[MrWalkman]

Based on my experience with DMP-WM1 FE+, there doesn't seem to be less sub bass, but rather the whole bass area is rendered more precisely, and the sub bass can be more subtle. Of course, everything else is rendered beautifully as well, especially the improved resolving of the high frequencies, revealing more details while continuing to be as smooth and harshless as before.

My listening gear is Sony Z7M2, which is basically thundering when there is a lot of sub bass, like in certain ambient songs, for example, and Shure SE846, both driven from the balanced port - Z7M2 on high gain, Shure on low gain.

My Shure SE846 sounds better in the bass area, the bass being more clear and seemingly having more volume/being more present/having more quantity.

Well, everyone has their own experience. For people not using Direct Source too much, I advise trying to adjust the 32 Hz EQ band (and maybe 62 Hz).

 

[Damz87]

@MrWalkman kindly offered me early access to the FE+ firmware to test out and provide some feedback. Many thanks brother!

One big disclaimer - I’ve never tried the original FE firmware. I’m upgrading from DMP-WM1 Mk2 to FE+, so my perception of sound differences are probably more dramatic than someone who’s upgrading directly from FE.

For testing, I used Campfire Andromeda's (stock 3.5mm cable in high gain) which aren’t the most revealing IEM in my arsenal, however I've been listening to them a lot recently so their sound characteristics are fresh in my mind. Synergy is king in this hobby as I’m sure you all already know, and this firmware upgrade certainly plays well with the already excellent synergy between the Andromeda and WM1Z. For reference, the Andromeda has a slight V-shaped/U-shaped sound signature.

Starting with bass, contrary to some other impressions of FE+, I have zero complaints about bass quantity. To me the bass sounds excellent and better balanced with the rest of the sound signature. I actually prefer this bass presentation compared to previous firmware iterations I’ve tried. There seems to be a slight reduction in the mid bass compared to Mk2 which helps clean up some of the excessive bass warmth and the result is a more precise slam with a greater sense of detail and nuance. Sub bass extension is still as deep as my hearing can go and I hear more rumble which I suspect is by virtue of the reduced mid bass bloom.

The midrange is where I hear the greatest difference compared to Mk2. The mids sound more forward compared to previous firmwares I’ve tried. A by-product of the forward mids is a narrowing of soundstage width perception, but this brings a better sense of stage depth to my ears. I personally prefer more forward mid presentations with a bit of stage width reduction, as I feel like I can pick up more microdetails and nuances in vocals and midrange instruments. This works especially well with Andromeda’s to balance out their sound signature.

Moving up to treble, I can hear a heavier note weight density and refinement in the lower to mid treble region compared to Mk2, but I do feel like there’s a slight reduction in the upper treble frequencies. That could just be a by-product of the more forward mids? I’m not sure exactly. However with that said, the treble region overall still sounds quite energetic and airy, coupled with a beautiful sense of musicality and flow.

Overall, I hear a great sense of fullness and weight to each note across the FR, and a much more resolved midrange which creates a beautifully natural, organic and realistic perception to my music. The forward mids make the stage presentation slightly narrower however I feel this is a worthwhile sacrifice for a more realistic and detailed sound.

I am really enjoying the differences I am hearing and will be keeping the FE+ installed on my WM1Z I think @MrWalkman has done a fantastic job with this update and I’d encourage anyone with a WM1 Walkman to give it a shot and see if the new sound improvements work with their setup.

 

[chico playero]

Hi everyone
Since 1z thread is down I tough Id share it here too.

I am so proud

Mike just proved my opinion being right ! Haha

Wav files are the best ! Hahaha
There is no reason for flac other than convenience!

To my ears,WAV is the best format.I compared all the formats, and WAV seemed the most natural sound, air, definition,etc..However,trying to play WAV with the Sony machines was too difficult.Reluctantly,I converted all my files to AIFF.The sound is good, but less so than WAV,by a hair.Compatability issues are no longer a problem.I had an online chat with Rob Watts from Chord some years back,he's a strong advocate of WAV.

 

[Vitaly2017]

To my ears,WAV is the best format.I compared all the formats, and WAV seemed the most natural sound, air, definition,etc..However,trying to play WAV with the Sony machines was too difficult.Reluctantly,I converted all my files to AIFF.The sound is good, but less so than WAV,by a hair.Compatability issues are no longer a problem.I had an online chat with Rob Watts from Chord some years back,he's a strong advocate of WAV.

Wav is played well with sony daps, I had no issues with 1a 1z and zx507. Yes that is the thing not many will admit it and agree. But true ultimate audiophiles they all do know and keep it discreet and go with wav format! It is the most direct and unaltered files. Some of my friend who work in studios and they use only wav format and told me that even if you unpack a flac back into wav you still lose some data its not as genuine...

 

[WilcoRoger]

"Interesting" ideas, as unpacked flac is bit-perfect copy of the wav it was made from. Wav's advantaged is that it needs slightly less computing power (no uncompression) and thus slightly longer battery life at the cost of 2-3 times the storage needed

PS - wav has a max file-size of 4GB.

