Well, that is kinda the whole point of the argument.  I agree that a TH900 is worth "200-300 more", but since its actually double in price, I consider the argument invalid....

Maybe a B stock or open box TH900 directly from Japan? I did see some US dealers sell B stock TH900 at $1,200.
 
At that price range, I would rather get a HD800 or risk my money for a pair of K812 kind of open back headphones. 

Massdrop had the TH900 for US$1.2k for at least a couple of times that I've seen, but the last one was almost 3 months ago.
But at that price, it is still more than double of what I've paid for my Z7

akhyar said:

  ^ Indeed, treble head should look elsewhere.

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I am interested in the Z7 and I noticed you too have the Roxanne. How do they compare?

elnero said:

  Personally, I quite like the treble on my Z7, it's present without being overbearing. Sibilance is held in check and although it's treble is not quite as refined as something like the Oppo PM-1 it's still quite good in comparison to quite a few other high-end phones I've heard. With that said, I should note that I've found quite a few of the high-end headphones I've tried are overly bright or lack a level of refinement so there's going to be a certain amount of personal preference at play.

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+2 what you said
 
It a preference thing for sure but for me I am enjoying the treble of the Z7 because its not so present but still there enough that it sounds exciting and dynamic at moderate to higher volume levels.

I am really enjoying these so far! Listening to Tidal, FLAC and some higher bit encoded MP3's. Quick question to those who are pleased with theirs so far.
I currently am using a Nuforce Icon HDP. It is a great unit, but might be underpowered for these phones as well as some of the Summit-Fi Planars etc. What would you recommend that has been recently released in a Amplifier/DAC combo that would pair nicely with these and have enough technology for future phones. I know many folks are believers in balanced design, but I really had almost made my mind up on the Ifi Micro IDSD? Anyone have experience with it? Seems to be garnering some great reviews from seasoned enthusiasts. Thanks so much! Happy Listening!
 
Thomas

Treble of the Z7 is pretty nice, not muffle, I would say definition is better than the HD650. For me HD650 is the pinacle of what hifi headphone should sound like and the Z7 is better. I dislike trebly headphone as I don't like having headaches when I wanna enjoy music.
The stock cable vs the diy cable sounds a little bit different and that is not to say I'm really sure they do, but to me I don't have problem with bass or treble with both cables. I would say the diy cable sounds more airy while the stock cable has so hint or warmth in it.
Any cable will do, just search for flexible one and with enough wire diameter for your need. The rean plugs are easily found for less than 5€ each. All the tedious work is in the braiding and the soldering of those minuscule solder points.
I don't believe that you will find the mind blowing/revolution you are looking for if you already have a good headphone. Same goes true for the speaker arena. I believe in user friendlyness, design, lifestyle, physiological sound pleasingness, more than studio bits, oscilloscope graphs, imedance curves and so one, with black box and cryo treated headphone stands. The Z7 is better than the HD650 overall, and that is Worth its price for me. That is the point, if you like custom machines, wood working and small companies, you will prefer audeze, hifiman and co. The sonys are more elegant, well designed, nicer put it all together in my opinion, yours will differ.
I think many company see those headphone as a big threat because they are getting hit in market share, regarding the quality of the z7, pretty badly.

telecaster said:

The Z7 is better than the HD650 overall, and that is Worth its price for me. That is the point, if you like custom machines, wood working and small companies, you will prefer audeze, hifiman and co. The sonys are more elegant, well designed, nicer put it all together in my opinion, yours will differ.

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That's pretty solid praise and I could understand it from a perspective of pure enjoyment. I think if you have an open can, and something that has a closer to reference tuning like the 650, it's worth it to have a closed headphone that is as easygoing as the Z7.

The 650 is an incredible headphone, but it doesn't have the sub bass and may lack a touch of treble extension for some.

I spoke to someone at Sony Australia- they shall remain unamed - they would not give me specifics - however a new sony flagship is coming in 2015. The designer of the legendary R10 i think may be on board if I understood correctly. Also of interest Sony have been consulting some of their older engineers who were retired to assist with their latest flagship power amp a jfet powered one.

