Audiophile2019
100+ Head-Fier
Hi guys,
Just want to share my thoughts & impression of Mr Walkman's modification Project Z on my ZX300.
I bought my ZX300 2 years ago (in Jan 2019) at a discounted USD487 and I had been using it "loyally" until May 2020 when I bought iBasso DX160 (which was relatively cheaper when new @ USD400 compared to ZX300's USD700 initial price tag). Since then my everyday go-to DAP has been DX160 which I can honestly say is much better than ZX300 with latter left in my drawer most of the time. DX160 has a parametric EQ and bigger output ~800mW (@ 32 Ohm). The sound stage is also wider, instrument separation (imaging) & dynamics are better while the higher frequencies are obviously clearer than ZX300's. So overall my DX160 is a much better sounding DAP than my older ZX300.
Two days ago I decided to try Mr Walkman's Project Z mod on my ZX300. Installation was smooth as I followed closely his guidelines. Bingo! Fantastic results! My ZX300 sounds much better, has wider sound stage, clearer mids & highs. Ironically it's still hard for me to choose between the 2 versions Classic and Pro - sometimes the former is better while on other occasions, latter sounds more musical (to my ears) depending on genres or whether I am using IEMs or headphones. Well done to Mr Walkman, nice work on tweaking on Sony's DSP algorithm. Thank you very much for an ingenious masterpiece. Finally now, my ZX300 sounds almost as good as my DX160.
Out of curiosity, I just wonder if @MrWalkman can add another feature to Project Z mod (maybe call it something else later) that includes VPT Surround (reverb) - which is normally found in Sony's entry-level DAPs like A30-, A40- and A50-series and also its Xperia smartphone product lines such as Xperia Z5, XZ etc 5-6 years back but not in higher-end DAP models like ZX- or WM1-series. I like this feature because it gives listeners like myself a choice whether you want a "studio", "club", "live" or "matrix" virtual 3-D sound stage. Sometimes you just want to change the "ambiance" a bit. I know it's quite gimmicky, nice-to-have kind of feature but if this is possible, why not? Would really appreciate this additional feature...
Well, that's all I want to say. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Hope to get some positive feedback from Mr Walkman. Ciao...
Just want to share my thoughts & impression of Mr Walkman's modification Project Z on my ZX300.
I bought my ZX300 2 years ago (in Jan 2019) at a discounted USD487 and I had been using it "loyally" until May 2020 when I bought iBasso DX160 (which was relatively cheaper when new @ USD400 compared to ZX300's USD700 initial price tag). Since then my everyday go-to DAP has been DX160 which I can honestly say is much better than ZX300 with latter left in my drawer most of the time. DX160 has a parametric EQ and bigger output ~800mW (@ 32 Ohm). The sound stage is also wider, instrument separation (imaging) & dynamics are better while the higher frequencies are obviously clearer than ZX300's. So overall my DX160 is a much better sounding DAP than my older ZX300.
Two days ago I decided to try Mr Walkman's Project Z mod on my ZX300. Installation was smooth as I followed closely his guidelines. Bingo! Fantastic results! My ZX300 sounds much better, has wider sound stage, clearer mids & highs. Ironically it's still hard for me to choose between the 2 versions Classic and Pro - sometimes the former is better while on other occasions, latter sounds more musical (to my ears) depending on genres or whether I am using IEMs or headphones. Well done to Mr Walkman, nice work on tweaking on Sony's DSP algorithm. Thank you very much for an ingenious masterpiece. Finally now, my ZX300 sounds almost as good as my DX160.
Out of curiosity, I just wonder if @MrWalkman can add another feature to Project Z mod (maybe call it something else later) that includes VPT Surround (reverb) - which is normally found in Sony's entry-level DAPs like A30-, A40- and A50-series and also its Xperia smartphone product lines such as Xperia Z5, XZ etc 5-6 years back but not in higher-end DAP models like ZX- or WM1-series. I like this feature because it gives listeners like myself a choice whether you want a "studio", "club", "live" or "matrix" virtual 3-D sound stage. Sometimes you just want to change the "ambiance" a bit. I know it's quite gimmicky, nice-to-have kind of feature but if this is possible, why not? Would really appreciate this additional feature...
Well, that's all I want to say. Thank you for taking the time to read this. Hope to get some positive feedback from Mr Walkman. Ciao...
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