[kalo86]

Measurements can not tell the whole story. In order for you to really tell the whole story, you would need to Zoom in per sections, and observe the DIP/Peaks of different regions, at frequencies....etc...given that your measurements are accurate, and that each person don’t hear different things. Remember Laurel or Yanny ?

Then beside that, you would need to take in account what amplifier, for what test tone, what cables, what plugs....etc...etc for the interconnect.

I always keep on telling people that Graph is just a rough guideline to see what you like and what you don’t. It typically will tell you about bass and trebles level, but that is only 20% of the story there.

The best way is to listen to it yourself, with your favorite device (DAP, amp, Source...etc...) favorite Cables if possible, and favorite sound tracks. If you like it, Grab it, if you dislike it, leave it there, the next person in line would grab it, period.

I will try to test the IER-Z1R with DX220+AMP8, I think it's more than enough, right?

Ps: I'm enjoying the pairing of DX228 and XBA-N3.
Totally another galaxy with respect to the Sony ZX300...

 

[aminus]

After months of deliberation, finally got myself a Z1R. Pairs wonderfully with my WM1A. I used to be fairly critical of it but the sound signature has really grown on me. The recessed lower mids were an issue at one point, but I honestly find at this point that they lend a level of clarity to vocals. The treble, despite being fairly apparent, is amazingly not sibilant at all. And the bass needs no comment. Technicalities and separation are beyond wonderful, beating my custom A12t. Definitely a good purchase

 

[cfc7]

For those who had the chance to listen to both, how does the Z1R compare with the IE800S?

 

[kalo86]

For those who had the chance to listen to both, how does the Z1R compare with the IE800S?

+1 because I tested the IE800S two times...

 

[aminus]

Alright, so I've arrived home and listened to a couple albums both indoors and outdoors with the Z1R. Here's an attempt at detailed impressions.

The Z1R is Sony's attempt at a TOTL hybrid. Hybrids have always been a somewhat contentious zone in my opinion, you have stuff like the Solaris or Legend X which I absolutely cannot stand, some interesting ones like the CE-5 or Trio which while quite a curiosity, aren't really good enough to warrant a purchase, or stuff like the Fourte which I really put in "a nice case study on why technicalities aren't everything". Overall, I've never been crazy over them. There's always been something to nitpick over.

So now here we enter Sony, making their first flagship since the much lauded EX1000. What's there to offer? Well for starters, I think the most prominent thing about the Z1R is the incredibly bass. It digs deep, it rumbles and decays beautifully, but it's never muddy. Let's take a death metal track, Obscura by Gorguts. Fast paced, double kick drums, blast beats, everything is conveyed perfectly. Nowhere do I find any sort of issues with bleed or muddiness. The Virgin by Daughters is also executed with ease. I can hear the bass guitar rumble and roar at the bottom of the frequency response, it's really quite impressive.

Next is the midrange, which is something which I've been iffy about for a while. There is a noticeable lower midrange dip up to around 1khz, followed by a hump of sorts from 3khz to 6khz. Essentially, we have recessed lower mids, and slightly boosted upper mids. Unlike the CE-5, which is probably the closest thing the Z1R can be compared to in the world of hybrids, this recession of the midrange doesn't sound that bad. Take After the Flood by Talk Talk, Mark Hollis' voice doesn't sound hollow or muted, like the CE-5 can. It has a sense of clarity and (god I hate this word) transparency to it. And honestly the more I hear it (no, it's not just because I just bought one) the more I like it. It sounds incredible with Violins and Violas (Schoenberg's String Quartet in D Minor played by Arditti sounds so real, there's just no other word for the kind of texture the Z1R conveys with the strings) as well, which helps a lot. To sum it up, it's something which used to be pretty controversial with me, but I've grown to like it a decent bit.

And at last in our FR graph there's the treble. The treble here is, as many have noted, affected by insertion depth, and in my experience by tip size too (I get very different treble amounts if I go from MS to M). As someone who does listen fairly loud (I've been trying to cut down, I know it's bad, yadda yadda) and is somewhat sensitive to treble I don't mind the treble response overall. It has a certain dryness to it and has a very distinctive lower treble-ish sound. Cymbals have a little crashiness to them but they also have a nice stick impact, which is something I like. The cymbals on Breadcrumb Trail by Slint stick out as a good example of where this excels. On a very dry, analogue-esque recording, it really plays to its forte.

But wait, there's more! I haven't talked about technicalities yet. And my oh my, they're wonderful. I come from a pretty strong estat background (L700 is my eternal reference headphone) so I have pretty high standards in the technical department, and boy does the Z1R deliver. You can hear so much layered detail on King Crimson's Red, every crunch of distortion in the guitars (and the many many layers of them) is apparent, the bass guitar is strong, Bruford's complex drumming is conveyed excellently, even the very subtle cello in the intro is all very audible and layered very nicely. It all just works on a level that I can't really say many other IEMs do. Even the KSE, while the king of the resolution department, hasn't layered quite as naturally as my experience with the Z1R (or maybe it's my dislike of the KSE's FR shining through).

