Review: Sony WM1Z Walkman – Splendid!

Disclaimer: The Sony WM1Z was delivered to us from Sony directly. Big thanks to Effect Audio and Masiyoki Morioka from Sony Japan for making this review possible.

The EU models of WM1Z has limited volume levels, but this device is a Japanese uncapped version. To get info about how to uncap your EU device, take a look at HERE.

INTRO

One of the most attractive and intriguing audio products, Sony WM1Z, is finally here for this review. I must say I’m very excited. I had no idea I would experience this marvelous player for this long time, but I guess when you want something so much it really happens in the end.

When the new Signature Series from Sony was revealed, my attention was on the new Walkman WM1A. It looked like an obvious replacement to my lovely ZX2, but on the other hand the engineers went with a “pure” approach with these new models, not including Wi-Fi and Android. So streaming was gone and that gave me a little hesitancy about getting one.

I’m not a streaming freak, I have a big music archive to listen to, just as any audiophile I guess. So I just waited for the unit to arrive in my country, to give it a chance. I searched many Sony stores but only one of them had a demo unit to try out, and it was a little far from my location. Still, I wasn’t going to pass on the chance to try it. After an almost 1 hour drive, I arrived to the store.

And boom. WM1A was clearly a step up from the ZX2 in my eyes, and that with just a short listening time. Within 10 minutes I figured out it was better and then I spent the remaining 30 minutes just listening for pure enjoyment. When I was on the way back home, I was wondering how the Sony WM1Z would sound with a better chassis and components. At that moment, my curiosity (which is the very thing that drives all audiophiles I guess) was over the top.

By the way, I of course got the WM1A, and yes, it’s review will also be on Headfonia.

DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

The most arty Walkman ever, the Sony WM1Z is a work of huge R&D and engineering. According to the Sony Engineers and Project Leaders, they’ve had more opportunities for these new models as they were allowed to make the necessary developments to reach the best sound quality they could possibly achieve.

A lot of people expected a ZX3 model after the successful ZX2, which I’ve been using for more than 2 years now. According to Akihiko Urushihara (Product Planning), the ZX series had some restrictions in some areas to develop them further. There was much more potential at hand, but there had to be a change of route to unleash that. Therefore, they decided to turn the concept into a limitless and pure mindset. They started from scratch, with an unconstrained environment for engineers to make them pay attention to the details. As a result, the WM1 series was born as new flagship series of Walkman, which exceeds the previous ZX series in terms of technicity and overall performance.

This change in the concept is evident as it appears also in the naming scheme, which is not a continuation of ZX, instead it’s “WM1”. Mr. Urushihara also remarks that he wanted to have the Walkman name as “WM” for model naming.

Why 2 models? Why not just One Ultimate Walkman? Again according to Mr. Urushihara, it was intended to have more than 1 solution to the people’s needs in terms of sonics. Preference of sound is different from person to person; one can choose a sound that has a flatter signature with good attack and speed, while the others prefer a richer, warmer and organic sound (me, me, me). They realized they couldn’t reach those two poles in one device so that’s why there’s WM1A and WM1Z.

In the process of tuning the sound and advancing in development, the WM1Z eventually became the upper model for the engineers. It reproduces the sound even more natural, refined and with a deep realistic staging. WM1A is more like an evolution of ZX2, because in terms of basics it shares similar parts. However it’s quite a big evolution, with the fully new S-Master Digital Amplification and enclosure, so the step up in the sound department is quite apparent. For this reason, it could not be a ZX model.

As you know, there are 2 other products in the “Signature Series”. TA-ZH1ES Headphone DAC/AMP, and probably the most contradictive headphone of the year, the MDR-Z1R. Both will also be here on Headfonia, so be on the lookout!

WHAT’s NEW?

Since Sony Team decided to produce this player in the purest possible way, they ditched the Wi-Fi and Android OS. There’s a Linux based Sony custom interface, and Bluetooth with NFC. To cut off any possibility for a signal interference they decided not to include Wi-Fi. Correlatively, they didn’t include Android which somewhat has a negative effect on battery life. The screen is the same as in previous ZX2. It’s a 4 inch screen which has a 854 x 480 resolution. More than enough for this kind of a DAP, and it’s also good for the battery lifetime.

There’s a brand new S-Master amplification, which aims to silence continuing criticism on previous S-Master amps. This newly developed S-Master has a better noise floor and more output power, which is proven by the numbers. Overhauled FT Capacitors and new “Kimber Kable” to transfer the sound to the output female jacks are the other new additions to WM1Z.

