I'm getting an adapter soon for my MDR-EX1000 to convert the EX plug into a MMCX (the XBA-Z5 is just not to my liking... I just... I can't.). Will be getting a balanced cable soon for my EX1000
Still can't decide if I should go with the Sony-made Kimber Kable or the one from Brise Audio though
I tends to think the main hardward difference i.e. the "fine sound" cap of Sony in Z vs the various Panasonic caps in A that made the difference. I have played with both machines with DSP on and completely off and the tiny bit of difference in presentation remains.
Need I repeat - the difference is really subtle and you have to listen hard extensively and AB with xxxxloads of different stuff to hear it.
Depends on your taste really. I repeat the difference is subtle. But if you are after the Concertgebouw or Gewandhaus feel then the Z have loads of that to offer - to me it is the best gear so far to present music in a concert hall-like way. If you are, like me, prefers a more monitor-like and dead accurate presentation of tones and timbres then I feel A is the choice.
I tends to think the main hardward difference i.e. the "fine sound" cap of Sony in Z vs the various Panasonic caps in A that made the difference. I have played with both machines with DSP on and completely off and the tiny bit of difference in presentation remains.
Need I repeat - the difference is really subtle and you have to listen hard extensively and AB with xxxxloads of different stuff to hear it.
The caps are certainly one factor. I think there are many other factors, including the case, shielding, electromagnetic interaction, wiring, etc., etc.
The Kimber twisted wire instead of OFC wire connecting the headphone is one obvious difference that Sony highlighted.
I had an experience where I replaced the the wires connecting the pre-amp and amp section of a tube amplifier. Swapped in Cardas single core flat wire. That single change of a few inches of wires resulted in an SQ change in bass and overall resolution. I use this just as an example of how the many changes that Sony did between the 1Z and 1A will result in a cumulative difference, and it is not possible to point to any single change as the reason for the difference. The 1Z has enough changes that it has been extensively tweaked, and the overall SQ difference, and price, needs to be viewed as a system, and I think that is the best way to look at it. You may agree the difference is significant to yourself, and worth the difference in price. Or not. It is a subjective personal choice.
There are many examples of manufacturers or stores offering modded versions of a product. Audio Note comes to mind, where the Ongaku amplifier is available with solid silver interconnect wires, silver foil caps, and silver wire wound transformers. All custom made by Audio Note Japan. The circuitry is the same, just the component quality and material taken to the extreme. Does all this make a difference? It certainly does. Am I willing to pay the price? That is a moot point, as I cannot afford it. I guess that saying about expensive toys is true: "If you have to ask how much it costs, then you cannot afford it"!
I moved a Sandisk 200GB card over from the ZX2 with no problems. It is formatted as exFAT. Did you format the card in the player, as that is a general recommendation?
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Can you tell me what the max db increase is per band?
