I’m here today with a review of the Aeon Closed RT, purchased back in 2021 for $500 as my first experience with DCA headphones. I eventually used it for a 15% Club DCA discount on the $4k Expanse and $900 Noire, so I’ve certainly gotten my money’s worth from the Closed RT.

No photos this time since I sold these to a friend before taking them.

Build and Accessories​

For the price, the Aeon Closed RT is definitely one of the best built headphones out there – while it’s not especially premium (being mostly plastic-adjacent build), everything is solid, well fitted, and free of any odd creaks or squeaks. The Hirose connectors are my favorites, being secure, extremely durable, and easy to use. They do make replacement cables more expensive, but many custom cable shops seem to carry them now.

On the accessory front, the Aeon RT comes with a carrying case, cable, warranty card, 4 tuning filters, and the pre-attached ear pads. Nothing incredible, but good for the price. The carrying case is a nice and large hard shell, since the RT doesn’t fold like DCA’s higher end headphones, but this extra space makes for a nice area to store the cable and some other odds and ends. It’s certainly very protective, and a nice little value add.

The stock cable isn’t the best, and worth replacing fairly quickly. It’s heavy and a little stiff, but worst of all is that it’s very microphonic. With the price of Hirose connectors, a replacement cable hurts the value proposition of the Aeon RT quite a bit but is a necessary expense in my opinion.

Finally, the headphones come with 4 pairs of tuning pads, ranging in how much dampening they do. The thinnest black foam might as well not exist for how little it changes the sound. I’d say that at least it protects the drivers from dust and debris, but there’s already a thin fabric filter. Can’t hurt, I guess. On the other end, the white pad with 2 notches will significantly reduce the treble and effectively bring up the mids and bass.

It's nice that DCA provides these as options, effectively giving 5 different tuning options (even if the black foams aren’t much different from not using any filters). For this review, I used mostly the two white pads (1 notch and 2 notches) as well as no filter.

Comfort​

Just as important is comfort, where the Aeon Closed RT really shines. The earpads are large enough for even my Dumbo ears, although the tips of my ears do touch the drivers and edges of the pads. This personally didn‘t bother me, and there were no sharp edges, but this is obviously very subjective.

They extend quite far – you’d have to have a pretty large head before that becomes a concern here. The earcup pressure is snug, but not skull crushing. One small complaint here is that they can be slightly uncomfortable if you wear glasses, depending on the width and placement of the legs.

Bass​

The bass on the Closed RT is best described as ‘lean’ in kind terms, or ‘anemic’ in less kind terms. There’s really no way around the fact that, without any of the filters, the Closed RT has a frequency response shaped like / a slash. While there is bass, you’d have to turn up the volume to get much sensation of rumble, thump, or impact. And at that point the treble becomes piercing and fatiguing. And while the bass takes to EQ well, you’d need a pretty significant bump to bring the bass and subbass up to a ‘normal’ level. While things like iFi’s XBass II will bring up the low end, it ends up being very V-shaped instead of normal sounding.

Mids​

Mid recessed, hollow and thin due to little bass. This applies to all kinds of vocal, both female and male, high and low. Lower voices tend to lack real rumble and it often ends up coming across as grit instead. With thicker pads, the mids become natural and filled out, but this comes with sacrifices to the treble and treble detail (not necessarily badly).

Treble​

There’s an icy edge to higher vocals – the imbalance between mids and treble is so severe that it sounds like the higher portion of a voice within a single sound is over-emphasized while the lower portion is recessed. Miwa doesn’t sound hoarse, but instead oddly thin and piercing at times with a slight grain to her voice. Inhales and other breath sounds are almost sharp at times, as if they singer was gasping for breath. There’s also slight sibilance on s sounds and cymbal hits.

Adding the thickest (white with two notches) filter brings down the piercing sensation and makes voices more cohesive, but the treble is still fatiguing and slightly grainy. The filter also brings down the attack on leading edges, leading to a more smoothed over and generally less detailed sound. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing – the sound becomes much easier to listen to and goes nicely with the comfort and isolation to make for an all-day pair of headphones.

