[rutter]

I'm well aware. I'm trying to defend it to myself before going bungee jumping without the cord.

 

[MarkF786]

One, this is the most obnoxious "song" I've ever heard. What drums are you referring to above the sub-bass? To clarify, the sub-bass is the awful thing constantly raping your ears and drums are supposed to be literally above it?



Please dislike this asap, btw. Past that, if you're referring to the drums starting at like 1:00 I can hear those clearly. But in general I don't hear drums having a lot of presence. When they are there I think I hear them though, I just don't know if there are supposed to be more? I hear some before and after, just uncertain whether that's all I'm supposed to be hearing.

LOL. I'm not a fan of the track from a musical perspective, but a couple years ago I came across a reference to it for testing 'phones for bass extension, and indeed found it useful in that regard - but then also found it useful for testing bass balance since the disappearing drums occurs with headphones with exaggerated bass.

What I'm referring to is around 0:21 to around 1:00. Amongst my best 'phones (over-ear or IEM), they can play the low bass notes with fullness and without distortion, while the drums in the mid-frequency can be heard at an equal balance. The worst 'phones I've heard with this track (and the first that showed the diagnostic benefit of this track) with the drums almost disappearing was the Fender FXA6 (which has about a 13db bass boost), but found a similar effect with the Z1R.

Give it a listen with some other 'phones for comparison. With bass heavy 'phones, it seems the drivers are nearing their maximum travel, leaving little range to also play the midrange at an equal volume. But a very dynamic 'phone like the Elear can easily keep up with both.

 

[rutter]

The faint drums on the side? Then at 0:40 the stuff on top? I can hear them. It all depends what you mean by at an equal balance. Ok, actually, I can hear the stuff after one minute pretty clearly. I was on some custom software for my dap and switched back to stock. I think there are two factors in play here. For how long have you been playing - the sub-bass isn't that awful now either - for how long have you been playing music through your IER-Z1R? Burn it in for 200 hours. Two, I'm not familiar with that dap but it looks pricy, similar to my iBasso DX220 with amp8. I think my burned in IER-Z1R with a balanced connection and the DX228 actually handle this song. Like some headphones, I don't know, but seemingly well enough.

Just went back to the custom ROM too. What happens there is that there's some sort of rumble or boom, I can even feel it in my ears as a sort of expansion, that's quite distracting. But it turns out I can still hear the drums you're referring to. I think you need to be patient, and despite what some people say, source matters. Burn these in for 200 hours, then pass a conclusive judgment. I think the Chord Mojo may be a good pairing. I think it's especially likely to trim things. Ideally I'd want a balanced connection but I don't really know.

 

[NickL33]

A quick 30 minutes impression of the Z1R: too much bass?

I've only listened to a few songs so far - some Yes, some Philip Glass, then an odd track that I find good for gauging bass - "Slow Down the Bass". For 'phones with a good balance, you hear the sub-bass clearly delivered while still hearing the drums above it, but when the bass gets bloated, the drums near disappear with the driver unable to keep up with the demand, which exactly happened with the Z1R. The Solaris keep a better balance, though even losing some of the drums. The best I've personally heard with this track is the Elear (especially with the Elex pads), though some other IEMs do an admirable job.

Obviously, one track doesn't make or break an IEM, but can highlight some limitations. In generally though, my initial impression is the Z1R are not in a different class that the Solaris, Andromeda, Xelento, or EX1000 - just a different balance.

Comfort and fit aren't too bad yet. But damn, the case is better suited for jewelry than IEMs.

P.S. Regarding power, I'm driving them with the Q5 with the AM3A module (using the unbalanced output). The Z1R requires the volume knob to be around 10-11 o'clock while the Solaris is around 9 o'clock for a similar level - certainly not a huge different, with plenty of headroom left.

Z1r is sensitive to fit and tips type...

I find that triple comfort give more bass due to form like and on other hand the silicon will thin out the sound

 

[rutter]

Tips matter. I use the triple comforts because the silicone hybrids made mids worse for me, perhaps more. I think the fit was good but the type of tip didn't help me. Whichever tip Mark is using I'd suggest trying the other type as well despite what your initial affinity may be. Also, when using a triple comfort roll it or squeeze it. Right? There was one poster who suggested this as they can come down to size somewhat.

 

[hiflofi]

If you're not getting enough highs with the IER-Z1R, I rec wider bores. However, that introduced some sibilance for me. I think it also has to do with decreasing the depth of fit. I find stock tips to have a very good balance.
I can also see where the L-shaped perceptions are coming from.
I personally have a thing for clarity above all. The fact that the IER-Z1R somewhat achieves that despite its note size.

 

[rutter]

I bought a small box of M JVC Spiral Dot tips, which have a wider bore, and I don't think they even fit. The nozzle looked a little strangely exposed, with perhaps some room on the outside of it? The tip ultimately fit the nozzle at the bottom but I don't think it sounded right. I'm not sure whether Sony intends only particular tips to fit the IER-Z1R but I decided to stick with the provided tips.