Another development is the inclusion of a balanced output (first time from Sony), which has a 4.4mm standard. I’ve talked about this new balanced jack with Effect Audio’s Ares II cable so you can check that article. This output has more power to drive IEMs and headphones compared to SE output. And, it gives you the Native DSD playback which is awesome.

CHASSIS

Last but not least, the whole chassis of the WM1Z is made by an oxygen-free, high purity copper for conductivity. Because of the copper’s vulnerability and for protecting it from the environment, it is plated with gold material. The Sony WM1Z gets its final shape with that, and it gives the DAP a shiny prestigious look.

It’s actually not the first time their engineers tried this kind of a thing. Sony did try this before with the ZX2 models, which you can see in the photo below. These ZX2 prototypes have never been on the market though. The one on the left side is fully copper and doesn’t have a plating. So it eventually oxidated. The one in the middle is silver plated with a copper casing.

The one on the right side is gold plated over a silver intermediate plating, which was plated over the copper chassis. Because copper chassis was porous in the first place, they decided to plate it both silver and gold over it. But that didn’t work well for sound quality as it created some magnetism. After they tried a different alloy for copper which was directly plated with gold. So in terms of R&D they tried many different combinations. After finding out that oxygen-free copper helped the unit to sound great, they then got the go for making the next generation flagship with a copper chassis.

Many thanks to Head-Fi member “Nanaholic” for this picture and insight

Click here to read about general user experience.

4.5/5 - (122 votes)
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A keen audiophile and hobby photographer, Berkhan is after absolute perfection. Whether it is a full-frame camera or a custom in-ear, his standpoint persists. He tries to keep his photography enthusiasm at the same level as audio. Sometimes photography wins, sometimes his love for music takes over and he puts that camera aside. Simplistic expressions of sound in his reviews are the way to go for him. He enjoys a fine single malt along with his favourite Jazz recordings.

45 Comments

  • Reply August 29, 2017

    Volker

    Well, the importance of the source is heavily overrated. Using copper for the chassis is pure nonsense. As if the housing material would make any difference. It is still a decent DAP though.

    • Reply August 29, 2017

      Audio Asian

      “Using copper for the chassis is pure nonsense” – you know that, I know that, anyone who did physics at even highschool level knows that, but “audiophiles” are easy prey. 😉 Go to head-fi and argue that, they will respond with “superior ground” when grounding is effectively binary, if you achieve a solid ground it will not affect the sound quality in any way. The superior sound, which does exist, is due to tuning the S-MASTER differently.

    • Reply August 30, 2017

      Leo

      I agree with you 100%. But to be frank I think Sony as a very liable legal entity is a lot more less likely to blatantly claim something like “this gold plated OFC USB cable will improve your sound”.

      They did put a lot of work into R&D their full digital amp circuitry and capacitors, which solves actual problems: industry leading battery life and thermals. And if the same people who did all that work say, copper chassis as ground sounds better (in Sony’s published interview), I intend to give them the benefit of the doubt. So I won’t outright call them liars, but see their effort as a whole. As a DAP, the WM1Z & 1A really is something remarkable.

      And I find Sony being extremely understanding when they state 1A and 1Z just have different tuning due to taste differences, and 1Z tuning is expensive due to material and R&D cost. Which means they don’t necessarily think 1Z is the “best sounding”. Maybe they’re winking at the more engineering oriented of us, or maybe not. But I find it intriguing.

  • Reply August 29, 2017

    Brandon

    1Z…my precious…its always on me. Love this thing so much.

  • Reply August 29, 2017

    Martin

    So glad to read the comments of Volker and Audio Asian. Finally people who know their stuff and that dont get lulled by this audiophile marketing bullshit.

  • Reply August 30, 2017

    ohm image

    If only it hissed less. Otherwise, it’s solid.

    • Reply August 30, 2017

      Berkhan

      I’ve never heard any hiss with it. Strange..

    • Reply September 3, 2017

      ohm image

      It depends on your ears and earphones. This is a pretty damn hissy source. Great design otherwise.

      • Reply September 3, 2017

        Berkhan

        Well, I can say that ZX2 has some amount of hiss which is not obvious unless you concentrate. But with WM1A&Z, I’ve never heard any. Maybe there is some hiss with extremely sensitive IEMs, but the IEMs that I listened with are surely not hard to drive by any means.

        Have you tried the balanced output?

        • Reply March 2, 2021

          Peter

          Does it have enough power for the Sennheiser HD 800? Has anyone tried it? I also have Meze99 Classics. I like them very much.

