No definitely not... I know MQA is a bit controversial in many discussion forums but from my own experience comparing the Buena Vista Social Club album between 24/96 flac and MQA the difference is apparent that the MQA is better. The soundstage, the precise positioning of equipment and timing is superior.
Hi Fr_eak.
I bought this album on your recommendation and you’re absolutely right! I’ve read about all the controversial discussions and “held back”, but it sounds so much better! If you’re going to try MQA, this is a great album to try out! Thanks for your advice!
Yes, like I said, I’ve read almost this whole thread. Perfectly aware of how to go back to FW 1.02.
Just asking if anyone else has been able to approximate the warmth of FW 1.02 other than the EQ. I know there has already been other posts on the subject. My question came as wondering why Sony has not released something like an EQ setting to get to the sound of 1.02?
I’m perfectly happy using EQ and think I’m getting both the warmth of 1.02 as well as the soundstage and power increase of 2.0 FW update.
It just seems something like this would be more documented and scientific, like a graph which shows frequency responses equally measured with 1.02 flat............and FW 2.0 with EQ.
I’m happy doing a simple EQ for one set of IEMs and maybe would not be one of the 1.02 Luddites.
After extensive auditioning of several firmwares I decided I like the sound of 1.02 the best on my 1Z+XBAZ5 setup.
With every update the sound signature became brighter and less pleasantly analogue to my ears, less of what Sony does usually so well with their specific Sony house sound. I do get what they are trying to achieve with 2.0, like in extracting more detail and a more powerfull sound or even better soundstage etc.
That may not be what I like but I do understand it is hard to please alI of us. I guess the Sony Marketing department knows best what the majority wants..Hope that in future updates there will be more choice to keep a specific sound signature with presets as already mentioned by several on here.
As it is now Sony is disappointing quite a few of its longterm clientèle.
Seems the mqa version can only by bought from onkyomusic and only when the credit card is based in US, UK or Germany. The normal hires flac can be bought other places.
Seems the mqa version can only by bought from onkyomusic and only when the credit card is based in US, UK or Germany. The normal hires flac can be bought other places.
After extensive auditioning of several firmwares I decided I like the sound of 1.02 the best on my 1Z+XBAZ5 setup.
With every update the sound signature became brighter and less pleasantly analogue to my ears, less of what Sony does usually so well with their specific Sony house sound. I do get what they are trying to achieve with 2.0, like in extracting more detail and a more powerfull sound or even better soundstage etc.
That may not be what I like but I do understand it is hard to please alI of us. I guess the Sony Marketing department knows best what the majority wants..Hope that in future updates there will be more choice to keep a specific sound signature with presets as already mentioned by several on here.
As it is now Sony is disappointing quite a few of its longterm clientèle.
Thank-you so much for the input. Funny too as the Z5s are a set of IEMs that actually sound perfect to my ears with Direct and 2.0 FW. Lol. But the two of us may also be using different cables which some believe has an effect. The XBA-Z5s continue to amaze me, especially how they deal with reverb tone and delays, ever so natural!
Back to the Firmware:
But again it’s simply how subjective all this DAP tone preference IS. And..... not to add convolution to an already confusing subject; everyone is getting a sound which fits with what they are used to and music genre choice.
I updated to FW 2.0 only days after getting the unit, where I can presume many spent hours and hours with 1.02 before trying out FW 2.0.
It’s actually a concept which must be beyond simple EQ. But the players offer other variations of amplifier emulations, which frankly don’t seem to do much for my ears. Same as the MP3 to HD upgrade processing, which sounds like a cool idea, though I fail to hear the improvement there?
As mentioned in the past in this thread, it would be nice if Sony could offer different FW update sound signature settings in an EQ style format, which we could change on the fly.
But I’m getting the idea that the FW updates must be doing something more than EQ and amplifier choices, like we have? And don’t get me wrong I’m 101% satisfied but simply trying to dial the sound in closer to not having to use EQ.
File format? I use FLAC & DSD (.dsf because these can be tagged as opposed to dff)
Sd card format? exFAt fro cards >64GB fat32 fro anything <64GB = Sony walkman is smart to chose the right FAT system as i noted formatting my smartphone 32GB card and my 400G card
Well as I understand it mqa is only lossy if you play it on devices that don’t support mqa and then it is lossy hires so still better than red book. On the other hand, again as I understand it, mqa don’t (like traditional lossless formats) recreate the original waveform but rather an “improved” version that one may or may not like.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
