Sony Walkman custom firmware (non-Android)

[casimirobukayo]

Hello anyone owns wm1a & ier-z1r? What is better, midnight or dawn? Thanks

 

[merkster]

Hello anyone owns wm1a & ier-z1r? What is better, midnight or dawn? Thanks

Have both. I’ve tried Midnight as well as Dawn — stuck with Midnight as I found Dawn a bit too bright for the IER-Z1R.

 

[nc8000]

Hello anyone owns wm1a & ier-z1r? What is better, midnight or dawn? Thanks

I prefer midnight om my 1Z but the better is the one you like best

 

[Gamerlingual]

 

[RONJA MESCO]

Midnight + would probably be the best for me. It provides the feeling of listening to live performance but with the added smoothness and analogue. It’s weird because after listening for quite a while, it doesn’t feel dark like Project Z. It feels alive, not dead, not hifi. Yet in terms of technicalities, it’s probably at the top of its game, compared to previous iterations

Well said. Its a blend of sorts.

 

[RONJA MESCO]

The whole thing is just to end up happy. Yet we are all too fast to judge. I just went and did a cable and tip change. It’s funny as I have a grip on what’s happening. Still new, I’m listening to an ever so slightly different experience, yet I know in time all will be well. It is waiting the half hour or half day or full day for stuff to align again.

Not only new tips and cable but I’ve also switched to the 1A from the 1Z. So eventually l’ll get there. Not only that but the cable I wanted to use is 3.5mm instead of 4.4mm.

So I’ve changed up three things and actually four if you count the move from Midnight to Midnight Plus. So the tips work on another pair of IEMs with the cable being especially nice with the other IEMs.

It is all just taking time to be confident all will work out. What we do is jump to conclusions where it is actually a game of adaptation, which takes time. It is not about what you just heard as being the end all, end all. It is a fact that we all have to learn to give us credit as to what if. What if the sound that we thought we didn’t like would maybe be “OK” in the end. And to have confidence that was has happened is small changes and that we CAN adapt.


But it is also doing 4 changes at once that makes you not know the outcome. You can’t figure out where all the tone changes are from. You actually can’t judge any one thing. Which is good!

Yeah true...these mods are coming so fast, I barely have settled in with one before I download the next. Either way, it puts a smile on my face I'm getting enjoyment out of going alot further with my gear than planned. It rare air we need more of in this hobby and for all the casheesh we spend .

 

[Redcarmoose]

Yeah true...these mods are coming so fast, I barely have settled in with one before I download the next. Either way, it puts a smile on my face I'm getting enjoyment out of going alot further with my gear than planned. It rare air we need more of in this hobby and for all the casheesh we spend .

10X.

 

[WilcoRoger]

Funny how they put the Focal on a Senn stand

PS - I miss my many trips to Tokyo

 

[homesickmadmax]

I just bought the NW-A55 and I really look forward to try this firmware! I have for the moment a Hiby R3 but I am not satisfied as I prefer warmer sounding.

 

[Montyl]

I tried new Midnight (Classic and Plus) FW from MrWalkman with my sony WM1Z 3.02 on J Region. While sound is clean and full in upper midrange and highs, I heavily lack low midrange and midbass. It sound very unnatural with male vocal - very thin. Piano also sound thin and loose its body with this fw. Probably good combination for HD650 headphones with overboosted midbass as somebody mentioned in discussion, but not good for neutral headphones.

Subbass is perfect, but bass/low midrange is very light. I tried to boost EQ at 125, 250, 500Hz and it improved the body, but I dont like to use EQ in DAPs.
This is comparison to stock sony 3.02 fw - which sound signaure is not ideal too.

But Big thank to MrWalkman for his job with FW modifications of course.

 

[Queen6]

I tried new Midnight (Classic and Plus) FW from MrWalkman with my sony WM1Z 3.02 on J Region. While sound is clean and full in upper midrange and highs, I heavily lack low midrange and midbass. It sound very unnatural with male vocal - very thin. Piano also sound thin and loose its body with this fw. Probably good combination for HD650 headphones with overboosted midbass as somebody mentioned in discussion, but not good for neutral headphones.

Subbass is perfect, but bass/low midrange is very light. I tried to boost EQ at 125, 250, 500Hz and it improved the body, but I dont like to use EQ in DAPs.
This is comparison to stock sony 3.02 fw - which sound signaure is not ideal too.

But Big thank to MrWalkman for his job with FW modifications of course.

Try changing the region to U, that should boost the lower midrange, you'll also get lift at around 8K.

Q-6

 

[Montyl]

My previous review of Midnight FW is made on SE 3.5 Out.

Now I tried Midnight FW with BAL Out and it is much better than SE 3.5 Out and not harsh and fatigue on BAL. There is more body in BAL. Very interesting finding!
Stock sony FW is harsh and fatigue on BAL and SE 3.5 is much better with stock FW - no fatigue! With stock FW there is more body with SE 3.5.

Midnight FW vs stock FW = true oposite of quality and body between SE and BAL Outs.
All outs were tested in high gain mode.

 

[Montyl]

Try changing the region to U, that should boost the lower midrange, you'll also get lift at around 8K.

Q-6

I tried all regions but J and CEV are the best in my opinion. J with Midnight FW is the most close to my old 1989 Sony R2R DAC which imho (despite only 16-bits!) has better sound timbre, detail and fluidity than modern sony WM1Z.

 

[hamhamhamsta]

My previous review of Midnight FW is made on SE 3.5 Out.

Now I tryed Midnight FW with BAL Out and it is much better than SE 3.5 Out and not harsh and fatugue on BAL. There is more body in BAL. Very interesting finding!
Stock sony FW is harsh and fatigue on BAL and SE 3.5 is much better with stock FW - no fatigue! With stock FW there is more body with SE 3.5.

Midnight FW vs stock FW = true oposite of quality and body between SE and BAL Outs.
All outs were tested in high gain mode.

A game changer for WM1A/Z with Mr Walkman fws

*Turn off Direct Sound
*Tone Control all no
change/0
*Turn on DSSEE HX/ DSEE
AI On
*Dynamic Normalizer Off -
normalize volume btw tracks at the expense of dynamics/PRAT
*Vinyl Processor - up to you
*DC Phase Lineazer:
Type A - affect mid bass,
higher or lower octave
Type B - affect sub bass,
higher or lower octave


- I use region J, Vinyl Processor - standard, while DC Phase Lineaser - type low B since I usually use warmer IEMs and like subbass, but different people use diff combinations, depending on preferences and their iems/ cables


The huge game changer is turning DSEEHX AI on. This is the secret sauce; it makes lower MP3, even FLAC sounds really really really good. You’ll get why so many people are raving Mr Walkman fws, especially the last few iterations. Another thing, Mr Walkman fws seems to extend bass to its lowest and treble to its highest, while Sony fws seems to cut off somewhere

Try this, it’s a gamechanger

 

[Queen6]

I tried all regions but J and CEV are the best in my opinion. J with Midnight FW is the most close to my old 1989 Sony R2R DAC which imho (despite only 16-bits!) has better sound timbre, detail and fluidity than modern sony WM1Z.

Feel that, as I also have an R2R player. My WM1A is now back to stock Sony 3.02 on region E, I'll give it some time for me to adjust then load FEv2 again. Dawn, Midnight & Project Z all have some reverb issues on Plus mode which I want to take advantage of with the increased power output.


Q-6