[canali]

Are you new to this hobby? Cos people claiming a premium headphone sounding better with an aftermarket cable upgrade is hardly anything new nor unique to the Z1R....

no not at all...my point is you don't read much about people swapping out cables on their audeze lcd3 or 4, hifiman 1000v2 or focal utopia, do you?
that was my point...did Sony not match up an equally good set of cables with this this premium product, is my question.

i do know that currawong was to inquire with the designer/etc on the quality of these cans' stock cables
at some recent canjam meeting...I will share if i hear more.(one poster had noted he and a friend had opened up the stock cables to not even find it grounded/shielded or something)

 

[nanaholic]

no not at all...my point is you don't read much about people swapping out cables on their audeze lcd3 or 4, hifiman 1000v2 or focal utopia, do you?

Actually I do, and that's MY point.
The only headphones where people don't swap out cables are STAX, but only because they have unique cables. People would even go to length to cut and dice the headphones to swap the factory cable (such as the original Beyer T1s) and then claim it makes a night and day difference and that the factory cable holds the headphone back.

 

[jmills8]

If one cant compare cables then I understand why one will question if a cable can change the sound. Guess to them all garden hoses are the same and a cable on a lamp will not make that lamp shine better. I dont care one bit about how a cable looks (ok 2% looks). My focus is sound. Lucky I live where I can spend 8 hrs comparing 20 or more cables before buying one or two.

 

[BunnyNamedCraig]

Uh oh here we go again gang! The cable discussion is just like watching 2 guys get in each others face, then someone pushes and then you know its on! ha. We are nearing the the "in each others face part". lets just hope this is a short one... I get exhausted just from watching.

Speaking of segue- anyone that has heard the Z1R with the TA-ZH1ES, like another amp/dac more then it?

 

[canali]

Actually I do, and that's MY point.

ok guess i don't which was mine...regardless

Uh oh here we go again gang! The cable discussion is just like watching 2 guys get in each others face, then someone pushes and then you know its on! ha. We are nearing the the "in each others face part". lets just hope this is a short one... I get exhausted just from watching.

Speaking of segue- anyone that has heard the Z1R with the TA-ZH1ES, like another amp/dac more then it?

lol, well put. i'm just trying to determine the quality of the stock sony cable vs some of the ops around it, is all.

but sure let's move on: here is to hoping sony now comes out with an iem to match,
esp considering the fab reputations of the ex800/1000st or mdr 7550 series.

 

[up late]

cable debates like debates about burn-in is a recurring theme that never seems to get old for some head-fi'ers - unfortunately

 

[sarinfuhrer]

Mine after 6 months..sibilant is hardly present while male vocal gains organic quality which i noted previously as dry when new. Still with stock cable. My primary music is Tidal and now keep discovering new fav songs with these with ease. This cans capable of playback a handful of genre with authority. From what my aural can remember, the Z1R tonal is more tg344 than JH layla/Rox. It has forward/intimate mids without splashy treble. Excellent bass extension and to me just nice decay. not too fast, not too slow. This qualities favor music lovers rather than audiophile. I'm turning into the former.

 

[Sarnia]

I've had mine for a few days now. Wonderful with stock cable balanced out of NW1A DAP. Very disappointing single ended (stock cable) from Mytek Brooklyn. Improved when unsampling to DSD through Audirvana. Arrival of Moon Audio Silver Dragon cable with adapter system lets me use the Brooklyn balanced, and the performance is now at least up to NW1A. Big relief. It does take time to adjust to a warm sound which at the same time is more informative than any other can or IEM I've used. A curious contradiction, but one I think I've live with happily.

You should hear them out of the Sony TA-ZH1ES balanced. The WM1A is an excellent dap, but the TA-ZH1ES is in another league entirely.

 

[FastAndClean]

"i prefere m50"

 

[canali]

Ty Herstens of 'Innerfidelity' did an indepth review, just released today:

Sony MDR-Z1R Sealed Over-Ear Headphones
By Tyll Hertsens • Posted: Jun 5, 2017

Read more at https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/sony-mdr-z1r-sealed-over-ear-headphones#mwy3174TezIwbAoA.99
https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/sony-mdr-z1r-sealed-over-ear-headphones

excerpt:
''Sound Quality
At first blush the MDR-Z1R sounds like a warm warm headphone with some treble emphasis—a bit smilie face, but not bad. May brain never did get around to accommodating though.

The bass is a bit too strong and remains emphasized too far into the midrange giving it a thick character. A moderately withdrawn presence region adds some veil to the thick bass. A lack of energy 4-6kHz leaves cymbals lacking body, and a big peak at 10kHz add too much zing to everything and, while not piercing as would a 5kHz be, becomes significantly fatiguing over time.

When switching back and forth between it and the Mr. Speakers Aeon and Ether C Flow, and Sonoma e-stat to compare tonal balance I was regularly struck with how the others provided a much better sense of an integrated whole; the Sony in comparison was disjointed and incoherent. Not once did it make me tap my feet.

I really don't know what more to say. When I'd rather listen to the Audio Technica ATH-M50x we've got problems. I don't want to misslead here, it's an okay sounding headphone, but 'okay' just doesn't cut it at $2299.

Summary
The MDR-Z1R is a spectacularly beautiful, comfortable, well built headphone, but the bass-heavy, veiled, and zingy character is just far too uneven for a headphone at this price.

I'm very disappointed. Almost 30 years ago they built the legendary MDR-R10 that now sells for around $6000 used...and in my opinion they have fallen short ever since. To me it feels like they come up with seriously innovative ideas and designs, but fail to listen and tune, or throw out entirely, these concepts when they don't sound up to snuff.

Sadly, not recommended.''

so there you go...different strokes for different folks...
the guys at stereophile, what hifi and sound and vision all loved them...but Ty, not so much, which is fine, esp given his exposure.
sound and vision review: https://www.soundandvision.com/content/sony-mdr-z1r-headphones-review
stereophile: https://www.stereophile.com/content/gramophone-dreams-16-sony-audioquest-headphones
what hifi: https://www.whathifi.com/sony/mdr-z1r/review

 

[paulchiu]

Tyll does not like the Z1R, prefers lowly M50. OUCH!
...

 

[Nick-s-f]

"i prefere m50"

Just read that article, I don't think i've seen Tyll give a review so cold.

 

[Kramer01]

Tyll gave the Z1R a proper bollocking.

 

[Kramer01]

Yeah sure it has a "tuning" but come on M50's over these, I wouldn't pick the M50's over the Z7 let alone the Z1R

 

[FastAndClean]

"for all of you guys with that sony, just sell it and buy m50 second hand for like 50 bucks, it sound better"
Tyll Hertsens