Sony MDR-Z1R

I devide Headphones and Earphones into 4 categories
Club Sound
What Sony calls Xtra Bass, mostly cheap non-audiophile headphones --> Can be used for every genre but tends to sound mushy and boring and consists of mostly bass. If you're older than 20, you're most likely not enjoying these.
Musical Sound
Designed to reproduce an very realistic and live sound --> Plays well with everything that exists
Monitoring Sound
Designed for either Studio or Stage Monitoring --> Plays well with everything that exists, but can sound boring and might not be suited for pure music listening. These are often professional tools meant to fullfill a certain purpose, make sure they fullfill your purpose.
Weird aka most ChiFi
Often based on Monitoring with pushed, piercing upper mids, sometimes in combination with pushed bass (no midbass though, we're audiophiles!). Tries to be as much as possible to be the opposide of Club to make sure, you know you're listening to an audiphile headphone. If it doesn't hurt, its not audiophile. If you can't bear the pain, you're not audiophile enough. --> Only plays well with selected audiophile songs. You are not an real audiophile if you listen to anything, that doesn't sound well with these. If anything sounds wrong and off with these, its always the song and the quality of your recording.

The MDR-Z1R belongs, without question, into the Musical Sound category. It can play pretty much every Genre without ever sounding offensive, off or wrong with anything.

The MDR-Z1R can be summed up with one keyword: "Live".

From all the Headphones i've listened and/or owned so far (HD800S, HD820, Several Focal and LCD, pretty much everything from Meze and Hifiman, Moondrop VENUS and so on) nothing ever sounded as Live as the MDR-Z1R

Especially, sounds funny i know, Live Music. Throw in any BluRay or Live DVD and nothing will sound as realistic and authentic as the MDR-Z1R. There are some Live Concerts that i did attend myself and the sound is just 100% spot on and everything sounds exactly like im on the scene. Given how many Headphones advertise with how live and realistic and inside the concert hall they sound, its astonishing how many of these fail miserable with actual live music.

The position of the Instruments, the layering, the crowd around and behind me, everything is exactly where it belongs and this is what i use the MDR-Z1R for most of the time. I have a lot of very well recorded Live BluRay and DVD and if i listen to any of them, there is no question about the choice of Headphone.

But not just live recordings, everything that tries to Sound authentic, live and real like a lot of Jazz recordings or most Soundtracks like the ones from Hans Zimmer, pure amazement.

Studio Recordings sound very live and authentic too, but as this is pretty far from monitoring, don't expect to pick apart the song like you're able to do with Headphones that belong into the Monitoring or Weird category. Their resolution and speed is very good and way above average, but as they don't push the upper mids, these don't throw the details into your face. Which is good for everyone who wants to enjoy listening to music, but not so good for people who want to listen to the Headphone instead or want to analyze certain aspects of the song and focus on them.

Also they don't forcefully change the mix. A lot of people want the vocals to step outside of the mix, if the music wasn't mixed that way, it won't sound that way. If you haven't owned an Musical Sounding Headphone before, you might be disappointed about the Vocals. Check with an reference Monitor Headphone how your music really sounds and if you like that sound.

Buy these if you want to enjoy listening to music with the highest possible sound quality. Don't buy these, if you're an audiophile.

Overview:

Up for review today is Sony’s TOTL closed-back MDR-Z1R (Z1R) over-ear headphone. These have been around for about 5 years, but consistently still show up on the lists of the best headphones along with the ZMF Verite-Closed and the Focal Stellia. So, the real question is: how do they still hold up now, 5 years later. My set is not 5 years old, but nothing has really changed from the 5-year old version to brand new ones you can buy today. So, is there a reason that the Z1Rs have hung around this long with no changes? If you don’t feel like reading my review, then yes – they are still some of the most comfortable basshead closed-back headphones on the market.



Build Quality / Comfort:

The Z1R have really good build quality and remind me of the Sony WH-1000XM3 wireless headphones with similar coloration and a similar headband. That headband is very soft, but I have also seen it crack before if not taken care of correctly – condition your leather people! The ear cups are also very comfortable, but need to be taken care of as well. The cable is very nice, not microphonic at all, but it’s around 10ft (too long for portable,) with both 3.5mm and 6.3mm connections and the connectors screw in at the ear cups. The 70mm drivers are housed inside some crazy looking magnesium domes, which are lightweight and covered in a mesh that reminds me of a fencing mask. Annoyingly, that mesh has holes in it and it picks up all kinds of crumbs and dust, etc. and is very hard to clean.

The comfort is excellent – the headphones are lightweight (385g!) and at no point did I feel they were too heavy or painful – truly a masterpiece of fit. That said, the ear cups can get a little hot, but sound leak while being worn is minimal – these have the JM Audio XTC-Closed (XTC-C) AND the Kennerton Gjallarhorn GH 50 JM Edition V2 (GHJM) beat on build quality and weight.



