[Bingturong]

You're right, thankfully it's only a small portion and I do see the screws.

 

[Bingturong]

Alright opened them up and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with them. I did do a signal test and I still got nothing. I'm out of ideas now.

 

[takato14]

  Alright opened them up and there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with them. I did do a signal test and I still got nothing. I'm out of ideas now.

I have worked on the DR-Z headphones for a while now, and by far the most common problem I've run into is cable shorts. The insulation Sony used on the wire is thin and porous, and thus the cable is easily able to oxidize and wear out over time. Luckily the Z7 is significantly less susceptible to this, but it's still an Achilles' Heel.
 
However, another thing that can happen is driver damage from the cable getting yanked too much, which is obviously much more severe.
 
If you pay for shipping I can diagnose the issue and try to fix them for you if you like. Send me a PM if you're interested.

 

[Bingturong]

Well after discovering that the previous owner did a bad soldering job I cleaned it up and now they're working perfectly fine. 

 

[GREQ]

How do you find them so far?

 

[Bingturong]

How do you find them so far?

I like them very much. Not as much as my SR-5 though.

 

[GREQ]

Are you applying an Equal Loudness Curve when using them?
The Z7 was designed with this in mind and sounds much better with the 'loudness' button turned on (which applies the ELC), I imagine the Z6 would respond the same.

 

[takato14]

  Are you applying an Equal Loudness Curve when using them?
The Z7 was designed with this in mind and sounds much better with the 'loudness' button turned on (which applies the ELC), I imagine the Z6 would respond the same.

yeah uh actually it turns out I was wrong about that, sony used a dummy head to measure the headphones and that's what the "Loudness Correction" was in the manual, not a loudness switch; in short, I dun derp'd
 
and the Z6 sounds very different, it's a downward slope while the Z7 is practically the inverse to untrained ears; the Z6 is a lot more liquidy and bassy, using the loudness button will probably sound super poop
 
its actually pretty remarkable how different these three headphones sound from each other; the Z5 is like a much less warm grado without a soundstage, the Z6 is a downward slope and sounds extremely smooth and euphoric, and the Z7 is incredibly snappy and slammy with superclean bass and absurdly high detail retrieval
 
though what REALLY intrigues me is how fast the Z7 manages to be with such a heavy diaphragm, you would think that even driven at its absolute best the Z7 couldn't be as fast as the Z5 or Z6, and yet the more juice I feed them the more fierce they become in this regard
 
here they are again, all three Z drivers, from left to right: Z5, Z6, and Z7
 

 
note the Z7's much shinier and opaque diaphragm compared to the Z6

 

[GREQ]

 

  Are you applying an Equal Loudness Curve when using them?
The Z7 was designed with this in mind and sounds much better with the 'loudness' button turned on (which applies the ELC), I imagine the Z6 would respond the same.

yeah uh actually it turns out I was wrong about that, sony used a dummy head to measure the headphones and that's what the "Loudness Correction" was in the manual, not a loudness switch; in short, I dun derp'd
 

It is a nice coincidence how well it compensates for the almost 'n' shaped FR curve though.
Sounds like I would enjoy the Z6 more than the Z7.

 

[Bingturong]

Well I tried them with the Loudness EQ but it didn't have much effect though this is more because of the amp.

 

[takato14]

Originally Posted by GREQ /img/forum/go_quote.gif
 
Sounds like I would enjoy the Z6 more than the Z7.

probably, most people don't like the hyper-overdampened bass of the Z7 because it doesn't have the dynamic bloom most people are used to
 
its like an electrostat in that regard, though to a lesser degree; all of the bass is there but it isn't "felt", only heard
 
if you're interested I do have an almost complete Z6 and would be interested in a trade or trade plus cash, my Z7 has a minor (but annoying) channel imbalance and thus is confined to my home where I can correct it
 
not like I'm anxious to bring it outside anyways because of how much I paid for it >___>

 

[GREQ]

   
if you're interested I do have an almost complete Z6 and would be interested in a trade or trade plus cash, my Z7 has a minor (but annoying) channel imbalance and thus is confined to my home where I can correct it
not like I'm anxious to bring it outside anyways because of how much I paid for it >___>

That's a tempting offer!
I actually take my Z7 out on my commute to work every now and then, as I really dig the sound it makes when I crank up the bass to max on my FiiO E17 - and STILL the bass barely blooms! It really is something special. 
Speaking of which - the E17 has a nifty channel balance. I''ve never had to use it, but I think it's one of the few portable amps on the market that has this feature... just FYI, I'm not a FiiO salesman 

 ... no idea what the dB increments are though.

 

[AzraelDarkangel]

So is the DR-Z7 the king of detail among headphones?

 

[GREQ]

So is the DR-Z7 the king of detail among headphones?

No way.
It does however beat many vintage orthos, and rivals stats though.
 
It's FR is all messed up and 'n' shaped and is just a 2-4Hz peak-machine without equalization.
So it's great for bringing vocals to the front of the stage even with EQ.
 
In terms of resolution I would put it somewhere in the $150-400 range, but it's difficult to place due to it's flaws. 
Bass tightness and decay are phenomenal for it's age, and unlike some vintage stats and some orthos, it can take an bass-boost-EQ-pounding without blooming and distorting. 

 

[Bingturong]

I wonder how the DR-Z7 compares to the DT-48?