[Queen6]

We can't run the Z1 FW on the 1A/Z, so Dawn will still be based on the 1A/Z FW.

The next Dawn (as part of the Walkman One firmware) will be similar to Midnight v2 for 1A - that means that on 1A it will sound very very similar to how 1Z will sound with Dawn.

Walkman One will have the 1Z sound signature available, so it will basically be the stock 1Z firmware with all the additional options. By default, this unreleased FW will have all additional settings in the settings file not enabled (DIM=0, Normal mode by default, etc.). The 1A sound signature is just made inferior by Sony, like the A50 sound vs the 1Z sound, for example - the A50 can sound a lot better, but it's made not to.

Noted, can you not get Dawn to be native to the 1A as opposed to mimicking the 1Z? Is valid as many of us bought the 1A for it's signature not the 1Z's. Personally I don't agree with the Inferior comment as 1A & 1Z are targeted at differing audiences.

The WM1A is inferior to your taste, not the DAP's competency, if it has fault's I've yet to find. WM1Z pushes lows & highs, WM1A focusses on the mid's similar to A&K with Sony's flavour. For some an expanded sound stage and boosted bass is not an accurate representation of their music; WM1A is more reference orientated, WM1Z is more focused to the Sony house sound, neither one is inferior to the other, equally one is more the prestige option with slightly better internals...

Q-6

 

[MrWalkman]

Noted, can you not get Dawn to be native to the 1A as opposed to mimicking the 1Z? Is valid as many of us bought the 1A for it's signature not the 1Z's. Personally I don't agree with the Inferior comment as 1A & 1Z are targeted at differing audiences.

The WM1A is inferior to your taste, not the DAP's competency, if it has fault's I've yet to find. WM1Z pushes lows & highs, WM1A focusses on the mid's similar to A&K with Sony's flavour. For some an expanded sound stage and boosted bass is not an accurate representation of their music; WM1A is more reference orientated, WM1Z is more focused to the Sony house sound, neither one is inferior to the other, equally one is more the prestige option with slightly better internals...

Q-6

That would require additional work which I'm not sure I'd put in right now, but it could be something for a future update.

Even with the custom firmware, there is the "Dawn/Midnight on 1Z still sounds better than on the 1A". Gaping this is what I aimed to do. The next Dawn will not be 1Z based, but Z1 based in a way, hence why both 1A and 1Z will sound a bit different together, and won't sound just how Dawn would sound like on the 1Z.

The WM1A's signature could be much better. By this I'm talking about how much better everything could be reproduced while still keeping the reference aspect of the sound signature. Basically the hardware could do much better, but it's made not to.

 

[Lookout57]

Noted, can you not get Dawn to be native to the 1A as opposed to mimicking the 1Z? Is valid as many of us bought the 1A for it's signature not the 1Z's. Personally I don't agree with the Inferior comment as 1A & 1Z are targeted at differing audiences.

The WM1A is inferior to your taste, not the DAP's competency, if it has fault's I've yet to find. WM1Z pushes lows & highs, WM1A focusses on the mid's similar to A&K with Sony's flavour. For some an expanded sound stage and boosted bass is not an accurate representation of their music; WM1A is more reference orientated, WM1Z is more focused to the Sony house sound, neither one is inferior to the other, equally one is more the prestige option with slightly better internals...

Q-6

I purchased the 1Z to get the best sound possible. Then I purchased a 1A to get a more portable solution. Having the ability to get my 1A to sound as close as possible to the 1Z is what I have been trying to achieve since custom tunings and firmwares became available.

To me the 1Z is the most realistic sounding DAP I've ever heard. When I listen to my DSD copy of "Don't Give Up" by Peter Gabriel using the 1Z, Solaris SE and balanced DHC Clone Silver cable, it reminds me of a 2 channel system I heard back in 1986. The speakers were Wilson Audio WATT speakers that were $75,000. I don't remember what preamp and amp, nor turntable and cartridge. But that sound is what I've been trying to achieve ever since. Tony Levin's bass lines was so clean, detailed and deep. Along with the piano and vocals.

The 1A is the more mainstream player with the warmer bass and midrange (based on how many products offer bass boost). But with Midnight_v2_(for_WM1A) it's now very close to the 1Z. Job well done MrWalkman.

 

[CRITICALSHOT]

Noted, can you not get Dawn to be native to the 1A as opposed to mimicking the 1Z? Is valid as many of us bought the 1A for it's signature not the 1Z's. Personally I don't agree with the Inferior comment as 1A & 1Z are targeted at differing audiences.

The WM1A is inferior to your taste, not the DAP's competency, if it has fault's I've yet to find. WM1Z pushes lows & highs, WM1A focusses on the mid's similar to A&K with Sony's flavour. For some an expanded sound stage and boosted bass is not an accurate representation of their music; WM1A is more reference orientated, WM1Z is more focused to the Sony house sound, neither one is inferior to the other, equally one is more the prestige option with slightly better internals...

Q-6

For the sake of ar

Noted, can you not get Dawn to be native to the 1A as opposed to mimicking the 1Z? Is valid as many of us bought the 1A for it's signature not the 1Z's. Personally I don't agree with the Inferior comment as 1A & 1Z are targeted at differing audiences.

The WM1A is inferior to your taste, not the DAP's competency, if it has fault's I've yet to find. WM1Z pushes lows & highs, WM1A focusses on the mid's similar to A&K with Sony's flavour. For some an expanded sound stage and boosted bass is not an accurate representation of their music; WM1A is more reference orientated, WM1Z is more focused to the Sony house sound, neither one is inferior to the other, equally one is more the prestige option with slightly better internals...

Q-6

Most people have heard the sound differences in the stock FW. So at launch the 1A is "ruler flat" (for arguments sake) across the frequency range. The 1Z is V shaped and pushes lows & highs (for arguments sake) across the frequency range.

Both of the DAP's have the same stock FW. So after each subsequent update, one of the DAP's went away from it's reference oriented sound or it's expanded soundstage and boosted bass. I would say that no matter what you choose to believe; the engineers had one player in mind when developing the FW.

I don't think in all those various FW's that the straight line stayed the same. Both players are great and the modded software gives us choices 'many choices'. So no matter what player you own and what deficit the player has in your opinion. There are multiple ways to address it; older stock FW, modded FW or region changes.

I had the 1A and now I have the 1Z.

 

[Queen6]

That would require additional work which I'm not sure I'd put in right now, but it could be something for a future update.

Even with the custom firmware, there is the "Dawn/Midnight on 1Z still sounds better than on the 1A". Gaping this is what I aimed to do. The next Dawn will not be 1Z based, but Z1 based in a way, hence why both 1A and 1Z will sound a bit different together, and won't sound just how Dawn would sound like on the 1Z.

The WM1A's signature could be much better. By this I'm talking about how much better everything could be reproduced while still keeping the reference aspect of the sound signature. Basically the hardware could do much better, but it's made not to.

Let's see what Dawn V2 delivers...

Q-6

 

[seanwee]

Personally I found the stock WM1A and WM1Z underwhelming for their asking price. Sound wise I can't remember the smaller details but essentially the WM1A and WM1Z just had their warm and neural ports swapped. The WM1A had a warm SE output and a neutral BAL output while the WM1Z had a neutral SE output and a warm BAL output.

 

[CRITICALSHOT]

Personally I found the stock WM1A and WM1Z underwhelming for their asking price. Sound wise I can't remember the smaller details but essentially the WM1A and WM1Z just had their warm and neural ports swapped. The WM1A had a warm SE output and a neutral BAL output while the WM1Z had a neutral SE output and a warm BAL output.

Underwhelming for their asking price? Is this the whole price to performance angle? I don't know how they compare to the numerous DAP's you own, but I am sure if you add up the prices of all of DAP's own, you could buy any top tier DAP.

I just started buying DAP's and my first two were the A&K Kann Alpha and the SE180 (both modules). I returned both of them and then went to the 1A (returned it) and ultimately settled on the 1Z.

Sound can be subjective. The main thing with the Sony DAP's is that they allow for multiple sound profiles and there is a great chance you could find something you may like. I went with the SE180 as my second DAP as I thought it would be cool to have two sound choice in one DAP.

I miss WiFi, streaming and the Roon Ready features. But as for the sound it's been a lovefest thus far. When I had the Chord Dave/TT2/MS I was always wanting something more and or different. I like my 1Z as it reminds me of my Audio Note two channel set up.

 

[seanwee]

Underwhelming for their asking price? Is this the whole price to performance angle? I don't know how they compare to the numerous DAP's you own, but I am sure if you add up the prices of all of DAP's own, you could buy any top tier DAP.

I just started buying DAP's and my first two were the A&K Kann Alpha and the SE180 (both modules). I returned both of them and then went to the 1A (returned it) and ultimately settled on the 1Z.

Sound can be subjective. The main thing with the Sony DAP's is that they allow for multiple sound profiles and there is a great chance you could find something you may like. I went with the SE180 as my second DAP as I thought it would be cool to have two sound choice in one DAP.

I miss WiFi, streaming and the Roon Ready features. But as for the sound it's been a lovefest thus far. When I had the Chord Dave/TT2/MS I was always wanting something more and or different. I like my 1Z as it reminds me of my Audio Note two channel set up.

Yeah I have yet to spend a lot on a single dap/iem as of yet. But that is because I have had the opportunity to try a lot of the higher end daps and iems, and from what i've heard there's yet to be something thats so substantially better than every thing else that it was worth it to spend a bomb on. Well, all except the DMP-Z1 + IER-Z1R combo but that was out of the question in terms of practicality as well as cost.

And yes, I was talking about price to performance regarding the WM1A/Z. From my point of view there were simply better sounding daps at its price point or cheaper midrange daps that had a sound signature I liked more. I was never a fan of the warm dark Sony signature of that era. Because of my general lack of enthusiasm towards the WM1A/Z I never delved deeper into the modding community so the multiple sound profile aspect was completely not on the radar for me.

That said, I would love to hear how the WM1A/Z sounds with @MrWalkman 's custom firmware. I'm sure it'll change my perspective of how they sound, being a fan of the DMP-Z1 myself. It certainly did on my A35

 

[CRITICALSHOT]

- choosing to initialize the DAC normally or "differently"

Can someone tell me as best they could how changing they DAC Mode altered the sound?

I just got the 1Z and have been listening to stock the stock FW 1.2, 3.1 and 3.2 with Region MX3.

- I did not like 3.2
- I liked 3.1 but wanted to test the waters
- I liked 1.2 the best but I was missing the new features

I finally was ready to try the Midnight and so I gave it a go. It sounded wonderful! But, just like in each of the stock FW's there was always something that could be more to my personal preference.

Once I changed the DAC Mode my soul was immediately caressed and I couldn't be happier. I can't quite grasp what exactly changed but I need help put my finger on it. Mr. W is invaluable; if there were no mods for this device I would of passed on it and wasted thousands of dollars looking for that 'thing'.

 

[CRITICALSHOT]

Yeah I have yet to spend a lot on a single dap/iem as of yet. But that is because I have had the opportunity to try a lot of the higher end daps and iems, and from what i've heard there's yet to be something thats so substantially better than every thing else that it was worth it to spend a bomb on. Well, all except the DMP-Z1 + IER-Z1R combo but that was out of the question in terms of practicality as well as cost.

And yes, I was talking about price to performance regarding the WM1A/Z. From my point of view there were simply better sounding daps at its price point or cheaper midrange daps that had a sound signature I liked more. I was never a fan of the warm dark Sony signature of that era. Because of my general lack of enthusiasm towards the WM1A/Z I never delved deeper into the modding community so the multiple sound profile aspect was completely not on the radar for me.

That said, I would love to hear how the WM1A/Z sounds with @MrWalkman 's custom firmware. I'm sure it'll change my perspective of how they sound, being a fan of the DMP-Z1 myself. It certainly did on my A35

I totally agree with you. That warm dark signature was exactly what I was looking for and I respect that is the total opposite of what others want. The cool thing is that you can change the 1Z/1A to tailor it to your preference. I have some credit on Amazon and I might get the Fiio M11 Plus LTD for the features to offset the lack thereof on the 1Z.

I don't think any high end DAP at any price point will give me the exact sound I want. The only thing it would do is give me features and power for hard to drive HP's. The UM Mest MK2 and the 1Z are doing the trick for now but you know how that goes. Upgradeistis and curiosity will be the death of my wallet. The 1Z let's me create synergy with any subsequent HP/IEM that I buy. I suggest getting a used 1A or buying it on Amazon and giving a whirl. If you don't like it just return it.

 

[Kiats]

The settings in the settings file are not related to the ones you can normally set in the Settings menu.

For each setting in the settings file you can find info in that file, about how and what you can set.

Thanks man! found it! Yes, very intuitive. Thank you!

 

[Artmuzz]

@MrWalkman I accidentally installed Midnight v2 again on my WM1A. Is it safe to install Midnight v2 again on my Sony WM1A without reverting to stock firmware?

 

[MrWalkman]

@MrWalkman I accidentally installed Midnight v2 again on my WM1A. Is it safe to install Midnight v2 again on my Sony WM1A without reverting to stock firmware?

It's not about being safe or not, it's just not possible, so you'll have to revert to the stock firmware.

 

[Artmuzz]

It's not about being safe or not, it's just not possible, so you'll have to revert to the stock firmware.

The problem is that I already have installed Midnight v2 again onto my WM1A and it seems to be work. However, I’m paranoid that some things might not work with me reinstalling Midnight v2 without reverting to stock firmware first.

 

[MrWalkman]

The problem is that I already have installed Midnight v2 again onto my WM1A and it seems to be work. However, I’m paranoid that some things might not work with me reinstalling Midnight v2 without reverting to stock firmware first.

Oh, ok. You can't install anything else over Midnight, except for the StockRevert or external tunings.

From the firmware's page:
Instructions (read all, carefully)

Installation:
1. Connect the player to your PC and enable the Mass Storage mode on the player;
2. Run "Midnight_v2_(for_1A)_installer.exe" on your computer to install the firmware;
3. Install "Midnight_external_tuning_1A" or "Project_Z_external_tuning_1A" (run FirmwareUpdateTool.exe from inside the corresponding folder).
- the installation will not be complete without also applying the external tuning!

• For both steps 2 and 3 the player should restart into the update mode
and then the update bar on the player's screen should reach the end.

---

The update bar won't reach the end if you try to install Midnight over Midnight.