[bvng3540]

Memory wire is evil. It should be banished. It's nice to see ALO slowly removing them from their cable offerings. The stock cable that came with my Io was also memory-wire-free.

I think most or all cables makers these day dont have memory wires, EXCEPT moon audio, even you request to not have memory wires they refused

 

[Malevolent]

I think most or all cables makers these day dont have memory wires, EXCEPT moon audio, even you request to not have memory wires they refused

Yeah, that's a step in the right direction. In this case, my stock ALO Super Litz cable has never been used, since I swapped the cables from the get go.

 

[OG10]

Did you guys watch @Currawong review of the Sony IER-Z1R?

Are any of you tempted to make the change?

I am not sure I heard a convincing enough argument.. just interested in a wider group opinion.

 

[candlejack]

Did you guys watch @Currawong review of the Sony IER-Z1R?

Are any of you tempted to make the change?

I am not sure I heard a convincing enough argument.. just interested in a wider group opinion.

Doesn't really matter what everyone else thinks. Yes, the Z1R is an excellent IEM and one that's worth considering for anyone who loves high quality sound. But so is the Solaris, even though for me the Z1R is better.

See if you can try it out for yourself. Fit is a real concern with this shell, so that's the first hurdle you need to pass. If you can't find a demo, get one used for minimal loss if you decide it's not for you.

 

[BananaOoyoo]

Did you guys watch @Currawong review of the Sony IER-Z1R?

Are any of you tempted to make the change?

I am not sure I heard a convincing enough argument.. just interested in a wider group opinion.

I think the Z1R beats Solaris by a pretty appreciable margin, but my recommendation would be to not buy because of a random review, especially if you’re happy with Solaris already.

On the other hand, if you have an opportunity to audition it, you should 100% take advantage of that.

 

[Malevolent]

Did you guys watch @Currawong review of the Sony IER-Z1R?

Are any of you tempted to make the change?

I am not sure I heard a convincing enough argument.. just interested in a wider group opinion.

I have both the Solaris and the Z1R, so I'll share some thoughts here.

The Solaris is definitely the more balanced IEM of the 2. It has a coherent, detailed sound, with adequate sparkle up top, and a mesmerising midrange. Vocals sound lush and full, without being overly weighty.

Both the Z1R and the Solaris share similar strengths in detail retrieval, staging and instrument separation. What separates the 2, in the the most obvious sense, is in the bass region. The Solaris has nicely-textured lows, that can rumble when the track/song demands a little more impact. However, in general, the bass is a little lean, and this is where the Sony flagship shines. The Z1R has more than enough bass, with impactful slam that keeps the music thumping along. All this is done without overwhelming the lower mids and skewing the overall tonality.

However, with its slight emphasis on its lows, and an equally prominent high-end range, the Z1R loses a little in its midrange presentation; it takes a little step backward, making vocals sound a tad distant in comparison with the Solaris' rich mids.

I wanted to write a lot less, but my cursory comparison turned out to be a little longer than expected. In short, both are great IEMs in their own right. Both play well with many genres of music, but the Z1R fares better with dance music, where the track requires an ever-present bass line, whilst rock and pop sound a little better with the Solaris.

 

[Rockwell75]

Are any of you tempted to make the change?

I don't currently own the Solaris (though I have the SE on pre-order) but I owned it last summer and after spending some time at the church of Sony (a certain Discord server) in August I found myself tempted to take the plunge on a Z1R. It wowed me at first with its sub-bass texture and treble extension and what is really a very natural sound. I was totally under its spell for about a week then, aggravated by fit, I put on Solaris again and many of Z1R's weaknesses became apparent to me. The two areas where Solaris significantly betters the Z1R are in the midrange-- particularly the lower mids-- and in coherence. The mids are pushed back on the Z1R-- more than I was lead to believe reading reviews and impressions beforehand. Secondly, and perhaps most significantly, the integration between the different drivers is significantly better on Solaris-- in the Z1R the lows and highs almost feel like they're coming from two difference sources. I'm actually almost tempted to say that the Z1R is two of the best IEMs I've ever heard. I'm not sure I would have noticed on its own without significant and specific test tracks but when I put on the Solaris after listening to the Z1R exclusively for over a week I felt almost a sense of relief-- as though with the Z1R my brain had been subconsciously stressed out by trying to reconcile the highs and lows. With the Solaris the highs, mids and lows are more cohesively blended into a unity and the result is imho a much more satisfying sound. In a nutshell I will give the Z1R points for sub-bass texture and treble extension the the Solaris wins on just about everything else-- particularly coherence, mids and instrument separation.

 

[Gww1]

I don't currently own the Solaris (though I have the SE on pre-order) but I owned it last summer and after spending some time at the church of Sony (a certain Discord server) in August I found myself tempted to take the plunge on a Z1R. It wowed me at first with its sub-bass texture and treble extension and what is really a very natural sound. I was totally under its spell for about a week then, aggravated by fit, I put on Solaris again many of Z1R's weaknesses became apparent to me. The two areas where Solaris significantly betters the Z1R are in the midrange-- particularly the lower mids-- and in coherence. The mids are pushed back on the Z1R-- more than I was lead to believe reading reviews and impressions beforehand. Secondly, and perhaps most significantly, the integration between the different drivers is significantly better on Solaris-- in the Z1R the lows and highs almost feel like they're coming from two difference sources. I'm actually almost tempted to say that the Z1R is two of the best IEMs I've ever heard. I'm not sure I would have noticed on its own without significant and specific test tracks but when I put on the Solaris after listening to the Z1R exclusively for over a week I felt almost a sense of relief-- as though with the Z1R my brain had been subconsciously stressed out by trying to reconcile the highs and lows. With the Solaris the highs, mids and lows are more cohesively blended into a unity and the result is imho a much more satisfying sound. In a nutshell I will give the Z1R points for sub-bass texture and treble extension the the Solaris wins on just about everything else-- particularly coherence, mids and instrument separation.

