[Rob49]

So, it's still in the testing phase as the name says. But how is it any different from the previous one? I've been regularly checking this thread and the dedicated custom FW thread of MrWalkman and I haven't picked up any news about him. I hope he's doing well and adjusting properly to his recent change of location.

Yes, it seems ?? I hadn’t reverted back to any of the other firmwares, but I do think there is a difference, an obvious one to my ears. More than happy to what I’m hearing.

 

[KarmaPhala]

@MrWalkman sent me a “ZX300 Test”. It sounds brilliant. Can’t stop listening to it.

( Just to add, @MrWalkman sent this “test” two months ago & I’ve listened to nothing else since, so that’s an indication of how I feel about it & how good it is. )

so, when will this new test fw be released ??

 

[Rob49]

so, when will this new test fw be released ??

You’d have to ask @MrWalkman. Hopefully, when he has settled after his move, we might not have to wait too long ??

 

[smilealittlebit]

Guys, do you reckon ZX300 with stock & custom fw sounds better than 507?

 

[pr0b3r]

Guys, do you reckon ZX300 with stock & custom fw sounds better than 507?

Would like to know what others think about this as well. If 507 is better, I think it wouldn't be too far, and personally, I'd still prefer something pure music only instead of an android device. I've got my LG V20 for streaming which satisfies me enough. Just my 2 cents.

 

[smilealittlebit]

Would like to know what others think about this as well. If 507 is better, I think it wouldn't be too far, and personally, I'd still prefer something pure music only instead of an android device. I've got my LG V20 for streaming which satisfies me enough. Just my 2 cents.

I got a 507 and it sounds wonderful, even though I never stream music on it. Was thinking of replacing it with 300, though, for more power (mine is volume capped).

 

[pr0b3r]

I got a 507 and it sounds wonderful, even though I never stream music on it. Was thinking of replacing it with 300, though, for more power (mine is volume capped).

That's one of the reasons why I got stuck with the 300. It's really hard for me to change for another which has less playback time. I'm not much into upgrades if there's no drastic difference in sound but sells at a much higher price. I guess the only route for me is the 1A.

For the volume cap, it's easy enough to change regions with the Rockbox tool. Choose which region that has no cap. It's also widely accepted that each region has its own unique sound characteristics.

 

[smilealittlebit]

That's one of the reasons why I got stuck with the 300. It's really hard for me to change for another which has less playback time. I'm not much into upgrades if there's no drastic difference in sound but sells at a much higher price. I guess the only route for me is the 1A.

For the volume cap, it's easy enough to change regions with the Rockbox tool. Choose which region that has no cap. It's also widely accepted that each region has its own unique sound characteristics.

That's the thing with Android Walkmans - you can't change the region. The only way of doing that, is to gain root access to Android, and no one has managed to do this, either for A105 nor ZX507.
That's an additional benefit of not having Android on your device.

 

[HifINerD]

Would like to know what others think about this as well. If 507 is better, I think it wouldn't be too far, and personally, I'd still prefer something pure music only instead of an android device. I've got my LG V20 for streaming which satisfies me enough. Just my 2 cents.

Agreed; although I have a Sony Xperia 5 for the streaming part...

 

[rgr555]

Still on the fence on selling ZX300+MDR1AM2 and just using my iPhone/PC/Apple + buying the Airpods Max ($450 used) + Spotify (already subscribed)

I very rarely use the ZX300 unless a brand new album is out and I really want to focus and enjoy it. Even for casual listening, I find it too time consuming to load new .flac files into it and then using the UI compare to a touch screen + Spotify.

Has anyone made the switch? The AMP aesthetics as well as ANC are a plus for me. Would pick up the cable to better SQ.

I either need more nudges or more pull-back from you guys. Tough decision for me and in the end I know its a personal decision based on personal variables but would like to hear more thoughts, pros/cons, regrets..

 

[Ocelitgol]

Still on the fence on selling ZX300+MDR1AM2 and just using my iPhone/PC/Apple + buying the Airpods Max ($450 used) + Spotify (already subscribed)

I very rarely use the ZX300 unless a brand new album is out and I really want to focus and enjoy it. Even for casual listening, I find it too time consuming to load new .flac files into it and then using the UI compare to a touch screen + Spotify.

Has anyone made the switch? The AMP aesthetics as well as ANC are a plus for me. Would pick up the cable to better SQ.

I either need more nudges or more pull-back from you guys. Tough decision for me and in the end I know its a personal decision based on personal variables but would like to hear more thoughts, pros/cons, regrets..

How about a dongle that can drive your headphones? I heard the Lotoo or Luxury [something] W2 are the best options right now. The Apple dongle is good too if it can drive yours.

It does sound like you really prefer the convenience, maybe more so than purely sound quality. The Apple dongle is dirt cheap if you want to give that style a try for a few days.

Personally, I was happy enough with the Apple dongle, but I used it with IER-Z1R. Regardless, I like ZX300 sound better with it so I'm using it right now and I'm not going out much with COVID. From a usage standpoint however, having a true wireless or dongle when going out is still better. Like I said, maybe you can give it a try since you knew those things are personal preferences. Might as well just do them yourself

P/s: if budget allows, won't you entertain the idea of having both? like ZX300 for office/home/picnic and Airpods Max for outside. For me, there's times I just want to shut off the outside noise for a moment and just listen to music (mostly during the weekend with a piece of steak and a glass of wine, maybe movie).

 

[rgr555]

How about a dongle that can drive your headphones? I heard the Lotoo or Luxury [something] W2 are the best options right now. The Apple dongle is good too if it can drive yours.

It does sound like you really prefer the convenience, maybe more so than purely sound quality. The Apple dongle is dirt cheap if you want to give that style a try for a few days.

Personally, I was happy enough with the Apple dongle, but I used it with IER-Z1R. Regardless, I like ZX300 sound better with it so I'm using it right now and I'm not going out much with COVID. From a usage standpoint however, having a true wireless or dongle when going out is still better. Like I said, maybe you can give it a try since you knew those things are personal preferences. Might as well just do them yourself

P/s: if budget allows, won't you entertain the idea of having both? like ZX300 for office/home/picnic and Airpods Max for outside. For me, there's times I just want to shut off the outside noise for a moment and just listen to music (mostly during the weekend with a piece of steak and a glass of wine, maybe movie).

Just ordered the Apple dongle for $10 on Amazon. Good idea, thanks.

iPhone 12 + dongle + Sony 1am2 will get me listening to music more for now.

 

[Ocelitgol]

Just ordered the Apple dongle for $10 on Amazon. Good idea, thanks.

iPhone 12 + dongle + Sony 1am2 will get me listening to music more for now.

No problem. Do share your thought afterward
I assume you already tried Mr.Walkman's firmware for the ZX300 right? Quite nice.

BTW, I'm not sure if you knew, but Apple dongle doesn't play well with Android. You'll need USB player app to get the full volume. On laptop is fine though, and of course it should works fine with Apple phones as well.

 

[superuser1]

Apple dongle vs. ZX300

 

[pr0b3r]

I use the ZX300 and Lypertek Tevi whenever I'm out and would need to move a lot without cables. Pretty satisfied with what I'm hearing. Tevi sounds fantastic for me. I've tried the Sony ones and aside from the ANC, they just have a tad more bass compared to Tevi as far as I could tell.