[Redcarmoose]

I'm assuming the Kimber cables from the xba works on this and if better quality than the stock ones for the ier but I'd there any ear hook adapter for the Kimber?MUC-M12SB1

https://www.sony.co.th/en/electronics/headphone-extension-cables/muc-m12sb1

They actually include these little black rubber L shape guides you can run the Sony/Kimber through to make it do an ear-hook shape. Still I never used it as I purchased the cable to simply try after 200 hours of burn in; to see if it was an improvement over stock.

It’s been thought that the Sony/Kimber was actually tailored for the Sony XBA-Z5 and I can confirm it’s a special synergy there (as of course many others can also testify to).

But with the IER-Z1R...no?

For me the stock cable was better. I only spent an afternoon with the Kimber but it was fairly clear to me it was not a union with the IER-Z1R I found pleasing?

The Sony Kimber is OFC and the stock included cables are Silver Coated Copper. Typically ( but not always) pure OFC gets a smoother presentation over the slight detail-treble-boost many times found with Silver Coated Copper.

In my experience the Kimber just didn’t have the coherency, the over-all completeness I found with the stock cable? There was a reverb tone in a song I know which was somehow out of place and wrong; thus I switched back right away.

Though I have to warn you. The Sony aftermarket Kimber-m12sb1 does not come off the IER-Z1R vary easy. It was a huge hassle to get separation on both right and left sides. I found it on sale for about $116 so it was a nice addition to other IEMs I have and does improve sound.

Trying to get a clue as to what the included stock cables do, I have switched them on to other IEMs and there is a clarity boost/ treble boost. The character sounds perfect with the IER-Z1R but maybe too bright with some IEMs which lean on the bright side naturally?


Don’t forget there is also a Silver Coated Copper Sony Aftermarket Cable!

https://www.sony-asia.com/electronics/headphone-extension-cables/muc-m12nb1


I have it and enjoy it on different IEMs, but due to the Sony/Kimber come-a-part fiasco...........never even tried to join it to the IER-Z1R. Though it’s fairly common on Head-Fi so I’m sure it’s just a matter of time till someone tries it.

 

[candlejack]

Why is everyone in this thread talking to themselves?

 

[Mathieulh]

This ties in a little into our discussion. When I had the ZX300 I listened on high balanced in the upper 60s through the lower 80s. So clearly power isn't merely volume. The ZX300 is powerful enough to make you deaf through the IER-Z1R.

It also depends on the person and audition as well as what track you listen to, I personally listen to my ZX300 with most IEMs on high gain at 30 maximum otherwise it's too loud to my tastes, on my Hiby R6 Pro, I listen to the same IEM's on low gain in the lower 20s.

 

[Mathieulh]

The newly announced AK Khan Cube can output 4.8 W of power through balance at high gain at 30 ohm that should be enough to drive any ohm headphone. For 40 ohm like the Z1R it will output 3.6 W at high gain balance out. The Khan will be the King of amp in a Dap format and that will put any concern of not having enough power to rest.

Assuming that was true, (and given how sparse AK is at giving their DAP's actual specifications), or the current off the shelves available DACs out there, unless AK developped their own DAC/AMP combo, something they've never done in the past), we can assume the Cube cannot output 4.8W@32Ohms and if it did, you'd probably damage/blow any piece of audio equipment you'd drive at such levels (not to mention, you wouldn't be earing much else for the remaining of your life, ever).

 

[Mathieulh]

I'm no good at describing sound but I'll do my best to elaborate. Keep in mind this is driven by zx2.

I had the z1r for 3 days me and I find it sounds very similar to Andromeda in terms of presentation. The key difference here is the tone. Andromeda is skewed more towards the mid to upper freq whereas the Z1R focuses more on the lower end whilst maintaining resolution and extension up top.

The Andromeda off the zx2 is by no means bass shy but it does lack rumble. Vocals sounded fantastic on the Andromeda especially female vocals and the highs are very refine albeit a bit much at times. I do think the Andromeda when driven properly has some of the best highs in the market. Percussion simply shine through these.

Z1R retain most of Andromeda's best traits but further refines it. The highs are not as prominent as the Andromeda's but it maintains the shimmer and to my ears slightly more refine. Mids are slightly more V when compared to Andromeda but otherwise good. Some may find Z1R's vocals a bit thin and dry but in my experience they do not sound dry but when compared with Andromeda and pp8 it is not as smooth. It is detailed and exhibits very high level of clarity. Overall I like the way midrange is presented here.

Now comes possibly the best aspect of this iem the bass. Oh man the bass...... It is big, fast, detailed and it strikes with authority. The bass alone is enough of reason for me to buy this. It is the best bass I've heard. Even better than MH335DW, a12t and the hyla ct5. While some may find the bass a bit much I thoroughly the way it is presented. In terms of sound-stage, I feel the size is similar but andro has more air. Depth, positioning and 3dness hands down Z1R.

Overall I think its an upgrade to Andromeda. It sounds like a more refine and bassier version of andromeda.

The Z1R vocals only sound "a bit thin and dry" because the ZX2, as good and clean as it sounds, is severely underpowered. Not that it sounds bad by any mean, but it would most likely sound better from another (more powerful) source.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Why is everyone in this thread talking to themselves?

