[nc8000]

Yeah, and Bluetooth Receiver sounds perfectly fine if I want to stream something from my smartphone.

Indeed

 

[HeyManslowdown97]

Circuit design is really important to great sound so if they found a great chip and focused there effort on making everything else great they lower the cost and make a great product but that depends highly on the chip which I don't know if it's good or not.

The chips that they used in the DMP-Z1 is amazing: the Akm4497eq. It’s also a Japanese/US audio company and the time the DMP-Z1 was made it had the world’s lowest THD+N. These chips have a really nice warm “velvet sound” to them when implemented correctly. They aren’t extremely fussy and you can get away with a lot of imperfections or shortcuts and they will still sound great. In fact, there’s a budget Diy version dap that uses these chip and they are pretty mod friendly called ZISHAN DSD which has a huge following on head-fi forums and other places.

Although it is shady when you pay such a high price. But even hifi companies that produce great external DACs outsource chips from companies that specializes on that rather than trying making everything great by themselves

I would agree with you if the circuit was R2R bit perfect circuitry but Delta Sigma Dacs are cheaper to make and it’s what these DAC chips are meant for. You’d be surprised how cheap it is to mod when you know what you are doing. The overhead to hardware isn’t as expensive as you think. It’s really the implementation of circuitry to work with the firmware and their custom DSP they develop is what companies build their reputation on along with design, sound and ease-of-use. 8 grand is way too much when you know how little it actually cost for the specs used in the circuit design. Often companies like Sony or Ashton and Kern will make it extremely difficult to see the circuit designs because they can be copied very easily.
However, like firmware mods there is a higher risk of bricking a dap if the firmware doesn’t recognize or rejects the hardware mods even when it’s build from scratch much like building your own PC...

 

[HeyManslowdown97]

I don’t think Sony will have a choice in the matter because the audio market has become really competitive. I’ve read that many (let’s called them “Sony Haters) say they’d get = or better sound results with a dongle high res converter like ibasso dc03 that have akm chips in them and cost anywhere from 50-100 bucks I believe so you can stream directly from your smartphone without compromise. The same is true about smartphones maker like LG that have high res dac chips in them like the ESS Sable ones in the V30 series (I believe that’s the name)

 

[gerelmx1986]

I like how S-master does dsp like volume control, effects like EQ all in the digital domain before the analog conversion. Unlike traditional Dac they must convert to analogue before applying eq or volume control

 

[HeyManslowdown97]

I like how S-master does dsp like volume control, effects like EQ all in the digital domain before the analog conversion. Unlike traditional Dac they must convert to analogue before applying eq or volume control

They apply noise shaping digital filters not dsp because all sigma delta dacs only read 1 bit or multibit at 8 or higher. The circuit design creates the low pass filters, etc. It’s a different concept altogether. Dsp like eq or digital volume controls is applied before it hits the analog board via the clocks so it’s more of an Arm semiconductor process not a dac chip one then it sends the digital signal to the analog board. Only Volume controlled analog circuit chips are controlled by the analog board usually with a physical nob. There’s debates about which is better I personally don’t see a difference. Only that physical move gives you more control of the output stage. DSD Is the only digital format that “reads” like analog. PCM must be converted from binary information into sound.

 

[gerelmx1986]

They apply noise shaping digital filters not dsp because all sigma delta dacs only read 1 bit or multibit at 8 or higher. The circuit design creates the low pass filters, etc. It’s a different concept altogether. Dsp is applied before it hits the analog board via the clocks so it’s more of an Arm semiconductor process not a dac chip one then it sends the digital signal to the analog board. DSD Is the only digital format that “reads” like analog. PCM must be converted from binary information into sound.

That's why I like DSD, pcm doesn't sound quite right after you hear DSD

 

[HeyManslowdown97]

That's why I like DSD, pcm doesn't sound quite right after you hear DSD

Me too but that’s because sigma delta dacs read them natively. That said, PCM can sound great on these dacs even when it’s not native today’s semiconductor chips can handle the conversion with relative ease. I also like DoP even though a lot of purest DSD users have issues with the it not being purer.

PCM technically has a higher resolution at 24 bit and above. That why oversampling at a faster sampling makes DSD “high res” despite it being only 1 bit. PCM is also easier to edit files when mastering that’s why it’s the industry standard.

 

[lambrosk22]

So they are overpriced. And it's true if I made the same hardware the software wouldn't work as indented or would work at all. You could use any analog circuit for amplification but if you don't have a good dac chip digital sound is going to be bottleneck. The thing with digital sound is you are trying to create from binary something that is analog and there is always so much you can do to reach close to the real thing, that requires very huge amount of data or you could try various things to upscale the data with algorithms but even if sony claims that they can reach better quality than cd with those methods it's really not that well explained to the normal buyer they are just buzzwords to market a product. I personally believe that digital audio is really a mess so I'm investing my really high end products to be analog, I know that analog formats don't always are high Res or anything fancy and they are more expensive but I just love the felling it gives me even if 24bit audio file or any other thing can provide for . I still use them but when I m not really invested in the music for example I mostly use walkman to be just a portable player and when I just want to relax from a hard day I open my amps and watch the tubes warm up turn all the things up making everything ready for the music , is like a small ritual.

