[gLer]

And what about drivability? Does Nayparm mod improve on that? People keep saying that the 1A/1Z lacks power to drive things like the Z1R, so I’m worry about multi-driver IEMs

Driveability is more than fine, and outstanding with Z1R. Don't listen to the naysayers. That said...many IEMs, Z1R included, can scale upwards with more power. Put a Z1R on a portable or desktop amp and it will reward you with a bigger stage, more resolution and incredibly tight but huge bass, more so than with the DAP alone. How much of a difference that makes depends on how far you want to push it. There are dedicated (and expensive) amps like Brise Tsuranagi that were developed using a WM1Z as source, and get you endgame portable amplification if you're willing to stack. Or for less money but no portability, you can connect a WM1Z to a Sony TAZ (TA-ZH1ES) and get maximum S-Master performance for Z1R...though not necessarily for every IEM out there.

 

[justsomesonyfan]

Driveability is more than fine, and outstanding with Z1R. Don't listen to the naysayers. That said...many IEMs, Z1R included, can scale upwards with more power. Put a Z1R on a portable or desktop amp and it will reward you with a bigger stage, more resolution and incredibly tight but huge bass, more so than with the DAP alone. How much of a difference that makes depends on how far you want to push it. There are dedicated (and expensive) amps like Brise Tsuranagi that were developed using a WM1Z as source, and get you endgame portable amplification if you're willing to stack. Or for less money but no portability, you can connect a WM1Z to a Sony TAZ (TA-ZH1ES) and get maximum S-Master performance for Z1R...though not necessarily for every IEM out there.

mrwalkman software next update supposedly will have extra high gain which was said to be quite a big boost, by demo testers

 

[gLer]

mrwalkman software next update supposedly will have extra high gain which was said to be quite a big boost, by demo testers

Yes it will, I tested it and it works. Reduces battery life, but that's a worthwhile tradeoff for more clean power.

 

[justsomesonyfan]

Yes it will, I tested it and it works. Reduces battery life, but that's a worthwhile tradeoff for more clean power.

I'll add, there's also the oriolus ba300s i think it's called, tube amp made for the wm1a/z

 

[nc8000]

And what about drivability? Does Nayparm mod improve on that? People keep saying that the 1A/1Z lacks power to drive things like the Z1R, so I’m worry about multi-driver IEMs

The Nayparm mod does not add more power, but to me it drives both Z1R perfectly fine

 

[SLMStyles]

Hi all, I’m considering buying a WM1A/1Z in 2023. Do you think it’s still relevant in this day and age? I only use IEMs, and probably I’ll aim for an endgame pair in the near future (Annihilator/Diva/difficult to drive stuff…). Is it still worth buying the 1A/1Z for 400$/1000$? Between the 2, should I get the 1A and spend the difference on Nayparm mod (or all in the IEMs), or it's still better to buy the 1Z? I believe 1Z has a higher "collectible" value in the long run

I was in the same boat a few weeks back. I was a previous multi-year owner of a 1A, which I loved (but eventually sold to try other things). I always wanted the 1Z, but couldn’t rationalize the retail price.

I just bought a pristine 1Z for 700 bucks with a 264gb card and it’s exceptional. Coming from Astell and iBasso (including the Max) players for the last couple years, which I tried-out after my previous Walkman, the 1Z and 1A really hold up. I absolutely love the way this DAP makes my IE900 sound.

The OS is so nice and simple, and just works. The sound is fantastic, and the battery life is unsurpassed by anything else. I charged it the day I got it, and haven’t charged in the last two weeks.

For IEM use, I don’t think you could find a better value proposition (considering sound quality) in the current market - if you can find a gently used unit.

Question for everyone: all of the different iterations of Mr Walkman firmware came out after I sold my last Walkman and I don’t have any experience with it. Is there a noticeable improvement in sound on the 1Z? (I know I’ve heard that the 1A can benefit greatly).

 

[gLer]

Question for everyone: all of the different iterations of Mr Walkman firmware came out after I sold my last Walkman and I don’t have any experience with it. Is there a noticeable improvement in sound on the 1Z? (I know I’ve heard that the 1A can benefit greatly).

It's free, so try it and see. Dead easy to revert back to stock. And congrats on the 1Z...it's a lifer.

 

[justsomesonyfan]

I was in the same boat a few weeks back. I was a previous multi-year owner of a 1A, which I loved (but eventually sold to try other things). I always wanted the 1Z, but couldn’t rationalize the retail price.

I just bought a pristine 1Z for 700 bucks with a 264gb card and it’s exceptional. Coming from Astell and iBasso (including the Max) players for the last couple years, which I tried-out after my previous Walkman, the 1Z and 1A really hold up. I absolutely love the way this DAP makes my IE900 sound.

The OS is so nice and simple, and just works. The sound is fantastic, and the battery life is unsurpassed by anything else. I charged it the day I got it, and haven’t charged in the last two weeks.

For IEM use, I don’t think you could find a better value proposition (considering sound quality) in the current market - if you can find a gently used unit.

