The Watercooler-- Impressions, philosophical discussion and general banter. Index on first

I woke up early today to catch my flight to Bangkok. I packed my audio gear and boarded my flight.

To continue where I left off in my last, I continued my A/B of the Sony WM1ZM2 and the Cayin N8ii whilst on the flight.

A funny thing about me is that if I am underslept from the night before, I become far more sensitive to minor differences between sources, IEMs, cables and the like. I think it makes me a more perceptive reviewer . Not sure if any of you can relate?

I remember that I often intentionally slept a couple of hours less the night before I would go to my dealer’s to compare various speaker amps for my Hifiman Susvara, during my early days with the Sus.

Today, the N8ii sounded more different to me than the WM1ZM2. I tend to run the N8ii on the P / Class AB / Solid state mode which is neither its coldest profile nor its warmest.

Pros of the N8ii over the WM1ZM2:

- Airier treble. Very smooth but can get bright on certain configurations (P+ / solid state / class AB)

- Quicker transients compared to the WM1ZM2

- Deeper stage (front to back)

- More micro dynamics in upper mids and treble

Pros of the WM1ZM2 over the N8ii:

- Far more persuasive note weight. Just the right amount of flesh on the bones (who doesn’t like flesh on the bonus)

- Better balanced bass (good sub and midbass balance)

- Despite the airier treble on the N8ii, I perceive more clarity with the WM1ZM2 on many tracks

- Images are very distinct and corporeal

I am a sucker for note weight so the WM1ZM2 cements its position as my favorite streaming DAP.

I also experimented with the N8ii line-out to the Brise Audio Tsuranagi and needless to say, I was floored.

The flipside of the Cayin N8ii airy treble is that it can sound a tad digital compared to the Sony, and the overall presentation can sound a bit too “delta sigma” sometimes, but off the Tsuranagi, the Cayin N8ii improves dramatically in realism. Sounds a lot more natural, a lot less colored, and just a lot less distracting. The presentation becomes a lot more persuasive and addicting, from bass to treble.

The Tsuranagi continues to impress!

Meanwhile, Bangkok is quite a lot of fun at this time of the year, albeit hot and humid.

Just a few random photos I took today of Bangkok sights and delights for your viewing pleasure (more forthcoming).

(I adore these cookies)

And last but not least, I finally caught the new Flash movie, and having been a long-term DC fan, I have to say I enjoyed it a fair bit.

Sources: Sony DMP-Z1 | Sony WM1ZM2 | Brise Tsuranagi Transducers: Campfire Trifecta + Effect Audio Centurion | Dita Perpetua + Dita Celeste | Aroma Fei Wan (Incoming) + PW Audio Orpheus YT Channel: Amplify Audio Show