That don't look right. The size of those pics is nightmare fuel too.

 

[candlejack]

What I'm referring to is around 0:21 to around 1:00. Amongst my best 'phones (over-ear or IEM), they can play the low bass notes with fullness and without distortion, while the drums in the mid-frequency can be heard at an equal balance.

Have you tried EQ'ing the problem away? If the track is not perfectly mixed/mastered it might sound better/more natural on Headphone A than Headphone B, even if B is more neutral. Just curious if you can get the drums out with a bit of EQ.

 

[Redcarmoose]

A quick 30 minutes impression of the Z1R: too much bass?

I've only listened to a few songs so far - some Yes, some Philip Glass, then an odd track that I find good for gauging bass - "Slow Down the Bass". For 'phones with a good balance, you hear the sub-bass clearly delivered while still hearing the drums above it, but when the bass gets bloated, the drums near disappear with the driver unable to keep up with the demand, which exactly happened with the Z1R. The Solaris keep a better balance, though even losing some of the drums. The best I've personally heard with this track is the Elear (especially with the Elex pads), though some other IEMs do an admirable job.

Obviously, one track doesn't make or break an IEM, but can highlight some limitations. In generally though, my initial impression is the Z1R are not in a different class that the Solaris, Andromeda, Xelento, or EX1000 - just a different balance.

Comfort and fit aren't too bad yet. But damn, the case is better suited for jewelry than IEMs.

P.S. Regarding power, I'm driving them with the Q5 with the AM3A module (using the unbalanced output). The Z1R requires the volume knob to be around 10-11 o'clock while the Solaris is around 9 o'clock for a similar level - certainly not a huge different, with plenty of headroom left.

Right out of the box the IER-Z1R is more bass heavy. After 100 hours the bass gets detailed and trimmed back. 200 hours and it’s perfected.

 

[candlejack]

Right out of the box the IER-Z1R is more bass heavy. After 100 hours the bass gets detailed and trimmed back. 200 hours and it’s perfected.

Was anyone able to test this by comparing a new unit with a 200h old unit? Some say The Memory Remains, but not really.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Was anyone able to test this by comparing a new unit with a 200h old unit? Some say The Memory Remains, but not really.

This is just my personal opinion on burn-in. It’s a question that will maybe never be totally proven. Each person needs to decide on their own if they should subscribe to the belief system.

I purchased my IER-Z1R with zero testing. I reserved it online. Upon entering the store I actually wanted to hear a burned in set before taking my new ones out of the box.

I’m also not disclaiming this process is suggested in outcome or purely psychological. But I believe burn-in is real.

The shop had a pair with 200 hours, and I listened. Then I opened my box and tried the ones I newly purchased; just as cash was sliding across the table.

The bass was smoother and more detailed in the 200 hour unit. My personal set started to arrive at the same sound at about 100 hours....getting better at 200 hours. Out of the box the bass is more present and does not contain the finesse of burned in units. IMO

 

[candlejack]

This is just my personal opinion on burn-in. It’s a question that will maybe never be totally proven. Each person needs to decide on their own if they sound subscribe to the belief system.

I purchased my IER-Z1R with zero testing. I reserved it online. Upon entering the store I actually wanted to hear a burned in set before taking my new ones out of the box.

I’m also not disclaiming this process is suggested in outcome or purely psychological. But I believe burn-in is real.

The shop had a pair with 200 hours, and I listened. Then I opened my box and tried the ones I newly purchased; just as cash was sliding across the table.

The bass was smoother and more detailed in the 200 hour unit. My personal set started to arrive at the same sound at about 100 hours....getting better at 200 hours. Out of the box the bass is more present and does not contain the finesse of burned in units. IMO

I don't mean to spark the age old debate. I was just curious if anyone had two units side by side and positively heard the difference. Your story qualifies.

 

[Redcarmoose]

I don't mean to spark the age old debate. I was just curious if anyone had two units side by side and positively heard the difference. Your story qualifies.

Expectation Bias is a strong thing. I have also had times when I thought my IEMs were “changed” and burned-in; only to find out they and the newly acquired second set sounded identical? It’s not a big deal and nothing worth arguing over, though some may find their IER-Z1Rs change for the better. For the folks who burn-in it’s just the effort of hooking your IEMs up to a player and sticking them in a drawer for a week. Just another silly crazy thing audiophiles are known for.

 

[candlejack]

For the folks who burn-in it’s just the effort of hooking your IEMs up to a player and sticking them in a drawer for a week. Just another silly crazy thing audiophiles are known for.

JSUT?!?!?! (misspelling intentionally left in to indicate the fury with which I typed it)

I can tell you that when my z1r arrive, the last thing I'll be happy to do is *not* listen to them for a week while they cook on the stove.

 

[candlejack]

Has it been published what frequency ranges are played through each driver? I read somewhere that the big DD is full range, but nothing about the other two.

What about this, anybody have a clue? Sounds like the kind of thing head-fi'ers would be interested in knowing.