Conclusion​

Overall, you can definitely tell that the Aeon Closed RT is the cheap little sibling of the bunch. It’s got the weirdest tuning, weakest detail retrieval, and least compact build. However, this doesn’t mean that the Aeon Closed RT is a bad headphone, especially for a closed back at this price.

DCA Expanse​

Just over a year ago, I heard that Dan Clark Audio was releasing their newest flagship: the Expanse, an open version of the closed-back Stealth. I rather like my Aeon Closed RT, as well as the Stealth in stores, so I excitedly, and perhaps unwisely, bought a pair blind and hoped FedEx wouldn't lose it. According to the serial number, provided I'm reading it right, I got one of the first hundred units made. The Club DCA 15% discount is also a very generous (and smart) way to get returning customers like me and I wish more manufacturers would do something like it.

Build, Comfort, and Accessories​

I know I write a lot on build and comfort, but I feel it's for good reason; what point is there in sounding good if they fall apart after 3 months or can't be worn for more than half an hour?

Build:​

The Expanse, in classic DCA fashion, is built extraordinarily solidly. They simply make the best built headphones in the industry, across the entire price range from the $500 Aeon RT to the $4k flagships. Nothing creaks, clacks, or squeaks, and you can tell that the entire thing is built to last. The hinge that allows it to fold is smooth and (kinda) convenient. While the headband isn't real leather, it's an extremely high-quality synthetic leather - according to Dan it's a high-end Japanese protein leather and I'd fully believe it.
With clear attachment and screw points, the headphones should be serviceable for years to come. Although, after a year of use, mine show no signs deterioration so that shouldn’t be a concern for quite a while. Some pairs that I'd seen at shows did have slightly looser clamp forces, although this wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.

I even rather like the Hirose connectors they use, which makes 3rd party cables more expensive (and you’ll want one) but is overall a solid feeling and convenient connector.

Comfort:​

This yet another point where the Expanse, and all DCA headphones, shines. The earcups are large and spacious, and while the tips of my ears did touch the AMTS, it wasn't very noticeable and still quite comfortable. Additionally, despite being a fairly heavy pair of headphones, the headband and clamp does a good job of distributing it on your head. My only small complaint here would be that it's a little clampier than I'd like, but not enough to be uncomfortable or skull-crushing. Definitely a pair that can be worn all day with no issues.

Accessories:​

The Expanse will lose just a couple points here from me, as I would've expected more in the way of accessories for such an expensive pair of headphones. Despite being the price of a car’s down payment, in the box you'll only get: 1 Expanse, 1 carrying case, 1 VIVO cable, 1 3D-printed earcup separator, and a warranty card (and maybe a microfiber cloth that I’ve long since lost).
The positives:

• The carrying case is quite nice. It's about as compact as possible for the headphone size and has a sturdy hard shell. No pouch for accessories, but that's an understandable compromise for the size.
• The 3D printed piece that goes between the earcups is genuinely a really nice piece for preventing the earpads from compressing during storage.

The not-so-greats:

• The cable is quite mediocre. It's heavy, microphonic, slightly stiff, and drags on the headphones as a result. I'm using a Hart Audio cable that's frankly superior in every way (and costs 1/3 what DCA is charging for the VIVO on their site). At least a replacement cable barely moves the dial on % of MSRP.
• There just wasn't very much in the box. One fixed-termination cable and basically nothing else is quite disappointing. No second cable for different sources is a little unfortunate, especially given their low power sensitivity. And while the pads are fairly long lasting, the wear on my current ones would indicate a roughly 2-year lifespan so an extra pair would've been a nice touch. There wasn't even a little pouch to carry your cable and some loose accessories, which would've been nice since the case doesn't have any space for it.

