[457139]

but do you think the r5 the sound is better than zx507?

I have both and the R5 isn’t in the same league as the ZX507 in terms of sound quality

 

[AlternativeNose1]

My original post mentioned WM Player says it's 352.8KHz MQA, but through Android log from NW507 says the output sampling rate is 88.2KHz.

Let me figure out what is happening. Thanks for highlighting.

That is odd.

It's been a long time since I did Android development, so I'm not sure which log it is/how to get it to compare.

If you can record your headphone output into a spectrogram it would prove it one way or the other. If your sampling rate is 88.2kHz, you would only see up to 44.1kHz on the spectrogram. If you can tell me which song/album it is I could try it for you?

 

[ac67]

That is odd.

It's been a long time since I did Android development, so I'm not sure which log it is/how to get it to compare.

If you can record your headphone output into a spectrogram it would prove it one way or the other. If your sampling rate is 88.2kHz, you would only see up to 44.1kHz on the spectrogram. If you can tell me which song/album it is I could try it for you?

I dont have a recorder thus I cant verify using spectrogram.
I get the value from dumpsys media.audio_flinger

The MQA file is here:
http://www.lindberg.no/hires/mqa-2018/2L-145_01_stereo.mqa.flac

 

[TubeStack]

I used to own M11 Pro and now I own ZX507. I also have FH7 with a balanced cable. I agree with what krumplib430 said about the sound signature. ZX507 sounds warmer and its lower frequencies are more pleasent to my ear.

Both players have pros and cons. And if you are deciding which one to get, it probably makes sense to focus on what is more important to you. I personally decided to keep the ZX507.

M11 Pro definetely wins in terms of the battery life. But as others mentioned, the bulky size and weight are the price to pay. The bigger or smaller size can be good or bad depending on what is more important to you. With the bigger size, in addition to the longer battery life, you also get a bigger touch screen which makes it easier to use the OS and apps and it even allows you to watch movies. But you lose portability which is a big factor for me. I also found it more difficult to use the M11 Pro in one hand. Although I can understand the size compromize, I don't appreciate the design and sharp corners and edges of M11 Pro. ZX507 is simply more comfortable to hold and easier to use when traveling or commuting.

Originally, I thought the volume wheel was a cool idea. I thought I could change the volume quickly with nice clicky feedback. But now I feel like it takes more effort to adjust the volume using the wheel on the M11 Pro than the buttons on the Sony. Also the volume wheel location on the left side is questionable as I am right handed. This is all subjective of course. One may prefer the volume wheel.

The location of the usb and audio ports is different on both players. I find it strange to have a USB port on a side. Bit I don't really have a strong opinion about this. The quality of the ports seem a bit better on M11 Pro subjectively.

I find it strange nobody complains about the crackling/popping/static noise when hitting the play button on both players. The nature of this noise is different on both players and I can hear it with any headphones. I think it has to do with some sort of hardware sound processing which is somehow picked up and ends up in the signal. On M11 Pro, it sounded like the crackling noise similar to a vinyl record effect, and I could hear it when starting or skipping tracks. Fiio support explained it has to do with the sudden change in signal. I thought ZX507 would not have this problem. Unfortunetely it does, only it's different. Not sure exactly how to describe it. It's as if a signal cable is connected to another signal cable producing some sort of electrostatic toggle noise. I can hear it right before playing any DSD or 44kHz flac or mp3 files. Oddly, it does not occur when playing 96/192kHz tracks or when skipping tracks of any format. Maybe it's something that can be fixed on the firmware level ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. Not sure if I am just nitpicking.

Not a deal breaker, but it's worth mentioning that M11 Pro may get much warmer than ZX507.

I also appreciate Android 9 on ZX507 unlike Android 7 on M11 Pro.

Regarding downsampling, I tried other player apps and I am not sure how to confirm this. For example, I installed Omnia and it sounds fantastic. I can't tell if Omnia is downsampling. To me it sounds the same as the native app. So maybe it depends on a particular app, or maybe my ears can't recognize lower quality sound, I am not sure. And it doesn't have the cracking toggle noise the native player app has. Not to mention the better UI/UX. Also, all the Sony sound filters and equalizer are picked up by Omnia (and probably other installed player apps too) without pausing the playback which is super nice.

What I like about M11 Pro
- Good sound quality
- More output power than ZX507
- Longer battery life than ZX507
- More affordable than ZX507
- USB DAC mode unlike ZX507
- Bigger screen size than ZX507
- Native player app supports more audio formats than ZX507
- Fiio link
- Awesome customer support
- Fast UI
- Native player app UI/UX

What I don't like about M11 Pro
- Useless app equalizer
- Buggy native player app
- Volume wheel location
- Weird location of the power button
- Bulky
- Sharp edges
- Finger print magnet
- Android 7
- Gets warm
- Slight crackling noise right before playing audio tracks
- No accelerometer
- No vibration feedback effect when typing
- Fragile

What I like about ZX507
- Good sound quality and pleasent warm sound signature
- Software equaliser and other sound filters
- Lighter, smaller, and much more portable than M11 Pro
- Rounded edges unlike M11 Pro and more comfortable to hold than M11 Pro
- Android 9
- Bluetooth 5
- Fast UI