 

[unifutomaki]

"Interesting" ideas, as unpacked flac is bit-perfect copy of the wav it was made from. Wav's advantaged is that it needs slightly less computing power (no uncompression) and thus slightly longer battery life at the cost of 2-3 times the storage needed

PS - wav has a max file-size of 4GB.

Honestly, even MP3s can sound excellent when you're listening to music that you like on quality gear. I forget what format the file is in and just... get lost.

 

[Vitaly2017]

Honestly, even MP3s can sound excellent when you're listening to music that you like on quality gear. I forget what format the file is in and just... get lost.

That is why I love spotify so much even not high res but darn its good! Best edm ever all there with full discovering advantages

 

[normie610]

Honestly, even MP3s can sound excellent when you're listening to music that you like on quality gear. I forget what format the file is in and just... get lost.

Yes, the mastering quality is key. File type goes second.

 

[gerelmx1986]

Sony is clever to have "milled" or printed into the volume up and play/pause buttons a tactile raised dot. By feeling then I can orientated my self on the other buttons

 

[unifutomaki]

Sony is clever to have "milled" or printed into the volume up and play/pause buttons a tactile raised dot. By feeling then I can orientated my self on the other buttons

The ergonomics of Walkmen are pretty much spot on indeed. I also love the hold slider, unlike on competitors where you are never quite sure whether the buttons will respond when the screen is off or not because it's hidden in some setting somewhere.

 

[chico playero]

Wav is played well with sony daps, I had no issues with 1a 1z and zx507. Yes that is the thing not many will admit it and agree. But true ultimate audiophiles they all do know and keep it discreet and go with wav format! It is the most direct and unaltered files. Some of my friend who work in studios and they use only wav format and told me that even if you unpack a flac back into wav you still lose some data its not as genuine...

I ripped my CD collection,a couple of thousand or so to ALAC.Having heard WAV,I ripped the whole lot again.WAV files play fine on the Sony,but I couldn't get the files to transfer in categories under file headings.WAV also are impossible to tag with artwork.I'm about to rip the collection again, using a Melco D100.Meant to be the mutt's nuts of rippers, it better be! Anyhow,I need to get it right.We'll see.

 

[Vitaly2017]

I ripped my CD collection,a couple of thousand or so to ALAC.Having heard WAV,I ripped the whole lot again.WAV files play fine on the Sony,but I couldn't get the files to transfer in categories under file headings.WAV also are impossible to tag with artwork.I'm about to rip the collection again, using a Melco D100.Meant to be the mutt's nuts of rippers, it better be! Anyhow,I need to get it right.We'll see.

Use mp3Tag it works for me and all daps see my tags with wav's. You can even add arts...
Some daps just need you to rename the albumart with name as cover.jpg or in sony situation just name the coverart with same name as the folder and it will show your album covers

 

[Mindstorms]

I'm not sure how many of you noticed, but the visualizers are not that much in sync with the music that is being played - more precisely, the visualizers are slower.

I've seen where these delay values were stored, but I didn't really think too much about tinkering with them. However, I just did, after finding a way to do it easier, rather than just modifying the required part in the firmware, then packing the firmware, then waiting until the firmware flashes, and finally checking if the situation improved, only to find out that you need to adjust a bit more.

So now it's really nice to see the VU meters so in sync with the music (it also applies for the peak meter and spectrum visualizer).

Can you make it so we can select some yellow color on the highs? swich between yellow and red?

 

[Lookout57]

To my ears,WAV is the best format.I compared all the formats, and WAV seemed the most natural sound, air, definition,etc..However,trying to play WAV with the Sony machines was too difficult.Reluctantly,I converted all my files to AIFF.The sound is good, but less so than WAV,by a hair.Compatability issues are no longer a problem.I had an online chat with Rob Watts from Chord some years back,he's a strong advocate of WAV.

WAV and AIFF audio content is identical, uncompressed PCM. The only difference is that AIFF adds a wrapper for metadata/tag data,

 

[MrWalkman]

Some of my friend who work in studios and they use only wav format and told me that even if you unpack a flac back into wav you still lose some data its not as genuine...

Boss, I already provided proof that this is not true.

Have you even watched the video I made back then and which I posted on the 1A/1Z thread? I understand that he's your friend, and you trust him, but I just provided evidence that those claims are just false.

Let me describe again what happened in the video - I took a WAV file, and then I converted it to FLAC using the maximum compression level. I then took the new FLAC file and converted it back to WAV. The result was that the initial WAV and the WAV which was converted back from FLAC have zero differences between them.

I can go along with claims that it somehow sounds a little bit better, but FLAC is lossless (no loss). Notice how it says "no loss" and not "a bit of loss" - "lossless", without loss.

When clear evidence is provided but you continue to believe stuff just because someone said so, then that's where I draw the line, and my respect slowly starts to fade - not that it matters, I'm just a guy on the internet, of course.



Now, this discussion is already off-topic, so let's not start talking about music formats here. Everyone enjoy what you enjoy, and hopefully you're not just closing an eye to facts just because.