Sound / Source / Comparisons:

I am running these back to back with my JM Audio XTC-Closed off of my Burson Conductor 3X Performance (3XP) and my Shanling M3 Ultra (M3U) DAP. The Sony’s take a little bit more power to run (52/100 on the M3U, 80/100 on 3XP low gain) than the XTC-C (45/100 on the M3U, 70/100 on the 3XP) at the same volume. I wanted to be able to compare these two since the XTC-C currently holds my “Best Closed-Back” rating and the Sony is the older contender. Below are songs that I listened to back to back, adjusting for volume with both headphones to get an impression of how they compare. The quick and dirty breakdown of the Sony though is: boosted bass, recessed mids, sharps highs, massive soundstage, good clarity and detail.

Starting off with bass heavy songs, we have Basshunter’s “All I Ever Wanted.” The vocals and piano come in strong on the Z1R, though to vocals feel further back than on the XTC-C’s (a common theme with these headphones.) The bass drums come in extremely hard and show off the headphones v-tuning – it’s very strong and detailed bass with only a tad bit of bloat. The entire song comes through with detail and clarity – these are really good headphones, but the XTC-C is tighter and has more detail from the Beryllium drivers.



I wasn’t going to use David Guetta’s “I’m Good (Blue),” since I don’t want to over use it. But while the bass sounds excellent, the synths came across very metallic and harsh sounding in the upper registers – definitely a weakness in these headphones that the XTC doesn’t have.

Dirty Heads “Sound of Change” opens with a deep bass line and it sounds excellent on the Z1R, the vocals still further away, but the instrument separation is excellent and you can hear the fingers running over the strings of the guitars from 1:09 to 1:12 (which is kind of annoying, but detailed.) Compared to the Z1R, the XTC-C bass comes in with a little less quantity, but no less quality - the vocals are more forward and clearer/cleaner on the XTC-C. The fingers on strings mentioned previously are still there, but less grating than on the Z1R (which seems to struggle a little with sharpness in the highs.)

Moving on to songs that have a heavy focus on vocal and instruments, we start with eleventyseven’s “Appalachian Wine.” The piano and strings come in wonderfully represented on the Z1R. The vocals are accurate and the acoustic guitar sound great – the vocals are still a little far away sounding, but it is far less noticeable on a song that isn’t bass heavy. Instrument separation is crazy and it sounds like people are clapping behind you while the singer is in front of you and the guitars come in from the side – bravo Sony. As the vocals move into the high register towards the end of the song, the Z1R starts to fall apart as it begins to sound slightly metallic and sibilant. The XTC-C does better here with vocals and strings, but it doesn’t have the instrument separation or soundstage the Z1R has.



Up next is One Republic’s “All the Right Moves.” This is a great test because it has strong bass, powerful mids, and controlled highs. I’ve never heard the bass in this song so intensely as with the Z1R – it comes in hard. The distant sounding vocals and the massive soundstage with excellent instrument separation continue here as well. I’ve heard parts of this song on the Z1R that I’ve never heard before – that’s not actually a good thing in this case because the parts I heard were distracting and came out of nowhere making me wonder if the song is poor quality – something I’ve never wondered before. The XTC-C still has a powerful bass response in the intro, but it’s less overwhelming and the vocals are clearer and closer – I don’t notice as many details in the background as with the Sony, but that does make the song far more enjoyable. Neither headphone really excels at this song to be honest. I plugged in the XTC-O to test and the open-back XTC seems to have a better depth representation overall of this song than either closed-back.

Lastly, hitting songs that have a focus on higher notes, we start off with Slash’s “Anastasia” which opens with a really beautiful acoustic guitar intro. The Z1R does a good job portraying the guitar notes in this intro and then it does a good job as well when the bass drums and electric guitar come in at 0:35. It doesn’t do as well with the higher electric guitar notes or the higher vocals. They come across as metallic and sharp. This song shouldn’t feel as flat and metallic as it sounds on the Z1R. This shows once more where the Sony really struggles – these are EDM headphones, not metal or rock headphones. The XTC-C doesn’t have that issue with the high-notes or with the high vocals – it represents this song very well.

Panic! At the Disco’s “High Hopes” is the best example of simbilance from the highs on the Z1R I’ve experienced. The intro opens really well with the instruments, but the vocals are extremely painful and the sibilance is extremely rough to the point where it feels like someone is stabbing me in the ear consistently as Brendon sings. Ahhh! I get none of that from the XTC-C. Everything just comes across really well, strings, vocals, bass, etc.

So, for my preference, despite the smaller soundstage, the XTC-C win this round and maintains the coveted “Best Closed-Back” title. They have less bass quantity, but it’s tighter and cleaner. The mids are more forward and neutral, with excellent clarity and detail – vocals are prominent and guitars sound life-like and accurate, though the Z1R does a good job here as well and can present sound sounds the XTC-C doesn’t present (not always a good thing.) The highs are not even a competition as the XTC-C avoids the sibilance and harshness that the Sony has been criticized for by multiple reviewers. Overall, it’s a no contest win for the XTC-C (the GHJM is also slightly better across the entire range, more bass, good mids, and less sibilant highs.)



