[rtar]

And you may like others later.

There are other mods?...............that may be too much information!

 

[Redcarmoose]

There are numerous.

 

[rtar]

There are numerous.

Are they listed and described in any one spot or would I have to read through all 276 posts of this thread?

 

[unifutomaki]

Are they listed and described in any one spot or would I have to read through all 276 posts of this thread?

As far as I know, for the A50 series, the MrWalkman firmwares will get you sorted. Of course, MrWalkman releases updated/improved versions of these mods from time to time that you can try. The A50Z and FEv2 are the latest available right now for the A50, but the Dawn/Midnight pair will probably be released down the line.

 

[rtar]

As far as I know, for the A50 series, the MrWalkman firmwares will get you sorted. Of course, MrWalkman releases updated/improved versions of these mods from time to time that you can try. The A50Z and FEv2 are the latest available right now for the A50, but the Dawn/Midnight pair will probably be released down the line.

Phew.....I'm relieved. I don't want to take more time auditioning mods than actually listening to music.

 

[unifutomaki]

Phew.....I'm relieved. I don't want to take more time auditioning mods than actually listening to music.

I mean, to be clear, I already liked the sound of my stock A55 when I had one (before I came across a deal I couldn't pas sup on a ZX300 and jumped over to that). I think that in this hobby, enjoying the music is more important than min-maxing gear Playing with these firmwares can help you get more out of your equipment, but I wouldn't advise obsessing over it!

 

[Cherub]

Some info on how this player will be used: I will use iems (I generally prefer V shape) exclusively and listen to music while engaged usually in an outdoor activity (cycling, skiing, running). The only exception might be using it in a car. It will not be used for critical listening enjoying music indoors. Based on this some may question why I even need a mod. My answer would be that even though I'm not being lost in my music, savoring each and every note, I still want it to sound as best as it can to me. Would any of this shed more light on recommending one mod over the other?

Can you give us more informations on the iems you will use with it and what genre do you listen to ?
Maybe some here have the same gear and could help you to know with which fw to start

On my side, I prefer the A50Z Classic (for now...) because the warmer tuning works better (to me) with the Yume which are the ones I mostly use and it gives that "little something" when I listen to orchestral music or piano solo and is really nice on other genres.
You notice this is very personnal and some others would prefer to hear more details on the same genre and would use FEv2 Plus which may suit them better with their gear.

Edit: I have just received my K371 which can be considered "neutral" being tuned against Harman target curve. Will see if A50Z stays my prefered one.

 

[Kalnet101]

Having used the FEv2 on my A50 so far, I'm really loving it!

FEv2 (plus) fits really well with my Starfield and it made it sang with the songs I'm listening to. This part of the firmware mod really made me felt like i'm listening to my kpop songs and some video game soundtracks (Splatoon specifically) for the first time and enjoying it very much. It's my current go-to at the moment.

As for the Tin HiFi T3, the stock and the FEv2 (Plus) still had sibilance in the vocals and highs. But with just the FEv2 (Classic), it reduces it a tad and I was able to listen more comfortably during the highs and vocal sibilance in most of the songs when I have it with me.

In terms of some minor sound comparison from the time I listened with the ibasso dx120 before I got the A50. Using the FEv2, the A50 felt more dynamic and more fun to listen to since the dx120 felt more like a neutral player to me. A few things that I miss from the dx120 was how wide the soundstage was, the bass, and a few of a better clarity in some songs. The resolution felt a touch better as well but not much. As much as I liked how great the sound and how powerful it was in the dx120, I'm pretty happy with the A50 FEv2. The sound difference is not much when you're in casual listening mode.

 

[perky2]

Does stock revert put the Walkman back to factory Sony firmware as it was or does it change the charging icon behaviour as I read previously?

 

[nc8000]

Does stock revert put the Walkman back to factory Sony firmware as it was or does it change the charging icon behaviour as I read previously?

Stock revert takes you back to Sony standard fw

 

[rtar]

I mean, to be clear, I already liked the sound of my stock A55 when I had one (before I came across a deal I couldn't pas sup on a ZX300 and jumped over to that). I think that in this hobby, enjoying the music is more important than min-maxing gear Playing with these firmwares can help you get more out of your equipment, but I wouldn't advise obsessing over it!