I kind of agree with this, I now have both and plan to keep both.
The z1r is amazing and gives a real wow factor, but sometimes I just find it fatigueing - especially if I'm tired.
I missed my old Andro S in these cases because it was so easy to listen to, and the Solaris too from the brief time I have heard it previously.
So I got the Solaris for a more relaxed experience and for listening to vocal tracks.

Edit: I don't notice coherence issue on the z1r, I think the fatigue for me is due to the intense sound, Solaris is just easier listening.

 

[candlejack]

It wowed me at first with its sub-bass texture and treble extension and what is really a very natural sound. [...] Secondly, and perhaps most significantly, the integration between the different drivers is significantly better on Solaris-- in the Z1R the lows and highs almost feel like they're coming from two difference sources.

I'm not gonna question what you think you heard, but how can something sound both natural and incoherent at the same time?

 

[subguy812]

I don't currently own the Solaris (though I have the SE on pre-order) but I owned it last summer and after spending some time at the church of Sony (a certain Discord server) in August I found myself tempted to take the plunge on a Z1R. It wowed me at first with its sub-bass texture and treble extension and what is really a very natural sound. I was totally under its spell for about a week then, aggravated by fit, I put on Solaris again and many of Z1R's weaknesses became apparent to me. The two areas where Solaris significantly betters the Z1R are in the midrange-- particularly the lower mids-- and in coherence. The mids are pushed back on the Z1R-- more than I was lead to believe reading reviews and impressions beforehand. Secondly, and perhaps most significantly, the integration between the different drivers is significantly better on Solaris-- in the Z1R the lows and highs almost feel like they're coming from two difference sources. I'm actually almost tempted to say that the Z1R is two of the best IEMs I've ever heard. I'm not sure I would have noticed on its own without significant and specific test tracks but when I put on the Solaris after listening to the Z1R exclusively for over a week I felt almost a sense of relief-- as though with the Z1R my brain had been subconsciously stressed out by trying to reconcile the highs and lows. With the Solaris the highs, mids and lows are more cohesively blended into a unity and the result is imho a much more satisfying sound. In a nutshell I will give the Z1R points for sub-bass texture and treble extension the the Solaris wins on just about everything else-- particularly coherence, mids and instrument separation.

Rockwell this a great post. I have never heard the Sony, but it is on my list to try. The key segment of your post is your description of coherence. Too many folks miss coherency in their description of hybrid design. It is a super key facet to hybrid reviews and descriptions. In my Legend X review I touched on that in a big way. I will work on my Solaris review soon.

I find the Solaris to be very coherent listen as well. I am also of the camp that it's not "bass light" as others describe it sometimes. The sub bass is not the Solaris's highlight, but I find it have average quantity but super quality bass. I will save my full description for review. Overall, the Solaris is a worthy listen, given it is large and fit may not be for everyone. I have heard the same for the Sony.

 

[subguy812]

I kind of agree with this, I now have both and plan to keep both.
The z1r is amazing and gives a real wow factor, but sometimes I just find it fatigueing - especially if I'm tired.
I missed my old Andro S in these cases because it was so easy to listen to, and the Solaris too from the brief time I have heard it previously.
So I got the Solaris for a more relaxed experience and for listening to vocal tracks.

Edit: I don't notice coherence issue on the z1r, I think the fatigue for me is due to the intense sound, Solaris is just easier listening.

It may be the coherence that is causing your fatigue, without recognizing the cause. I haven't heard the so it is not possible for me to respond for sure but that can definitely cause fatigue.

 

[subguy812]

I'm not gonna question what you think you heard, but how can something sound both natural and incoherent at the same time?

I read that as he was saying at first listen it sounded natural, which is the danger of first listen comments

 

[Gww1]

It may be the coherence that is causing your fatigue, without recognizing the cause. I haven't heard the so it is not possible for me to respond for sure but that can definitely cause fatigue.

For me at least I don't think this is the cause, I find the z1r to sound very coherent - but also intense. Great during the day but often a bit much in the evening when relaxing.
I've had headphones that effect me in the same way previously.

The Solaris I find is very relaxing to listen to though, I think it's the fuller mids.

 

[fokta]

For me at least I don't think this is the cause, I find the z1r to sound very coherent - but also intense. Great during the day but often a bit much in the evening when relaxing.
I've had headphones that effect me in the same way previously.

The Solaris I find is very relaxing to listen to though, I think it's the fuller mids.

Agree with these.. it's not a direct contender, since its different sound sig, IMO...
Z1r with AMP9 is like a long soulmate.... it thicken the Mid (not make it forward)...

I think I already mention this... but I just said anyway.. Out of the box, for first impression, Z1r will be more likely to be pick... on going... it depends on you...

edit : I said these many times.. Z1r original Cable is good... especially the 3.5 SE

 

[Rockwell75]

I'm not gonna question what you think you heard, but how can something sound both natural and incoherent at the same time?

I was using the word natural to describe the timbre. The Z1R (and Solaris for that matter) both have a very natural instrumental timbre to my ears...more so than the VX which I currently own. Coherence is a separate matter.