Nothing quite horrible, just a little disappointing given the hefty price of the Expanse.

Sound Quality:

This is the real point of the review, the ultimate reason anyone should be buying $4k headphones. There’s no ANC, wireless tech, or even an attached power source to speak of here. The Expanse has exactly one job, and that’s to make sounds good. And boy do they deliver.
Overall, I would describe the Expanse as a well-balanced and neutral pair of headphones. The frequency response seems relatively flat throughout, with no part overpowering another. Moreover, I would disagree with a common assessment that the Expanse lacks dynamics – I think they’re plenty dynamic, and while not quite as bass punchy as other pairs (especially dynamic drivers), they sound extremely natural as a result. I think people have come to wrongly equate bass punch with dynamics and technical performance and as a result overlook many of the technical strengths that the Expanse and other DCA headphones have.

Bass:​

Starting from the bottom of the frequency response, the bass is the weakest part of the Expanse’s performance (although it’s not bad). I’d say the biggest issue here is that the mid bass can be a little subdued and not quite as present nor quite punchy as it could be. However, a great strength here is that the bass consistently sounds natural, especially with instrumental recordings. This is especially apparent with percussive drums; in orchestral pieces, like my go to of Octopath Traveler’s main theme, you can clearly feel the heft and thump of each drum. It sounds like a real, large, drum being hit, with the appropriate length of attack, echo, and decay that comes with it.


Additionally, the Expanse has very good subbass extension in a way that many other open backs don’t. In the Octopath main theme, you can clearly hear and feel the subbass permeating the hall / recording room the orchestra was in. Instead of the sensation of sitting in a room with a subwoofer, it feels more like you’re in the room with the instruments generating that subbass. This is especially apparent with piano tracks where you can hear the bass coming from the left side of the piano, but also feel a sense of presence throughout the recording space from it.

And none of this is to say that the Expanse has poor bass impact. In my classic bass test track, Hilight Tribe’s Free Tibet (Veni Vici Remix), bass hits are still clearly delineated from each other and there is never any blurring or bass bleed, and there is still a sense of impact with each bass note.

Mids:​

This is where the Expanse’s balanced tonality and great technical performance really come together to create an incredible experience. In general, vocals are placed close, in front of the various instruments, and never lost in the mix. Everything sounds right and like a real instrument or singer is there with you. It all has the perfect amount of lifelike texture without sounding overly gritty or sharp.

In a well recorded piece like Lisa and Uru’s Saikai – From THE FIRST TAKE or audiophile’s ol’ reliable Hotel California (Live on MTV, 1994), you can hear every minute fluctuation in the singer’s, every breath they take, and the natural texture of their voice. And yet, unlike headphones or IEMs with too much bass or treble, there is never the sensation of grit and too much texture. I’d remarked before that the IE600 made Miwa sound like she had a sore throat when recording Hikarie – From THE FIRST TAKE. That isn’t the case here with the Expanse. Instead, she sounds as expected – a singer with a more textured voice in the lower range.

Treble:​

Here, the treble is a natural extension of the midrange. With such a linear response, there aren’t any unnatural rises or dips throughout the mids and treble. As a voice rises and falls throughout the spectrum, you will be able to hear it rise as they project more and fall at the natural trailing ends of notes or breathes. This is in contrast to those with uneven mids and treble where they’ll randomly fade as the singer goes into a frequency where the headphones have a dip, then suddenly become overbearing as they go into a peak.

Despite being well extended into the upper treble, the Expanse never becomes sibilant or sharp and piercing. It’s well controlled, with the right amount of sparkle and reach in the treble.

Soundstage and Technical Performance:​

As I went on and on about above, the Expanse is a wonderfully natural sounding pair of headphones. The timbre and texture of everything is perfect, especially when it’s a more “natural” source like a live instrument or voice.

