Sony Walkman custom firmware (non-Android)

[Blueoris]

Hey, what do you think about pairing a sennheiser hd800, having a custom 4.4mm balanced cable, with wm1a? I cannot test this combo because the seller is from another city, but maybe there are others that may answer.

I was totally satisfied by the way my wm1z drove my hd600 with the last two iterations of Mrwlkm FW‘s through the unbalanced connection. First time ever in fact. I haven’t hear the hd800 but I think impedance is the same and sensitivity is very close.

 

[LightBlue77]

Thanks, i would expect to pair very well, it also seems they stay put over the head so i could move around a bit with it, not dance just hope they won't fall if i move my head or walk around the house, i've had experiences with headphones being large even with the headband at minimum length.

 

[hamhamhamsta]

Anyone use HD650 with few latest Mr Walkman fws, how do they sound?

 

[homesickmadmax]

Anyone use HD650 with few latest Mr Walkman fws, how do they sound?

Great! I just tried the A50Z (classic and plus) though.

 

[lmf22]

I was totally satisfied by the way my wm1z drove my hd600 with the last two iterations of Mrwlkm FW‘s through the unbalanced connection. First time ever in fact. I haven’t hear the hd800 but I think impedance is the same and sensitivity is very close.

Nice! Last week I was thinking about taking my HD600 out from the storage. I got a balanced (4.4mm) silver-plated copper cable for it. Currently burning-in the cable. Looking forward to Walkman + HD600 combo (I have the WM1A).
I'm assuming you're using High Gain?

 

[Blueoris]

Nice! Last week I was thinking about taking my HD600 out from the storage. I got a balanced (4.4mm) silver-plated copper cable for it. Currently burning-in the cable. Looking forward to Walkman + HD600 combo (I have the WM1A).
I'm assuming you're using High Gain?

Yes I was on High Gain. Good luck with your new combo.

 

[Hinomotocho]

Addicted to Audio in Australia are doing some big discounts for the 1A and 1Z.

 

[Steen Pihl]

Out of curiosity, I reverted back to stock FW 3.02 and it's ok. But compared to Project Z it's absolutely pales/soulless. As others have mentioned, it's SO engaging and I have to sneak listen to a couple of songs now and then. And after switching between regions E, U, MX3 and others, region J really seems to be the most complete to all generes of music. To my ears, that is!
As a little tip, I found my Walkman had a tendency to favour the left side of the balance, after a lot of planes testing, so I remembered NC8000's advise to restore to factory settings. That will restore all levels in the Walkman. So I do a complete reset of the player, every time I try the new firmware. I don't think that it's called for every time, but it can be done. I don't mind the resetting of hours at all, because this baby ain't going nowhere! Happy easter!

 

[Queen6]

Out of curiosity, I reverted back to stock FW 3.02 and it's ok. But compared to Project Z it's absolutely pales compared to Mr.Walkman's FW. As others have mentioned, it's SO engaging and I have to sneak listen to a couple of songs now and then. And after switching between regions E, U, MX3 and others, region J really seems to be the most complete to all generes of music. To my ears, that is!
As a little tip, I found my Walkman had a tendency to favour the less side of the balance, after a lot of planes testing, so I remembered NC8000's advise to restore to factory settings. That will restore all levels in the Walkman. So I do a complete reset of the player, every time I try the new firmware. I don't think that it's called for every time, but it can be done. I don't mind the resetting of hours at all, because this baby ain't going nowhere! Happy easter!

I've factory reset my WM1A several times, mostly to be on the safe side to ensure that I'm getting the DAP back to 100% guaranteed stock sound. Regions, I've gradually drifted away from J over time. Although J is the most balanced it also lacks some dynamics, presence and can come across as a little dull at times.

Settled on E, equally be warned you need hours on the clock with this region on a WM1A and fair headgear or you risk E sounding harsh. I don't believe there's any "magic sauce" with J. Sony tunes the varying regions to reflect the local prevalent musical taste for it's target audience simple as that.

As for firmware; stock 3.02 (on J, E is too sharp on stock FW), custom firmware DMP-WM1 FEv2 (on E) with the latter being very impressive for a DAP. Has to be said the "Plus" mode via the lock switch is pure genius as is FEv2 itself, nicely done @MrWalkman Had some fun with those that automatically reject WM1A/Z, there face is a picture when they hear the DMP-Z1 based CFW running on the WM1A

Q-6

 

[Steen Pihl]

I've factory reset my WM1A a few times, mostly to be on the safe side to ensure that I'm getting the DAP back to 100% guaranteed stock sound. Regions I've gradually drifted away from J over time. Although J is the most balanced it also lacks some dynamics, presence and can come across as a little dull at times.

Settled on E, equally be warned you need hours on the clock with this region on a WM1A and fair headgear or you risk E sounding harsh. I don't believe there's any "magic sauce" with J. Sony tunes the varying regions to reflect the local prevalent musical taste simple as that.

As for firmware; stock 3.02 (on J, E is too sharp on stock FW), custom firmware DMP-WM1 FEv2 (on E) with the latter being very impressive for a DAP. Has to be said the "Plus" mode via the lock switch is pure genius as is FEv2, nicely done @MrWalkman Had some fun with those that automatically reject WM1A/Z, there face is a picture when they hear the DMP-Z1 based CFW running on the WM1A

Q-6

Damm! I just had to try again and .... damm! You're right! I've learned a long time ago, to never dismiss good advices from long time dedicated people of this hobby! They're never to far from the truth! On with the show...!

 

[Queen6]

Damm! I just had to try again and .... damm! You're right! I've learned a long time ago, to never dismiss good advices from long time dedicated people of this hobby! They're never to far from the truth! On with the show...!

If you switch to E with a low hour WM1A the sound signature will be rather harsh especially on stock FW. I learnt this myself the hard way discounting E all too early. J is a very safe region, never tires, works well for the mod Dev's being the most balanced/closest to neutral. Ultimately J is tuned for the domestic markets target audience. I slowly came to the conclusion that J is just too safe, not wanting to risk the slightest offence.

E on the other hand is vibrant, dynamic and brings a certain presence without pushing back the vocals back as some other regions can. E is covering APAC and JPN tourist so it makes sense that Sony designed this region to deal with multiple genres competently. DMP-WM1 FEv2 on E is stunning as the combination of the region and CFW very much complement; you get bass, mid's, treble as and when it's required by the track from the bottom to the top of the range.

Big thx to @matevana as without our discussions I may never have reverted to E

Q-6

 

[hamhamhamsta]

If you switch to E with a low hour WM1A the sound signature will be rather harsh especially on stock FW. I learnt this myself the hard way discounting E all too early. J is a very safe region, never tires, works well for the mod Dev's being the most balanced/closest to neutral. Ultimately J is tuned for the domestic markets target audience. I slowly came to the conclusion that J is just too safe, not wanting to risk the slightest offence.

E on the other hand is vibrant, dynamic and brings a certain presence without pushing back the vocals back as some other regions can. E is covering APAC and JPN tourist so it makes sense that Sony designed this region to deal with multiple genres competently. DMP-WM1 FEv2 on E is stunning as the combination of the region and CFW very much complement; you get bass, mid's, treble as and when it's required by the track from the bottom to the top of the range.

Big thx to @matevana as without our discussions I may never have reverted to E

Q-6

I will try E region today!

 

[matevana]

If you switch to E with a low hour WM1A the sound signature will be rather harsh especially on stock FW. I learnt this myself the hard way discounting E all too early. J is a very safe region, never tires, works well for the mod Dev's being the most balanced/closest to neutral. Ultimately J is tuned for the domestic markets target audience. I slowly came to the conclusion that J is just too safe, not wanting to risk the slightest offence.

E on the other hand is vibrant, dynamic and brings a certain presence without pushing back the vocals back as some other regions can. E is covering APAC and JPN tourist so it makes sense that Sony designed this region to deal with multiple genres competently. DMP-WM1 FEv2 on E is stunning as the combination of the region and CFW very much complement; you get bass, mid's, treble as and when it's required by the track from the bottom to the top of the range.

Big thx to @matevana as without our discussions I may never have reverted to E

Q-6

Thanks for the mention Q-6. It’s funny, but I recently had access to a Bruel & Kjaer measurement rig and planned to spend some time analyzing FW and regions. I started out with the difference between J & E and attempted to record some plots. The input source was the WM1a itself, 48kHz WAV files, 1/3 octave.

Long story short, what we hear between regions is not reliably validated with simple amplitude measurements. I eventually ran out of time, but the biggest difference seemed to exist between phase response and impulse response. If there is a transfer function that gets applied by region, it is likely more complex than a simple house curve.

 

[LightBlue77]

Is there a way to disable battery charge while using it as usb dac with a phone? It drains the phone battery really fast and i didn't find any option to disable this from the phone. Maybe rockbox app has something?

 

[nc8000]

Is there a way to disable battery charge while using it as usb dac with a phone? It drains the phone battery really fast and i didn't find any option to disable this from the phone. Maybe rockbox app has something?

There is an option where you can say that the dac is not allowed to charge from the phone