[515164]

Hello,

After recent developments of WM1A/Z tuning mods in the respective thread, here are some ZX300/A mods:

ZX300 ver. A and ZX300 ver. A+

Common characteristics of the ZX300 ver. A and ZX300 ver. A+
are musicality, a 3D stage, and an overall emotional/involving sound.

ZX300 ver. A can have a hard edge on high vocals, and mid/highs can
be not as smooth as ver. A+.

From this pair, ver. A+ is the more "sophisticated tuning".


ZX300 ver. B and ZX300 ver. B+

Common characteristics of this pair are, again, musicality, a 3D stage,
and an overall emotional/involving sound. They have a smoother overall
sound, but not lacking in detail.

ZX300 ver. B has smoother vocals than ZX300 ver. A+, with the hard
edge in the upper vocals toned down. ZX300 ver. B+ is a higher resolution
version of ZX300 ver. B, but with an overall similar sound character.

Having all these descriptions in mind, in the end it all depends on personal preferences and on the headphones/IEMs you're using, so feel free to give them all a try and choose what suits you best (or just use the stock firmware )


Feel free to give these a try, here (click).

I want to mention that these are intended to be used with the 2.02 stock firmware. Also, you don't need to reflash to stock if you want to switch to another tuning. Just apply the new chosen tuning and that's it.

Thanks to @ttt123 for helping me test these, and with providing some descriptions for each one of them!

Feedback would, of course, be appreciated.

Enjoy!

 

[JerryHead]

Sorry, not to veer away from your important contribution above, but I just wanted to say, for someone who now owns both the ZX300 and the NW-A105, I have to say that to me, the A105 doesn't necessarily sound BETTER, or even "as good" as the ZX300 (balanced), just a bit different. Not as a wide a soundstage, and not as bright, and definitely not as powerful. Not to say the the A105 doesn't sound real good, I think it does, it just seems like a different animal.

 

[superuser1]

Hello,

After recent developments of WM1A/Z tuning mods in the respective thread, here are some ZX300/A mods:

ZX300 ver. A and ZX300 ver. A+

Common characteristics of the ZX300 ver. A and ZX300 ver. A+
are musicality, a 3D stage, and an overall emotional/involving sound.

ZX300 ver. A can have a hard edge on high vocals, and mid/highs can
be not as smooth as ver. A+.

From this pair, ver. A+ is the more "sophisticated tuning".


ZX300 ver. B and ZX300 ver. B+

Common characteristics of this pair are, again, musicality, a 3D stage,
and an overall emotional/involving sound. They have a smoother overall
sound, but not lacking in detail.

ZX300 ver. B has smoother vocals than ZX300 ver. A+, with the hard
edge in the upper vocals toned down. ZX300 ver. B+ is a higher resolution
version of ZX300 ver. B, but with an overall similar sound character.

Having all these descriptions in mind, in the end it all depends on personal preferences and on the headphones/IEMs you're using, so feel free to give them all a try and choose what suits you best (or just use the stock firmware )


Feel free to give these a try, here (click).

I want to mention that these are intended to be used with the 2.02 stock firmware. Also, you don't need to reflash to stock if you want to switch to another tuning. Just apply the new chosen tuning and that's it.

Thanks to @ttt123 for helping me test these, and with providing some descriptions for each one of them!

Feedback would, of course, be appreciated.

Enjoy!

Thank you for your efforts and hard work. When one intends to go back the original, all they need to do is flash the official FW?
Keep up the great work!

 

[Lookout57]

Thank you for your efforts and hard work. When one intends to go back the original, all they need to do is flash the official FW?
Keep up the great work!

Correct

 

[Hinomotocho]

Hello,

After recent developments of WM1A/Z tuning mods in the respective thread, here are some ZX300/A mods:

ZX300 ver. A and ZX300 ver. A+

Common characteristics of the ZX300 ver. A and ZX300 ver. A+
are musicality, a 3D stage, and an overall emotional/involving sound.

ZX300 ver. A can have a hard edge on high vocals, and mid/highs can
be not as smooth as ver. A+.

From this pair, ver. A+ is the more "sophisticated tuning".