I suppose, though, a question that a lot of people who may recognize me (read: probably none of the regulars here) have is, how does it compare to my custom A12t? Well, the bass on the A12t is undeniably BA, and as good as it is, it's still just good for a BA. It's not as hollow or plasticky as 90% of BA bass but it still does lack that thump and decay that the Z1R pulls off without even trying. And while the A12t do have a more lower mid-oriented midrange, when compared to the FR-trickery the Z1R pulls with that lower mid recession, it does come off as a tad congested, maybe even bloated in conjunction with the bass boost. And finally there's the treble, which is where I've usually been very critical about the A12t (there's simply not enough lower treble, full stop). In a sense I've really shifted in preference to the Z1R's tuning as time has gone on.

I've gushed over the Z1R enough already. Now it's time to criticize it. The isolation kinda sucks. It's not very good for outdoor use. And overall as nice as the general tonality of the Z1R is, it sounds like it's trying too hard to be nice? I dunno, maybe it's just me, but sometimes the extreme cleanliness of the Z1R can get a tad boring. This is not even remotely a dealbreaking criticism but rather an extreme nitpick from someone with extreme standards. In a sense, ignore it, unless the notion of something being very clean and precise bothers you. In which case, the Z1R was never for you in the first place. Go try something else. Like, the Phantom or something. I dunno.

In summary, I think the Z1R is the best hybrid there is today, and I'd go so far as to argue as the best goddamn DD driver I've heard. I like it more that the Xelento and EX1000, both of which I consider to be the hallmarks of single DD IEMs. It's more technical, and at the same time, follows my preferences much closer than either does. It's genuinely good, and unlike some other IEMs which I have disdain for, I think the hype around it is warranted.

For reference, I've run the Z1R out of my WM1A for almost all of my listening and very briefly demoed it on my desktop setup (SMSL SU-8 > JDS Atom, a holdover from my good old objectivist days) to compare. I've also tried it on the WM1Z and the DMP-Z1. I think it holds up very nicely on all of them. Not really noticing any major (if any, at all) difference between the WM1A and Z. It seems to be a pretty solid IEM no matter the source.

Do I recommend it? Well, do you like strong bass boosts? Do you like energetic treble? Are you ok with a slight recession in your lower mids? If you answered yes to all of these, then this is for you. If not, I'd consider thinking twice or giving a nice long demo session(s) before committing to it. It's not cheap. My bank account will tell you that.

Rating: 9/10

 

[Jalo]

@aminus, really enjoyed your writing and thoughts and wish you would write more reviews. I totally agree with less than ideal isolation and I have been struggling to find a tip that will have better depth insertion. Has anyone tried using triple flang tips like those with Etymotic or something similar that will allow you to have better seal? Will custom tip be an alternative? What can we do?

I appreciate your description of the Z1R’s treble as “extreme cleanliness” but I still prefer my Trinity in comparison for even more clean with a sense of ethereal airiness. But the Z1R is very good in its own right.

I have owned or use no less than half a dozen single DD iems (Vega, Altas, Lab 2, FW10000, Xelento) and my Lab 2 always comes out on top for its sound stage, smoothness and resolution but Z1R’s bass has better body and that may be due to the difference between open and closed back design.

 

[aminus]

@aminus, really enjoyed your writing and thoughts and wish you would write more reviews. I totally agree with less than ideal isolation and I have been struggling to find a tip that will have better depth insertion. Has anyone tried using triple flang tips like those with Etymotic or something similar that will allow you to have better seal? Will custom tip be an alternative? What can we do?

I appreciate your description of the Z1R’s treble as “extreme cleanliness” but I still prefer my Trinity in comparison for even more clean with a sense of ethereal airiness. But the Z1R is very good in its own right.

I have owned or use no less than half a dozen single DD iems (Vega, Altas, Lab 2, FW10000, Xelento) and my Lab 2 always comes out on top for its sound stage, smoothness and resolution but Z1R’s bass has better body and that may be due to the difference between open and closed back design.

Personally I use S size tips to insert as deep as I possibly can (SS is too small to be comfortable even though I can seal). In my opinion at least messing with the flange count on an IEM isn’t the best of ideas, it can screw with the sound pretty hard. My opinion really is to find the smallest tip that you find comfortable and really insert as deep as humanely possible. I manage to get about etymotic depth insertion with the S tips.

I’m not too versed in the Trinity so I can’t say I can comment, I’ve never particularly been nuts about Jomo. I’ve had pretty middling or negative experiences with them, but then again that’s my general experience with almost every company. But yeah, in the DD department, the Z1R is a real heavyweight. It’s just impressive how such a small DD can pull such technical finesse that’s usually associated with large BA arrays. From my understanding the 12mm DD is a full range with a high pass filter pretty early on which makes room for the upper mid/lower treble BA and then you have the glorious dolphin hearing supertweeter. So really it’s 1DD and 1BA pushing all that goddamn detail, and it’s a sight to behold alright.

 

[ewhere]

Well am i the only one who thinks the IER-Z1R are no scratch resistant at all with normal use?
I have two very noticeable scratches in each ear piece, i dont even know how i got them. They are in the case most of the time lmao.

