Great understanding of sound characteristicsThe Walkman 1Z has never been referred to as neutral ever, except by people that don't know. Even Sony introduced the 1Z as not neutral................with the 1A Sony introduced closer to neutral. But in the days before 2.0 the 1Z was more syrupy and slow. It was darker, then 3.01 came out making it brighter and faster, then 3.02 came out and continued with the cleaner sound. But the 1Z has a robust bass boost and tweaked up treble. It's an artistic take on a V signature. The interesting thing was before MrWalkmans steroids arrived the 1A was weak and thin. The 1Z was the authoritative choice for many. And while 1A/1Z+ and 1A/1Z++ do improve both players in the same direction, the 1A woke up. Though now it is still a question of taste which is better, some IEMs or headphones like the treble boost of the 1Z. Though if your not used to the treble boost the 1Z can come off bright, despite the bass boost, being the extreme on both ends. Any of us that are infatuated now with the 1A are probably mesmerized by a character of the 1A mids, along with a faster and charismatic bass dept. There is an ongoing surprise in the 1A sub-bass that was never ever there before. These details with the 1A seem to marginalize the love affair that folks had with the 1Z before. So on paper the 1A is maybe still behind the 1Z, the soundstage may still be thicker front to back on the 1Z? But it's the extended expansion right to left and imaging that makes the 1A so much fun. Also there is a special clarity that's new and never heard before; at least for me? So it may be that the treble boost in the 1Z is real detail but the 1A now gets detail from another direction, maybe more authentic? The 1Z is still very amazing and can still be the better DAP for some headphones. Still after listening to the 1A for 3 weeks straight the brightness the 1Z sounds................almost un-needed? IMO
Just because something like the 1Z is not neutral does not mean it can't go with V or U shaped IEM signatures. The IER-Z1R is U or V shaped and goes great with the 1Z. There is a level though where both the bass or treble can extend up being the character of DAP and IEM before it crosses the line. IMO
That's the whole synergy thing mixing warm and cold characters to arrive somewhere less drastic, but it does not always have to be because we are dealing with Audiophile levels of reproduction that have many many variations in tone and potentials to change.
Honestly I would have assumed your description would be opposite, as a LeSabre dac will display alot of trebles, and the latest quad dac versions Actually take on a more euphoric and exaggerated trebles, which are a departure from their trebles issues from the past, while the Sony DAPs that you place both 1a&1z as having any fatigue is really unheard of. Your observations are unique and not the norm. I would look at other aspects of your setup to see what could be the issue.
I can see them in landscape mode on my Android phone.Well, signatures are not visible on smartphone browsers
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I will try it on my 1z as well.
Well, being responsible, that's actually something hard to achieve in this hobby, I'm getting to learn.I did this comparison, recently. I wasn’t blown away. That’s not to say that the DMP-Z1 isn’t good, but I’ve been so spoiled with the gear I already have, it’s hard to jump into that for the price. The DMP-Z1 I think is good. I would like to get it say, for 350,000 yen used. I really don’t feel it’s worth it’s asking price, and that’s after listening to it at the Sony Store in Ginza for 2 hours. I do think it's a wonderful collectible and I want to buy it, but I also need to be responsible.
I did this comparison, recently. I wasn’t blown away. That’s not to say that the DMP-Z1 isn’t good, but I’ve been so spoiled with the gear I already have, it’s hard to jump into that for the price. The DMP-Z1 I think is good. I would like to get it say, for 350,000 yen used. I really don’t feel it’s worth it’s asking price, and that’s after listening to it at the Sony Store in Ginza for 2 hours. I do think it's a wonderful collectible and I want to buy it, but I also need to be responsible.
I see when you saw all the tech talk from certain people and others saying it destroys other DAPs. Not really? It certainly has more power to juice up the headphones that have high impedance. I won’t deny that as they get loud. I raised the volume up but took my headphones off without listening so I can maintain my hearing. You can hear the music through the headphones.
I noticed that whenit is a mix of both, there is more liveliness somehow. Still trying combinations.
Looks like your a candidate for the mod option @Nayparm .
I've been spending quite some time listening and comparing all 3.
The WM1A has always sounded more on the cooler side to me. Mine now has the modded firmware, and man did it up the soundstage and overall impact. The IER Z1R + modded WM1A is a perfect pairing. It really is hard to go back to the stock firmware now.
The TAZ gives it that wonderful warmth and to my ears, it sounds like there's quite a bigger soundstage and the bass hits a bit deeper compared to the WM1A. This is on the IERs and the MDRs. When i want to kick back and just relax to some trance, the MDR plus TAZ hits the spot.
The DMP has a more cooler sound and is an interesting device. It's stupid expensive. And back when I tried testing it a few times at stores, i thought it did sound better but for the price.... hmmm. This year, with my job now transitioning to working from home, I'm in front of my computer all day and night. Hated it. If I wanted to listen to my audio in a different room, it became quite a hassle bring the Taz plus the dock plus the WM1A. So this got me looking at a few other options and realizing how much the price adds up when you factor in the price of a dac, amp, cables, player, etc etc. That's when the DMP made absolute sense. An entire audio system that I can just move around the house with ease.
I mainly listen to the DMP with the Meze Empyreans. The Empyreans are a bit TOO warm with the TAZ and the WM1A sounds flat to me for some reason. On the DMP, the Empyreans sound incredibly clear and soundstage and all that other jazz. The IERs sound fantastic on it too, with this weird almost 3d imaging thing going on (I leave the dac filtering on short delay sharp). Not sure why but I don't really care for listening to the DMP with the MDR headphones. The treble comes off a bit too strong for my liking.
I think each device has their wonderful synergy. WM1A+IER Z1R. Taz+MDR Z1R. And DMP with Empyreans/IERs.
