Pair up.

In the following pair up tests I made sure to note either BAL or SE connection, as well as the gain setting and the Volume level (out of max 120).

VE Zen (BAL, v80 high gain) – in this pair up I was going back’n’forth between low and high gain, and kept coming back to high gain where these 320 ohms earbuds benefit more from a more natural tonality, improved bass texture, neutral body in lower mids, more organic upper mids, and a little more energy in treble.

Audio-Technica ATH-R70x (SE, v100 high gain) – since I don’t have a balanced cable for these 470 ohms open back cans, I was using SE output and had to switch to high gain because in low gain the sound was too neutral, lacking any excitement. In high gain, I hear more sub-bass rumble, mids have more body, there is improved layering, better retrieval of details, and treble has more sparkle. Soundstage is very open, expanded, with a great imaging. Overall sound is very dynamic and more balanced; makes me wonder how it would scale up from balanced output if I ever get the cable.

Audeze EL8C (SE, v102 low gain) – very interesting how these closed back planars actually sounded better in low gain. Though the sound was tighter with a sharper definition at high gain, the treble sheen was causing ear fatigue. Switching to low gain softened the sound a little, relaxing it, and smoothing out the treble which was a lot more tolerable now. This pair up has a decent bass punch, leaner lower mids, more revealing micro-detailed upper mids, and crisp airy treble. The soundstage width was impressive, but depth was even better, holographic and out of my head.

Oppo PM3 (BAL, v95, low gain) – these Oppo planars are usually sensitive to pair up where in many cases sound is too smooth, somewhat congested, and just too laid back with less resolution. In this pair up, the sound is more detailed, more open, more resolving. It’s still lacking when it comes to layering and separation and overall, the sound is not as dynamic, but there is no congestion, bass is tighter, lower mids are more neutral, and retrieval of details in upper mids scales up. I tried it in high gain as well, but the only improvement was a deeper, more textured sub-bass.

Beyerdynamic T5p v2 (BAL, v90, low gain) – another example of me enjoying these Tesla drivers more at low gain where treble sounds a little more natural to my ears. Overall, bass is tight, articulate with a deep, textured sub-bass rumble. Lower mids are neutral, more toward the leaner side, and upper mids are very detailed, layered, nicely separated, and still natural, and treble being crisp and well defined, and smoother in low gain in comparison to a more overwhelming sparkle in high gain.

With the following IEMs, everything was tested in Low Gain from BAL output, thus I will just note a corresponding volume level.

Sennheiser IE800S (v75) – expanded soundstage, very impressive width and nice depth. Overall sound sig is relative balanced with a deep punchy bass, neutral lower mids with a nice body, very resolving layered upper mids with a natural tonality, treble with a nice crunch, a little splashy in some poorly recorded tracks but not fatigue. In this pair up 10k peak is definitely under control.

HiFiMAN RE2000 (v84) – super wide holographic soundstage, balanced sound sig with a little mid-forward push. Bass goes deep, has a nice rumble, but not as much quantity, mid-bass is tight and punchy, lower mids are lean, upper mids micro detailed, a little thinner, and with a more forward presentation, treble is crisp airy, bright. Overall sound is brighter, leaner, and a little colder. This is probably a case where going back to fw 1.2 would have benefited this pair up.

64 Audio TIA Fourte (v64) – super wide holographic soundstage, balanced lean sound signature. Deep sub-bass extension and tight punchy mid-bass, but overall low end is closer to neutral. Lean lower mids, brighter revealing micro-detailed upper mids, crisp airy treble with a lot of energy, a little on a thinner side. I think this is another example where a warmer fuller body sound of fw 1.2 could improve this pair up because overall sound could benefit from some warmer tonality.

Campfire Audio VEGA (v65) – wide expanded soundstage. a little more v-shaped sound sig. Bass is very powerful, coming at you with a full swing of textured sub-bass rumble and slower mid-bass which definitely has an elevated quantity. Lower mids are north of neutral, thick and full of body, upper mids are smooth, detailed, natural, while treble is a little elevated, with a nice crunch and airiness. In some pair ups VEGA could be more L-shaped and treble could get fatigue, but not in this case.

64 Audio U18t (v65) – very expanded 3D soundstage, balanced sound sig with a natural revealing tonality. Deep sub-bass rumble with a slightly elevated quantity, punchy mid-bass with overall bass being tight and articulate, neutral lower mids, very natural revealing upper mids with a nice layering and sound separation, crisp airy well-defined treble with a perfect balance of energy. This was a very impressive pair up with natural organic tonality without being too smooth or laidback, instead being very transparent and highly resolving.

AAW W900 (v70) – very nice 3D soundstage with a good balance between width and depth, and a nicely balanced sound signature. Bass has a deep sub-bass extension with a noticeable quantity, and a softer mid-bass punch where overall bass has a little slower attack and longer decay, but it’s still well controlled. Lower mids have more body, definitely a little north of neutral, upper mids are smooth and detailed, but not very layered or separated, and pushed a little forward out of your head; treble is crisp, airy, and extended.