ZX300 ver. B and ZX300 ver. B+

Common characteristics of this pair are, again, musicality, a 3D stage,
and an overall emotional/involving sound. They have a smoother overall
sound, but not lacking in detail.

ZX300 ver. B has smoother vocals than ZX300 ver. A+, with the hard
edge in the upper vocals toned down. ZX300 ver. B+ is a higher resolution
version of ZX300 ver. B, but with an overall similar sound character.

Having all these descriptions in mind, in the end it all depends on personal preferences and on the headphones/IEMs you're using, so feel free to give them all a try and choose what suits you best (or just use the stock firmware )


Feel free to give these a try, here (click).

I want to mention that these are intended to be used with the 2.02 stock firmware. Also, you don't need to reflash to stock if you want to switch to another tuning. Just apply the new chosen tuning and that's it.

Thanks to @ttt123 for helping me test these, and with providing some descriptions for each one of them!

Feedback would, of course, be appreciated.

Enjoy!

I'm interested to know how much firmware impacts the sound compared to quality of components and build/design. For example, if you listened to a NWM1A with a firmware with a narrow soundstage and compared it to a ZX300 with a firmware with a wide sound stage would you (perhaps with a blind test) deem the ZX300 to be the better dap? The general estimate of differnce between the 2 is 10% (stock), could firmwares close that gap? I do understand the WM1A has better components that give it the edge for details and (3D) soundstage, but could a firmware tweak take better advantage of the components, and/or give it a perceived better quality sound?

 

[ttt123]

I'm interested to know how much firmware impacts the sound compared to quality of components and build/design. For example, if you listened to a NWM1A with a firmware with a narrow soundstage and compared it to a ZX300 with a firmware with a wide sound stage would you (perhaps with a blind test) deem the ZX300 to be the better dap? The general estimate of differnce between the 2 is 10% (stock), could firmwares close that gap? I do understand the WM1A has better components that give it the edge for details and (3D) soundstage, but could a firmware tweak take better advantage of the components, and/or give it a perceived better quality sound?

Every area has an impact. There is no magic formula to determine how much impact, as there are so many variables. There are aspects of sound that can be measured, and there are others that cannot be measured. Also, different people value different things, so each person has to evaluate against their own requirements.

Can a ZX300 sound as good as a WM1A, under specific conditions? Possibly. Can a WM1A sound better under a different set of conditions? Yes. This is an interesting area, and worth experimenting in. But will this ever definitely prove that the lower model is all you need, and spending any more is a waste of time/money? I have my doubts, but of course that is just a personal opinion, and I have already made my beliefs clear by my own choices of equipment.

If a double blind test gives some people confirmation, and happiness, great. If a listening test gives other people their happiness, without needing double blind confirmation, great. Each person chooses what is important for themselves.

I personally do not have any way to measure % impact and relevance, as to me, it can be a small or large change that shifts music to being musical/involving/emotional. There is no way to quantify, as far as I know, what % is needed to achieve this. So we do what we are willing to do to achieve our end goal. Some may do more, and some less, and everyone's goal may be different, so have at it, and enjoy yourself in your pursuit.

So the only measure I know is: are you enjoying the music? If the answer is yes, then you have the answer for yourself.

 

[tomaslam]

I have a bit confused. My ZX300's original firmware & region are 2.02 E, I have switched to 2.02 J. Now I want to install the B+ firmware, do I have to switch back to the original E region first? Or just install the B+ directly?

 

[515164]

I have a bit confused. My ZX300's original firmware & region are 2.02 E, I have switched to 2.02 J. Now I want to install the B+ firmware, do I have to switch back to the original E region first? Or just install the B+ directly?

Just install the one acording to your original variant. For E region, the variant is Universal, as far as I know.

 

[Hinomotocho]

Every area has an impact. There is no magic formula to determine how much impact, as there are so many variables. There are aspects of sound that can be measured, and there are others that cannot be measured. Also, different people value different things, so each person has to evaluate against their own requirements.

Can a ZX300 sound as good as a WM1A, under specific conditions? Possibly. Can a WM1A sound better under a different set of conditions? Yes. This is an interesting area, and worth experimenting in. But will this ever definitely prove that the lower model is all you need, and spending any more is a waste of time/money? I have my doubts, but of course that is just a personal opinion, and I have already made my beliefs clear by my own choices of equipment.