 

[Mindstorms]

HeyManslowdown97 coments maked me think
could be that my zx100 has a lower noise floor that my 1A via single ended? since it has less power output also? good question or trashy question i apreciate your feedback as
usual...

 

[MrWalkman]

I wanted to test the lyrics provided by Tidal, and they work just fine, with auto-scrolling and all.

The song is "Born in a War" by "Future Islands".

Of course, the .lrc file needs to have the same name as the song that is being played.

This is the content of the .lrc file:

Spoiler

[00:22.78] It's all so temporary
[00:27.21]
[00:31.06] Life's work, don't play that way
[00:35.51]
[00:38.93] Life's more than cash and carry
[00:42.68] All your guns, to your grave
[00:48.10]
[00:51.52] Is it too much to carry?
[00:55.76] Is it too much to ask you why?
[00:58.41] I have a sinking feeling, I know why
[01:05.48] I have a sinking feeling, I know
[01:14.64] Born to an insensitive fool
[01:17.66] You've been damned by
[01:21.77] You're scared
[01:24.12] When a strong man cries
[01:25.89] Is when a strong man dies
[01:28.21]
[01:30.43] Raised up in a town that's 80 proof
[01:33.28]
[01:37.93] Shotgun shells under every roof, every jail
[01:40.65]
[01:45.98] Didn't learn a lot from public schools
[01:53.82] All our books went off to wars, they could sell
[02:00.19]
[02:02.43] Is it too much to carry?
[02:07.65] Is it too much to run and hide?
[02:11.63] And what's too much to bury?
[02:15.50] Is it too much to ask you why?
[02:18.69] I have a sinking feeling, I know why
[02:25.39] I have a sinking feeling, I know
[02:31.89]
[02:34.47] Swore you an impossible dream
[02:37.87] You've been damned by
[02:42.03] You swear
[02:43.94] That when a strong man cries
[02:46.34] Is when a strong man dies
[02:49.73] You're scared
[02:51.98] That when a strong man cries
[02:54.19] Is when a strong man dies
[02:57.60]
[03:04.81] But a strong man cries
[03:08.82]
[03:13.14] A strong man cries
[03:17.77]
[03:19.90] Just look into this strong man's eyes
[03:24.67]
[03:27.97] Look into a strong man's eyes
[03:35.96] Look into a strong man's eyes
[03:41.17]
[03:44.08] Look into a strong man's eyes
[03:47.07] Raised up in a town that's 80 proof
[03:51.94] (Look into a strong man's eyes)
[03:54.31] Shotgun shells under every roof
[03:57.93] Bloody hell
[03:58.42]

 

[HeyManslowdown97]

could be that my zx100 has a lower noise floor that my 1A via single ended? since it has less power output also? good question or trashy question i apreciate your feedback as
usual...

No such thing as a stupid question in my opinion. In theory yes it’s true the more juice does increase floor noise in the signal. It’s the same with high gain as well but for different reasons. However, the power differences aren’t that huge between the two models so even there’s some noise it’s probably not detectable. So what this means is that some really sensitive iems or headphones you may hear a small hiss that can be annoying for some and not too bad for others. It’s like a cost benefit analysis where the small hiss in quite areas isn’t too bad for the benefits of having a better overall soundstage for power hungry iems or headphones.

This is why you read specssheet before you buy headphone or to match your favorite dac. The really good manufacturers will show you all the specs you will need before you make a purchase some don’t so it’s a guessing game.

What sounds better is subjective so specs may only be good on paper. In laymen’s terms is to trust your ears this isn’t an exact science and measurements alone will not necessary mean it sounds good!

Hope this helps!

 

[Dizzle77]

Only found out this mod existed by chance via an unrelated post. Never realised that I even needed this mod in my life, but I certainly do. 1A with Z7M2 taken to another level.

Excellent work @MrWalkman

 

[HeyManslowdown97]

Though companies like Hiby have been able to bodge together their own custom solution for Tidal, the only way in which Tidal is ever going to work offline on a DAP is if it is running Android. Sony doesn't have control over that, and to develop their own bespoke hires streaming service and lose millions because of it is more something the Sony of the 2000s would do.

Sony is already working with Tidel, Amazon, Deezer and many others to get their 360 Reality music to be on those streaming services. In fact, one of Amazon’s Alexa speakers already is 360 Reality Music capable. It’s inevitable unless miraculously Sony decided to make it’s Os rather than use Android.

(Sidenote: Although, an Apple/Sony collaboration could be good for both companies but that’s highly unlikely. So yea Android is coming to next Sony Flagship.)

(I’m assuming “hires” means rent so the high volume of streams would make Sony’s Stockholder very, very happy with more profits. Name of the game folks!)

It’s mentioned in this video:

 

[gerelmx1986]

I've read that 360 reality audio was meant to improve the 2D soundstage of.lossy codecs

 

[MrWalkman]

I've read that 360 reality audio was meant to improve the 2D soundstage of.lossy codecs

It's meant to create a live experience of a certain song, with things in the song having a certain placement around your head.