Sony DR-Z6 (Vintage) - Page 8

Thanks. As you say, though, punch up the treble and you have a pair of phones that seemingly got faster.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Intrakota 

Hello Boyz and Girlz, so I have 2 pair of Sony DR-Z7 Headphones from 1978, what I need are new cables for them, can anyone recommend a dedicated supplier of headphone cables that isn't going to break the bank.

The existing Litz wire is showing it's age and needs to be replaced, the plug is a standard Quarter inch Stereo Jack plug, although a Stereo 3.5mm and preferably a screw on adapter will be fine, cable length is not important.

I'm in England but ordering from around the world is not a problem.

 

Specifications for Sony DR-Z7 Headphones.

 

....

 

Impedance                                         110 Ohms @1kHz

Sensitivity                                            104 dB/mW

 

.....

If this is true, there is no possible way that this headphone is power-hungry. The sensitivity rating on these cans is incredibly high.

In fact, that's the highest sensitivity rating I've ever seen on a vintage headphone, which is pretty impressive on Sony's part.

Perhaps there was a mishap in transferring the specifications over, and it's 104 dB/3V or something. That would put it about on par with the Pioneer SE-700, one of the most insensitive headphones on the planet...

Finally caved and bought the DR-Z5 that has been on eBay for the past 2 months. I'll post some impressions here once I receive it. I'm very excited.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Graphicism 

Quote:

Originally Posted by takato14 

If this is true, there is no possible way that this headphone is power-hungry. The sensitivity rating on these cans is incredibly high.

 

In fact, that's the highest sensitivity rating I've ever seen on a vintage headphone, which is pretty impressive on Sony's part.

 

Perhaps there was a mishap in transferring the specifications over, and it's 104 dB/3V or something. That would put it about on par with the Pioneer SE-700, one of the most insensitive headphones on the planet...

 

That might be incorrect, reason being is that these come alive when paired with my OTL tube amp. They don't sound all that special out of either my solid-states or receivers.

 

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by takato14 

Finally caved and bought the DR-Z5 that has been on eBay for the past 2 months. I'll post some impressions here once I receive it. I'm very excited.

 

I didn't even see it on there, I suppose I wasn't looking but still good to know another head-fier has acquired one. I look forward to your impressions!

I look forward to my impressions as well 

If they're anything like what I've read about them in this thread, I'll have a new favorite headphone.

Here's a little tidbit of information...

As I found out the DR-Z6 and Z7 used a palladium coating on the diaphragm. This struck me as a bit odd. Curious, I looked into the prices of palladium back in the 70's and 80's, and found something interesting. Take a look at this graph:

Prices of palladium almost tripled in 1980. It jumped from around $120 per ounce to nearly $350 per ounce in a matter of three years. This is almost certainly the reason why Sony had to cease production of the DR-Z series drivers, which in turn also explains why this headphone is so incredibly rare, since the headphone was only released two years earlier in 1978. 

Intriguing, to say the least. 

Got them in the mail today...

First impression?

Oh my sweet loving mother of Jesus Christ, these headphones are incredible. The amount of technical precision I am hearing seems impossible, and yet here it is, coming from a 35 year old pair of headphones.

They sounded incredibly bright and harsh out of my laptop, but out of quality source equipment they are extremely neutral, maybe very slightly recessed treble. The imaging is absolutely perfect, and even my densest music never has a hint of congestion. The upper mids might be forward a bit but it's definitely not a deal breaker. 

But I cannot stress how technically perfect these headphones are, even my friend's RS2i ($500) simply cannot compare in that respect. My SA3000 sounds slow and sloppy in comparison as well. 

On the negative side, I'd say they are neutral to to point where it's almost a little boring. The bright sound I was getting from my laptop is quite a bit more exciting, if a little headache-inducing. Perhaps that's what graphicism meant by them being "not very special" out of his other equipment. They also seem like they might have an echo-y noise to the sound, but that might just be me being used to a headphone that has virtually no upper mids or treble (KOSS Pro/4AAA).

Verdict? Extremely impressive, but less about being "musical" and more about being perfect. They can still be musical, however. Acoustic music is a real treat with these.

Alright. Here's some more impressions.

These are considerably superior to my DT1350 and RS2i. The highs aren't as smooth as my 4AAA but they're also more refined and extended. The DT1350 has more extension on the lows and highs but they're also slightly distant and have a haze in the midsection. They're also MUCH harsher and brighter than these, and have a big hole in the upper mids. The Z5 is much smoother, and has the absolute best imaging of all my headphones combined. It's also faster than the RS2i. That's right, faster than a Grado. They're extremely clean, raw, and bright, and VERY aggressive.

The hot, painful treble I was getting from my laptop is gone with better equipment, but they're not neutral as I said before.  I had a DSP setting enabled on my player and it was mucking things up. They're bright and crisp. It's a somewhat different tonal balance than the Grados; it's more of a neutral with slightly forward, powerfully aggressive treble as opposed to forward upper mids, warm lower mids, and light bass. I found the bass on the Z5 to be easily comparable with the bass of the DT1350; very slammy, well controlled and extended without being emphasized. 

Build quality is top-notch. They're heavy and sturdy. The yokes are a little bit less than rock solid, but it's nothing that would be cause for concern. The detachable earcups are quite interesting, it's very convenient for storage and makes sharing your music very easy. The cable is actually much nicer than expected as well. The pads look quite literally brand new, and are very soft and supple. They're fairly stable and they almost disappear on your head after being worn for a while.

Great headphones, can't believe these are as old as they are. 

<3

Unfortunately the shorts in the cable finally caught up to me. I thought I had it fixed, but then the right side just completely died, with no hope of revival. 

As a result I had to make a temporary replacement until I can get one properly made for it. I tore apart an old apple USB cable and braided it into a simple double-sided headphone cable. It's not pretty, but it works.