 

[candlejack]

Well am i the only one who thinks the IER-Z1R are no scratch resistant at all with normal use?
I have two very noticeable scratches in each ear piece, i dont even know how i got them. They are in the case most of the time lmao.

So far I've found them to be very durable, especially when compared to my Andromeda S. Then again, I do baby them quite a bit.

 

[aminus]

Well am i the only one who thinks the IER-Z1R are no scratch resistant at all with normal use?
I have two very noticeable scratches in each ear piece, i dont even know how i got them. They are in the case most of the time lmao.

They definitely attract scratches. It’s polished I guess, there isn’t much you can do to avoid the inevitable.

So far I've found them to be very durable, especially when compared to my Andromeda S. Then again, I do baby them quite a bit.

Don’t even get me started on the Andro S and scratches, the number of scratches I’ve seen on local demo units is beyond horrifying. You could have told me you put it in a washing machine with sharp rocks and I would believe you.

Also, after regular use today, I do find that while the Z1R can seal pretty easily with small tips due to the deep insert, it needs a decent size in order to actually stay in. My ears tend to sweat a lot so I was having pretty bad slipping issues with the S tips not wanting to stay in my right ear. Got home and switched to MS and it was pretty much perfect.

 

[phonomat]

@aminus and others, do the recessed lower mids affect mid-bass thump in your experience? I've heard about the prodigious bass capabilities of the Z1R, but I've also read, maybe ITT, that the emphasis is on sub-bass rather than mid-bass. I listen to a lot of electronic music with synthetic 4/4 kickdrums and need a strong performance in that spectrum. Anyone care to comment?

 

[aminus]

@aminus and others, do the recessed lower mids affect mid-bass thump in your experience? I've heard about the prodigious bass capabilities of the Z1R, but I've also read, maybe ITT, that the emphasis is on sub-bass rather than mid-bass. I listen to a lot of electronic music with synthetic 4/4 kickdrums and need a strong performance in that spectrum. Anyone care to comment?

When people say subbass focus, they mean that the boost starts in the midbass, but extends nicely down to 20hz. Go check Crinacle's measurements, there's copious amounts of both, that doesn't bloat at all thanks to the lower mid recession. It's not at all like say the Ikko OH1, which is a real subbass with no midbass boost.

 

[Redcarmoose]

I have the N3 and IER-Z1R. Exactly the N3 has a heavy bass focus where the IER-Z1R has sub-bass focus. Still due to how the IER-Z1R is tuned there ends to be a emphasis on the bass; while it is more in the sub region.

It’s really the treble that makes the IER-Z1R climb out of what’s boring about the N3. The N3 is probably my least favorite IEM or second to least favorite that I own. There isn’t a bunch of excitement in the midrange or treble in contrast to other IEMs I own and love. I’m even surprised how much I used to love the N3?

Though if the N3 was all someone owned they may get more used to it.

 

[kalo86]

I have the N3 and IER-Z1R. Exactly the N3 has a heavy bass focus where the IER-Z1R has sub-bass focus. Still due to how the IER-Z1R is tuned there ends to be a emphasis on the bass; while it is more in the sub region.

It’s really the treble that makes the IER-Z1R climb out of what’s boring about the N3. The N3 is probably my least favorite IEM or second to least favorite that I own. There isn’t a bunch of excitement going on in contrast to other IEMs I own and love. I’m even surprised how much I used to love the N3?

I know that it's not fair to compare two different prices of iem's but can you do a fast comparison between the N3 and the IER-Z1R please? Thanks

 

[Redcarmoose]

I know that it's not fair to compare two different prices of iem's but can you do a fast comparison between the N3 and the IER-Z1R please? Thanks

Using the 4.4mm on both the N3 and IER-Z1R. The N3 is amazingly easy to fit. The N3 has more freaking bass than the Z5 if I remember right. It’s a ton of bass in comparison to like everything I own. The bass is so big that it creeps into the lower N3 midrange making it appear sluggish and slow. That stuff blended with a style of the Sony house sound means no midrange either and a almost quite treble. I say all this like it’s dramatic but in the end these extremes........they somehow come off reserved in a polite way. The N3 is a sleeper going on to be more appreciated after a slow and long adjustment period. The N3 is that refined slightly boring gal in school. Not exciting but well grounded and somehow sophisticated?

The one thing the N3 has is it’s coherent and cohesive all the time. The whole sound is glued together with nothing disjointed at all. A blend.

IER-Z1R is more of a big party. The treble and midrange are more clear and extended making the Sony House Sound become engaging and vivid. Sub-bass makes the bass not murky like the N3. The IER-Z1R is fast and not slow like the N3. But it was probably the reworked extended treble of the House Sound that gave us the involvement which kept Sony up with current flagships and having bass detail which in turn surprisingly surpassed the heavy trendy “big” bass in some other companies flagships.

So even though the N3 and the IER-Z1R are the Sony House Sound, the IER-Z1R offers intense clarity the N3 became boring from not being able to include.