[takato14]

 
agree that the k812 is a disappointment. the th900 on the other hand is an exceptional closed can and a worthy flagship as reflected in the praise it's received from reviewers, owners and folks who have heard it at meets. anyways, back to the mdr-z7.

If the TH600 is any indication of the TH900 (it is), I disagree with this sentiment. The TH600 had <way> too much bass, horrendous treble, and virtually no soundstaging.
 
Gloriously constructed, amazingly comfortable, and gorgeous... but not even close to being worth it for the sound imo.
 
Hopefully the MDR-Z7 fills the gap between closed and open headphones at that price range.

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

Man, you're gonna be all backed up dude.. screw it, bring the meats!

 

[Noobmachine]

As someone who has plans in the future of getting the k812, I'm very curious to see how these sound, maybe I'll put off my purchase.

And in regards to the TH600 vs the TH900 I've done extensive A/B testing prior to my purchase of the TH600, and the only reason I bought the TH600 is because it is practically the same sound for less than half the price, and I find it quite odd how people can dislike one over the other at all. I'm pretty sure in a blind test I probably wouldn't be able to differentiate the two very easily.

 

[Makiah S]

As someone who has plans in the future of getting the k812, I'm very curious to see how these sound, maybe I'll put off my purchase.

And in regards to the TH600 vs the TH900 I've done extensive A/B testing prior to my purchase of the TH600, and the only reason I bought the TH600 is because it is practically the same sound for less than half the price, and I find it quite odd how people can dislike one over the other at all. I'm pretty sure in a blind test I probably wouldn't be able to differentiate the two very easily.

So what gear did you listen to it with :/ 
 
looking at whats on your page under sources and amps I don't see much really revelaing amps or dacs, more importantly the differeance between a $200 and a thousand one is in the feeling, literally. And having a proper Dac an Amp will hinder or further the tactility of a headphone, cheaper cans aren't tactile where as the nice ones are, never forget music is not only heard but felt, the physical tactility of music is what makes a live band, what makes live music live. To have a Violinist 4-5 feet from you you'll get that tactility, there fore you get the full experince of the music, a headphone at it's best should reproduce not only the sound of the instrument but the tactility of it as well 

 

[Noobmachine]

So what gear did you listen to it with :/ 

looking at whats on your page under sources and amps I don't see much really revelaing amps or dacs, more importantly the differeance between a $200 and a thousand one is in the feeling, literally. And having a proper Dac an Amp will hinder or further the tactility of a headphone, cheaper cans aren't tactile where as the nice ones are, never forget music is not only heard but felt, the physical tactility of music is what makes a live band, what makes live music live. To have a Violinist 4-5 feet from you you'll get that tactility, there fore you get the full experince of the music, a headphone at it's best should reproduce not only the sound of the instrument but the tactility of it as well 

Ah, I haven't quite updated my stuff yet, but at the shop where I had demoed the 2 I was using a PHL phonitor from my MacbookPro as a source, and I didn't use an amp, just straight out from the phonitor.

Regardless of how revealing the DAC is, the headphones will still speak for themselves, and I was very much willing at the point in time to drop the cash for the TH900, I just felt that after 2hours of demoing the TH600 was pretty much 90%~ of the TH900, and I didn't need to worry about babying them either, so I picked the TH600. Bottom line is, the TH600 isn't a slouch as some make it out to be, in terms of soundstage the 2 are the same, and in terms of differences, the TH900 does have a more refined treble, and smoother upper highs and maybe the sub bass reaches a tad deeper. In terms of everything else, they're really quite similar.

Edit: to clarify I don't own the phonitor, it was the local headphone shop's, but I used it to demo the 2 before making my purchase online.

