[Shane D]

I finally got my magic cable! Took 34 days from order.

Sony Canada told me there was no such cable. If you zoom in you can see it is to be used with a DAC, via USB.

It is not sold by Sony Canada. Not sure If Sony USA sells it.


Shane D

 

[archsam]

I thought I will contribute my 2 cents on a WM1A / ZX300 comparison. My WM1A has now been used for around 50 hours, and the ZX300 is well burned in since last November. Both players are updated with the latest firmware and both are uncapped.

I use a pair of Focal Clear with 4.4mm balanced cables for my comparison.

The 10% improvement others attributed to the WM1A over the ZX300 is more or less true. The bass of the ZX300 is fuller and 'meatier', and through the 4.4mm balanced output both players have similar dynamics and sound signature. When paired with my wired B&W P7 (on standard 3.5mm SE jack) and listening in noisy environments there is really no read differences between the two players. I can see why some people will prefer the ZX300 because of the quality of the bass.

However, the 10% difference becomes quite apparent when I'm at home and listening through my Focal Clear. The ZX300 can produce a good separation of instruments and vocals, but there is no sense of depth to the voice when listen to vocal Jazz, for example, the separations heard are only in width. The WM1A, playing the same track, does a much better job isolating each element and has a sense of realism the ZX300 cannot touch. There's more 'air' around each sound source. Levels of details are higher with the WM1A which is not surprising, but this also comes down to the quality of the recording - on rock tracks this is not necessarily apparent on every song.

Finally, to really hear the differences between the two players I have to go with my Focal on 4.4mm jack. The differences diminished when I use my other headphones.

 

[Rockwell75]

Can anyone whose heard both the ZX300 and WM1A with Solaris comment on differences between the two?

 

[kalo86]

It could be interesting to compare the ZX300 to the WM1A using a low impedance in-ear monitor.
Probably the WM1A is better for the higher output power in balanced mode, when used with high impedance headphones.
Anyway: please use the ZX300 only through the balanced output!

 

[Malevolint]

I thought I will contribute my 2 cents on a WM1A / ZX300 comparison. My WM1A has now been used for around 50 hours, and the ZX300 is well burned in since last November. Both players are updated with the latest firmware and both are uncapped.

I use a pair of Focal Clear with 4.4mm balanced cables for my comparison.

The 10% improvement others attributed to the WM1A over the ZX300 is more or less true. The bass of the ZX300 is fuller and 'meatier', and through the 4.4mm balanced output both players have similar dynamics and sound signature. When paired with my wired B&W P7 (on standard 3.5mm SE jack) and listening in noisy environments there is really no read differences between the two players. I can see why some people will prefer the ZX300 because of the quality of the bass.

However, the 10% difference becomes quite apparent when I'm at home and listening through my Focal Clear. The ZX300 can produce a good separation of instruments and vocals, but there is no sense of depth to the voice when listen to vocal Jazz, for example, the separations heard are only in width. The WM1A, playing the same track, does a much better job isolating each element and has a sense of realism the ZX300 cannot touch. There's more 'air' around each sound source. Levels of details are higher with the WM1A which is not surprising, but this also comes down to the quality of the recording - on rock tracks this is not necessarily apparent on every song.

Finally, to really hear the differences between the two players I have to go with my Focal on 4.4mm jack. The differences diminished when I use my other headphones.

I challenge you to do a blind test. Make sure that each player is updated to the latest firmware and then volume match them. Them make a short playlist and have someone else switch the cable between DAPs in a random order and document your choice of which dap sounds better. I'm curious what the outcome will be.

It could be interesting to compare the ZX300 to the WM1A using a low impedance in-ear monitor.
Probably the WM1A is better for the higher output power in balanced mode, when used with high impedance headphones.
Anyway: please use the ZX300 only through the balanced output!

Sadly the wm1a has more hiss than the zx300 with low impedance gear. I used to own both DAPs as well as a Solaris and Andromeda S. It's still perceptible on the zx300 but almost unbearable on the 1a

 

[Mathieulh]

It could be interesting to compare the ZX300 to the WM1A using a low impedance in-ear monitor.
Probably the WM1A is better for the higher output power in balanced mode, when used with high impedance headphones.
Anyway: please use the ZX300 only through the balanced output!

The output difference isn't going to be noticeable, we are talking of 50mW@16ohms, which, quite frankly, is insignificant when it comes to demanding headphones.

As for low impedance IEMs, you most likely won't notice much of a difference (if any) either between both DAPs.

 

[candlejack]

The output difference isn't going to be noticeable, we are talking of 50mW@16ohms, which, quite frankly, is insignificant when it comes to demanding headphones.

The output difference is 25%.

As for low impedance IEMs, you most likely won't notice much of a difference (if any) either between both DAPs.

Except others have.

 

[archsam]

I challenge you to do a blind test. Make sure that each player is updated to the latest firmware and then volume match them. Them make a short playlist and have someone else switch the cable between DAPs in a random order and document your choice of which dap sounds better. I'm curious what the outcome will be.