Conclusion:

These are great basshead headphones – for people who want good quality across the board with elevated bass and a solid v-shape frequency response. For my personal preference, the mids are too far back, the highs are harsh, and I prefer less bass quantity. But, the soundstage and instrument separation are bar none – literally the best I’ve ever head on closed-back headphones. Also, the quality, comfort, and stock cable are classic Sony goodness. So, if you like the positives and don’t mind the negatives for your style of listening, get these – I don’t think you can do much better for v-shaped basshead closed-back headphones (well, except maybe the GHJM.)

You can buy them from Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3JuIj97

Hey audiophiles.


Audio set up used.

16/24bit uncompressed lossless music,

optical TosLink cable,

Linear 5 volt power supply,

AudioQuest Pearl micro USB cable,

Chord Qutest,

custom solid core copper silver gold RCA cables,

Lake People Phone-amp G109S (1ohm impedance output),

custom solid core copper silver gold power cable.


The Z1R is fitted with a litz copper 6.3mm jack cable.

These have been burned in for at least 50 hours.


These are just my impressions, opinions, views and experiences with them. I purchase all my many cans (all blind, risky but fun), no freebies or samples.


Design, build & comfort.


Well these sure stand out and look unique, credit to Sony for that. A difficult feat considering the volume of closed back cans in existence. They are pretty big, like a HD 800. The materials used are excellent and the craftsmanship is too, they are made in Japan. But those ear cups do resemble the eyes of a fly.

But also like the HD 800, I find it very light and very comfortable. It weighs just 385g and I do not find it clamping, long listening sessions are easy (even more comfortable than the AH-D7200). The leather ear pads are large, no issues with my ears but other headphones have more spacious ear pads (TH-900).

I really like the box it comes in, luxury indeed but I would prefer a more practical carry/travel case instead. The inclusion of 2 cables is good, 1 being a 4.4mm balanced one. But the 6.3mm jack cable is too long for me, this can is not very demanding to power and drive so you could use it with many DAPs but you would have to buy a shorter cable. Also I like the 3.5mm ports, easy cable rolling.

These cans hardly leak any sound and they offer excellent passive isolation, I love it.

A unique look (not my preference), superb build quality and fantastic comfort. A good start.


Sound.


Some strangeness here. These have a relaxed presentation but are a little dark and veiled. But it has a large sound stage with big bass and pretty good imaging. Hmm…

I don’t find it boring though but it is easy to listen to thanks to it’s laid back nature.

The highs are good but the Z1R is like a supercar, you push it and it will spin. Sometimes when enjoying a song, you crank up the volume. But go a bit too high and the treble is a little piercing, like most cans but maybe it happens a bit too early for my liking. The highs lack some clarity and resolution.

The sound stage is probably the most impressive sonic aspect of this headphone. It is large, tall, deep and wide. The best I have heard on a closed back can (surpassing the Ether C for me), very impressive. It does not sound exaggerated or too large, it’s quite addictive really.

Imaging is also very good but there is something strange here. It’s not very airy or spacious, I’m always aware this is a closed back can (unlike the AH-D7200). But having said that, I love the way sound appears from a black background. It’s hard to explain but again very impressive.

Mids are the weakest part of the headphone for me, some electric guitar can sound a little muted. It can lack meat and definition, it can also sound smaller than it should. It’s like the highs take centre stage, the Z1R is saying this is how I do it (but thanks to the Utopia & LCD-3 pre-fazor, I know how it should sound). Vocals are too far back for my liking, not intimate enough but pretty defined though.

Bass is big and full sounding, definitely not the quickest though. Impact and slam is very good but not great. Very good depth and extension too. The lows have a smoothness to them, it’s pretty clean also. It’s bigger than the LCD-3 pre-fazor.


But now for the worst part, it’s ridiculous price. A RRP of £2000, it is far too expensive for what it is and what it offers. Poor value for sure (I know there are offers out there and it is cheaper pre-owned but that is the case for ALL cans). It is more expensive than the following rival flagship closed back cans:

Denon AH-D9200,

Audeze LCD-XC,

Fostex TH-900 mark 2,

Beyerdynamic T5P,

Audio Technica ATH-W5000 & AP2000Ti,

Dan Clark Audio/MrSpeakers Ether C Flow,

AKG K872.

The Sennheiser HD 820 is the same price as the Z1R, the Focal Stellia (£2800) and the Ultrasone Edition 15 Veritas (about £2300) are more expensive.

But ultimately, I prefer the Denon AH-D7200 irrespective of cost.

I find the Denon’s livelier and more exciting, I much prefer it’s bass (it’s deeper and hits harder). It sounds more airy and it is more detailed and clear, the size of it’s mids are also better. I prefer it’s build quality and looks also, it is even easier to power and drive too. Oh, and it costs 1/4 of the price! One quarter, I’ll let that sink in for a while…

The Z1R, an unusual flagship closed back headphone. An acquired taste. Decent mids but I expect better, good highs. Very good bass and a fantastic sound stage. Easy to listen to with excellent isolation offered. Very light and comfortable, very good build quality and pretty easy to drive too. Looks are not for me and it is way too pricey (not worth it for me). I believe it should perform better.

Thanks for reading and happy listening all : )