[bobeau]

Just wanted to put a note out there about power to drive these... I have a Tempotec Sonata HD Pro ($40 amp/dac, $60 w/ mfi certified) that measures supremely well per ASR, and at 63 mw @ 33 ohms it drives these pretty well. At least I don't feel it's giving anything up to a mojo which was measured 410 mw @ 33 ohm (~8x the power) before clipping, which lays waste to what it seems many DAPs do on balanced. Compared to the mojo, not only does it sound similarly full, but it sounds cleaner/more incisive in the way you might expect a much better DAC to perform.

From the Sony DAPs I've seen measured there, they are very poor on the unbalanced outs, about half the amount of power as this thumb-drive type DAC, so I wonder if that is part of the reason the ZR1s are seen as hard to drive? That's similar performance to an Apple dongle (31 mw @ 33 ohms) and using mine I do hear a notable step down in audio quality.

FWIW, driving the Sonata from my iPhone I'm roughly at 33-50% of the total volume depending on the material, guestimate landing somewhere in the 82-85 dB area.

EDIT: on closer listening, I stand corrected. The mojo is definitely fuller on some tracks that I can hear. It looks like I'll be reverting to using the mojo, which I haven't used in years.

 

[gerelmx1986]

Must be 4 years ago, they only came out late autumn 2016

Ah yes my fault

 

[dleblanc343]

Looking for another iem with similar performance to the z1r. I have tried the qdc Anole VX and u18t but found those too bland for my liking.
Have anyone tried the 64audio Trio/UM Mest how does it compare to the z1r? I am unable to get a demo in my country so I would have to do a blind buy. Any other opinion are also appreciated.

I don't see the point in the Trio personally, as it's a similar but inferior Z1R in my opinion. Fit is much better for most however.

MEST is a really nice iem, it's my Z1R complimentary, and I actually think I prefer the MEST over Z1R a bit.

 

[Rurouni]

For those who use the IER-Z1R with the TAZH1ES do you use the amp on high or low gain with them?

 

[grooveriders]

I don't see the point in the Trio personally, as it's a similar but inferior Z1R in my opinion. Fit is much better for most however.

MEST is a really nice iem, it's my Z1R complimentary, and I actually think I prefer the MEST over Z1R a bit.

Thanks, also heard from another user in my country that the Trio is inferior to the z1r will cahnge my target from Trio to MEST for now !

 

[bobeau]

Just want to correct my thoughts on Mojo vs. Sonata above - I actually noticed on some tracks that in fact the Mojo sounds fuller. These things really do need tons of power to sound their best.

 

[Tristy]

Just want to correct my thoughts on Mojo vs. Sonata above - I actually noticed on some tracks that in fact the Mojo sounds fuller. These things really do need tons of power to sound their best.

I noticed very slight differences in SQ going from the Medium (8vrms) to High (12vrms) on the Kann Cube balanced. I am actually looking for a small desktop amp solution to drive them via my SE200 as I still think the Cube drove them slightly better (SE200 balanced out is 6Vrms).

 

[macdonjh]

I don't see the point in the Trio personally, as it's a similar but inferior Z1R in my opinion. Fit is much better for most however.

MEST is a really nice iem, it's my Z1R complimentary, and I actually think I prefer the MEST over Z1R a bit.

Funny, while listening to that borrowed pair of Z1R and comparing them to Trio I thought, "Why would anyone want a Z1R? The Trio is just a bit more enjoyable than they are, and they fit way better, too."

 

[aaf evo]

Funny, while listening to that borrowed pair of Z1R and comparing them to Trio I thought, "Why would anyone want a Z1R? The Trio is just a bit more enjoyable than they are, and they fit way better, too."

I also kept my trio over the z1r , mainly because it’s just way lighter and more comfy but I also preferred the mids on the trio as they’re more revealing, whereas on the z1r I kinda felt they were just... there.

that z1r sub bass is incredible though, having either is these iems is a treat.

 

[Damz87]

For those who use the IER-Z1R with the TAZH1ES do you use the amp on high or low gain with them?

I use high gain but there doesn’t seem to be a huge difference between the two gain settings on the TA-ZH1ES, imho. High gain just sounds approx -10db louder

 

[AeroSatan]

For those who use the IER-Z1R with the TAZH1ES do you use the amp on high or low gain with them?

High. Use less volume but I feel like the sound gains more depth and detail.

 

[marklivia]

Has anyone discovered the perfect travel pouch/case for the IER-Z1R?
Also, I only can use the largest size tips that come with these. Anyone who uses smaller size want to trade their largest for what you use? Let me know by PM.

 

[Vu Chau]

My trusted DP-X1A (which I used to power the IER-Z1R) died. I'm on the quest for a new DAP that'd pair nicely with this IEM. I'd prefer for it to be Android and to provide streaming capabilities.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm eyeing the Cayin N6II and the Lotoo PAW 6000, so my budget is around $1K. If there are something else that provides good synergy with the Z1R, please let me know!

 

[tgx78]

Cayin N3Pro 3.5mm tube for musical presentation.
Cayin N3Pro 4.4mm balanced out for dynamic and fuller presentation
E1DA 9038S 2.5mm balanced out for clean & transparent presentation.
Total: Around $500

 

[newworld666]

These last days I am using A&K Kann Alpha (Streaming Synology NAS & Qobuz) beside my WM1A (1Tb SD) with the IER-Z1R ...
Kann Alpha is far more powerful than WM1A and can drive very easily the Z1R.. it's worth to give a try.