Can anyone give some comparisons of the T5.3 to the Sony MDR-Z1R?
I am going to go ahead and answer my own question and provide some observations for anyone else who may be deliberating between these two headphones. I prefer closed back headphones with a good amount of bass presence without venturing into bass-cannon territory, so YMMV.
After a week with the T5 3rd gen, I have to say I am enjoying it more than after the week I had with the Z1R. The biggest differences to me off the bat were the treble, mids, and soundstage.
Both are just as detailed in the treble, with just differences in the presentation. Z1R treble has a peakiness that came off as harsh to my ears at times, with noticeable sibilance on some tracks. I am very sensitive to treble and even with some EQ, I could not make this quality go away completely, with more dramatic EQ leading to noticeable sound degradation. When the track was not affected by this, music sounded great, but when it was affected, it was unlistenable to my ears. Female vocals and violins were affected the most, which I do listen to a good amount. I don't get this at all with the T5. It is bright and airy up top, but I do not get fatigued. I do hear a bit more sparkle with the T5 treble and it does come across ever so slightly more forward. Treble tends to sound a bit smoother on the Z1R. YMMV and preferences need to be taken into account. For me, I much prefer the T5's presentation.
For the mids, T5 has much more presence and more warmth and body. On the Z1R, mids take a backseat and feel very scooped out, almost "missing", though the bass and treble compensate and pull the overall sound signature together. Mids are very important to me, so I give the nod to the T5 as they sound more natural and balanced.
For bass, I think the Z1R have slightly more extension, but it does trade off by sounding a bit looser at times. Bass on these is very obvious and it's a very big sound. T5 bass presentation is slightly different-- it sounds more accurate and punchy to me, and makes itself known mostly when it is needed. Yet is not missing out on impact or presence. So to me, bass on T5 leads them to have an overall more natural sound because it's not as in-your-face and only when it is called for. But when it is called for, it goes low and hard as well, and does not sound "tubby". When I first listened to the Z1R, I had the overall impression of a Sony XM wireless headphone on steroids. Their house sound is there for sure, but it is a very refined version of it. T5 bass is the same high quality as well, though I do have to bump 55Hz by 3dB to get to perfection. This also brings even more body and warmth to the mids, which I loved, all without sacrificing clarity. Z1R benefits from sounding huge due to the bass and soundstage, but to my ears, is also more colored. Bass on both these phones are obviously deserving to be on a TOTL headphone, and I do prefer the more refined version on the T5. I feel the T5 complements another favorite of mine, the B&W P9, which has great bass and big sound like the Z1R, but which has some muddiness at times.
For soundstage, Z1R has a more open and bigger one compared to the T5, though it is not small by any means on T5. If Z1R has a 10/10 soundstage size for a closed back, I would give T5 an 8.5/10. If you want to be critical about it, Z1R has a very colored sound because it constantly comes across as playing music in a big hall or in a cavern, though it is a pleasing effect if you don't overanalyze it, but is still not as natural as an open-back or a pair of speakers. The effect is not as obvious on the T5, so again, I think I come back to the same descriptor of it being more natural-sounding here, even if it is not as overtly big.
Lastly, build quality and comfort. I would say the Z1R win in build here. Fit and finish and materials and presentation are top notch here. Sony had done well with these. On the other hand, Beyerdynamic design and construction are a half notch below, but they are by no means cheap feeling, though I would have liked to see real leather and an anodized finish on the yoke that are a bit more durable. T5 take it in terms of comfort. They are much lighter and smaller and more comfortable on the head. I couldn't help but laugh at myself in the mirror with the Z1R on given how monstrous they looked and I could not lay down in bed with them. The T5 disappear on the head and I like how cheap and easy it seems to be to get replacement parts for Beyerdynamic.
So all in all, slightly different flavors of a similar sound signature and both deserving of the TOTL moniker, but it's the little things at the end of the day that matter, and to me, it was the treble that was the deciding factor. Look forward to getting many hours of listening time on these T5.
