[MrWalkman]

Super excited! Thank you so much for your hard work and the sweet sweet experiences you keep bringing us!

If you like a warmer sound, then this should be for you!

Let me know what you think after giving it a listen, especially to the Plus mode

 

[Mal Waldron]

Very good initial impressions. On Plus mode, it has increased soundstage and holographic effect, accentuated bass without sacrificing highs extension. This increased power benefits the IER-Z1R's. Very happy with this new firmware. Thank you very much for all your work, MrWalkman!

 

[MrWalkman]

Very good initial impressions. On Plus mode, it has increased soundstage and holographic effect, accentuated bass without sacrificing highs extension. This increased power benefits the IER-Z1R's. Very happy with this new firmware. Thank you very much for all your work, MrWalkman!

Nice! Do you like the warmer/more analogue aspect of the sound?

 

[Mal Waldron]

Nice! Do you like the warmer/more analogue aspect of the sound?

Yes, at least with the IER-Z1R, some analog touch is very beneficial, since although it has a terrific sub bass, it is not a particularly warm IEM. I like a certain warmth in the sound without the bass flooding the rest of the frequencies, but I have a great weakness for the extension and clarity of the highs. With this new firmware I even notice a clarity that I have never perceived before on WM1A. In any case, I have been using classical music records that I don't know by heart, nor are they the ones I usually use for testing.

Definitely, I encourage all WM1A / Z owners to try this firmware. Thank you again.

 

[captblaze]

Nice! Do you like the warmer/more analogue aspect of the sound?

yes...directly comparing to stock 3.02.

when I go back to 3.02 from plus mode I get a heavy reverb effect that I assume is to enhance stage, but comes off as artificial where plus mode irons out that cavern effect and goes au natural

 

[MrWalkman]

yes...directly comparing to stock 3.02.

when I go back to 3.02 from plus mode I get a heavy reverb effect that I assume is to enhance stage, but comes off as artificial where plus mode irons out that cavern effect and goes au natural

I've read something similar being mentioned before:

The whole "wide, tall and deep soundstage" stuff always felt like snake-oil to me, even though I understood why people used those words to describe what they could hear. To me, these players felt like they were applying some sort of artificial veil or filtering like adding effects to a guitar; all it does is mask the sounds you're trying to listen to. Thankfully, this veil is completely gone now.

 

[captblaze]

I've read something similar being mentioned before:

Nice for the affirmation, the effect is very pronounced to my ears when I switch back to 3.02

 

[Totoro945]

Good day to everybody.
I have a problem uninstalling custom software. Was previously on DMP-WM1_FE and wanted to try Project_Z. Stock revert went without problem, but when I try to run StockRevert_Ext_Tuning, it can not see the player, though USB Mass Storage option is On and all folders are visible. Also I can not install anything now, not even original firmware
Any advice please???

 

[MrWalkman]

Good day to everybody.
I have a problem uninstalling custom software. Was previously on DMP-WM1_FE and wanted to try Project_Z. Stock revert went without problem, but when I try to run StockRevert_Ext_Tuning, it can not see the player, though USB Mass Storage option is On and all folders are visible. Also I can not install anything now, not even original firmware
Any advice please???

It sounds like StockRevert didn't actually work. To make sure it worked, check in "Unit information" that you don't see "DMP-WM1 FE" anymore.

In order for StockRevert to work, you must use the StockRevert made for the DMP-WM1 FE firmware.

You can find all current StockRevert installers here (click).

 

[Totoro945]

It sounds like StockRevert didn't actually work. To make sure it worked, check in "Unit information" that you don't see "DMP-WM1 FE" anymore.

In order for StockRevert to work, you must use the StockRevert made for the DMP-WM1 FE firmware.

You can find all current StockRevert installers here (click).

Thank you!!! It seems to be the case, had to run everything again and it worked! Will try the new one now

 

[MrWalkman]

Thank you!!! It seems to be the case, had to run everything again and it worked! Will try the new one now

You mean Project Z?

In any case, feel free to share your thoughts

 

[dli417]

@MrWalkman, do your firmware and external tuning packs need to be re-installed after "Reset All Settings" or "Restore to Factory Configuration"? I am concerned that if the external tuning is something like a file that sits on the walkman storage, that something like a factory reset would undo it. Does changing destination with nwdestool require re-installation of either program?

Also, I am currently really enjoying the sound of the DMP-A50 FEv2 (classic), as I am finding it improves on the stock firmware sound significantly as per the firmware description. I am looking forwards to investigating the differences between Classic and Plus modes.

The A50Z firmware (Classic and Plus) was very interesting, but I found it slightly too warm for my tastes. While sibilance was definitely reduced, I felt the impact of higher frequencies was a bit dulled. Oddly enough, the spatial positioning of the audio felt a bit jumbled in my head. Perhaps the A50Z firmware is not ideal for my listening preferences when paired with my headphones.

Thanks again for your continued work on the whole range of Walkmans. It is great to have so many excellent sound tunings to choose from.

Edit: I’m currently finding DMP-A50 FEv2 Classic more to my taste than Plus - I think Classic hits the sweet spot for me

 

[akãjerovia]

Just curious, how many FW do the WM1 has? I think maybe around 15? Counting the season, the planets, and the short lived greek themed FW's.

If i had @MrWalkman skills, i will do a custom FW just for the Z1R. Cutting the treble peak, acentuating the mids and a tighten bass with the Z1R characteristic sub bass extention.

 

[hamhamhamsta]

Just curious, how many FW do the WM1 has? I think maybe around 15? Counting the season, the planets, and the short lived greek themed FW's.

If i had @MrWalkman skills, i will do a custom FW just for the Z1R. Cutting the treble peak, acentuating the mids and a tighten bass with the Z1R characteristic sub bass extention.

Hahaha

 

[Cinderella87]

I know it's so soon already, but I'm sure that at least some of you will like this

Meet...

Project Z

A custom firmware for the WM1A/WM1Z players, combining
sound characteristics of the WM1Z and DMP-Z1 sound signatures.

Features:
- a lushy warm, organic, analogue sound signature, with harshless highs, improved
detail retrieval, full and balanced sound, more airy vocals, and a holographic stage presentation
(especially in the Plus mode) - these are some characteristics of both the WM1Z and DMP-Z1 sound signatures;
- two boot modes: "Classic" and "Plus";
- native DSD playback over the 3.5 mm output;
- DSEE AI (present on DMP-Z1);
- visualizations in sync with the music;
- progressive JPEG and interlaced PNG album covers are supported;
- showing a battery "charging/needs charging" image when the player cannot turn on anymore if the battery is too low.

Boot modes:
"Classic" (down Hold position at startup) - provides the normal Project Z sound signature;
"Plus" (up Hold position at startup) - adds improved rendition of this sound signature (a more accurate
and balanced sound, with better controlled bass, improved detail retrieval, better soundstage holography,
more present mids), at the expense of additional battery consumption.


• From personal experience, the best sound is achieved with the region J. However, feel free to experiment with other regions as well.
• With this firmware installed, the only difference between a WM1A and WM1Z is of about 5-10%, brought by the different hardware parts.


For download and for more info, click here (please read all the info).


Feel free to share your thoughts. This will be also released for the ZX300 and the smaller players.

Thank you for your hard work on the project so far. And as a zx300 user, I'm rooting for the custom firmware that's coming up.