I also listened to the MDR-Z7 and thought it sounded good out of my walkman - I was unable to test it with other equipment.
A friend of mine thought it compared favourably with the Fostex TH600. I own the TH900 which in my opinion is a more refined headphone. The Sony Z7 isolates more effectively than the TH900 has similar levels of comfort. Unable to provide too many impressions as I only listened to a few tracks. I do think the Sony Z7 is a very nice headphone. It is not a flagship killer - which I think everyone was hoping for when the hype train pulled out of headfi city. Maybe the hype train will pull out in the new year...

mrtim6 said:

I spoke to someone at Sony Australia- they shall remain unamed - they would not give me specifics - however a new sony flagship is coming in 2015. The designer of the legendary R10 i think may be on board if I understood correctly. Also of interest Sony have been consulting some of their older engineers who were retired to assist with their latest flagship power amp a jfet powered one.

I also listened to the MDR-Z7 and thought it sounded good out of my walkman - I was unable to test it with other equipment.
A friend of mine thought it compared favourably with the Fostex TH600. I own the TH900 which in my opinion is a more refined headphone. The Sony Z7 isolates more effectively than the TH900 has similar levels of comfort. Unable to provide too many impressions as I only listened to a few tracks. I do think the Sony Z7 is a very nice headphone. It is not a flagship killer - which I think everyone was hoping for when the hype train pulled out of headfi city. Maybe the hype train will pull out in the new year...

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Hmm...once again... Is this real ? Only time will tell. But looks Nomax was right that 2015 is going to be interesting...

Ok... so on a Sony Store, tried the Z7s... pretty good sounding to my ears. They actually kind of reminded me of bassier MrSpeakers Alpha Dogs with less bite up top! Very comfortable, very nice looking, premium feel definitely. But I was actually surprised by the Sony Mdr-xb950s... I know I know, for the money they kind of had the same profile but the XBs are  muffled with the mids definitely recessed not the same clarity, etc. Still, IMO, the XBs are definitely worth $100 bucks, but somehow I can't say the same for the Z7s. Anyway, those were just first impressions, hopefully I will spend more time with the Z7s soon.

Interested in these for use at work. Sorry if these questions are already answered - any one heard it out of a Chord Hugo? And how is isolation/leakage?

I like a detailed musical sound sig, good bass and mids, sweet treble but still reasonably extended.

gelocks said:

Ok... so on a Sony Store, tried the Z7s... pretty good sounding to my ears. They actually kind of reminded me of bassier MrSpeakers Alpha Dogs with less bite up top! Very comfortable, very nice looking, premium feel definitely. But I was actually surprised by the Sony Mdr-xb950s... I know I know, for the money they kind of had the same profile but the XBs are  muffled with the mids definitely recessed not the same clarity, etc. Still, IMO, the XBs are definitely worth $100 bucks, but somehow I can't say the same for the Z7s. Anyway, those were just first impressions, hopefully I will spend more time with the Z7s soon.

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the bass settles down after a while, my pair has about 70hrs or more of use and the bass is not as powerful as when I first got them. Its still big but more balanced. I also think the treble has improved but they still are a very relaxed compared to something like the K712.

telecaster said:

 

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Definitely disagree with you about the HD650.  I think the HD650s are overall better and more natural sounding.  The Sonys are definitely good, and I quite enjoy the bass, but for my listening preferences,  the HD650s win hands down.  

fraggler said:

  Definitely disagree with you about the HD650.  I think the HD650s are overall better and more natural sounding.  The Sonys are definitely good, and I quite enjoy the bass, but for my listening preferences,  the HD650s win hands down.  

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I'm starting to suspect that the Z7 and the HD650 amplify very differently.  Might be pure speculation, but I'm thinking an HD650 loves tubes more, and the Z7 likes a more analog style/solid state amp.  But more science might be needed....