane and check your missed emails and messages. The WM1A has great battery life, and I have a total of 256 Gb of storage capacity which allows me to carry around over 10,000 songs. If this were my iPhone, I'd struggle with battery life, and space limitation.

Sorry for the long post. Just thought that by sharing my experiences and thoughts over the choices I had to make might help you a little.

No problem thank you, that does give much insight to what I was wondering. I may end up wanting to sell the mojo for a WM1A soon and just wait for some black Friday sales.

Seems like an end game DAP.

 

[Witcher]

No problem thank you, that does give much insight to what I was wondering. I may end up wanting to sell the mojo for a WM1A soon and just wait for some black Friday sales.

Seems like an end game DAP.

It is. I think Sony set out to create the best DAP they could, except instead of all the frills, they made it just what it's supposed to be: a player. And it's really good at what it does. Just no fancy stuff like streaming or whatever. I think the WM1A and WM1Z are mainly different sounds you'd want over the same player. Sure, the WM1Z has more of the OsCon caps and the internal Kimber Kable, and the additional storage. But take those away, and you get the same thing. The differences I think add up to a different SQ rather than player quality. (Note: I haven't tried the 1Z and I don't dare to, so I might be getting this wrong).

Either way, I think you can't go wrong with either.

 

[Whitigir]

The differences in hardware only warrant a different t sound signature from 1Z to 1A

 

[cthomas]

I understand. I have the black, and the brown is incoming. But I also used to own that very same original Walkman, and this brings back childhood memories. I want one, just can't find one.

A TPS-L2? Saw one for sale the other day.

 

[gerelmx1986]

Go for z5, they pair well with wm1a

 

[Virtu Fortuna]

1A and 1Z are indeed different sounding players. But in my opinion, apart from different signatures, 1Z is technically the better player.

WM1A review will be Headfonia very soon BTW

 

[cthomas]

1A and 1Z are indeed different sounding players. But in my opinion, apart from different signatures, 1Z is technically the better player.

WM1A review will be Headfonia very soon BTW

As it should for 3x the price

 

[Shmuel]

Update: my 400 Gb card gives me 393 Gb of music and works just fine.

Question: does anyone know if when I have the wm1a on shuffle play (always) will it play songs from both internal drive as well as microsd card, or just one or the other?