Outside of that, the Expanse also excels in soundstage width and separation. Every part of the track is clearly positioned around you with a distinct point in space. For something like Hotel California, it feels as though you are on stage with the band as they perform. I wish I knew guitars well enough to name them, but it’s incredible how clearly they are placed around you. The initial guitar clearly on your right and slightly behind, a hand drum to the front left with another to the front right, with the crowd behind and even slightly lower in height.

A similar sensation happens when listening to well recorded piano pieces. In those, you feel as though you were the one playing, with the keyboard in front of you clearly outlined by the gradient of keys going from low to high, left to right.

The Expanse also excels at separation between each piece of the track. Nothing ever becomes drowned out or lost in the mix, even in the busiest sections. As above, the clear soundstage helps with this as well.

I think the one point where the Expanse might lose points is that its soundstage tends more towards width and separation rather than depth. While it does a good job of placing things around you, and even placing them in clear layers, it doesn’t make things sound quite as distant. One way to describe it would be like you were on stage with the orchestra, instead of listening in the audience; while it’s all around you, and there are definitely layers, they’re all fairly close.

Even when there is echo in a song, such as Clapping Music (1972), you can tell that there is an echo, and that it’s bouncing off a wall in front of you, but it’s hard to tell how far away that wall is beyond “it’s in front and somewhat distant”. In orchestral tracks, where the percussion tends to be in the back, you can tell that they’re behind the various strings, but not really how far away they are.

Conclusion:​

I truly love the DCA Expanse. It’s not the most in your face bass or soundstage monster, but it’s an incredibly natural sounding pair of headphones that places you there amongst the band and envelopes you in the music. Everything sounds just right, like real voices and instruments are being played around you.

If possible, I’d encourage everyone to find a quiet place where you can demo them instead of the noisy show floor. When it’s just you, the Expanse, and your music, they really begin to shine.

IE 600​

Here's the second of my reviews of my collection, the quite popular IE 600. I bought my pair at launch in early 2022, for the full MSRP of $800, as a more comfortable alternative to the IER-Z1R that I daily drove at the time. While comfort was certainly a massive improvement, there were a few significant drawbacks. Note that this review was done with the Final Audio E Type tips. While I generally try to use stock tips, that was impossible in this case. No pictures again, cause I need to take better photos.

Build & Comfort​

The actual build portion of the IE 600 is absolutely superb - it's small, comfortable, and clearly built to last. Even the proprietary MMCX was designed with durability in mind, although at massive cost to replaceability. The zirconium alloy shells, being solid, strong, and textured, feel practically indestructible. In the ~1.5 years I've owned my pair, there's not been a single scratch or blemish on them. And while the nozzle is plastic, Sennheiser's history with plastic suggests there is nothing to worry about there.

In isolation, the IE 600 is extremely comfortable being one of the smallest high-end IEMs out there. The shape also lends itself well to setting deep in your ear, without being an overly-deep insertion. The nozzle, while being a little wider than many other IEMs, also doesn't go far enough in to be an issue. The actual isolation isn't incredible though, which leads us into the most serious problem with the IE 600...

A solid 9/10. Would be 10 if the isolation was better.

The Accessories (and related issues)​

The IE 600, with little exception, comes with some of the worst accessories I've ever seen in an IEM. And not just for expensive HiFi, but in general. Seriously, ~$30 earbuds I bought from JLabs 10+ years ago had better accessories. The only thing in recent memory that was equally bad was the BL03, an IEM that goes for 1/20th what I paid for the IE 600. This has been an issue on every Sennheiser IEM I've owned, since the IE 80, and it's sad to see that they've failed miserably to rectify it after all these years.

Now, those are some awfully harsh words, but words I fully intend to back up. Let's start with the ear tips. The IE 600 comes with a nice selection of foam and silicone tips. The foams are a collaboration with Comply, while the silicones are Sennheiser's own in-house design, and both types have a thin filter attached – a nice way to keep earwax/dust out of the IEMs.