Subjectivity at it’s best.......actually a very common form of myopia around Head-Fi.

 

[Mathieulh]

I don't know about that. I listened to the Z1R with a WM1Z, a WM1A and my iPhone 8 with a $9 Lightning-3.5mm adapter and they sounded fantastic with all 3 of them.

Listening to the Z1R from an iPhone is just a waste of a great pair of IEMs. (seriously, it is).

Then again, it might be subjective, but at their price point, I would personally rather get a much better sounding Shure KSE1200 even with the added "bulk" of the portable electrostatic energizer, they just bury every dynamic IEMs (as in, 99.9% of existing IEMs) out there in term of sound quality and details retrival.

 

[candlejack]

Subjectivity at it’s best.......actually a very common form of myopia around Head-Fi.

Haha, you're reading too much into my comment. There's a certain member I ignored a while ago (the first and only) and since then, the conversation has been difficult to follow. To be honest, I don't understand why people engage with him so much, but I guess he has a way of pushing people's buttons. Anyone looking at my posting history can see I don't mind a heated debate, as long as the goal is to get to the truth. In this case however, the heated debate seems to be self served.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Listening to the Z1R from an iPhone is just a waste of a great pair of IEMs. (seriously, it is).

Then again, it might be subjective, but at their price point, I would personally rather get a much better sounding Shure KSE1200 even with the added "bulk" of the portable electrostatic energizer, they just bury every dynamic IEMs (as in, 99.9% of existing IEMs) out there in term of sound quality and details retrival.

Out of an IPod Touch 6th generation the IER-Z1R shows it’s personality; thought it IS held back. For me it became the most glorious IEM I had ever heard from an IPod Touch. It was all I had to use the first two days with the IER-Z1R.

More power gets better imaging and a fuller soundstage....... owning tighter bass. Still if I only had a 6th Gen. IPod Touch it would be enjoyable?

 

[rutter]

So about the iBasso DX220 with amp8. The unfortunate reality is that in this very arguably price inflated market $1100 is mid-tier whereas high tier is >$3000. It is not easy arguing worth and I'll concede that the IER-Z1R wouldn't be worth it for most people who don't have a serious itch to scratch or a serious amount of money to burn (though I am having a good deal of fun listening to Shots by LMAO and Lil Jon right now [only at 36 volume], not one of my favorite songs involving Lil Jon; one thing I can do better now, for instance, is listen to songs I didn't like as much). I also don't have experience with iems outside of the Solaris so perhaps the difference of going down 75% in price is approximatable to getting a sound improvement of 15-20%, although what I hear now makes me question whether we can't stretch that to 30%. It is also possible, on the other hand, as crinacle suggests, that having a multi-thousand-dollar dap increases that margin but for even many of us that isn't an option. I also wonder whether, strangely, sound qualities that don't appear dramatic take on a bigger significance after getting used to them. When I first came to this forum I thought the Hifiman Edition X v2 ($1200) was not at all worth that much more than the HE400i and I returned it accordingly, but then I came to the conclusion that I'm really missing certain things after returning it and to the HE400i. I've seen people mention in for instance Amazon reviews that upgrading to a much more expensive higher tier actually matters a lot to them. Really, what matters most is how much money you can spend on this stuff and how much you're willing to let go of in expectations or how bad you had it before. Anyway, I think the DX228 will deliver enough with the IER-Z1R to many's satisfaction granted the IER-Z1R matches a sound preference particularly of those who have experience and know what they're looking for.

Bass is very good to excellent, it is there in quantity, it can hit, it can rumble, it is controlled, it has differentiation between its sources. I can't say that it is superlative in perhaps any of these but quantity, as I think more of it could cross the line, from even a relative standpoint but rest assured it is there to make an impression. The IER-Z1R[+ DX228]'s other main good point for me is a soundstage I saw one poster refer to as round, almost negatively. I haven't picked up much of an impression on height but there is a depth dimension, though I haven't experienced anything that could be said to go in front of my face. Combined with width and positioning/imaging that I think is better than crudely tiered you end up with perceptible separation of sounds going back and to the sides. Mind you this is not close to being ultra-realistic and several years from now it can sound crude but in the inflated market of audiophiles/rich Asians my experience has informed me that this sound deserves compliment. Soundstage width is not expansive unless you're the size of an ant (the Solaris' width was not any more "expansive", in case you've read some stuff) but it is demonstrably there:



A little after 10 seconds in your left ear you hear drums that are distant. At 40 seconds you hear a sound that is close, right at your ear, and at 1:10 you hear an intermediate sound enter the "composition". Furthermore, the drums are further back on the z axis which creates a nice effect. Comparing to my HD650 through Magni (not the best idea just relying on that amp) - well in general I've gotten the impression after putting on the HD650 following the IER-Z1R there seems to be a missing space closer to the ear, as in the music starts at an "arbitrary" space or block away from the ear - the HD650's close sound sounds screwy and sort of splattered into nebulousness and I get more appreciation for the more distant recessed drums with the IER-Z1R and DX228. The Magni is not a good idea but whereas switching to it and the HD650 after the Solaris was a relief I would say the DX228 and IER-Z1R more than compete. On the other hand plugging in the DX228 and using it as a DAC through my computer makes the Magni and HD650 sound larger and the treble sound here certainly comes off better with the Magni and HD650:



