[n00b]

do you mind comparing wm1a to ak sr25? i have zx507 and sr25 and i rate them about the same as you — sr25 wins in sound quality and technicalities but i prefer the warmth and low end on sony, and the UI of walkman app/sony OS by far. I’d be selling sr25 to fund a wm1a and was hoping it’d make more sense to have a wm1a and zx507 than a zx507 and an sr25 i get frustrated trying to use haha. thanks!

 

[291079]

do you mind comparing wm1a to ak sr25? i have zx507 and sr25 and i rate them about the same as you — sr25 wins in sound quality and technicalities but i prefer the warmth and low end on sony, and the UI of walkman app/sony OS by far. I’d be selling sr25 to fund a wm1a and was hoping it’d make more sense to have a wm1a and zx507 than a zx507 and an sr25 i get frustrated trying to use haha. thanks!

yeah sure will let you know when it's done!

 

[291079]

11. sony wm1a mrwalkman (W) vs a&k sr25:

wm1a has wider soundstage, sounds a little fuller, bass hits a little harder, background instruments are a bit fuller, mids are a little more forward; sr25, female vocals sound a little sweeter, treble a little smoother, acoustic instruments a little clearer. I’ve used the word “little” a lot, because the differences aren’t that apparent or great. Yes, the wm1a is warmer, the sr25 more neutral, but it’s a slight difference. The major difference is the wider soundstage imo. Oh, and the better button placement on the sony.

 

[291079]

do you mind comparing wm1a to ak sr25? i have zx507 and sr25 and i rate them about the same as you — sr25 wins in sound quality and technicalities but i prefer the warmth and low end on sony, and the UI of walkman app/sony OS by far. I’d be selling sr25 to fund a wm1a and was hoping it’d make more sense to have a wm1a and zx507 than a zx507 and an sr25 i get frustrated trying to use haha. thanks!

so, the sr25 and the wm1a sound a lot more similar than i thought. maybe because it's due to mrwalkman. but anyways, it's probably better to be left with a zx507 and a wm1a than a sr25 and wm1a if you like the sony sound

 

[n00b]

Thanks for your help! I do like the industrial design of the SR25 compared to the WM1A since it's visually interesting and more compact, but the ZX507 I have is even more pocket friendly. I am not a big fan of 2.5mm BAL either but the SR25 just outputs more power than the WM1A and ZX507 and that might help with perceived sound quality. I mainly use low impedance transducers though, so it might not be as great of a selling (or in my case, keeping) point. Did you compare the two using IEMs, headphones, earbuds etc?

At this point it seems like sound quality wise the 1A and SR25 are basically on even footing, so it would come down to other factors to help me decide. So hard to choose! I appreciate your insight and unique perspective, thank you again for taking the time and effort.

 

[291079]

Thanks for your help! I do like the industrial design of the SR25 compared to the WM1A since it's visually interesting and more compact, but the ZX507 I have is even more pocket friendly. I am not a big fan of 2.5mm BAL either but the SR25 just outputs more power than the WM1A and ZX507 and that might help with perceived sound quality. I mainly use low impedance transducers though, so it might not be as great of a selling (or in my case, keeping) point. Did you compare the two using IEMs, headphones, earbuds etc?

At this point it seems like sound quality wise the 1A and SR25 are basically on even footing, so it would come down to other factors to help me decide. So hard to choose! I appreciate your insight and unique perspective, thank you again for taking the time and effort.

no problem i compared using the m9 and variations. right now i don't have any headphones, so i can't compare what it's like with high-impedence stuff.
take note that i also have no idea what stock wm1a sounds like, so it might sound like more like the zx507 than the sr25.
tbh, i always think its better to buy what you want second hand, compare it with what you already have, and sell what you don't want. this way you don't potentially sell off what you like more.
so in your case i would save up for a while, or try to get a listen at the local shop, because i feel that you may miss the strengths of the sr25 (compactness, power, streaming, great looks, light weight) once you exchange it for the 1a.
and tbh, im gonna sell my 1a when im done comparing it to a few other stuff because, though i think it sounds slightly better than the sr25, i think the sr25 is a better package.

