Sony's sound processing in the Walkman players doesn't rely on off the shelf DAC chips. They use Class D design where sound processing and amplifying are done with a single stage. So it's not a conventional solution, therefore there's not a standalone DAC chip.
Regardless, DAC chips to me doesn't mean anything. Dethonray DTR1 uses an ancient chip for market standards, yet it blows several DAPs out of the water in terms of pure SQ.
Sony's sound processing in the Walkman players doesn't rely on off the shelf DAC chips. They use Class D design where sound processing and amplifying are done with a single stage. So it's not a conventional solution, therefore there's not a standalone DAC chip.
Regardless, DAC chips to me doesn't mean anything. Dethonray DTR1 uses an ancient chip for market standards, yet it blows several DAPs out of the water in terms of pure SQ.
Sony's sound processing in the Walkman players doesn't rely on off the shelf DAC chips. They use Class D design where sound processing and amplifying are done with a single stage. So it's not a conventional solution, therefore there's not a standalone DAC chip.
Regardless, DAC chips to me doesn't mean anything. Dethonray DTR1 uses an ancient chip for market standards, yet it blows several DAPs out of the water in terms of pure SQ.
Just received the NW-507 from Japan. Has been a joy to listen with IER-Z1R especially streaming on Tidal and playing music with UAPP. But there seem to be a limitation on MQA unfolding according to UAPP support. It's definitely a step up from my LG V50 which to me has been a great mobile device that also serve as a very good DAP. Only limitation compared to other mid-tier DAPs is the small 3.6 inch screen but you get great portability. So far wifi streaming has been very stable and the main concern for me based on some bad experience with other players. Sound should improve after more burn-in. Sorry i am not so good at describing sound signature but this has the great musicality that i like for Sony players.
Does anyone know if the one in Japan has the option for English language? I have a friend who can get 1 for me. Between this new for $850 and WM1A used for $675 which one would you get? The Streaming option is tempting since I can get Amazon HD music subscription and already have premium Spotify (I know it's 320 kbps) courtesy of brother in law.
I am mainly going to be using my portable MP3 player with an IEM (XBA-N3BP) or easier to drive headphones. My harder to drive more expensive headphones stay at my desk any way. Mainly being the HD800S.
Does anyone know if the one in Japan has the option for English language? I have a friend who can get 1 for me. Between this new for $850 and WM1A used for $675 which one would you get? The Streaming option is tempting since I can get Amazon HD music subscription and already have premium Spotify (I know it's 320 kbps) courtesy of brother in law.
I am mainly using it with IEM (XBA-N3BP) or easier to drive headphones. My harder to drive more expensive headphones stay at my desk any way. Mainly being the HD800S.
Yes, I got one from Japan myself and can confirm that you will be greet with a screen to select language of your choice on the very first page during the setup.
I always wanted WM1A myself so I probably would vote for that. The ZX500 is great for streaming and all but the battery can take a big hit when connecting to internet or streaming content. That's so far my only complaint.
Yes, I got one from Japan myself and can confirm that you will be greet with a screen to select language of your choice on the very first page during the setup.
I always wanted WM1A myself so I probably would vote for that. The ZX500 is great for streaming and all but the battery can take a big hit when connecting to internet or streaming content. That's so far my only complaint.
Thanks for the quick response. Do you think in terms of sound quality they're same? And have you considered a portable battery plugged to the Sony to extend battery life? What's the battery life like in real time now that you own it. WAV files? FLAC files? Streaming? And is there an app for Amazon music and Spotify on it?
And what's the difference between the Euro version (Amazon UK ships this to US for $841 total) and Japan version?
Yes, I got one from Japan myself and can confirm that you will be greet with a screen to select language of your choice on the very first page during the setup.
I always wanted WM1A myself so I probably would vote for that. The ZX500 is great for streaming and all but the battery can take a big hit when connecting to internet or streaming content. That's so far my only complaint.
Thanks for the quick response. Do you think in terms of sound quality they're same? And have you considered a portable battery plugged to the Sony to extend battery life? What's the battery life like in real time now that you own it. WAV files? FLAC files? Streaming? And is there an app for Amazon music and Spotify on it?
And what's the difference between the Euro version (Amazon UK ships this to US for $841 total) and Japan version?
I can't comment on the sound quality between WM1A and ZX500. Although looking back at previous pages, I notice many people said that the ZX500 should sound close to WM1A - which makes sense considering ZX series is a lower product line.
I did not think about portable battery because I do not wish to having to carry so many items when I'm on the go. Streaming definitely takes more battery from the player. Especially for me, I like to make sure I'm connected to internet so that way Last.fm can scribbling the tracks. You can definitely get more hours when listening to music offline that stored on the device or memory card. I was able to get 10 hours of listening - mostly 24-bit and 96-bit FLACs as well as couple few hours worth of offline download tracks on Spotify.
You can download additional apps of your choice. I currently have Qobuz, Apple Music, and Spotify installed. I can also see Amazon Music available on the Play Store as well.
I ordered a ZX507, and plan to use this with XBA-N3 and wireless headsets.
WIll I see a noticeable difference if I switch the cable to balanced? I currently have a decent 3.5mm cable for XBA-N3 from Linum, and wonder if the Kimbre balanced cable will be an upgrade from this?
A SQ purist view/listen (I care mostly about clarity, detail, instrument separation and natural sound, not so much about sound stage):
ZX500 sounds very similar to WM1A with the latest firmware 3.02. Similar level of instrument separation, WM1A still has better detail in both male and female vocals. Bass is not the most detailed on both. However NW-WM1A with fw 3.01 trumps them. The instrument separation is better and the level of detail is better across the board. Vocals sound very detailed and natural. Bass has a good balance between a good slam and detail.
Interesting how Sony sound signature changes with firmware upgrades. If only Sony releases ZX500 firmware that makes it sound like WM1A v3.01.
As of now ZX500 <= WM1A v3.02 < WM1A v3.01
WM1A might still be a good buy at the end of 2019, if you really only care about SQ and battery life, and online capabilities are unimportant.
I ordered a ZX507, and plan to use this with XBA-N3 and wireless headsets.
WIll I see a noticeable difference if I switch the cable to balanced? I currently have a decent 3.5mm cable for XBA-N3 from Linum, and wonder if the Kimbre balanced cable will be an upgrade from this?
I've been using the Linum MMCX Bax 3.5 cable with great results. The last day or so I've been using an Azla Horizon 4.4mm balanced cable, and all it seems to do is slightly increase the treble presence/perceived loudness. The Bax cable tangles if you look at it funny, while the Azla keeps itself relatively tangle-free. Although I will take a hit on power usage with the Azla and the balanced connection, I may stick with it to just because the cable doesn't turn into a rat's nest as soon as you set it down...
I've been using the Linum MMCX Bax 3.5 cable with great results. The last day or so I've been using an Azla Horizon 4.4mm balanced cable, and all it seems to do is slightly increase the treble presence/perceived loudness. The Bax cable tangles if you look at it funny, while the Azla keeps itself relatively tangle-free. Although I will take a hit on power usage with the Azla and the balanced connection, I may stick with it to just because the cable doesn't turn into a rat's nest as soon as you set it down...
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