I don’t see the EX1000 being remotely related to the JVC FW10000. They’re not really similar at all except for the fact that they’re dynamic driver earphones and they’re both former flagships from Japanese companies. The main draw of the EX1000 is its complete linearity from 20hz to 1khz. The FW10000 not only lacks the 6khz spike that gives the EX1000 is infamous treble/tonality/air but has an obvious bass lift that doesn’t exist with the EX1000.
We hear very different things then the EX1000 actually has two peaks 5/6Khz and 8/9Khz, and I don't read the FW10000 as having a significantly different bass than EX1000 except Sony has more sub bass. Mid bass is more similar than not but the real difference occurs in lower mids where the FW10000 is fuller so maybe that's what affects the perception of the mid bass for you. Upper mids is more similar than different as well. The air on the JVC is not far off the heights of the EX1000 but without the shrieky peaks so I am happy to trade off a bit of air as the JVC is not lacking at all in the end. As usual, your mileage may vary depending on source gear, tips, ear anatomy and such... I have owned both for a while so it's not based on quick auditions either.
But let's get back to the IER-Z1R and I am eager to be able to audition in Paris (given the impressions are quite different from people to people) but it's nowhere to be found alas....
Your Impressions have been very relieving for me to hear, I love my XBA A3 so much now I'm happy to have something to dream aim up towards (yes, much, much more expensive, but whats not like that these days...) if it ever went kaput (hopefully years form now so i can save up while still listening to it). hahahah!
Without wanting to sound snobbish , after trying all the flagship iem exluding that crazy 10K iem which it's name I can't recall, to me ex1000 sound is still very relevant now days. To me there is nothing average about its sound. It scales up remarkably.
Your Impressions have been very relieving for me to hear, I love my XBA A3 so much now I'm happy to have something to aim towards (yes, much, much more expensive, but whats not like that these days...) if it ever went kaput (hopefully years form now so i can save up while still listening to it). hahahah!
It’s the Sony sound so.........but after listening to a bunch of IEMs an owner can go back to the Z5 and maybe wish for more treble detail and the musical information in the treble area to be brought up in resolution.
So the IER-Z1R is an improvement over the Z5 because it’s just a bigger display; like getting a bigger TV. Still has the hallmark Z5 bass only that it is also enlarged, everything is enlarged. But it’s like the Z5 in personality.
The full-size Z1R needs to be romanced a little in my opinion to be it’s best. Meaning it needs a Kimber cable, burn in and a certain amp. People had issues with it when it came out, but......in my opinon it’s endgame for me. I don’t really ever even think of topping it. But in my eyes the full size Z1R needed help out of the box to overcome it’s small short-comings, like lower midrange detail, mid-detail and a smoother treble. Maybe because it’s an IEM, I feel the IER-Z1R needs less help to get really good. I haven’t had that much experience yet, but stock cables are fantastic sounding. I think there will be people trying to tune and get better sound with aftermarket cables, but it’s not essential, like I feel it was with the full-size Z1R. Just my opinon there.
As far as it being a IEM version of the full-size Z1R; it is. It has many parallel sound signature traits. Possibly it’s better in some ways? At times I think I hear the full size Z1R treble, at times I think I hear the full size Z1R bass. But I’m not sure folks would instantly think of the full-size headphone when trying the IER-Z1R? I didn’t and I own a pair?
Also the full-size Z1R has an elusive way to coax you into turning up the volume, and strangely the IER-Z1R does the same exact thing. Never have noticed that with any headphone or IEM before except the Z7.
We hear very different things then the EX1000 actually has two peaks 5/6Khz and 8/9Khz, and I don't read the FW10000 as having a significantly different bass than EX1000 except Sony has more sub bass. Mid bass is more similar than not but the real difference occurs in lower mids where the FW10000 is fuller so maybe that's what affects the perception of the mid bass for you. Upper mids is more similar than different as well. The air on the JVC is not far off the heights of the EX1000 but without the shrieky peaks so I am happy to trade off a bit of air as the JVC is not lacking at all in the end. As usual, your mileage may vary depending on source gear, tips, ear anatomy and such... I have owned both for a while so it's not based on quick auditions either.
Yes the EX1000 has two distinct peaks. The magnitude and narrowness of the 6khz peak is the specific peak that is most problematic for most people and what's generally the cause of its strange tonality, which is what I'm specifically referring to as its main problem. That 6khz peak is the sole reason why there are a selection of anti-treble physical modding offerings for the EX1000. People aren't modding because of the 8khz peak, most people really aren't too bothered by it and are probably honestly OK with.
That 6khz peak just doesn't exist with the FW10000. In fact, there is zero doubt in my mind that they're not remotely similar beyond the fact that they're both dynamic drivers and they're both Japanese. I don't need to own both to make an educated judgement (I don't own the FW10000 but have listened to them/I have owned the EX1000 for an extended amount of time), they aren't even close in terms of sound signature. Its like saying the HD800 sounds similar to the HD600...I wouldn't say that owning both really makes you able to provide a more reliable opinion (which is the impression that I'm getting from that comment) and I would hope any semi-serious listener would be able to tell the differences between those two headphones without extended ownership.
