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Sony MDR ZX300
Source Win 7[Foobar2000 WASAPI] -> oDac -> MonoPrice Premium Coaxial Cables -> Matrix M Stage [0 db Gain Lme 49990 OpAmp]
Compared against modified Audio Technica w1000x
Obviously there's not much comparing a $30 can to one that's upwards of $600. Non the less, I started out on a headphone very similar to this one! Same driver size and a Sony Headphone! I see dozens of users wearing each day, so I thought it high time we give them a review! Bring out some of the real positives in this Low Budget can! The path to Hi Fi audio is best started with something as simple and yet fun as these!
Build [5/5]
Good build considering the price, although I wouldn't recommend stepping on it! The look of the can is stunning. Mine came in a Rouge Red color, the finish is very nice. The plastic seems flexible, and the headphone as a whole is very low key! Nothing cumbersome about the build at all! And the fit is easy and seamless. Compared to the w1000x [which is very cumbersome] these are wonderfully easy to use!
Sound Signature and Character [3.9/5]
Sound Stage: Very intimate! Bass has nice depth.
Sound Signature- Darker, intimate sound stage. Focus on the mids!
A good sound signature for rock and Dub Step, a small and aggressive presentation that captures plenty of
emotion. Not so focused on the minor details, but a great blend of elements for a nice aggressive all-arounder!
Songs
1 - Lisa Ekdahl _ Of My Conceit
A vocal jazz piece, the intimate nature of these headphones bring a good body to Lisa's voice. The sound stage is a little smaller than I'd like, but yet retains good details. The bass is very nice as well, good punch and low key as it should be.
Treble- Recessed, drowned out by the mids and Lisa's Voice. Lower Treble in hear voice has a nice sound. Softer highs in her voice are always well retained. No sibilance, very low key treble energy as well.
Mids-Very Forward, nice punch to vocals. Mids a little to forward. Vocals really crowd the sound stage and drown out the other sounds. Yet back ground guitar has a nice energy.
Bass- Low notes on the guitar very nice, good punch, good body.
2- Skotein [Braxton Burks] Battle VS Trainer
Classical rendering of an old chip tune, track features heavy focus on mids with sparkles of lower treble and high energy cymbals. The Sony ZX 300 does a good job at keeping up with the fast paced Stringed instruments, and has a wonderful bass presence, although the sound stage get's a little congested and the sparkle of the treble is some what lost.
T- A little lost, yet there's still a sense of sparkle with the lower treble!
M- Upper mids have good energy to them, still the lower mids suffer a little, mixing in with the bass, Yet it's never honky or un pleasant. The horns remain punchy and charismatic!
B- Again, low key good punch and presence in this classical tune.
3- Various_ Shooting Star and Airship [Monster Hunter 3 (tri) Ost
An Asian influenced orchestral, strong focus on wood winds and earthy drums! With a playful horn as well as deep bass notes, the can does well to keep them all balanced. Yet it lacks a little bit of the magic of the wood winds, non the less the horns and upper mids are really fun and very enjoyable!
T- Good energy, actually while it is recessed it's never lost in the sound! It's a darker treble but it stands it's own ground fantastically! In this tune and others, The guitar here in this track is very nice. Good light quality to it
M- Again very powerful and fun mids, the horn has the potential to be very honky, yet the ZX 300 does a good job of keeping it in check. The mids retain the breathy sound to the wood winds as well! Good details retrieval from this little can. Mids are still a little too forward, and congested non the less.
B- In this tune, the bass suffers from some bloat! The song is bassy than others have been and while there is bloom, there's not to much punch...
4- Culprate_ Yellow
A very playful Drum n Bass tune, focus here is on the Treble and the bass, the song how ever features a very warm, yet complicated, fast and very tight bass line. A lot of shifts in the pitch of the bass, and very quickly!
T- Great treble for a DnB tune, highs retain a sharp nature to them while still being towards the back of the sound stage.
M- There is a lot of ambient noise in this tune, these cans do a nice job of bringing that forward a little more than the w1000x. An the mid heavy Outro is nicely presented.
B- The Upper Mid Bass has good punch to it, and the smaller on ear pads have a nice feel to them as the bass shifts. Still the bass lacks the overall tightness of the w1000x, and the non traditional almost woody bass line really lacks the snap it should. Non the less it has good body and the can keeps up fairly well! The bass has more presence on the ZX300 as well, yet lacks a little in energy and quickness.
5- Adele_ Someone Like You
A well known song, the vocals here are they key! In fact I never liked Adele until I listened to her through the w1000x. Her voice has so many layers to it, as does her music.
T- Nice energy and dynamics in the highs of her voice!
M- Again, the can prove to be very intimate. Bring out the depth and soul in Adele's voice, although missing a little of the emotion and complex layering.
B- A little over powering.
6- 3nd_ Algorythm
Great tune from a Japanese Rock band, wonderful energy and great layering. The bass and Six String guitars play along great in this track.
T- The energy is captured well, cymbals have a good presence to them.
M- The guitar is fun, great energy and a good sense of warmth as well, a little grain persists in the track as well.
B- Ahh the bass, it's back and it ROCKS. Good kick on the drums, the bass guitar is nice and deep. Punchy as well.
6a- Red Hot Chili Peppers Hard To Concentrate
A quick note, I grew up listening to the Chili Peppers on cheap Sony Cans.. and years later I still prefer the Sony ZX 300s presentation of them over the w1000x. Anthony's voice has such an intimate sound, on these cans. Not to mention Flea's bass line keeps great warmth to match the low notes of Anthony's voice. Granted all the individual parts, sound much better on the w1000x [the guitar can get very grainy in this track] yet at the end of the day. The overall low fi presentation of the Zx300 combined with the Chili Peppers is still a magical combo! The Zx300 adds body an weight to Anthony's voice, which gives the tracks a more close to your heart feel. Just going to prove how not everything sounds better on a hi fi system. Sometimes it's nice to get back to a low fi sound, a grungy guitar, a smooth voice and a kickin bass line. Without all the grandeur and magic of High End Cans!
7- Jus Now_Jouvay
A very Caribbean Dub Step Track, captures all the tropical energy of the Caribbean with that grungy classic UK Dub Step sound!
T- Nice crisp nature to the treble, a good contrast over the bass!
M- Voices sound very thin and sucked out in this track, which is a little disappointing, but that just leaves you more time to focus on that bass line!
B- All about the bass in this tune, another song that sounds just as good on the Zx300 as it does on the w1000x. A real grunge a real nasty energy to the bass! Granted not as clean or tight as the w1000x, but who cares. It's Dub Step. Down and dirty bass lines, with a nice sub bass growl and meaty mid bass in your face presentation! Nod your head an tap your foot, kinda get down!
Both cans truthfully do this Dub Step tune well, the tighter bass and deeper more controlled kick are great. While the Low-fi Growl and rumble of the ZX 300 sounds equally as nice! The energy of the tune, the feel of the beat and the Caribbean undertones blend well on both cans! The tune just has it's own energy on each can! Sadly the w1000x, don't give me that foot stompin, head shaking nasty bass.
Sound [3.5/5]
Treble [3/5]- A darker Treble can, the highs retain some detail and energy. Never truly lost in presentation but not always the focus when they need to be. Still for tracks that are heavy with sweet highs, they won't be missed or non existent. And best of all, no worries about sibilance!
Mids [4/5]- Very forward an intimate mids, vocals can be tricky. Simpler vocal tracks will be great, where as deeper more complex Vocalists might loose a little warmth and feeling. Guitars have a nice energy to them, smooth when it should be and rough when you want it to be!
Bass [3.5/5] -Fantastic for some genres, horrible for others. A edge aggressive presentation. Presentation is toned down when songs call for it, which leaves it a little lack luster but well palced. Where as songs that a are tuned more for rough edgy bass will sound much better! Not the best for more organic bass, but great for a synthesized sound!
Bass [3.5/5] -Fantastic for some genres, horrible for others. An aggressive presentation over all, but still a heavier more boomy bass non the less. Presentation is toned down when songs call for it, which leaves bass a little lack luster but well placed. Where as songs that a are tuned more for rough edgy bass will sound much better! Not the best for more organic bass, but great for a synthesized sound!
[size=11.5pt]Conclusion- I can see why so many people have these, ease of accesses. A very familiar sound signature and an inviting sound to most common music lovers![/size]
[size=11.5pt]Honestly, if your serious about getting into Audio Philia or your like me some one who's grown to appreciate the details, these are a great can to listen to! If these are a can that you own, get familiar with the specifics of the sound as a lot of the basic concepts of quality in a headphone are easy to pick out with a headphone like this. Things like sound stage, forward and recessed sounds.[/size]
[size=11.5pt]Plus, it's always enjoyable for me to remind my self of what kind of headphone I purchased THREE times in a row before I wound up on Head Fi. Makes you appreciate your expensive headphones all the more, and again these little cans reminded me of why I own more than one headphone! And helped me keep a realistic view of those cans. Like my W1000x, which doesn't always do Dub Step as nastily as I'd like to [which I why I own the Dt 990
] [/size]