What I don't like about ZX507
- Smaller screen size
- Shorter battery life than M11 Pro
- Not impressive output power
- Native player app UI/UX could be better
- Native player app supports fewer audio formats than M11 Pro
- Electrostatic kind of noise anomaly right before playing DSD or 44kHz tracks
- Downsampling if not using the native player app (based on what I read - not sure how to confirm this)
- No USB DAC mode
- Questionable location of the USB port
- More expensive than M11 Pro
- Fragile SD card slot
- Unnecessary useless hold button (does not block the screen/power button)
- No vibration feedback effect when typing
- Not very distinguishable physical buttons
- Lowest brightness level is too bright
- Hard to type text on a small size screen

Overall, I prefer ZX507 over M11 Pro mainly because of its sound signature and more portable size.

I understand some of the points may seem like nitpicking and are not necessarily worth mentioning especially things like the vibration effect. Nevertheless, I thought I would write my thoughts about how I feel about these two players.

Thanks for this detailed review. I have an M11 Pro but am not entirely happy with it. I’m considering the ZX507 instead.

The M11P sounds great but has some very annoying quirks that are unacceptable in its price range (often skips first second or two of a song, buggy Fiio music player, extremely buggy UAPP app and Tidal streaming).

 

[Sonywalkmanuser]

ZX507 on the new firmware doesn't sound warm like before. Still trying to get used to the new sound signature since I listen so much to the older firmware warmer sound.

 

[briant4pres]

ZX507 on the new firmware doesn't sound warm like before. Still trying to get used to the new sound signature since I listen so much to the older firmware warmer sound.

This is such non-sense. Every-time a new firmware comes out for a DAP people think there is some grand conspiracy where the sound signature is changed. Your brain is playing tricks on you.

 

[Sonywalkmanuser]

Pretty sure there are 3 users here that have heard changes in sound in the new firmware.

 

[Sonywalkmanuser]

It's pretty simple for me to know if the sound signature has change. I have a playlist that I play back daily. The first track I know I have always start listening at volume 60 on high gain that's the loudest I can tolerate for that song's peak loudness.

After the firmware update. I find that I have to reduce the volume down to volume 55 as I find the treble/loudness to be unbearable on the same song.

 

[457139]

It's pretty simple for me to know if the sound signature has change. I have a playlist that I play back daily. The first track I know I have always start listening at volume 60 on high gain that's the loudest I can tolerate for that song's peak loudness.

After the firmware update. I find that I have to reduce the volume down to volume 55 as I find the treble/loudness to be unbearable on the same song.

Oh, then I’m not updating. F that. Tonality on this DAP is perfect rn and much more important to me than to be able to use other android apps or stream.
TG I saw this. I was in the middle of downloading the update and canceled it after reading this. Ty!

 

[psikey]

Oh, then I’m not updating. F that. Tonality on this DAP is perfect rn and much more important to me than to be able to use other android apps or stream.
TG I saw this. I was in the middle of downloading the update and canceled it after reading this. Ty!

Golden rule, don't believe everyones opinions online. Some may really have far more sensitive/discerning hearing, or just pseudo/mind games hearing.

 

[457139]

Golden rule, don't believe everyones opinions on line.

Well yeah, but the tonality is important enough to me that I will at least wait for more opinions before updating, particularly since I wouldn’t be able to go back to a previous firmware

 

[Sonywalkmanuser]

Well yeah, but the tonality is important enough to me that I will at least wait for more opinions before updating, particularly since I wouldn’t be able to go back to a previous firmware

From what I read from your post previously, I highly recommend for you to hold back upgrading this firmware. You might not like the sound signature of this new firmware. Best to find another zx507 buddy with this firmware in your area and listen first before you upgrade. The new search feature on the walkman app is nice to have but not essential.

Sony seems to have reduced the mid bass boost in the previous firmware, which helps improve how the bassy sounding 1AM2 will sound on zx507. Now 1am2 sounds just right on the bass with the new firmware.

I find that they have increased detail in the female vocal. Piano sounds bright but it can be edging toward very bright sounding. I think those on the IER-M9 will hear their super tweeter more often now.

It's a nice sound for those who like detail but also could be worse for those who really like the warmer sounding V1.21 firmware.

 

[briant4pres]

This is just silly, telling people not to update there fw which dramatically improves performance because of a completely unfounded claim (sony mentions no sq signature changes in fw notes)

 

[Sonywalkmanuser]

This is just silly, telling people not to update there fw which dramatically improves performance because of a completely unfounded claim (sony mentions no sq signature changes in fw notes)

Just put me on your ignore list thanks

 

[psikey]

This is just silly, telling people not to update there fw which dramatically improves performance because of a completely unfounded claim (sony mentions no sq signature changes in fw notes)

Or worse, Sony are making these changes with no regard for the buyer.

Its akin to buying a car for its 0-60 in 3s and its skitish/lively handling, for them to retune at service with a smoother transition throughout the range. Too late to return car then!

Wasn't there a similar change widely report with a 1A firmware update back in the day that many didn't like initially?

I DAP should have a known signature.