 

[291079]

12. a&k kann alpha (W) vs sony wm1a mrwalkman:

kann alpha sounds a little more transparent, clearer, acoustics sounds better, more detailed, piano sounds better; wm1a has a little more bass, electric guitar sounds better, feels better in the hand. These are really nitpicking. The sound is quite similar in most respects. However, power output is much better with the kann alpha; it can drive a hd600, while the wm1a cannot.

 

[291079]

13. moondrop blessing 2 vs sony ier-m9 (W):

m9 is more musical, has better bass, more background detail, more balanced, smoother treble. Blessing 2 has a little clearer mids, a more analytic feel, less veiled.

 

[291079]

14. fiio em5 vs moondrop blessing 2 (W):

em5 has a wider soundstage, sounds more airy, but bass is muddy, and there is way too much of it (it completely overpowers everything else, so that when I go from mids to bass I need to turn the volume down); blessing 2 is more balanced, is much clearer, more natural, more transparent, smoother.

 

[n00b]

fiio em5 (6) vs blessing 2 (10):
em5 has a wider soundstage, sounds more airy, but bass is muddy, and there is way too much of it (it completely overpowers everything else, so that when I go from mids to bass I need to turn the volume down); blessing 2 is more balanced, is much clearer, more natural, more transparent, smoother.

agree. i have blessing 2 dusks and returned my em5. i might even rate the em5 lower than a 6 when you factor in the price. it feels extremely congested to me, almost like an IEM. the overall tonality sounds so unnatural to me on the EM5. blessing 2 (dusk) is just more pleasant to listen to.

btw, i got a wm1a and slapped on the latest midnight v2 firmware on it and it is just entrancing. definite bump up from zx507 i think, and a more enjoyable tuning than the SR25 for me, though the SR25 is no slouch either.

 

[291079]

agree. i have blessing 2 dusks and returned my em5. i might even rate the em5 lower than a 6 when you factor in the price. it feels extremely congested to me, almost like an IEM. the overall tonality sounds so unnatural to me on the EM5. blessing 2 (dusk) is just more pleasant to listen to.

btw, i got a wm1a and slapped on the latest midnight v2 firmware on it and it is just entrancing. definite bump up from zx507 i think, and a more enjoyable tuning than the SR25 for me, though the SR25 is no slouch either.

yeah, im not particularly fond of the em5 either, but it might just be because of my choice of music. maybe if i enjoyed more bass-heavy music i would like it more. i see lots of stellar reviews for it tbh.
glad you got the chance to get the 1a! yeah it does have a nice sound, especially if you prefer the warm sony sound. though, for some reason the thing i like about it the most is actually the feel of the whole thing lol.

 

[291079]

finally got my hands on a viento-b! these "universals" actually take a month to make.
well worth the wait though. i can see why crin gave them S+ tonality.

 

[291079]

15. moondrop blessing 2 vs moondrop variations (W):

the variations is a little better in almost every area. tighter (but not more) bass, wider 3D soundstage, more transparent, more background detail, sounds fuller, smoother, better drums and piano. but the two share a similar house sound (with similar mids) so whether it's worth the $200 will be personal preference i guess.

 

[291079]

16. moondrop blessing 2 vs hidition viento-b universal (W):

the viento-b is superior in most ways: it's more natural, more musical, has better instrument separation, tighter bass, sounds more airy, better background detail, sounds fuller, is faster, has a more spherical soundstage (so good height), has a nicer grit on female vocals, better drums, amazing cello. blessing 2 is a little more analytic.

 

[1TrickPony]

a&k kann alpha (P) vs a&k sr25:
both obviously have the same house sound, clear and natural, but kann alpha has a slight edge in some instances: wider 3D soundstage, a 4.4mm jack (!), can output more power, the click wheel is nicer and easier to turn. To be honest it sounds pretty similar with the iems I use. Both can drive a hd600, but the sr25 can barely drive it, whereas the kann alpha can do it with ease.

Had this thread idea, some while ago, so good for you on actually doing it!