[rutter]

Anyone have experience with these and the Sony ZX300? Also, can someone post a picture of wearing these? I'm wondering how big they are. Some people say they are deceptively large.

 

[Jalo]

guys i'm really torn between the Z1R and EE Legend X's. Can you please help me decide?

Z1R hands down, no questions in my mind, and of course that is just my opinion.

 

[Jalo]

It's hard. I'm torn between the Z1R and the Jomo Trinity Brass. And it's quite possible neither of them are the ticket.

Ricky, to me I will give 60/40 to Trinity/Z1R. And given your music preference (Hard Bop Jazz, Classical, Female Vocals) I may even say it is 65/35 spread. That is because classical and female vocal are particularly good with Trinity. I love vocals both male and female, and I particularly like male vocal with the Z1R. Z1R can bring a sense of realism to me with male vocal. Z1R does not have a recessed mid range, I disagree with Cringe on that. To me the low mid to mid range is like you are on the stage with the performer/singer. Recess is like I am sitting 5th to 8th row from the stage and I like to listen loud, up close and personal and I felt Z1r did just that. Also I felt I am very close to the singer without veil for the mid range. I wish I could say that for the treble though.

With regard to efficiency, both Trinity and Z1R is about the same on my WM1Z, I listened to both on high gain at about 100 on the volume pot through 4.4 out.

 

[js319]

The Sony sound

 

[21qz]

Z1R hands down, no questions in my mind, and of course that is just my opinion.

Please elaborate, what kind of music do you listen to? Have you heard the EX1000's, if so how do they sound in the mix? i ask that because those are my go to. Would love to hear your answers on all comparisons in this layout:

- Soundstage
- Neutral, Bright, or Dark sounding
- Bass
- Mids
- Highs

Short and direct answers would suffice, I wouldn't expect you to write a review.

 

[Jalo]

Please elaborate, what kind of music do you listen to? Have you heard the EX1000's, if so how do they sound in the mix? i ask that because those are my go to. Would love to hear your answers on all comparisons in this layout:

- Soundstage
- Neutral, Bright, or Dark sounding
- Bass
- Mids
- Highs

Short and direct answers would suffice, I wouldn't expect you to write a review.

I was referring to the EE Legend X and not the EX1000.

 

[21qz]

I was referring to the EE Legend X and not the EX1000.

Right, i just threw that one in by chance if you heard them. If not that's ok, but yes please do tell me why you chose the Z1R

 

[koven]

Z1R hands down, no questions in my mind, and of course that is just my opinion.

I agree but then again I am not a fan of EE LX (or Phantom). Both are too thick sounding and overtly warm for me, I think it's bass bleeds too much across the spectrum, it becomes overwhelming and feels stuffy. Z1R on the other hand is a crystal clear sound. Clean bass and quite airy/holographic overall. Stage size and treble sparkle are much superior in comparison. Overall Z1R seems more refined and higher fidelity. I can see why folks like the LX, it is fun for specific genres (e.g. electronic) but personally I prefer a more balanced transparent signature.

 

[rutter]

How do you find the Z1R with a genre like electronic?

 

[21qz]

It sucks that i have to go through the process of owning each to make that judgment. Where i can i buy these and return them with no problem?

 

[hiflofi]

Recently heard the Z1R this week for a couple hours and I'd like to say it's quite entertaining. It fit well. It's definitely not reference and no one should expect that going in.
Bass was tastefully lifted though it got a bit too big for me, sometimes taking over when I didn't need it to. Great texture and definition. That's a matter of preference, I can see it being perfect for someone else.
Mids are where the talk is. Has an upper mid focus more than lower mid. Vocals come across more penetrating than rich.
Highs are smooth yet manage to resolve very well. Extend well and allow a lot of "space".
Stage is large. Musical elements are well separated and spaced. Background is very black so imaging is razor sharp.
Conclusion: it's great overall. Not exactly what I'm personally looking for but it should fit the bill for people looking for musicality and excitement more than raw technical reproduction. However, it isn't lacking in technical prowess and does fine as an all rounder. It just adds flavour and ratchets up the immersion.