 

[takato14]

  So what gear did you listen to it with :/ 
 
looking at whats on your page under sources and amps I don't see much really revelaing amps or dacs, more importantly the differeance between a $200 and a thousand one is in the feeling, literally. And having a proper Dac an Amp will hinder or further the tactility of a headphone, cheaper cans aren't tactile where as the nice ones are, never forget music is not only heard but felt, the physical tactility of music is what makes a live band, what makes live music live. To have a Violinist 4-5 feet from you you'll get that tactility, there fore you get the full experince of the music, a headphone at it's best should reproduce not only the sound of the instrument but the tactility of it as well 

No. I'm listening to my Monitor 10-II right now and it's far more tactile than the TH600 ever was, out of the exact same gear: my laptop. 
 
They're similarly spec'd so its not a pairing issue. The TH600/900 really just aren't all that good, just like most other modern closed headphones. Closed headphones take much more work than open headphones when it comes to getting them to that "perfect", best-they-can-be point, which is why most manufacturers stick to open for TOTL gear. IME the TH600 was very boomy down low, very splashy up top, and almost absent in the middle.They really lacked proper driver behaviour and micro-detailing to my ears and there wasn't a "real" soundstage to speak of.
 
Of course, I did give them a proper source before getting rid of them: My friend bought an O2/ODAC combo on my recommendation and he let me give it a listen. They just weren't up to snuff imo.
 
Now enough about that: how about that MDR-Z7, jude?

 

[allets]

Postal forwarded expected delivery date: week from release.
 

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

  Postal forwarded expected delivery date: week from release.
 
 

 
When is Australia's release date?  The "official" dates seem to elude me....

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

The Sony Singapore's product page also includes the Kimber Kables and model numbers, listed under Accessories:
 
http://www.sony.com.sg/product/mdr-z7

 

[up late]

If the TH600 is any indication of the TH900 (it is), I disagree with this sentiment. The TH600 had too much bass, horrendous treble, and virtually no soundstaging.

Gloriously constructed, amazingly comfortable, and gorgeous... but not even close to being worth it for the sound imo.

Hopefully the MDR-Z7 fills the gap between closed and open headphones at that price range.

reading your post i'm thinking that you haven't actually heard the th900 but you disagree anyways. sure, why not?

 

[takato14]

reading your post i'm thinking that you haven't actually heard the th900 but you disagree anyways. sure, why not?

Don't be an ass.
 
The TH900 is literally a more refined TH600. They use the same driver design with different tolerances between the two headphones. They also measure almost identically and there are plenty of people who attest to their similarities.
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/FostexTH600.pdf
 
http://www.innerfidelity.com/images/FostexTH900.pdf
 
The TH900 has slightly less overall distortion and more controlled treble, but that's about it. You get the general gist of the TH900 from the TH600, and if you like the 600, the 900 is a logical upgrade. I did not like the TH600. Ergo, the TH900 is not for me.

 

[john57]

  The Sony Singapore's product page also includes the Kimber Kables and model numbers, listed under Accessories:
 
http://www.sony.com.sg/product/mdr-z7

Thanks for the link. The three Kimber Kables options is what I have heard that Sony plans to offer. Just the three. For 4-pin XLR termination I would have to make one myself at a lower cost.

 

[LFC_SL]

Don't be an ass.

Dude, not everyone may agree with noobmachine but at least he has demo the TH600 and TH900 side by side and made the purchase right for him. Someone may find the comparison post useful

You on the other hand have written half a page on something you have never even smelt in the flesh. What are you even doing linking to citations. Think you need to take a step back and drink some coffee. There is a reason the posting guidelines ask members not to comment on something they never heard

 

[Saraguie]

Dude, not everyone may agree with noobmachine but at least he has demo the TH600 and TH900 side by side and made the purchase right for him. Someone may find the comparison post useful

You on the other hand have written half a page on something you have never even smelt in the flesh. What are you even doing linking to citations. Think you need to take a step back and drink some coffee. There is a reason the posting guidelines ask members not to comment on something they never heard

I think it's called trolling. And name calling is a no no. Wouldn't be surprised if the moderators delete the post as being offensive.

 

[gr8soundz]

Wish there were more (early) impressions of the Z7 here.
 
I'm still thinking of getting them but other headphones like the Senn HD700 are going for same price. I know those are open vs closed (among other things) but at this point/price I'm just looking for the best possible overall sound.