Beyerdynamic Xelento (v68) – very nicely expanded 3D soundstage, and overall nice balanced signature, though with an elevated sub-bass. Starting with a bass, the sub-bass rumble goes deep, very textured and noticeably elevated, while mid-bass is tight, punchy, and overall bass is very articulate and well controlled. Lower mids are neutral with a nice body, upper mids are natural, revealing, layered, and with an excellent retrieval of details. Treble is crisp, airy, very well defined, not fatigue, and very energetic. This is an excellent pair up, except some might find sub-bass to be a little overwhelming, though when I switched from BAL to SE, I noticed sub-bass quantity going down a little bit – probably a better pair up in this case.

Westone ES80 (v80) – very nice 3D soundstage expansion, and a balanced-neutral signature with a very natural tonality. Bass has a great extension down to a sub-bass rumble and a fast mid-bass punch, overall bass is very tight and articulate, great quality with a closer to neutral quantity. The same with lower mids, very neutral and clean, while upper mids are very natural, detailed, layered, with a great resolution. Treble is crisp, airy, very extended. This pair up yielded a very natural and detailed tonality.

64 Audio TIA Trio (v71) – expanded 3D soundstage with a balanced energetic sound signature. Bass is very tight and articulate, lifted, with a strong punch and textured deep sub-bass extension, neutral lower mids with a nice body, very detailed resolving upper mids that have a perfect balance of micro-detail retrieval, while still sounding natural and not analytical. Crisp airy treble with an energetic sparkle. Great pair up, especially in how it brings up the energy in bass and treble.

Wireless connection.

WM1Z comes with Bluetooth 4.2, supporting aptX and aptX HD codecs (added in fw 2.0), and A2DP and AVRCP profiles. Sony also developed their own highly regarded low compression LDAC wireless codec, supported by WM1Z. Since I don’t have any headphones with LDAC, I decided to compare 1Z against my smartphone using Senns Momentum Over-ear Wireless and B&W P7 Wireless. In both cases, volume control, play/pause and skip worked flawless, and I noted a consistent 60ft wireless distance coverage in open space with 1Z vs 50ft under the same conditions with my Note 4 smartphone.

Using B&W P7W.

w/1Z – The sound is very crisp, detailed, transparent, very resolving, balanced sound sig with a powerful bass impact and extension, clear detailed mids, and crisp airy treble. Probably the best I heard P7W in wireless.

w/Note 4 – The sound is more v-shaped with more emphasis on bass and lower treble. Bass is a little more bloated, very powerful, yet a bit overwhelming, mids are detailed but not as transparent or resolving like with 1Z, maybe even a touch veiled in comparison, treble is a little thinner.

Using Sennheiser Momentum Wireless.

w/1Z – Very crisp transparent sound with an excellent retrieval of details, deeper fuller bass, detailed mids, well defined treble.

w/Note 4 – Sound is also crisp and transparent, but thinner and bass doesn’t have the same extension and slam, a little less rumble, and mid-bass sounds hollower in comparison to 1Z pair up. Mids and treble were similar to 1Z wireless pair up.

Conclusion.

Lately, it seems that different manufacturers are competing to include a lot of functionality with every new DAP release because they feel like some people judge DAP value based on quantity of included features, instead of quality. As a result, there are DAPs with balanced output that offers little power increase and not much SNR change, dual brand-name DACs without noticeable sound improvement, wifi support where apps have to be side-loaded, and wireless Bluetooth connections without aptX support. Sony decided to approach their WM1Z DAP design by starting a New chapter with a Fresh page, by making this Signature Series release to stand out from the crowd.

1Z is not trying to be trendy with the latest popular DAC used by others. Instead, Sony implemented their own new S-Master HX digital amp that was designed from the ground up. And as a result, they don’t even have to worry about dual DAC because digital amp design keeps L/R channels already isolated. Sony had enough confidence to release their flagship DAP with LDAC support first, and only later added flexibility of aptX and aptX HD. Sony went against the mainstream 2.5mm BAL jack, and were the first to introduce 4.4mm BAL. They used a hefty chunk of OFC material for the chassis because Sony did enough testing to recognize its benefits, despite almost doubling the weight (in comparison to aluminum 1A) and increasing the price (due to material cost). Battery life is also one of the best in comparison to other comparable DAPs.

But the most important thing, Sony kept audio quality as their top priority, without any compromises. WM1Z sounds like a piece of a desktop gear which adds an extra analog dimension to the sound, making other portable sources sound thinner, colder, and more digital in comparison. I’m not saying 1Z will be everyone’s cup of tea since I do recognize that many people actually look for a more reference, more revealing, and more neutral sources, relying later on pair ups with external portable amps or driving DAC/amps to color the sound. Also keep in mind, WM1Z is not the only choice if you want to get all this proprietary Sony technology since WM1A is a great alternative at a much lower price and weight, plus you should consider their latest ZX300 as well. But even a year later after its release, WM1Z is still at the top of the DAP food chain, still relevant, still a flagship, and still sounds great, especially after the latest fw update.