[aceedburn]

Good news!

After initial testing done by @aceedburn and @Lookout57, this is a success.

I thought I've bridged the gap between 1A and 1Z as much as possible, but it seems that there was something more.

It will take some days until this would be ready for release for 1A, so stay tuned.

I also have an idea related to the DMP sound provided by Dawn, for sometimes in the future. It may work, it may not.

---

WM1A:
- A new 1A-only Midnight release (the 1Z already has the 1Z sound, so there's no additional release for the 1Z)
- A 1A-only release to get the 1Z sound on a 1A

ZX300:
- Stock firmware-based Midnight and Dawn
- WM1A/Z firmware-based Midnight and Dawn

AXX:
- WM1A/Z firmware-based Midnight and Dawn

Indeed. I don’t have a 1Z to do a side by side comparison, but this new addition really adds so much more depth to the overall sound. Bass slams harder. Not bloated or muddy. Just kicks way harder and fuller than ever before. Mids and vocals are stunning in clarity, warmth and detail. It’s just surreal in some songs where I get goosebumps when the vocals soar or the saxophone plays. Even the quietest passages and instruments can be heard so clearly, even on low volume. Treble is absolutely spot on. Not harsh, not missing, not washed out, super silky smooth. Decays are also longer. This is beautiful. This is it. This is the 1A unmasked and at it’s fullest potential. The 1A has never sounded better. Never. My config is midnight with plus 2, different dac, normal gain and region on MX3.
And another important fact is that it fixes the Bluetooth receiver mode glitching problem. No more glitches and BT receiver works as it should. So, there you go.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Indeed. I don’t have a 1Z to do a side by side comparison, but this new addition really adds so much more depth to the overall sound. Bass slams harder. Not bloated or muddy. Just kicks way harder and fuller than ever before. Mids and vocals are stunning in clarity, warmth and detail. It’s just surreal in some songs where I get goosebumps when the vocals soar or the saxophone plays. Even the quietest passages and instruments can be heard so clearly, even on low volume. Treble is absolutely spot on. Not harsh, not missing, not washed out, super silky smooth. Decays are also longer. This is beautiful. This is it. This is the 1A unmasked and it’s fullest potential. The 1A has never sounded better. Never. My config is midnight with plus 2, different dac, normal gain and region on MX3.
And another important fact is that it fixes the Bluetooth receiver mode glitching problem. No more glitches and BT receiver works as it should. So, there you go.

The excitement is overflowing.

 

[feverfive]

Didn't really love the previous version of Midnight (tried it as soon as I got my new WM1A back in April), and rolled with FEv2, upgrading this past week to the latest Dawn using FEv2 tuning (Plus v2 & different DAC mode as well). But, having said that, I'll for sure give the new (Midnight??) 1Z'esque CFW a shot when released. Might as well...I had previously thought region E was my final resting spot, but have come to really like MX3 over the last week+.

 

[Excavation]

The more a read this thread the more it just makes me want to invest in a WM1 A down the line. Until then I'm stuck with an A55. But from the sounds of it this firmware transforms whatever device it touches.
Curious to see how well it performs on the not so luxurious devices and how much quality can be squeezed out of such devices.

 

[NickleCo]

Not bad clocked in a total of 28 hours using midnight plus mode 2, alt dac. Def step up from plus mode 1.

Mixture of dsd, flac, mqa and mp3 all via balanced

 

[falcon1125]

Not bad clocked in a total of 28 hours using midnight plus mode 2, alt dac. Def step up from plus mode 1.

Mixture of dsd, flac, mqa and mp3 all via balanced

Wow, does it include standby time or continuous play?

Been running the experiment myself - 10.5 hours of playing, now at one bar. Gonna push it until it all drain out.

 

[Mörchingen]

The 1A has never sounded better.

So impatient to discover this new Fw, first for the incredibly qualitative description you gave of it, but also for the removal of bugs related to BT features (BT Receiver, Remote)

 

[aceedburn]

So impatient to discover this new Fw, first for the incredibly qualitative description you gave of it, but also for the removal of bugs related to BT features (BT Receiver, Remote)

Indeed. Rest assured it is being worked on and hopefully be released soon. I tell things like it is, I never sugar coat anything. If it’s good, I say it is and vice versa.

This is the one everyone with a 1A has been waiting for. Period!
another masterpiece from @MrWalkman

 

[NickleCo]

Wow, does it include standby time or continuous play?

Been running the experiment myself - 10.5 hours of playing, now at one bar. Gonna push it until it all drain out.

I didnt include standby times.

 

[NickleCo]

Been running the experiment myself - 10.5 hours of playing, now at one bar. Gonna push it until it all drain out.

I also used direct mode only and my volume barely reached 40 so that could be a factor.

 

[nc8000]

I also used direct mode only and my volume barely reached 40 so that could be a factor.

On the stock battery before I had my player modded I could get about 20 hours plus 7 days stand by on a charge playing 16/44 flac with source direct and 60-70 volume normal gain on the balanced port. This with battery saver on and recharging. This was before it was empty. Also this was before the plus mode fw’s

 

[feverfive]

Here's my anecdotal, imprecise, battery observations in the 4+ months of owning my WM1A (received brand new, with a Feb 2020 production date):

--OOTB, I fully charged, and whether smart or not, I decided to do a full drain to calibrate battery, so I hooked up a pair of cans and let it run playing a playlist of 90% 16-bit ALAC, remaining 10% was 24-bit ALAC; 4.4mm out, direct source; high gain; 45 volume. Finally shut down at 29 hrs 45 min.

--Since then, I turned on battery care (??) so it supposedly doesn't charge beyond 90% capacity. Also changed to low gain, 65-70 volume. I am also ultra anal about battery health, again, whether it matters or not.... I typically use my 1A from the 90% charged state until I first notice the battery indicator has reached a single bar, then charge again to 90%, rinse and repeat. *****Using FEv2 Plus***** I would normally get ~10.5 hrs of use before indicator hit a single bar.

--Since upgrading to the newest versions of Dawn (Plus v2; different DAC mode; regular gain mode; still direct source, low gain, 65-70 volume), I have charged my battery twice. Each time, I got ***15.25 hrs*** of use before hitting single bar on the battery indicator.

So, thus far, in my case at least, the battery improvement has been well beyond marginally better. I swear, nothing other than upgrading to new Dawn has changed in my case. Needless to say, I am very happy with this unexpected development.

 

[MrWalkman]

So, thus far, in my case at least, the battery improvement has been well beyond marginally better. I swear, nothing other than upgrading to new Dawn has changed in my case. Needless to say, I am very happy with this unexpected development.

Maybe it's not a bad idea to make the v2 Plus mode the default one, and the different DAC mode too. Of course, we'd still be able to change this through the settings file.

 

[CRITICALSHOT]

How do you take this damn Dignis case off? Just got a WM1Z and it has the case on it, don't want to mess it up.

 

[fiascogarcia]

How do you take this damn Dignis case off? Just got a WM1Z and it has the case on it, don't want to mess it up.

Slowly but firmly, push from the bottom, holding the sides of the case firmly enough to hold the case in place. It's a tight fit, but the Walkman will slide out.