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

Spent a few solid hours over the last several days auditioning the Sony DMPZ1 with my favorite IEMs. I have never spent so much time with this device especially playing my own music off an SD card.

What a ridiculously good experience!

It had me floored with the Dita Perpetua first and foremost with the larger-than-life note weight. Pianos sounded incredibly real and a few feet away from me.

The Trifecta sounded heavy but musical and played back everything with balance and authority. Images were massive once again. Breathtaking.

Although the XE6 and Helios scaled beautifully on the DMPZ1, I was already convinced by how well it played back the first two, my current favorites probably.

This “DAP” has absolutely remarkable note weight the likes of which I am yet to experience on headphone chains, let alone with IEMs.

It does this whilst creating a level of image separation that is far and away the best I have heard. On one track the right and left images were so far apart that I had to take the IEM out to confirm where the sound was coming from.

And oh man, the bass on this thing is the stuff of legends and fantasies. But never overbearing or fatiguing. Powerful, textured and always analog.

And as you would expect, the timbre is spot on. Sony at its best.

It is indeed Sony’s magnum opus and I dare say, the hobby’s magnum opus, as far as portables go, and especially IEMs.

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