Sony MDR-ZX700 vs MDR-Z1000 - Early Impressions... - Page 2

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duncan 

As much as I appear to have berated the ZX700, they still show the market that there is good 'sound to pound' value to be had - The Sennhiser HD25 sounds bass heavy (bloated / lumpy), with thin midrange, and boosted / sharp treble when compared to the ZX700, and if you consider thatt the HD25 has been the reference point for all things Head-Fi for year after year, amd additionally consider that the HD25 costs more than the ZX700, then unless you are an extreme bass-head there really is no competition...

Thanks for the review Duncan. I am actually in the market for a good portable headphone as my Klipsch Image S4s don't cut it for me anymore. I understand that there are many IEMs in the $100-$200 range that can shatter the S4s in imaging detail and sound stage but I am convinced that full on circumaural headphones are the right fit for me. I like that you have compared the ZX700 to the HD25 as I am really fond of the signature Sennheiser sound. I am not a bass-head in particular (even though both my S4 and HD555s are pretty bass heavy) and I insist on listening to all my music with the equalizer flat. Lately I have been listening to a lot of Pink Floyd (entire discography) and a lot of Mozart's Piano Concertos and Symphonies recorded by Academy of St Martins in the Fields on my HD555s fed through my E7/E9 with my laptop as a source and they sound great (I am new to audiophilia, about 2.1 years and running). They definitely sound a lot better through my HD555s as well when using just the E7 as the DAC/amp and my iPod Nano 3rd Gen, as the source, relative to the S4s. They S4s must be retired to just unamped gym use with the iPod. For the commute however, I am looking for that easy to drive, relatively warm, good all arounder headphone that I will source from my iPod and DAC/amp with the E7 for within the $100-$200 range. I don't have the ability to really audition these headphones anywhere near where I live so your opinion matters as this comparison seems to be rather rare on the internet machine so would you be able to elaborate on that specific comparo a bit more as it seems you have a relatively lengthy experience with both sets of cans?

Best,

Nabil

Bumping this one up because I want to know how these cans fare on a Nano 6G without amp. Also if using any of the EQ presets helps for certain genres like dance music, rock and ambient. I am interested in these for isolation and because they have low impedance to drive from a iPod without amping.

Hey Deadman, while I haven't had the opportunity to directly compare the two in the same listening session the ZX700 and the HD25 are definitely quite different beasts. Apart from the general impressions that Nabil gave (which I completely agree with) here's some other points of comparison.

1. ZX700's are very comfortable being circumaural. However, unlike the HD25's they don't fold up which can be a bit of an issue.

2. The ZX700 is a lot more mellow in sound. Bass is not its strong point. To me though, the overall balance sounded more natural to my ears than the HD25's V-shaped signature.

3. Do you like your HD650's? When I had a chance to listen to the ZX700's I was also comparing against things like the DT1350, Z1000 and HD650. The HD650 was very warm, mellow and powerful in the bass, and slightly veiled. (Something I wouldn't describe the HD25's as.) The ZX700 is much leaner compared to the HD650 but still on the warm and mellow side.

Well I have now had the ZX700's for a few days and I must say they are pretty nice for the price. However a few caveats. Like others have said these are a little bass light to begin with. Used on my Nano 6G I set the EQ preset to 'Rock'. I initially just set them to 'Bass Booster' but it made the mids sound very muddy indeed. There was no dynamics there. Setting to the rock preset givess a slight boost to the bottom frequencies and a slight lift to the mids and highs. This makes for a great 'fun' sound and they really do come alive with this preset to my ears. Modern club music has a nice 'thud' to it whilst mids are more spacious and highs although a little grainy are more comfortable for long listening periods. Soundstage is not as big as my Porta Pro's or PX100's but they make up for it in overall accuracy. I hear more than I did. In some cases this can be an issue as I find poorly encoded MP3 tracks really sound awful. I can see myself using lossless a lot more and this comes from a guy with some high frequency hearing loss and tinnitus (yeah I know. But my ears are not that shot that I cannot tell the difference in sound between low and high end cans).

I have one issue but I am still not certain if it's my hearing or the cans or the sources. Occasionally I hear some distortion. Usually in the mid ranges and bottom frequencies and mostly in the left ear. It's subtle but I hear it all the same. I will have to try some known CD's on my home amp and see if this still holds true as it may just be something to do with being driven from the Nano 6G or perhaps the EQ (Or could just be poorly encoded files as stated). Or as stated maybe my hearing is a little shot. :/

The good thing about them is I can drive them at far lower volumes so further damage to my hearing is lessened (People really need to be warned in bold letters on headphone packaging about protecting themselves from hearing damage but I guess manu's are more interested in selling cans than potentially putting anyone off with warning notices).

I'll come back and update if I can fathom it out. Otherwise I give these a solid 4.5 out of 5.

Additional note. Some might find using the Rock EQ a little harsh in pulling down the mids. If so I recommend the 'Acoustic' preset. If you have the ability to use a custom EQ on your portable however then a simple push of the bottom frequencies might be adequate enough.

ha I bought a pair of zx700ip iPhone version hopefully it will sound good with my 4S