Good point!

 

[rtar]

Can you give us more informations on the iems you will use with it and what genre do you listen to ?
Maybe some here have the same gear and could help you to know with which fw to start

On my side, I prefer the A50Z Classic (for now...) because the warmer tuning works better (to me) with the Yume which are the ones I mostly use and it gives that "little something" when I listen to orchestral music or piano solo and is really nice on other genres.
You notice this is very personnal and some others would prefer to hear more details on the same genre and would use FEv2 Plus which may suit them better with their gear.

Edit: I have just received my K371 which can be considered "neutral" being tuned against Harman target curve. Will see if A50Z stays my prefered one.

Because of how I will use the A55 (outside activities) my iem's are rather inexpensive i.e. TFZ exclusive 5, KZ AS10, CCA-C12 + ~ten or more others that I don't use anymore (Two that I absolutely regret buying are the FinderX1 and the RevoNext RN-QT2). For the money that I've spent on these relatively inexpensive iems, I probably should have invested in a few really good ones, however making a $50 mistake is not as bad as making a $300 or more mistake (I never liked the hassle of selling my old iems...they just get stored away in a drawer). Also, I'm a sucker for reviews that say something like "You can't get a better sound from these $30 iems for under $200!"

I prefer Rock music. especially garage band rock. I don't care for disco, hip hop, or the standards (Sinatra, Dean Martin, etc), or Jazz.

I like my iems to sound full (not tinny, or lacking), energetic and thumping with a driving beat (Gimme Some Lovin by the Spencer Davis Group can sound great with the right iems)....I'm not sure if I'm a basehead, but I may be close.

​

 

[rtar]

Having used the FEv2 on my A50 so far, I'm really loving it!

FEv2 (plus) fits really well with my Starfield and it made it sang with the songs I'm listening to. This part of the firmware mod really made me felt like i'm listening to my kpop songs and some video game soundtracks (Splatoon specifically) for the first time and enjoying it very much. It's my current go-to at the moment.

As for the Tin HiFi T3, the stock and the FEv2 (Plus) still had sibilance in the vocals and highs. But with just the FEv2 (Classic), it reduces it a tad and I was able to listen more comfortably during the highs and vocal sibilance in most of the songs when I have it with me.

In terms of some minor sound comparison from the time I listened with the ibasso dx120 before I got the A50. Using the FEv2, the A50 felt more dynamic and more fun to listen to since the dx120 felt more like a neutral player to me. A few things that I miss from the dx120 was how wide the soundstage was, the bass, and a few of a better clarity in some songs. The resolution felt a touch better as well but not much. As much as I liked how great the sound and how powerful it was in the dx120, I'm pretty happy with the A50 FEv2. The sound difference is not much when you're in casual listening mode.

From your description, I think I may prefer the A50.

 

[Cherub]

Because of how I will use the A55 (outside activities) my iem's are rather inexpensive i.e. TFZ exclusive 5, KZ AS10, CCA-C12 + ~ten or more others that I don't use anymore (Two that I absolutely regret buying are the FinderX1 and the RevoNext RN-QT2). For the money that I've spent on these relatively inexpensive iems, I probably should have invested in a few really good ones, however making a $50 mistake is not as bad as making a $300 or more mistake (I never liked the hassle of selling my old iems...they just get stored away in a drawer). Also, I'm a sucker for reviews that say something like "You can't get a better sound from these $30 iems for under $200!"

I prefer Rock music. especially garage band rock. I don't care for disco, hip hop, or the standards (Sinatra, Dean Martin, etc), or Jazz.

I like my iems to sound full (not tinny, or lacking), energetic and thumping with a driving beat (Gimme Some Lovin by the Spencer Davis Group can sound great with the right iems)....I'm not sure if I'm a basehead, but I may be close.

​

Based on that I would start with FEv2 but it is not much work to test both ! Just keep one for some time (like a week) and then switch to the another.
Like this you will be sure of your choice !

 

[captblaze]

Based on that I would start with FEv2 but it is not much work to test both ! Just keep one for some time (like a week) and then switch to the another.
Like this you will be sure of your choice !

if you confuse your brain figuring all of this out. re flash to version 2.0 of the factory firmware for a few days and start anew