      • Reply September 5, 2017

        ohm image

        Berkhan, I’ll be trying the balanced tomorrow, when an adapter from Bispa arrives. Until then, it’s all single-ended for me. I can’t wait.

  • Reply August 30, 2017

    Jason

    For $3200 it better sound great.

    It’s getting ridiculous the prices of portable audio gear and headphones. I know there’s the research and development costs, marketing and everything else that goes into making them but there is no reason a DAP should be over $3000. I mean unless you’re constantly on the go and away from home that money would be better spent on a nice home/desktop setup imo, for $3000 you can have a great setup.

  • Reply August 31, 2017

    Mark

    Wow, there is so much poison floating around when it comes to the 1Z. So few people seem to understand what Sony are trying to achieve with it. Put simply, they wanted to produce a DAP that in their opinion, is the best sounding DAP – period. Sound familiar? It should. Why do we not hear similar negativity when it comes to companies like Sennheiser producing products like the Orpheus I wonder? Sony have designed and developed their own silicon, capacitors and resistors – all with the one goal in mind. What other company goes to these extremes? They have chosen to use OFC copper for the chassis for a reason, and to be quite frank, I suspect their audio engineering teams might actually be quite good at what they do and probably know more about this stuff than the collective wisdom of all those who attend these sites. And their education doubtless extends beyond high school. They have listened to what they were told about the poor output power of the ZX2, and done something about it. This should all be celebrated, not ridiculed. A company pushing the boundaries and listening to criticism is a rare thing in this day and age. And don’t forget, nobody is being forced to buy this product. Oh, and let us not forget, there is a certain other DAP manufacturer that simply takes off the shelf components, puts them into a copper chassis, and charges similar amounts for their product. Come on people, celebrate this product for what it is – don’t denigrate it because it is expensive and because you don’t agree with the design philosophy & price. Finally, do not lose sight of the fact that this DAP is perfectly capable of feeding a full size amp/speaker setup – and no, the ‘double amping” is not an issue. This is a remarkable little box of tricks. Expensive? Yes, but then again, a Mercedes is more than a Toyota isn’t it?

    • Reply September 1, 2017

      Berkhan

      Great comment. Thank you.

      • Reply June 17, 2022

        Desmond

        Agreed. Wilde said it first-the cynic knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing.

    • Reply September 7, 2017

      Brando

      Yes! Thank you, Mark.

    • Reply February 21, 2018

      sszorin

      How come the double amping is not an issue ?

    • Reply March 2, 2021

      Peter

      Very well written.

  • Reply September 7, 2017

    Russ Myers

    I love my Sony NW-WM1A in balanced with Audioquest Nighthawk headphones. Want to demo NW-WM1Z.

  • Reply November 5, 2017

    David de Lucena

    I think the dac section it’s better than hugo 2!!
    Just need a little more power!

    • Reply November 6, 2017

      Berkhan

      Maybe Lieven can say something about it, as I haven’t heard the new Hugo.

      • Reply November 7, 2017

        David de Lucena

        Maybe he can chime in and talk about this? I heard hugo for 2h and find the Sony 1z dac with external amp better

  • Reply February 21, 2018

    sszorin

    Is this player truly splendid ? Can I load into it exact audio copies of hundreds of CDs ? Does Sony have a special machine to do this like Astell & Kern has ? Can I bypass the internal amplifying circuit of NW Z1 and route the audio signal from this player into a portable amplifier ?

    • Reply February 21, 2018

      Berkhan

      Yes, it is. We’re talking about the digital audio player here, not about a standalone supportive device (CD Ripper). And you need to pay extra 400$ to have that feature.

      You can always burn your CDs into your PC and put them into the player anyway. AK’s solution can be more practical, but like I said, if you will to pay the extra amount. And in today’s world, CDs are getting more and more obsolete.

      Sony does not have a standard audio processing like the other brands. There are some pros and cons of this architecture. The biggest advantage is the battery life, which other brands just cannot reach anywhere near at the present time.

      I wouldn’t buy a very expensive DAP for using it as a source only. If you would, then you can go for another brand, that does not make this player less than splendid.

  • Reply April 13, 2018

    Paul Windels

    Thank you for this nice review.

    I have one question: I have seen that the DAP runs on Android 4.1.
    Is this version still young enough? Taking into account the considerable investment, will the product still be functioning on that plarform for instance in 5 to 7 years? Will or can the Android software be updated by Sony?

    Regards!

    • Reply April 13, 2018

      Winipou

      Could you please delete my name or replace my name with ‘winipou’?
      Thank you!