This is where the problems begin. The filter, thin as it may seem, is an essential part of the IE 600's tuning and keeps the treble from being piercing and sibilant. Meanwhile, the foam ear tips will blunt the micro details while in typical Comply fashion also degrade in the span of just a month. Never mind how you'll only have 1 pair in your size, and they're not even as comfortable as regular Comply tips.

The silicone tips however, are somehow even worse. It is almost impossible for me (and it seems most other people) to get a consistent seal with them. They're way too thin and thus when squished will collapse instead of filling your ear canal like normal silicone tips. And seeing as how human ear canals aren't perfectly cylindrical, this will consistently happen unless you're extremely careful with the insertion depth. I don’t think I ever once got them to seal perfectly in both ears and actually stay sealed.

The solution might seem obvious - 3rd party ear tips! But this is when that filter comes back to haunt us. Without it, the already spicy treble will be sibilant and piercing on many of the 3rd party tips out there. I've settled on the Final Audio E types, the best of a bunch of poor choices, but your results may vary. Do let me know if you’ve found something that works better than the E Types though, I’m always open to improvements (just not so much paying for the experimentation).

This isn't even mentioning the stock cable(s), which come in 3.5mm and 4.4mm balanced. These cables are absolutely atrocious. They're poorly behaved, prone to tangling, uncomfortable, and even worse, microphonic. The shapable (yet non-removable) ear hooks are a huge part of the problem here. It's difficult enough to shape them properly for your ears, until they change shape the moment you take the IE 600 off or wrap them for storage. The cables and ear hooks will also pull on the shells, breaking the seal on the ear tips.

But it gets even worse. The MMCX connector on the IE 600 is actually proprietary, with an extra lip that means regular MMCX connectors will be too short to make a proper connection. It might be better for durability, but this gave me hell when trying to find 3rd party replacements. It's a little better now that they've been on the market for a while, but most compatible cables will either be more expensive, or you'll need to take your chances with random AliExpress cables.

It's almost like every product Sennheiser makes has to have a proprietary cable or they won't approve it. HD600 2-pin, HD800 janky thing, IE80's weird semi-circle 2 pin, now the IE_00 line and their recessed MMCX connectors.

I find it absolutely mind boggling that Sennheiser, a huge powerhouse in the audio industry, would somehow let an $800 ($1200 if you consider that the IE 900 comes with the same accessories) product leave the lab with such terrible tips and cables. Especially when the tips and fit directly impact the sound so significantly.

The included carrying case is better, being a nice zip up hard shell. It's a little on the small side, however, and would only hold the IE 600 and your choice of USB C dongle. Anything larger and you'd run into difficulty zipping it up and possibly crush a connector. Not terrible, just not ideal.

0/10 - I'd give it a -2/10 if the case wasn't a little useful. It's like nobody even tried to use them before shipping them out.

Anyways, enough griping about the accessories, here's:

Sound Quality​

Overall, the IE 600 is a high performer, with a V-shape sound that extends well into both ends of the frequency response. While it's not my favorite type of sound, the IE 600 does what it does well really well.

Bass​

The bass digs deep into the subbass, with clear impacts and good delineation from the mid-bass and mid-range. There is no bloat or muddiness either. Overall, the IE 600 has very high-quality bass, and is relatively bassy, but keeps away from being warm or laid back. On my standard bass test track, Free Tibet (Vini Vici Remix), the IE 600 truly shows this off. At 1:40, when the bass kicks in, you can clearly feel each individual bass hit and subbass fluctuation. There’s really not much to say here, it’s just really great bass.

10/10

Mids​

The mids however are a little more recessed than I would like, even more so depending on the singer’s voice. Deeper male voices generally sound more natural, although still more pulled back than I’d like, with good rumble and gravel where expected. Brighter voices, especially brighter female vocals, however, show some issues. They tend to be a little hollow on the lower end, due to the mid-range scoop on the IE 600’s FR. On the higher end, the voices will be a little too shrill and piercing at times. Combined, this creates a sense of unevenness in the vocals – you can sometimes hear voices exhibit this as a singer moves up the frequency range.

