Yes and I hope you understand I'm just discussing an interesting post and not challenging you or attempting to put you on the defensive. I'm a psychology major and a bit of a perception nerd in terms of interest so I can't help but interpret things through that lens. And for the record, the aeon is most certainly a headphone if I was financially able to I would purchase as it sounds very intriguing. Cheers.
OK, I'm back. Yes, wasn't sure since your opening comment had no relevance to my post:
"As for the Aeon suddenly sounding close to the Z1R for the user where previously it hadn't..."
No challenge or offense taken, not to worry, we are not adversaries in our pursuit of audio enjoyment. So, your question goes to whether or not I was able to evaluate the two headphones without 'novelty' bias. Fair question, but I would also add the opposite potential, being afflicted with 'familiarity' bias.
Well, I do have confidence in my ability to assess headphone performance without significant or dysfunctional bias, but that expressed confidence should mean very little to someone who doesn't actually know me. So for what it does contributes to your thought experiment: I actually did not use the Z1R for at least two weeks prior to my comparison, and maybe closer to three weeks due to schedule and travel issues. (Maybe we share some similarities.)
Again, neither headphone is perfect, many will have a strong preference for one over the other. My SQ comparison comments were therefore intentionally minimal and focused on salient characteristics. Plain fact is everyone is isolated by a subjective aural perception, additionally we are all different in our experience and expectation of live and recorded music. But we do try to bridge that separation with dialogue like this, so thank you for extending the discussion.
It is enjoyable when it is rational and dispassionate. OK, maybe a little emotion is allowed, I did gush just a bit on my appreciation for both Sony and MrSpeakers in designing and bringing these great headphones to market... And also a bit on the beauty and quality construction of both headphones.
Bottom line, my brief comments amount to only one data point in the multitude. Many already exist, many more will follow. Looking forward to your forthcoming reviews. Should be a lot of fun for you, and an enjoyable read for us.
BTW: DAC/Amps used:
HiRes FLAC > COAX > Gungnir Multibit > Mjolnir2 (RFL6N3P-E) or Lyr1 (SYL6NS7GTB)