      • Reply April 13, 2018

        Berkhan

        Hi,

        It doesn’t run Android, it uses a custom Sony OS based on Linux.

        The last updated version of this DAP is 2.00, 2nd update in its life time.

  • Reply July 28, 2018

    Spitfire

    Fantastic and extensive review. I sent back my WM1A back to Amazon for refund with just one day before the returns date was up phew! This is all because of your review and I am not disappointed. I was extremely lucky as managed to get hold of a nearly new WM1Z from ebay for £1999 which is the Japanese version. It arrived with premium leather case not the sony one and glass protective screen cover. The device was also loaded with hi res music. So blown away am I. Just let you know I have had in my possession many Sony devices and all good at the time. Astell and Kern 120, 380, questyle and lotto paw gold which is currently up for auction on eBay as I write. The paw gold is excellent but just sounded a bit harsh at times.

    To my senses the WM1Z takes me to finer level musically. An example I have a recording of XTC, senses working overtime and on all the other devices it just sounded okay and just not loud enough. Not the case with Sony, the drums, guitar is just so clear and louder and the bass is to relish. It’s like you have a miniature beatles producer george martin inside the device tweeking every song.

    I cannot praise this device enough I have 30 hours on it so far. I am using the balanced port with my K10 Nobles with double helix cable, had to get them reterminated though which cost £16 to do this.

    I am in audio heaven.

    • Reply July 30, 2018

      Berkhan

      Much thanks for your detailed comment.

      A WM1Z for 2000EUR with the premium case, screen protector and Hi-Res files is a great deal.

      Right now the best DAPs in the world are Sony WM1Z, Cayin N8, Hifiman R2R2000, Paw Gold (yes it still is one of the best), AK SP1000cu and maybe the new Paw Gold Touch (but I haven’t listened to that one yet).

      WM1Z + K10 sounds like immense musicality. Enjoy!

  • Reply September 29, 2018

    raymond bradshaw

    How easy would it be to play it through my Naim power and preamp? And what would it sound like?

    • Reply October 4, 2018

      Berkhan

      How can I know? 🙂 You tell me.

  • Reply December 10, 2018

    Sanchez Diego

    Now it is up to me to find a proper headset to enjoy… I was wondering about the Focal Clear ; do you think about any better matches with low impedance over-hear headphones? Thks

    • Reply January 19, 2019

      Anand

      The Sony mdrz1r it’s a pretty nice one it can be driven well by the wm1a/z

  • Reply February 6, 2019

    Alex

    I own the Sony ZX2 and is considering upgrading to this Sony WM1Z. I used the Shure SE 846 with the zx2 and till now have no complaint.

    Anyone here uses the Shure SE846 with this WM1Z? How is the sound stage etc?

    • Reply February 8, 2019

      Berkhan

      Regardless of the IEM, you will hear a great difference if you switch to the 1Z.

  • Reply February 6, 2019

    Juan

    Do you know how much hours of use in the unit you reviewed?

    Thanks!

    • Reply February 8, 2019

      Berkhan

      Actually I don’t remember, it’s been a long time. But it was a demo product so it had been many hours under its belt when I reviewed it.

      • Reply February 12, 2019

        Juan

        Thanks Berkhan!

        Cheers

  • Reply June 30, 2019

    adam

    Just picked up a wm1z and pair of Solaris sounds unbelievable even compared to mojo poly…just picked up a kimber 8core cable for my iems balanced new for 79 bucks. Cant wait to compare balanced sound. I dont see it being much better bit cheap option for balanced cable without spending even more dough. The z I picked up w dignis case for 1900. Solaris have been rocking hard and i have no complaints single ended…

  • Reply August 11, 2019

    Joseph

    Hi, wanna seek you opionions, I saw a mint wm1z for 2400 sgd, but the owner bought it from sony malaysia, warranty is already over as it was already over 18 months. is it still worth it?

    Currently using zx2 with the pha3 amp, if i change to wm1z can i still use it with the pha3 amp?

    • Reply August 11, 2019

      Berkhan

      Yes, 2400sgd is not bad for the WM1Z. But do ask a little price decrease.

      You won’t need your PHA-3 after you switch to 1Z. But yeah, I think you can use with it.

  • Reply January 5, 2021

    Kuki Cha

    Hi Berkhan, thank you for that beautiful review. I have a Grado PS 1000e, do you think it would work with the Sony WM1Z?

    • Reply January 10, 2021

      Berkhan

      Yes, it should match well.

      • Reply April 12, 2021

        Chimkhunglong

        Thank you for the beatiful review. Now A&K released SP2000. Is it better than WM1Z ?

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