 

[XERO1]

Recently heard the Z1R this week for a couple hours and I'd like to say it's quite entertaining. It fit well. It's definitely not reference and no one should expect that going in.
Bass was tastefully lifted though it got a bit too big for me, sometimes taking over when I didn't need it to. Great texture and definition. That's a matter of preference, I can see it being perfect for someone else.
Mids are where the talk is. Has an upper mid focus more than lower mid. Vocals come across more penetrating than rich.
Highs are smooth yet manage to resolve very well. Extend well and allow a lot of "space".
Stage is large. Musical elements are well separated and spaced. Background is very black so imaging is razor sharp.
Conclusion: it's great overall. Not exactly what I'm personally looking for but it should fit the bill for people looking for musicality and excitement more than raw technical reproduction. However, it isn't lacking in technical prowess and does fine as an all rounder. It just adds flavour and ratchets up the immersion.

This pretty well describes what I heard, except for me, it’s tuning was exactly what I like.
Plus it is one of the few top-tier IEMs that has a truly unique set of drivers that are proprietary to Sony.
For me, the Z1R is an end-game level IEM, and after having heard it, I don't really have any great desire to hear any of its direct competitors.
Within about 5 minutes, I knew it was "The One" for me!

 

[joshnor713]

Recently heard the Z1R this week for a couple hours and I'd like to say it's quite entertaining. It fit well. It's definitely not reference and no one should expect that going in.
Bass was tastefully lifted though it got a bit too big for me, sometimes taking over when I didn't need it to. Great texture and definition. That's a matter of preference, I can see it being perfect for someone else.
Mids are where the talk is. Has an upper mid focus more than lower mid. Vocals come across more penetrating than rich.
Highs are smooth yet manage to resolve very well. Extend well and allow a lot of "space".
Stage is large. Musical elements are well separated and spaced. Background is very black so imaging is razor sharp.
Conclusion: it's great overall. Not exactly what I'm personally looking for but it should fit the bill for people looking for musicality and excitement more than raw technical reproduction. However, it isn't lacking in technical prowess and does fine as an all rounder. It just adds flavour and ratchets up the immersion.

Thanks, this is the most straighforward impression I've heard yet. The only thing I'm worried about is the imbalance in the mids. Mids are important to me. We'll see if I agree after a thorough listen; if they ever come to the US...

 

[Jalo]

Recently heard the Z1R this week for a couple hours and I'd like to say it's quite entertaining. It fit well. It's definitely not reference and no one should expect that going in.
Bass was tastefully lifted though it got a bit too big for me, sometimes taking over when I didn't need it to. Great texture and definition. That's a matter of preference, I can see it being perfect for someone else.
Mids are where the talk is. Has an upper mid focus more than lower mid. Vocals come across more penetrating than rich.
Highs are smooth yet manage to resolve very well. Extend well and allow a lot of "space".
Stage is large. Musical elements are well separated and spaced. Background is very black so imaging is razor sharp.
Conclusion: it's great overall. Not exactly what I'm personally looking for but it should fit the bill for people looking for musicality and excitement more than raw technical reproduction. However, it isn't lacking in technical prowess and does fine as an all rounder. It just adds flavour and ratchets up the immersion.

Very well said except the part "Has an upper mid focus more than lower mid". To me the lower mid let say 400 to 800 Hz range seems to be more focus hence I said the Z1R is great for male vocal. You also said "Vocals come across more penetrating than rich" that is very true and using another descriptive words for the same phase is that vocal seems to be peeled back by two or three layers (veils) when compare to other iems like the Legend X, Atlas etc. That is also in line with the objective/goal of the Z1R when Sony engineers set out to develop the Z1R "to make it as real as they could".

 

[Jalo]

Right, i just threw that one in by chance if you heard them. If not that's ok, but yes please do tell me why you chose the Z1R

I only listened to the EX1000 once and my music memory is not sufficient to even comment on it. What I like about the Z1R has been said in the above posts.