The EX1000 is a complete abnormality in the modern day dynamic driver hybrid/IEM market where its actually tuned bright and doesn't have a lower midrange or bass boost. It definitely doesn't have more sub-bass than the FW1000, the EX1000 just has linear bass in much the same way that the majority of planar headphones do.
What I'm getting at is that the FW10000 tuning is one of a modern day dynamic driver earphone: its a U shaped sounding IEM. The EX1000 tuning is absolutely bright by in both academic and subjective means. I just can't see how the FW10000 is a more refined EX1000 when the sound targets are obviously wildly different, this isn't a Focal Clear being a super Sennheiser HD600 situation. I don't entirely agree with that statement, since the HD600 midrange/treble is still smoother so the Focal Clear isn't exactly a better headphone, but it at least makes a lot of sense since the overall sound is pretty similar and the Clear's bass is infinitely better than what the HD600 can offer.
In that regard and in relation to this thread, there's no real reason to sell the IER-Z1R (or just about any other dynamic driver IEM) as an EX1000 replacement or super EX1000 because 99% of the time the sound signatures aren't remotely related. The IER-Z1R from my audition is definitely U shaped sounding with a lot of the U shape tilt aimed at the treble and sort-of subbass, which is where some people might be getting the impression of a brittle midrange. The midrange definitely doesn't sound like a dynamic driver midrange so that might contribute to the brittle midrange impressions too.
On a side note about dynamic driver tuning and flagship earphones, this is also one of the more unique aspects of the Solaris since its one of the few rare earphones that is using a dynamic driver and doesn't have a midrange/midbass/subbass lift. 99% of current production dynamic driver using earphone is U or V shaped, I can count the number that aren't on maybe one hand.
Without wanting to sound snobbish , after trying all the flagship iem exluding that crazy 10K iem which it's name I can't recall, to me ex1000 sound is still very relevant now days. To me there is nothing average about its sound. It scales up remarkably.
Finally had a brief listen and comparison between both Solaris and Z1R. I can imagine why Solaris fanbois will not take well to how the Z1R sounds, vice versa.
Two different presentations.
Z1R has a presentation of a speaker setup. U shaped. Solaris on the other hand is intimate, much like having the vocals in your face.
Some might call the Z1R anemic sounding, while others might call the Solaris closed in.
Z1R has better clarity, at the expense of the mids. Soundstage has height, which I personally prefer. Sub bass has better quality and quantity. Asian female vocals sounds more natural on the Z1R, but some might call it nasally.
Solaris is better in the mid - upper bass/lower midrange region (somewhere around there), but sub/low bass is seriously lacking if you like your bass. Vocals on most western influenced genres will sound great, but it also makes Asian vocals sound too masculine. Imagine thin, cutesy vocals sounding like a transvestite. OMFL. There were a couple of times I found the mids sounding muddy and veiled.
Solaris has a nice textured built, they are light and fit well on my ears. Z1R is hefty & heavy like a slab of solid metal sticking out of your ears but on the hand, it feels so luxurious & expensive.
That's just my short take on the brief comparison I had. I don't think I will proceed further with anymore comparisons. End of the day, it's all about preferences. I think I will be happy with either one (if they were given to me for free), but I know which one I will prefer more.
Do take note that I am listening them out of my WM1Z, and with Campfire IEMS being sensitive and all, the sound signature do change. Which is why I would never listen to my Andromeda with the Sony's... And that to me is one negative for Campfire.
Finally had a brief listen and comparison between both Solaris and Z1R. I can imagine why Solaris fanbois will not take well to how the Z1R sounds, vice versa.
Two different presentations.
Z1R has a presentation of a speaker setup. U shaped. Solaris on the other hand is intimate, much like having the vocals in your face.
Some might call the Z1R anemic sounding, while others might call the Solaris closed in.
Z1R has better clarity, at the expense of the mids. Soundstage has height, which I personally prefer. Sub bass has better quality and quantity. Asian female vocals sounds more natural on the Z1R, but some might call it nasally.
Solaris is better in the mid - upper bass/lower midrange region (somewhere around there), but sub/low bass is seriously lacking if you like your bass. Vocals on most western influenced genres will sound great, but it also makes Asian vocals sound too masculine. Imagine thin, cutesy vocals sounding like a transvestite. OMFL. There were a couple of times I found the mids sounding muddy and veiled.
Solaris has a nice textured built, they are light and fit well on my ears. Z1R is hefty & heavy like a slab of solid metal sticking out of your ears but on the hand, it feels so luxurious & expensive.
That's just my short take on the brief comparison I had. I don't think I will proceed further with anymore comparisons. End of the day, it's all about preferences. I think I will be happy with either one (if they were given to me for free), but I know which one I will prefer more.
Do take note that I am listening them out of my WM1Z, and with Campfire IEMS being sensitive and all, the sound signature do change. Which is why I would never listen to my Andromeda with the Sony's... And that to me is one negative for Campfire.
Without wanting to sound snobbish , after trying all the flagship iem exluding that crazy 10K iem which it's name I can't recall, to me ex1000 sound is still very relevant now days. To me there is nothing average about its sound. It scales up remarkably.
They even sound quite relevant to all over ear headphones which I own.If Sony would bring them today, they would cost 1200 USD or more. And they are that good.
They even sound quite relevant to all over ear headphones which I own.If Sony would bring them today, they would cost 1200 USD or more. And they are that good.
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