Question for everyone: all of the different iterations of Mr Walkman firmware came out after I sold my last Walkman and I don’t have any experience with it. Is there a noticeable improvement in sound on the 1Z? (I know I’ve heard that the 1A can benefit greatly).

Personally I use these settings:

bright tuning (after you save and restart you need to install the external tuning)

J3 Region

plus mode v2 (always on)

gain = 1 (high gain)

dac initialization = 1

 

[Forever8895]

I was in the same boat a few weeks back. I was a previous multi-year owner of a 1A, which I loved (but eventually sold to try other things). I always wanted the 1Z, but couldn’t rationalize the retail price.

I just bought a pristine 1Z for 700 bucks with a 264gb card and it’s exceptional. Coming from Astell and iBasso (including the Max) players for the last couple years, which I tried-out after my previous Walkman, the 1Z and 1A really hold up. I absolutely love the way this DAP makes my IE900 sound.

The OS is so nice and simple, and just works. The sound is fantastic, and the battery life is unsurpassed by anything else. I charged it the day I got it, and haven’t charged in the last two weeks.

For IEM use, I don’t think you could find a better value proposition (considering sound quality) in the current market - if you can find a gently used unit.

Question for everyone: all of the different iterations of Mr Walkman firmware came out after I sold my last Walkman and I don’t have any experience with it. Is there a noticeable improvement in sound on the 1Z? (I know I’ve heard that the 1A can benefit greatly).

Wow that’s a steal! I would jump to a 1Z if they would cost only 700! Here the price is still floating around 900 at least, and they are pretty rare these days. I think I’ll take the 1A as I plan to have it modded by Nayparm anyway

 

[gerelmx1986]

Hi all, I’m considering buying a WM1A/1Z in 2023. Do you think it’s still relevant in this day and age? I only use IEMs, and probably I’ll aim for an endgame pair in the near future (Annihilator/Diva/difficult to drive stuff…). Is it still worth buying the 1A/1Z for 400$/1000$? Between the 2, should I get the 1A and spend the difference on Nayparm mod (or all in the IEMs), or it's still better to buy the 1Z? I believe 1Z has a higher "collectible" value in the long run

Very woryh of it owning th

 

[Vamp898]

And what about drivability? Does Nayparm mod improve on that? People keep saying that the 1A/1Z lacks power to drive things like the Z1R, so I’m worry about multi-driver IEMs

The IER-Z1R has an maximum input power of 100mW and 40 Ohm with an sensitivity of 103db/mw

The WM1 has 2Vrms, that means 100mW @ 40 Ohms. So you can drive the IER-Z1R to their absolute limit (123db), more power would just destroy them.

So the WM1 has enough power to drive the IER-Z1R

 

[gLer]

The IER-Z1R has an maximum input power of 100mW and 40 Ohm with an sensitivity of 103db/mw

The WM1 has 2Vrms, that means 100mW @ 40 Ohms. So you can drive the IER-Z1R to their absolute limit (123db), more power would just destroy them.

So the WM1 has enough power to drive the IER-Z1R

Indeed yes, but the Z1R also scales incredibly well with desktop amps, far beyond what's possible with WM1 players. For me WM1 sound is already superb, everything else is just a bonus and compromises portability.

 

[Vamp898]

Indeed yes, but the Z1R also scales incredibly well with desktop amps, far beyond what's possible with WM1 players. For me WM1 sound is already superb, everything else is just a bonus and compromises portability.

The WM1 is now 7 years old, so that is to be expected. They still manage to hold up in some aspects, but they are very dated now.

I noticed no improvement using the S.M.S.L SH-9 or FiiO K9 Pro ESS over my WM1ZM2, so i personally would not get an old WM1 in the first place.

The only reason i see to get them is maybe for the Bluetooth Receiver mode but just for that feature getting the worse DAP... thats a tough decision. Especially when things like the BTR7 do exist.

 

[gLer]

The WM1 is now 7 years old, so that is to be expected. They still manage to hold up in some aspects, but they are very dated now.

I noticed no improvement using the S.M.S.L SH-9 or FiiO K9 Pro ESS over my WM1ZM2, so i personally would not get an old WM1 in the first place.

The only reason i see to get them is maybe for the Bluetooth Receiver mode but just for that feature getting the worse DAP... thats a tough decision. Especially when things like the BTR7 do exist.

WM1Z holds up very well with Z1R and other IEMs, even compared to TOTL DAPs like RS8 and DX300 MAX. It has a unique tonality and the fact that it doesn't rely on Android gives it limitless longevity. I can see it performing well for at least another 5 years, maybe more. Most folks will never get to hear WM1Z quality in their lifetime, so we really are very fortunate, even with these 'older' DAPs. I've never heard WM1A, nor intend to.

 

[boodi]

I wrote it number of times , my 1zm2 outperforms my desktop rigs ( burson soloist , v281 , smsl su10 , gustard a18 ) in different areas
it needs the best and most detailed headphones to exploit it at its best for sure .