7/10

Treble​

Finally, the treble is a little too sharp and piercing, depending on the ear tips that you’re using. This is where the horrible stock tips peek their ugly head again – without the filter in the stock tips to pull back the high end, the treble will be unpleasant and piercing especially with wide-bore tips. This combines with the pulled-back mids to make certain voices and instruments sounds hollow and flat or have an icy edge. However, this is also very tip and insertion depth dependent, so your mileage may vary. It’s not all bad though; the IE 600 extends well into the high end and sparkles where expected and prevents anything from sounding lifeless or dull. And despite being piercing at times, the treble is never quite sibilant.

7/10 to 9/10 depending on your sensitivity to treble and the tips you use.

Soundstage and Technicalities​

Perhaps a result of the emphasized treble, the IE 600 is a very detailed and well separated IEM. There’s never any sensation of blurring, muddiness, or losing track of instruments in busy sections of songs. The attack on all parts of the FR is clean and fast, with a clear delineation note to note. Microdetails as well are clear and present.

In a similar vein, the IE 600 also does a great job with instrument separation and positioning. This means that everything is clearly around you in a 3D space and can be picked out just by focusing a little on its location. And while it also manages to create layers of different pieces of the track, the IE 600 doesn’t quite manage to give them depth. Certain things will sound more forward than others, but none of it will quite sound quite distant or spacious. Especially in the central channel where things like vocals can take on an “inside your head” sensation. This is most obvious with female vocals.

The FR also doesn’t lend itself well to natural timbre, although not egregiously unnatural and strange. Instead, vocals may sound a little too grainy, hollow, or sharp depending on their range. For example, on Miwa’s ‘Hikarie – From THE FIRST TAKE’, the singer’s voice sounds almost hoarse or with a sore throat instead of a more natural texture. This holds true for most instruments and voices, although it varies for each; IE 600 is most natural with deep male vocals. This is another aspect that I feel was remedied by the filter in the stock tips. Too bad they’re absolutely unusable.

Again depends on your ear tips. Between a 6/10 and an 8/10.

Conclusion​

As you can see, I’m quite a bit more negative on the IE 600 than many other reviewers here are. However, I feel that once you factor in the atrocious accessories, the IE 600 is only left with its comfort and bass as standout qualities. And those are absolutely incredible strengths that are weighed down by so many issues (most of which are indirect results of the accessories). Perhaps if you can find the perfect 3rd party cable and tips the calculus changes, but I easily went $200 in on accessories before finding a combination that was “good enough” (Hart Audio NK + Final E Types). For my total cost (~$1k USD), there are definitely better options out there that should be considered before the IE 600.

I've owned the IER-Z1R for a couple years now, since 2021. At the time, I was looking for the step up from the Blessing 2 and these seemed a perfect fit. Not that they were similar in tonality, but past me didn't pay enough attention to notice that before buying. With headphone shops few and far between, and often closed for pandemic restrictions, I bought them blind and eagerly waited.

This will by my first review as I go through and finally review my collection. The IER-Z1R is one of my favorites and seemed like a great place to get started.

No photos for now, since I don't have a good spot to take pictures. Might add them later.

Build and Accessories

If you ignore the fit (more on that later), the IER-Z1R is one of the best built IEMs or earphones I've ever used. The metal shell feels solid and sturdy - it's got the heft of something built to last. The semi-proprietary MMCX is both a positive and an issue here. It's slightly more recessed than usual, with a bit of a lip around the cable-side connector. This makes it (theoretically) more resistant to bending and more durable. In practice, it makes finding third party cables a bit of a struggle.

In the box are 2 superb cables, 4.4 mm balanced pentacon and a standard 3.5 mm unbalanced. As far as stock cables go, these are also some of the best I've seen. They're well-behaved, soft to the touch, and minimally microphonic. After 2 years, however, the silicone of the ear hooks on my 3.5 mm cable has started to degrade a little, becoming sticky. The rest of the cable is still fine, so paying Sony's $110 replacement price is little questionable. Maybe something from Hart Audio?

