Thanks smokingman.   I tried those Z7 a bunch of times. Using the matching Sony amp, they sounded much better with the "balanced" cable. That was a surprise. But maybe the amp was optimized to encourage people to buy the expensive balanced cable...   I'll revisit the Z7 page...

I broke the first pair trying to bypass the resistors.   Kept the foamy stuff but unfortunately tossed the frames in the bin...

Has anyone tried using the MDR-Z7 drivers in the MA900 open frame?   I had owned two sets of the MA900 and am listening to them now. They are very durable and still sound good.   The MDR-Z7 seems to have a fantastic driver and excellent clarity but the closed form factor and perhaps an odd...

Germanium,   There are some interesting comments on the LSR305 by a guy called "no audiophile." As you have modded your speakers, this guy makes two interesting observations:   http://noaudiophile.com/JBL_LSR305/     1. More expensive JBLs fill the inside/back of the waveguide with some...

Like WDCChee, I use the Kojo Technology brass as my portable; it is terrific. The Pure 2 is a powerful and clean but I found it a bit flat.   I have had the good fortune of trying out hundreds of portable amps in Tokyo and quite liked some of the Continentals; look forward to checking out the...

I am currently connected to a Kojo Technology portable brass amp KM001, which I find to be a fantastic piece of gear.   Kojo recently released two portable amps which I have not seen before:   1. PAMP - inexpensive (<$200) and small portable amp with a cool form factor effectively runs along...

I had some cheap sony headphones with a hard plastic headband which had several plastic joints. It was painful on the top of the head.   A lightly inflated thin plastic bag  worked perfectly. When inflated properly, the air seemed to distribute the headphone weight over a large surface area...

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The HD-800 is an odd beast; I tried it with a few dozen amps and found it irritating and fatiguing with most amps. But the potential is obvious, as the HD-800 is comfortable, light and has a nice open sound.   The following two amps are my favorites with the HD-800 - both played well with...

I found the Continental v2 to be a top-shelf portable amp with higher impedance headphones. This new Continental Dual Mono looks like an interesting collaboration where two teams shared ideas and knowledge. The feature set is excellent and I will take a test-drive.   With respect to the the...

I have an extra MA 900 frame and am considering adding the Z7 drivers to it. One challenge is the cups obviously differ. And the ports differ. And the MA900 has the nonwoven fibre focusing gizmo inside. Fitting the new 70mm driver is unlikely to be plug and play. Does anyone have a view here...

Oh...I heard the mini m8 in Tokyo in Ocober with the JVC FX 850. I thought the package was excellent. This is a very well thought out design and you can see my impressions in that thread.

I have head the Chord Hugo a half dozen times and found the amp to be a weak link. The DAC is better but there is a lot of good competition for DAC stages at this and lower price ranges. I found the AK240 to be a competent package with a beautiful box and good software. Sound was pretty good...

I found the tuning of the "monitoring" IEMs to be excellent, especially considering it is a prototype and was not customized. I thought the "listening" tuning was terrible. I did not listen to the "dance."    For reference I have never heard a BA that I liked. Probably I am hypersensitive to...

Quick note on Fujiya-Avic Tokyo Headphone Festival for Fall 2014.    Four floors of music madness. Quite a bit of new gear and plenty of familiar stuff. Relatively loud environment and quick sessions so take this as more of an inventory of some items I liked, NOT a review. There was plenty of...

I've heard the MDR-Z7 twice and will provide a brief overview. First off, build quality & fit and finish appear to be excellent. I also found then to be extremely comfortable. The ear pads and band are plush soft. Few headphones seem to reach this level of design in my view. First listen -...

Hi Rudi, Did you have a chance to test the Aurorasound Heada amplifier? It was the source for the Abyss in Tokyo Fujiya-Avic show this past spring. I also heard the Mass Kobo lineup. I had the chance to hear the Aurasound again this weekend and wanted to know your views. I found these two...

They come with foamy tips that are similar to Comply Tips. I think the FX850 has too much bass with the foamy tips; they also lose that fantastic open and airy soundstage.   Inserting the FX850 deeply (e.g. opening one's mouth while inserting the plugs into the ears), bass is just too much...

Go to e-earphone in Akihabara; it may have the most extensive selection of earphones to audition in Tokyo.    Fujiya-Avic also has a massive selection but a lot of the gear is behind the counter or in glass display cases so auditioning is more difficult.   The large electronics superstores...

Analog squared new SIT (V-FET) amp?    A few comments on this:   http://www.head-fi.org/t/727389/tokyo-fujiya-summer-potaken-festival-19th-july-2014/30#post_10746746