Actually the Moby song also comes through much worse with USB DAC than it did through the SDcard and its sound-dedicated Mango operating system. On the DX220 it's a low res file (M4A 16 bit 44.1 khz 277 kbps) so I didn't expect such a difference (although the FLAC 24 bit 192 khz 5373 kbps from a Russian forum sounds like much better stuff written in text fields), but I suppose the moral of the story is that if you're planning to use the IER-Z1R portably it should sound good with the DX228. But do not take the expanse nonsense seriously, for the love of God. If you've spent over $3000 for a dap then pray for half of it. TL;DR, width is sufficient, but not enough to be immodest. Last remark I wanted to make about the Moby song, at for instance 2:52 while I was walking I pictured cymbals in the back left upon hearing them. In fact, just now I got distracted from the song for a couple of minutes and my attention was still drawn to that instrument at the end of the song. That's not garbage detail retrieval.

The thing the DX228 corrects against the ZX300 for me is expression across the frequency. I've mentioned before that perhaps even more so than with the ZX300 despite some exquisitely precise positioning I'm not hearing a spectrum of frequency but more of a headstage that sort of localizes sounds based on position. Anyway, let's take what may have been identified as the most problematic area by others like crinacle, male vocals:



In this song the dude's voice is coming across rather well when he makes the effort. Present, central and even forward, expressive. In fact, I even hear harshness in that guitar starting at 3:25. Lol, I even hear it through the Magni and HD650! Well, at least the DX220 + IER-Z1R can reach expressively enough to convey that awfulness. Mind you no more USB dac for me tonight.

What am I trying to write? For $3000 total in this niche, "enthusiast/audiophile/rich Asian person", portable, closed, practical iems market, given the standards I've seen of others and my own experiences extending to full size headphones (I've done what would be considered totl open headphones with boxes for DACs and amps), the DX228 and the IER-Z1R might even be considered an admirable combo. So there you go. Decent actual hi-fi sound that is engaging and enjoyable.

PS

An interesting aspect of iBasso is greater amenability to mods. While I now suspect their interchangeable amp modules are partly motivated by profit/greed - although many people will tell you the DX220 even more so than the DX200 is terrific value, although there is the caveat of people telling you stuff in the threads of the particular products - even more so than waiting for iBasso to break a sound barrier with another amp there are modders who write absolutely salacious grade D++ lube your ears audiophile porn (PM me for nudes) about amp8 mods worth $130 in parts that have made them kick $6000 desktop stuff to the curb. I kid you not, I got myself banned from the DX220 thread for not letting it go. Currently in contact with another guy who for $300 is promising to upgrade the software part of things and mod the amp at least as well from what I've surmised. So there's that. So rather than being Kitechaser wanting to strangle crinacle with a $1000 cable you can choose this path.

Hope you enjoyed the read.

It also depends on the person and audition as well as what track you listen to, I personally listen to my ZX300 with most IEMs on high gain at 30 maximum otherwise it's too loud to my tastes, on my Hiby R6 Pro, I listen to the same IEM's on low gain in the lower 20s.

...Maybe the IER-Z1R could use some more power than some other iems. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ And you must be a dog or something. A bat? The real batman.

 

[candlejack]

Listening to the Z1R from an iPhone is just a waste of a great pair of IEMs. (seriously, it is).

Making a statement like this, with zero facts or reasoning to back it up is like defecating through your mouth.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Haha, you're reading too much into my comment. There's a certain member I ignored a while ago (the first and only) and since then, the conversation has been difficult to follow. To be honest, I don't understand why people engage with him so much, but I guess he has a way of pushing people's buttons. Anyone looking at my posting history can see I don't mind a heated debate, as long as the goal is to get to the truth. In this case however, the heated debate seems to be self served.

Ok. Got ya.
Yes, I’ve been gone from this thread, only to return to fireworks! It’s all good. I like at least there is passion and posting. I’m not going to mention manufactures or products; but there has been a couple flagships which have threads as quiet as a church mouse! Lol.

 

[rutter]

Making a statement like this, with zero facts or reasoning to back it up is like defecating through your mouth.

It's a pretty commonly made statement that has in all likelihood been explained many times.

Listening to the Z1R from an iPhone is just a waste of a great pair of IEMs. (seriously, it is).

So you've heard these now?

Haha, you're reading too much into my comment. There's a certain member I ignored a while ago (the first and only) and since then, the conversation has been difficult to follow. To be honest

Lol, I have that effect on certain people.

Didn't figure out to provide the context.

Anyone looking at my posting history can see I don't mind a heated debate, as long as the goal is to get to the truth.

Can't wait for the iPhone debate to get heated.

 

[Redcarmoose]

@ rutter.
Did you try a Sony 1A yet?

 

[hiflofi]

One agreeable point made is that regarding the depth, height, and width of the Z1R.