If a double blind test gives some people confirmation, and happiness, great. If a listening test gives other people their happiness, without needing double blind confirmation, great. Each person chooses what is important for themselves.

I personally do not have any way to measure % impact and relevance, as to me, it can be a small or large change that shifts music to being musical/involving/emotional. There is no way to quantify, as far as I know, what % is needed to achieve this. So we do what we are willing to do to achieve our end goal. Some may do more, and some less, and everyone's goal may be different, so have at it, and enjoy yourself in your pursuit.

So the only measure I know is: are you enjoying the music? If the answer is yes, then you have the answer for yourself.

Thank you.
My post might have been misunderstood - it wasn't about me choosing between devices or trying to make mine sound better than a higher end device. It was just general interest about how the firmwares, stock or custom may take advantage of components to make a device sound it's best, or at least desirable to make people chose to buy it (based on sound not features). I was wondering if someone who chose theirs based on the stock sound may have not bought it if they heard it for the first time with custom firmware with a significantly different change to the bass, or soundstage for example. Or if the common comparisons between the WM1A and ZX300 would have vastly different results if all the different firmwares were compared.

 

[ttt123]

Thank you.
My post might have been misunderstood - it wasn't about me choosing between devices or trying to make mine sound better than a higher end device. It was just general interest about how the firmwares, stock or custom may take advantage of components to make a device sound it's best, or at least desirable to make people chose to buy it (based on sound not features). I was wondering if someone who chose theirs based on the stock sound may have not bought it if they heard it for the first time with custom firmware with a significantly different change to the bass, or soundstage for example. Or if the common comparisons between the WM1A and ZX300 would have vastly different results if all the different firmwares were compared.

The firmware tunings work on a DAP, which comprises the hardware and design. So of course it takes advantage of the hardware/components and design, even though the SQ tuning is not done in the hardware domain. If the hardware is improved (i.e. internal headset jack wiring replaced), then the SQ tuning result is also affected. So the SQ tuning changes exist by themselves, but you can alter the end result if you change the hardware, as part of system synergy. You could also tailor the SQ tuning to specific hardware configurations/changes. SQ tunings are an optional extra, and when they are created by dedicated fans, and provided free to try, I can only see positives, and do not see any negatives.

Your 2nd point, I do not understand. If a user bought on the basis that they were happy with the stock sound, I think they would be even more likely to buy if they knew that the stock sound had options to be changed/improved. If they did not like the modified tuning, then they just keep the stock tuning, so I do not see that it would influence them not to buy, if they were given more choices.

Any comparisons between ZX300 to WM1A (or other DAP), it all depends on what the buyer is looking for.
- Buyer wants the ZX300 size and portability, lower cost, but likes the WM1A SQ better. If new SQ tuning brought it closer to the WM1A SQ, then that would support a decision to buy the ZX300, over the WM1A
- Buyer wants an improved sound, and after listening, has a preference to the WM1A SQ. If the buyer plans/knows that there are options to mod the hardware and/or FW to improve the stock sound, they would still choose the better stock player, as logically, the WM1A improved, will sound better than a ZX300 improved.

So any decision is up to the buyers plans and preferences. Depending on what the buyer wants, the choice could go either way. Any hardware/firmware extra options are in the future, and the buying decision is based on what is available at the time the buying decision is made.

The world of "Ifs" and "what ifs" is infinite, so I think we just focus on the "now", and make our decisions, right or wrong, otherwise we would be gridlocked, and not be able to make any decisions.

 

[superuser1]

ZX300

Which FW is your preferred one out of the whole gamut?

 

[ttt123]

Which FW is your preferred one out of the whole gamut?

@morgenstern09 was very kind, and we went through 14 different versions.
On my ZX300 with a Romi Audio mod, I found my favorites in the B and B+
- B+ is my favorite. A 3D stage, detailed, immersive. But need to dial down the volume for some music where the mid/highs can sound "hard/hot", especially if the source is not good.
- B if music has more high frequency content, as B is a bit smoother than B+ for mid/high vocals. But the tradeoff is slightly less detail/energy. It is also possible that B may work better for stock hardware. Have to try it and see...