Sadly the wm1a has more hiss than the zx300 with low impedance gear. I used to own both DAPs as well as a Solaris and Andromeda S. It's still perceptible on the zx300 but almost unbearable on the 1a

I did nearly all that you described, minus having someone switching the source without my knowledge. I had both players side by side, listening to the same one song over and over (in fact the same passage 2/3 into the song). This was repeated about 10x so my comparison session on the same passage lasted a good half hour or so. By the end of my listening session the differences in sound between the players was pretty clear.

It's by no means a totally blind test and 100% scientific, but in the end the differences were quite obvious and predictable - I knew the sound of each player before I pressed play.

 

[Leetransform25]

I finally got my magic cable! Took 34 days from order.

Sony Canada told me there was no such cable. If you zoom in you can see it is to be used with a DAC, via USB.

It is not sold by Sony Canada. Not sure If Sony USA sells it.


Shane D

Nice cat you got there haha

 

[Shane D]

Nice cat you got there haha

That's my little baby. House living to apartment living means dog people become cat people.

Shane D

 

[Ryokan]

ZX is nice and compact compared to other more modern players. Paired with W60 lows dig deep and are impactful, moreso than other players I've listened with.

 

[Ivan4you]

@archsam.Do the Focal Clear work without a amp on the Sony zx300?

 

[archsam]

@archsam.Do the Focal Clear work without a amp on the Sony zx300?

The Focal Clear works fine without an amp. I rarely put the volume above 100.

FYI My unit is a UK (EU) capped version. I uncapped my unit and set the region to Canada.

 

[archsam]

I thought I will contribute my 2 cents on a WM1A / ZX300 comparison. My WM1A has now been used for around 50 hours, and the ZX300 is well burned in since last November. Both players are updated with the latest firmware and both are uncapped.

I use a pair of Focal Clear with 4.4mm balanced cables for my comparison.

The 10% improvement others attributed to the WM1A over the ZX300 is more or less true. The bass of the ZX300 is fuller and 'meatier', and through the 4.4mm balanced output both players have similar dynamics and sound signature. When paired with my wired B&W P7 (on standard 3.5mm SE jack) and listening in noisy environments there is really no read differences between the two players. I can see why some people will prefer the ZX300 because of the quality of the bass.

However, the 10% difference becomes quite apparent when I'm at home and listening through my Focal Clear. The ZX300 can produce a good separation of instruments and vocals, but there is no sense of depth to the voice when listen to vocal Jazz, for example, the separations heard are only in width. The WM1A, playing the same track, does a much better job isolating each element and has a sense of realism the ZX300 cannot touch. There's more 'air' around each sound source. Levels of details are higher with the WM1A which is not surprising, but this also comes down to the quality of the recording - on rock tracks this is not necessarily apparent on every song.

Finally, to really hear the differences between the two players I have to go with my Focal on 4.4mm jack. The differences diminished when I use my other headphones.

Just to add my final thoughts to my WM1A / ZX300 comparison:

I am happy to be able to hold on to both players, because I don't think I will be happy having one over the other. The ZX300 is truly a great portable DAP, it sounds really good in any less than ideal listening environment (commuting, office), its size, weight and shape is just about perfect to carry around. I get that the 4.4mm balanced output is superior, but the truth is when you are on the train or bus, or just walking around in the city, I really enjoy the sound coming from my B&W P7 via 3.5mm jack.

However when I'm at home and if I want to listen to music without having to sit in from of my hifi, the WM1A with Focal Clear is hands down better than the ZX300.

 

[Malevolint]

I did nearly all that you described, minus having someone switching the source without my knowledge. I had both players side by side, listening to the same one song over and over (in fact the same passage 2/3 into the song). This was repeated about 10x so my comparison session on the same passage lasted a good half hour or so. By the end of my listening session the differences in sound between the players was pretty clear.

It's by no means a totally blind test and 100% scientific, but in the end the differences were quite obvious and predictable - I knew the sound of each player before I pressed play.

Not knowing which player is playing is the most important part of the test. When I first had both players I also thought I could hear a clear difference. My gf thought so too. She 100% thought the wm1a sounded better. Then I did a blind test and she picked the zx300 3/4 times.


Doing a blind test is a scary thing because it means putting aside your bias and ego.. the thought of having to admit to yourself that maybe the more expensive thing doesn't sound better. It's a necessity if you want to discover the truth of the matter, though, which is what's most important.

I'm sure enough about there being no discernable difference that I sold my wm1a. The only thing I miss is the battery life.


Part of me is scared to do a blind test between my phone and zx300. I'm somewhat certain that I won't be able to hear a difference there either.. and then I'll have to come to terms with the fact that maybe I did all that DAP research and spent money for no reason!

Well.. Not no reason.. It's nice to have a separate device for music, but the audiophile ego is a fragile and bloated thing.