[Pro-Jules]

Here:
https://www.sony.com.sg/electronics...-nw-nwz-zx-series/nw-zx507/downloads/00017087

Thanks

 

[Chainring]

Use any good quality high output charger. A 5Volt output charger, of course. Your Macbook or Nintendo charger is fine, as long as it is a 5V output.
The higher the output capacity of the charger, the better, as it will have lots of safety margin, and will run cool, and not overload and break down. Modern devices have a built in charge circuit, which will detect the device condition, and moderate the charge current. It will charge at a higher current if the device is very low in charge/voltage, and then reduce the current as the battery voltage rises when it is around 70-80%.

Here's a nice chart that summarizes how voltage/current behaves during charging.
https://www.androidauthority.com/maximize-battery-life-882395/

Some previous discussions/recommendations on charging practices, in the WM1x thread.

https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sony-nw-wm1z-wm1a.815841/post-15604331
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/sony-nw-wm1z-wm1a.815841/post-15657663

On that chart, the one thing that's odd to me is the float charge. I've never read that terminology associated with Li-Ion batteries. Sealed Lead Acid, yes. Trickle charge for NiCd and NiMh, yes. Li-Ion, never.

 

[Tsiklon]

I'm trying to decide on a 4.4mm balanced cable for my inbound XBA-3N, I didn't get the version with the 4.4mm cable included. I was debating the Sony Kimber (and still am...) but I read somewhere that it might be a bit heavy for the 3N when not wearing over the ear which I won't be - does anyone have any experience with this cable and the 3N? I've looked at lots of other brands on Ali Express but can't find one that ticks all the boxes... i.e. I'd prefer a black headphone jack and MMXC connectors to match my Black ZX507 - my ideal is a black soft cable with black connectors and little or no microphonics - the standard Sony 4.4m seems to tick the first few boxes but what about microphonics? Oh and most on Ali appear to be over the ear style, not sure how handy I'll be at taking off the plastic to have a straight connection to the 3Ns.

Any other suggestions? I don't have enough experience and appreciate there is a long standing debate over the sound quality provided by better/more expensive cables... not one I can enter into but I am prepared to spend more for a good looking and well built cable that matches my DAP!

I went for the Sony MUC-M12NB1 for my XBA-N3. It’s a nice cable - I won’t pretend to talk about how the cable itself sounds because I don’t follow that.
But I can tell you it’s a fabric covered cable until the split, there’s a good bit of a gap between the split and the MMCX connectors, which are colour coded in the correct Sony colours for left and right.

The cable itself is nice and straight, it won’t tangle up on you. And at 1.2M in length it’s a nice cable length for a portable in ear.

My overall favourite cable would be the one that comes with the IER-Z1R, but unfortunately it’s not black, and it has loops which go over the ear, that makes it a bit less suitable for the XBA-N3 unless you flip the left and right earpiece and wear it upside down

Edit: added photo

 

[Scubadevils]

I went for the Sony MUC-M12NB1 for my XBA-N3. It’s a nice cable - I won’t pretend to talk about how the cable itself sounds because I don’t follow that.
But I can tell you it’s a fabric covered cable until the split, there’s a good bit of a gap between the split and the MMCX connectors, which are colour coded in the correct Sony colours for left and right.

The cable itself is nice and straight, it won’t tangle up on you. And at 1.2M in length it’s a nice cable length for a portable in ear.

My overall favourite cable would be the one that comes with the IER-Z1R, but unfortunately it’s not black, and it has loops which go over the ear, that makes it a bit less suitable for the XBA-N3 unless you flip the left and right earpiece and wear it upside down

Edit: added photo

I ordered that very cable yesterday after discussing with @F700 who also owns both. Looks great in that picture, I didn't realize there was a fabric covering - even nicer. Really looking forward to it - along with the N3 which have been stuck in Hong Kong now for a week due to shortages of space on cargo flights

Thanks for the reply.

 

[rlw6534]

I ordered that very cable yesterday after discussing with @F700 who also owns both. Looks great in that picture, I didn't realize there was a fabric covering - even nicer. Really looking forward to it - along with the N3 which have been stuck in Hong Kong now for a week due to shortages of space on cargo flights

Thanks for the reply.

I have the same one and I'm happy with it. It's much better than the stock N3BP cable.

 

[Kozwoz]

I went for the Sony MUC-M12NB1 for my XBA-N3. It’s a nice cable - I won’t pretend to talk about how the cable itself sounds because I don’t follow that.
But I can tell you it’s a fabric covered cable until the split, there’s a good bit of a gap between the split and the MMCX connectors, which are colour coded in the correct Sony colours for left and right.

The cable itself is nice and straight, it won’t tangle up on you. And at 1.2M in length it’s a nice cable length for a portable in ear.

My overall favourite cable would be the one that comes with the IER-Z1R, but unfortunately it’s not black, and it has loops which go over the ear, that makes it a bit less suitable for the XBA-N3 unless you flip the left and right earpiece and wear it upside down

Edit: added photo

I also use MUC-M12NB1 with my Sony XBA-Z5 however the mmcx connection is loose where it meets the both left and right earphone which is rather annoying considering the price of the cable. Do your connections wiggle where they meet the XBA-N3? Trying to figure out if it's a fault of the cable or the ZBA-Z5.

 

[sander93]

I also use MUC-M12NB1 with my Sony XBA-Z5 however the mmcx connection is loose where it meets the both left and right earphone which is rather annoying considering the price of the cable. Do your connections wiggle where they meet the XBA-N3? Trying to figure out if it's a fault of the cable or the ZBA-Z5.

I also have issue with mmcx connection on left z5 and fiio lc-re. right is perfectly fine.
however left is not reliable regarding sound. and it was extremely hard to insert and eject it on left.
do u have any idea how to overcome it?
I hoped sony cable will suit well and sound good.
fiio lc-re is so much superior to stock cable / stock cable + adapter 4.4 to dual 3.5

 

[Leviathant]

Hello all, looking for some advice. I’ve got the Final A8000 IEMs and am considering the zx507 (non-EU) to pair with these. I find the A8000 typically needs power to be able to drive them and I don’t plan on replacing the very good stock cable with a balanced cable. I’m wondering whether anybody has tried this combo (A8000 + zx507) can give me any insight over whether they’d be a good match single ended (or balanced for that matter!).

I’m coming from the older zx2, but feel it’s lacking in refinement and resolution (feels a bit grainy) and everything feels a bit congested. I’m hoping a zx507 would be a vast improvement with staging and resolution etc. Is this a dramatic improvement over the zx2? And is it important to go balanced on the zx507?

Another option I’ve got is the Hugo2, which is a lot more expensive and obviously different sound signature. I’ve demoed the Hugo2 with the A8000 and it’s a great match, providing everything I’ve described above including excellent resolution. I was wondering how close the zx507 might come to the Hugo2 in terms of resolution, separation etc. Anyone compared both?

 

[Sonywalkmanuser]

It really depends on how you perceive music. ZX2 is rather a intimate experience, even with DSEE HX turned on. Some prefer this type of intimate sound.

ZX507 sound signature is much evolved especially after firmware 3.0. The latest firmware 4.0 with high res streaming On and DSEE Ultimate turned On is quite a different sound as compared to ZX2. It still retains the warmer Sony house sound signature but the resolution and transient has been much adjusted towards much better clarity and better transient sharpness/impact. The soundstage is much more wider and taller than ZX2. Sony has done alot of sound quality improvements since the ZX2. I would think the ZX507 in 2020 is definitely an upgrade in sound quality over the ZX2, you get much higher resolution sound that is free from grain with a 3D spatial like soundstage especially with DSEE Ultimate switch on.

ZX507 can still sound somewhat like ZX2 if you turn off high res streaming mode and use direct source mode.

Certainly balanced is the way to go with the ZX507. Sony S-Master HX balanced topology is the most direct and shortest electrical wiring layout in existence. Balanced will give you a more 3D like, well layered soundstage that separates music instruments out more.

The only downside is that you are not going to get the 30day standby time that ZX2 is capable of. However the ZX507 recharges much faster and also runs on industry standard USB-C. ZX507 is also much smaller and lighter which makes it much easier to travel with. And the user interface is significantly faster as well but screen is smaller.

Also the 120 level volume control on the zx507 is a big improvement over the limited stepping of the ZX2.

 

[sander93]

Hello all, looking for some advice. I’ve got the Final A8000 IEMs and am considering the zx507 (non-EU) to pair with these. I find the A8000 typically needs power to be able to drive them and I don’t plan on replacing the very good stock cable with a balanced cable. I’m wondering whether anybody has tried this combo (A8000 + zx507) can give me any insight over whether they’d be a good match single ended (or balanced for that matter!).

I’m coming from the older zx2, but feel it’s lacking in refinement and resolution (feels a bit grainy) and everything feels a bit congested. I’m hoping a zx507 would be a vast improvement with staging and resolution etc. Is this a dramatic improvement over the zx2? And is it important to go balanced on the zx507?

Another option I’ve got is the Hugo2, which is a lot more expensive and obviously different sound signature. I’ve demoed the Hugo2 with the A8000 and it’s a great match, providing everything I’ve described above including excellent resolution. I was wondering how close the zx507 might come to the Hugo2 in terms of resolution, separation etc. Anyone compared both?

3.5 will still be good enough.
however, 4.4 will deliver huge!
anyway good cable is desirable.
I wish fiio lc-re is so much superior (in terms of sub-bass resolution and power) vs stock sony thin cable + adapter.

yes u still get extra power to drive bass, however resolution of sub-bass is worse than with fiio lc-re

 

[Leviathant]

It really depends on how you perceive music. ZX2 is rather a intimate experience, even with DSEE HX turned on. Some prefer this type of intimate sound.

ZX507 sound signature is much evolved especially after firmware 3.0. The latest firmware 4.0 with high res streaming On and DSEE Ultimate turned On is quite a different sound as compared to ZX2. It still retains the warmer Sony house sound signature but the resolution and transient has been much adjusted towards much better clarity and better transient sharpness/impact. The soundstage is much more wider and taller than ZX2. Sony has done alot of sound quality improvements since the ZX2. I would think the ZX507 in 2020 is definitely an upgrade in sound quality over the ZX2, you get much higher resolution sound that is free from grain with a 3D spatial like soundstage especially with DSEE Ultimate switch on.

ZX507 can still sound somewhat like ZX2 if you turn off high res streaming mode and use direct source mode.

Certainly balanced is the way to go with the ZX507. Sony S-Master HX balanced topology is the most direct and shortest electrical wiring layout in existence. Balanced will give you a more 3D like, well layered soundstage that separates music instruments out more.

The only downside is that you are not going to get the 30day standby time that ZX2 is capable of. However the ZX507 recharges much faster and also runs on industry standard USB-C. ZX507 is also much smaller and lighter which makes it much easier to travel with. And the user interface is significantly faster as well but screen is smaller.

Also the 120 level volume control on the zx507 is a big improvement over the limited stepping of the ZX2.

Thanks. I think it’s these improvements over ZX2 that is drawing more to the ZX507 rather than any of the similarities in sound presentation.

 

[Sonywalkmanuser]

DSEE Ultimate seems to adjusting three things:

Frequency upscaling
Dynamic range adjustment
Soundstage changes

Any non-high res music will be transformed into a more higher clarity, more spacious sounding version. It's quite an unique experience, quite different from other DSP effects that I have tried. Music Purist may not like the expanded effect but to me, DSEE Ultimate definitely does a remarkable sonic improvement for 16bit CD audio quality music. 16bit Dynamics especially transient impact seems to be so much better with DSEE Ultimate, it seems to be adjusting the dynamic range of music in real time, making instruments sounding even more peaky(transient loudness) than what you have heard before with your regular 16bit recordings. Think of it as reversed dynamic normalizer where the AI is trying to intelligently expand loudness differences instead of reducing it. I think with firmware 4.0, Sony's AI has managed to perfect this Dynamics adjustment in the sense that it never gets overbearing in loudness(as compared to firmware 3.0)

 

[Kozwoz]

The Audeze LCD2C pairs well with the ZX507 in balanced after some EQ and DSEE Ultimate turned on. Incredibly spacious and punchy with liquid mids. Even low gain is loud enough.

 

[equalspeace]

The ZX500 is the best DAP I’ve heard. It makes me not want to buy other DAPs and that perhaps is an even greater compliment I can give it.

 

[Kozwoz]

The ZX500 is the best DAP I’ve heard. It makes me not want to buy other DAPs and that perhaps is an even greater compliment I can give it.

I agree however it is a special type of sound and clearly it's doing a lot under the hood. I think one has to be comfortable knowing that Sony is putting their own spin on the sound and presentation as it's not like other DAPs. The spaciousness and 3D like effect is uncanny.