The A and A+ are there in case they provide a better synergy with a different setup.

 

[dazzerfong]

Someone kindly remind me of why I should be using the balanced output.

I bought a balanced cable when I got my ZX300 to pair with my Shure 846s. Sounded great. But recently I switched back to unbalanced so I could use the 846s in my pono player. So now I have been going back and forth between the pono and the ZX300 and have forgotten what the benefit of the balanced cable was.

So that your coworkers can't steal your headphones. Buuuut, considering the present circumstance, not that that's gonna be a problem for a while.

In all seriousness though, main difference is power. But you're using the 846's, so that's not gonna be a problem.

Sorry, not to veer away from your important contribution above, but I just wanted to say, for someone who now owns both the ZX300 and the NW-A105, I have to say that to me, the A105 doesn't necessarily sound BETTER, or even "as good" as the ZX300 (balanced), just a bit different. Not as a wide a soundstage, and not as bright, and definitely not as powerful. Not to say the the A105 doesn't sound real good, I think it does, it just seems like a different animal.

Try some headphones that are harder to drive - the differences will become a lot more apparent then than just 'slightly different'.

 

[Hinomotocho]

The firmware tunings work on a DAP, which comprises the hardware and design. So of course it takes advantage of the hardware/components and design, even though the SQ tuning is not done in the hardware domain. If the hardware is improved (i.e. internal headset jack wiring replaced), then the SQ tuning result is also affected. So the SQ tuning changes exist by themselves, but you can alter the end result if you change the hardware, as part of system synergy. You could also tailor the SQ tuning to specific hardware configurations/changes. SQ tunings are an optional extra, and when they are created by dedicated fans, and provided free to try, I can only see positives, and do not see any negatives.

Your 2nd point, I do not understand. If a user bought on the basis that they were happy with the stock sound, I think they would be even more likely to buy if they knew that the stock sound had options to be changed/improved. If they did not like the modified tuning, then they just keep the stock tuning, so I do not see that it would influence them not to buy, if they were given more choices.

Any comparisons between ZX300 to WM1A (or other DAP), it all depends on what the buyer is looking for.
- Buyer wants the ZX300 size and portability, lower cost, but likes the WM1A SQ better. If new SQ tuning brought it closer to the WM1A SQ, then that would support a decision to buy the ZX300, over the WM1A
- Buyer wants an improved sound, and after listening, has a preference to the WM1A SQ. If the buyer plans/knows that there are options to mod the hardware and/or FW to improve the stock sound, they would still choose the better stock player, as logically, the WM1A improved, will sound better than a ZX300 improved.

So any decision is up to the buyers plans and preferences. Depending on what the buyer wants, the choice could go either way. Any hardware/firmware extra options are in the future, and the buying decision is based on what is available at the time the buying decision is made.

The world of "Ifs" and "what ifs" is infinite, so I think we just focus on the "now", and make our decisions, right or wrong, otherwise we would be gridlocked, and not be able to make any decisions.

I understand the first part of your post, and perhaps I didn't chose the right words again to get across what I was actually getting at, but thanks again for your reply.
Maybe I just meant that the improved build/components of the WM1A are the assumed reason it is perceived to have a better sound based on a majority of comparison reviews, but with different firmwares there may be an entirely different opinion, regardless of build quality etc, of which is the 'better' or preferred sound. It was nothing more than wondering out loud.

 

[ttt123]

I understand the first part of your post, and perhaps I didn't chose the right words again to get across what I was actually getting at, but thanks again for your reply.
Maybe I just meant that the improved build/components of the WM1A are the assumed reason it is perceived to have a better sound based on a majority of comparison reviews, but with different firmwares there may be an entirely different opinion, regardless of build quality etc, of which is the 'better' or preferred sound. It was nothing more than wondering out loud.

The improved build/components of the WM1A are not the reason for the SQ difference, because the SQ tuning can change the ZX300 so that there is minimal difference between the 2? I would say the SQ tuning has an effect, and this could be used to narrow the SQ difference beetween the 2. Does this mean that the build/components do not make any difference? Personally, I do not believe that, as I have experimented, and seen how components make a big difference. However, for the people who believe that components do not make any difference, then they will have a different opinion. Again, it is up to each persons experiences and beliefs.