As for ear tips, the IER-Z1R comes with a good selection of foam and silicone. I personally found the silicone to be the more comfortable of the two, and to work best with the fit, even compared to some 3rd party tips I've tried. But if anyone has recommendations, I'd love to hear them.

The black leather box however is largely useless. It's way too large to be practical, has no pockets to store accessories, and worst of all, only sticks closed magnetically. I guess it works as a display or storage box?

8/10

Fit and Comfort

This of course is the IER-Z1R's weakest point. As everyone knows, the size and shape of the IER-Z1R is simply not conducive to most people's ears' comfort. It's large, heavy, and not quite shaped right. If you have had comfort issues with IEMs before, it would be pretty important to demo these before plunking down $1700 on them.

Even with my Dumbo ears, the IER-Z1R becomes uncomfortable after a few hours of continued use. And of course, the sound quality depends greatly on your insertion depth. Deeper is better, but also less comfortable.

One trick I've found is to open your mouth when inserting/removing the IER-Z1R (and all IEMs). This will help you get a deeper insertion, better seal, and not leave the ear tips in your ears when removing.

4/10

Technicality and Tonality

The IER-Z1R has a mildly v-shaped sound, with a slight emphasis to both the bass and the upper mids and treble. This generally fits with my preferences, although the mids are a little more recessed than I'd like. However, they're a wonderfully detailed pair of earphones, with great separation and imaging. There is rarely, if ever, any sensation of congestion, bloating, or resonance in any part of the frequency response.

Bass
The bass on the Z1R is its standout quality. It digs deep into the subbass, hits hard, and attacks fast. On something like Hilight Tribe's Free Tibet (Vini Vici), there's rumble yet clearly differentiated bass hits. The bass texture, as with timbre across the entire range, is realistic and natural. It never sounds bloated or overbearing, nor bleeds into the mids. Overall, some of the best bass in any IEM I've heard, even if it's not the most emphasized bass.

Mids
As mentioned above, the mids here are a little more recessed than I'd like. This is very slight however, but as a result male vocals and lower female vocals can sound a little distant at times, as if they were placed further back in the stage/mix.
On the technical side, the mids come across natural in both timbre and tone. As a whole, no parts seem unnaturally gritty or thin like they can with other headphones that have either too much / too little treble and mids.

Treble
The treble on the IER-Z1R just barely rides the line between 'clear and emphasized' and 'sibilant and piercing'. With a deep seal and the right tips, it shows off an incredible extension without being fatiguing. I could definitely see it being too much for some listeners, but I personally found it right where I'd like it.

Soundstage
At the end of the day the IER-Z1R is still an in-ear and will never have soundstage performance matching ToTL full size headphones or speakers. However, they've one of the best soundstages for IEMs. Rather than being a 3-blob imager, the Z1R does well in placing sounds and instruments at distinct places in space, with enough depth to separate them out. They also avoid that 'in your head' sensation that some IEMs can have.

9/10

Conclusion
The IER-Z1R is a pair of earphones that hardly lacks in any sound-based quality. It's wonderfully balanced, detailed, and natural. Yet that one glaring issue - its horrible ergonomics - means that unless you're very confident in your ears' size and worthiness, everyone should be demoing them before making a purchase.

The AKG K7XX's are very popular in this community, and while I can see why, I'm personally not a fan. (Pls no haterinos, it's just a personal opinion)

Packaging: eh/10

Comfort: 9/10




Sound: 5/10
In my opinion, this is where the K7XXs really struggle, or at least differ from my own tastes. And no matter your taste in headphone sounds, these are definitely not "Reference Headphones" like they're marked. Apologies ahead of time for my lack of terminology.

Miscellaneous thoughts: