[Vitaly2017]

Anyone did comparisons of zx500 vs cayen n6ii and wm1z?

 

[purk]

Anyone did comparisons of zx500 vs cayen n6ii and wm1z?

Sound wise this thing is very near the WM1A....so my WM1Z is definitely better to my ears.

 

[TooFrank]

Sound wise this thing is very near the WM1A....so my WM1Z is definitely better to my ears.

Are there any of you who knows how the sound is compared with zx2?

 

[proedros]

Are there any of you who knows how the sound is compared with zx2?

i had zx2 and moved to wm1a and found it quite an improvement , so zx500 is probably an improvement over zx2 as well

 

[purk]

i had zx2 and moved to wm1a and found it quite an improvement , so zx500 is probably an improvement over zx2 as well

It is but the ZX2 is still very impressive in its own right if operates within the available driving power.

 

[Sonywalkmanuser]

ZX507 is a major step up from ZX2 interms of audiophile(DSD/24bit lossless files) sound quality. You won't regret going for this upgrade. Please do use Balanced Connection to maximize the most performance out of the ZX507.

You get:
120 levels of volume control and low/high gain adjustments
A more responsive user interface
Modern Streaming app support
Faster Wifi
Better physical buttons(more tactile)
About 3x more power output on single ended.
Balanced output which really does sound really magical with Sony IEMs.
Much deeper and more stronger bass.
A much smoother mids and a more richer sounding treble.
Adjustment of bass response via DC Phase Linearizer
3D(height) soundstage with DSEE HX
Equalizer that does scale up and down more noticeably
AAC and Aptx HD Bluetooth.
Almost near instant boot time.
Database don't require updating each time you power up.
Much more lighter and fits in any small pockets
Charges much faster via USB-PD(it takes 30mins to get from 5% to 50%)
USB-C uni-direction ease of plugging

What you lose:
A smaller screen
Less Battery time and standby time isn't as solid as ZX2(it loses % more per day)
No search function

 

[fish1050]

Most lithium-ion batteries only get up to 500 full charges before they start to go out. I think I might have gotten 500 days of use out of my Hiby R6 before its battery gave up the ghost, and it had gone through at least 300 recharge cycles. I doubt any player on the market now will give more than 3 years of good battery life (even with light usage), but I wish you luck in the search.

FYI, the ZX-507 will charge in about 2 hours with a PD/quickcharge 3 charger.

The whole battery lifespan issue is the major reason I don't buy expensive DAP's. Spend $300 on a DAP it lasts two years amortized to $150 per year. Spending more then that over two years I start to feel more cheated financially the more I spend. My larger audio purchases are strictly for home audio gear which last alot longer with a much bigger bang for the buck.

Some chase the best portable sound regardless of cost, I go for the best sound for my budget. I have never spent over $300 on a DAP, A17, Shanling M0 (sold for full price) Fiio M7 (demo model, saved $50) will sell in the new year. Current DAP Fiio M9 got for $120 off on Black Friday, paid $279. Shanling M0 sounded pretty good for the price but to small, Fiio M7 sounded very good for the money, if it wasn't for the great deal on the M9 I would still be using it now.

Sony A105 is listed for $480 CDN on sony.ca, way out of my budget and not enough power. Stripped down android on the Fiio M9 not perfect but it is more than fine for Pulsar and ES File Explorer, don't use wifi or streaming. If the M9 lasts a couple of years it will be a very good investment and it does sound really good. The extra power provides very good headroom and improves the dynamics.

It isn't just enough to have adequate power to drive headphones. To do the music justice you need the extra power in reserve (headroom) for those short bursts that dynamic sounding tracks require. The A105 might drive my headphones okey but the dynamic headroom simply won't be there with such a low power output.

 

[equalspeace]

The whole battery lifespan issue is the major reason I don't buy expensive DAP's. Spend $300 on a DAP it lasts two years amortized to $150 per year. Spending more then that over two years I start to feel more cheated financially the more I spend. My larger audio purchases are strictly for home audio gear which last alot longer with a much bigger bang for the buck.

Some chase the best portable sound regardless of cost, I go for the best sound for my budget. I have never spent over $300 on a DAP, A17, Shanling M0 (sold for full price) Fiio M7 (demo model, saved $50) will sell in the new year. Current DAP Fiio M9 got for $120 off on Black Friday, paid $279. Shanling M0 sounded pretty good for the price but to small, Fiio M7 sounded very good for the money, if it wasn't for the great deal on the M9 I would still be using it now.

Sony A105 is listed for $480 CDN on sony.ca, way out of my budget and not enough power. Stripped down android on the Fiio M9 not perfect but it is more than fine for Pulsar and ES File Explorer, don't use wifi or streaming. If the M9 lasts a couple of years it will be a very good investment and it does sound really good. The extra power provides very good headroom and improves the dynamics.

It isn't just enough to have adequate power to drive headphones. To do the music justice you need the extra power in reserve (headroom) for those short bursts that dynamic sounding tracks require. The A105 might drive my headphones okey but the dynamic headroom simply won't be there with such a low power output.

Luckily I have a Sony spot in Tenafly NJ near me that can swap a battery if needed.

 

[ronny boi]

About the same or slightly more. I guess it's an Android thing.

This is far worse than any china dap honestly an its just making me feel like this was kinda half baked

 

[Focux]

ZX507 is a major step up from ZX2 interms of audiophile(DSD/24bit lossless files) sound quality. You won't regret going for this upgrade. Please do use Balanced Connection to maximize the most performance out of the ZX507.

You get:
120 levels of volume control and low/high gain adjustments
A more responsive user interface
Modern Streaming app support
Faster Wifi
Better physical buttons(more tactile)
About 3x more power output on single ended.
Balanced output which really does sound really magical with Sony IEMs.
Much deeper and more stronger bass.
A much smoother mids and a more richer sounding treble.
Adjustment of bass response via DC Phase Linearizer
3D(height) soundstage with DSEE HX
Equalizer that does scale up and down more noticeably
AAC and Aptx HD Bluetooth.
Almost near instant boot time.
Database don't require updating each time you power up.
Much more lighter and fits in any small pockets
Charges much faster via USB-PD(it takes 30mins to get from 5% to 50%)
USB-C uni-direction ease of plugging

What you lose:
A smaller screen
Less Battery time and standby time isn't as solid as ZX2(it loses % more per day)
No search function

disagree w this tbh

tried Z1R and M9 on balanced vs non-balanced for ZX500, SP1000M and SE100

literally no difference apart from the volume being alot lower on balanced (ZX500)

can u elaborate what the audible differences are if any

 

[ranfan]

I tried the WM1Z, and N6ii recently. And found that the 1Z has a clearer sound, and more details. Leaner in the mids, and somewhat brighter in the upper. The ZX507 in comparison sounded less forward, thicker, warmer, but with quicker smaller bass. The treble is also less brighter. And compared to the N6ii, the ZX507 sounded also warmer, and less natural. The N6ii sounded higher in resolution, cleaner, sweeter and has a larger soundstage. The ZX507 sounded more laidback in comparison. YMMV

 

[sander93]

disagree w this tbh

tried Z1R and M9 on balanced vs non-balanced for ZX500, SP1000M and SE100

literally no difference apart from the volume being alot lower on balanced (ZX500)

can u elaborate what the audible differences are if any

i listened to ak se100 and sony wm1A with my mdr 1Am2. wm sounded perfectly except I can't add bass through EQ when I listened to hip-hop, like I can do on my iphone.
ak 100 had the same problem of dead EQ. overall it sounded not impressive at all. moreover, on high volume music sounded clogged and awful like on iphone. both players are too big to be put in a pocket. ak has also idiotic design with sharp edges.
people here say that zx500 is a clear improvement of zx300 in terms of SQ, and it sounds almost as good as wm1A.

 

[Focux]

i listened to ak se100 and sony wm1A with my mdr 1Am2. wm sounded perfectly except I can't add bass through EQ when I listened to hip-hop, like I can do on my iphone.
ak 100 had the same problem of dead EQ. overall it sounded not impressive at all. moreover, on high volume music sounded clogged and awful like on iphone. both players are too big to be put in a pocket. ak has also idiotic design with sharp edges.
people here say that zx500 is a clear improvement of zx300 in terms of SQ, and it sounds almost as good as wm1A.

I def don’t doubt that the 500 is a clear improvement to 300

 

[fish1050]

Luckily I have a Sony spot in Tenafly NJ near me that can swap a battery if needed.

Are you sure they will swap it? My A17 needed a battery replacement after 18 months as battery life dropped to less than 50%. Sony recommends replacing the battery when charge life drops below 50%. It was this fact that allowed me to get it done under warranty, as I got a two year warranty for free when I bought the unit. Sony Canada had me ship it to them and sent me a replacement unit as they said they could not replace the battery. Sony stopped selling portable gear with replaceable batteries in 2013 or so they told me when I contacted them about the battery issue. If it isn't under warranty a battery replacement can be pretty expensive. You should confirm that the place near you will in fact handle a battery replacement, not all Sony stores and service centres can do it, and most are 3rd party repair shops now. Sony charges a premium for batteries and you would have to pay for shipping both ways. Sony like most manufacturers now don't have repair centres in all countries anymore let alone all major cities. It makes little to sense to spend alot on a battery replacement for a $300 DAP. Better to put the money into a new unit in alot of cases.

You also don't see manufacturer extended warranties anymore. I got the extra year warranty from a Sony store in Toronto back in 2014 and they are all gone now. Consumer electronics are often cheaper to replace than to try and service them especially portable audio gear. There is a risk of damage just trying to open these devices now as they are very tightly sealed. I had to ship a unit to Cowon in China once, it took me two tries to ship it as it was returned the first time by FedEX as Cowon never picked it up from the local depot. After almost a year and nearly $100 out of pocket they unit was never properly fixed and I had to eat it. That experience is why I never buy imported audio products anymore. Once a warranty expires a manufacturer has no obligation to fix a product and if they do it is only because they can make a profit from doing it. I sold audio gear from a shop in Toronto that use to service audio gear for alot of other dealers. I saw first hand how customers can get gauged on often simple repairs like a battery replacement out of warranty.

 

[Sonywalkmanuser]

The reason why I say Sony walkman sounds best with sony iems is that the pairing strikes a excellent balance between tempo, speed, detail, cripsiness and smoothness. Soundstage is also 3D like with the DSEE HX upsampling.

With the combination of IER-M9 and ZX507 on balanced, you just forget you are listening to 2 channel stereo as it feels so enveloping with elements of music coming at you from all directions.

The amazing live energy from this song is something you have to experience on zx507+dsee hx with ier-m9. It makes you feel as if you are directly in the audience listening to the concert.

I am listen to the iTunes version of it:
https://music.apple.com/cy/music-vi...i-15th-anniversary-tour-a-best-live/727470393

Similar version: