[Neweymatt]

I gave them both a good try for a month, this was not an overnight decision and it came down to this- The Sony IER Z1R made the hair on the back of my neck stand up and the Mest never did and I think at the end of the day this is what this hobby is all about IMHO

Great feedback and comparisons much appreciated.

I've seen similar comments elsewhere regarding MEST, that while it is technically outstanding, it is lacking that engagement factor that sucks you into the music.

I've had Z1R for about 6 months now, and it never fails to deliver those spine-tingling moments of pure joy. I actually get goosebumps just thinking about it LOL.

 

[keenears]

So I tried all the ear tips I could find and figure I’ll share the results.

-The stock hybrids are the clearest / sharpest. Decent noise blocking. Look ok.

-The Triple comfort warmed the sound a bit but were a pain in the ass to fit and keep in my ears. Terrible wear / consumption. Look cool until you use them a bit.

-The spinfit were too slippery. They did not reduce the time during insertion to get a good fit. Terrible passive noise blocking. Sound is too sharp. Look bad.

-I didn’t like the sound with the Comply and I don’t like the underwater effect. Very good noise blocking. On the sharp side sound wise. Look cheap.

-The foam from the WF-1000XM are awesome. The best noise blocking out of them all, stayed in my ear the best, easiest insertion. The worst in terms of wear and consumption, you’ll need to buy many pairs of these. Excellent sound, warms things up for sure though. Look very cool. Excellent bass. Best foams ever. Warm sound, not sharp but not muddied.

-The Final E everyone talks about are nice. Good insertion, but don’t stay in my ears so well because they’re slippery, but not as slippery as the spin fits. Good sound, Not as sharp as the stock hybrids or spin fits but more than the rest. The white look cool.

-The best for me were the Symbios. Wow. Nice insertion, excellent noise blocking just not as good as the comply or WF-1000XM tips. Look badass, look the best out of all. The orange pairs well with my NW-A105TPS vintage looking Walkman. The sound to me is excellent. Not too sharp, not too muddy. Sharper than the triple comfort, WF’s, Comply, not as sharp as the Finals, Stock hybrids or the Spinfits. Bass is awesome, but not warm or good as the WFs. So overall excellent bass and clean treble. Silicone does NOT slip out at all even when just out of the shower. *Caution* the foam is dense. If you buy the size you use in all the other ear tips it will hurt like hell, totally intolerable even for a short period. Like a burn and the pressure causes actual pain. I sized down one and they are perfect.

For what it’s worth.

Ok

The Azla SednaEarfit Crystal tips are exceptional with the Z1R-IER. They have good grip without being sticky and they give the great SednaEarfit sound. A much better experience than the Xelastec.

Also recommend to get one size down from what you usually go for. I got the S when I usually order MS or M with other tips.

I ordered some Symbios to try too but the Crystals are hitting the spot in terms of both comfort and sound. Never expected the Z1R to be comfortable and yet here I am not feeling it!

I tried the Spinfits CP100, didn't work for me sound wise at all. Jvc spiral dots get flattened and don't really provide that good of a seal. The SednaEarfit lights are OK but don't give the seal, grip or deep insertion the Crystals allow.

The Azla SednaEarfit Crystal tips arrived and I am really impressed. This is a unique material for ear tips, very sticky, and it has unrivaled staying power in your ear. They also have a special kind of rigidity which allows the silicone to conform to your ear the way a foam comply would, without the pressure and fishbowl discomfort!!! With other silicone/rubber like the Final E or stock hybrids, as they crease or fold into your ear spaces they do so rather inflexibly, so that a crease in one space will raise the silicone off of your ear canal’s inner curve to make a straight, flat line to the next crease. This leaves typical gaps between the material and your ear, diminishing the noise blocking. But these crystals will hug the curves of your inner ear no matter where they crease or bend, so that they are always against every part of your inner ear canal. It’s such a great feeling. The silicone is slightly thicker than the Final E and Sony hybrid, much thicker than the spinfit. In terms of slippage, these are at least twice as fixed in your ear as the sony’s, which were twice as much as the final’s, and likewise forthe spinfits. I actually can’t imagine a single scenario where these crystals pop out come rain, shine, sweat, nor ear-cheese eruption. The silicone of these is warm in your ear where the spinfit and final e seem slightly chilled, and I think that is related to the likely more microscopically pourous / hetereogeneous surface of the Crystals. Think perfect grippiness, rather than as I have heard referring totheir predecessors, ‘stickiness’.

I loved the Symbio W. But after I wrote that review, their long term use rubbed my left inner ear raw. The foam is just too dense, it needs more flexibility/responsiveness. They do look very cool, the best looking of all of them with that two layer color depth.

But these also look great, as their grey and charcoal shades exactly mirror the IER-Z1R cable’s grey charcoal and silver hues in the ear hooks. It seems they were made for the IER-Z1Rs.

These also have a noticeably wide mouth. I bought the standard ones, not the TWS version. On all ear tips I went LL size, Medium on the Symbio and now Medium again on the Crystals.

The sound is unrivaled. I’m able to get such a comfortable deep insertion that wasn’t available on any other tip. One could be forgiven for saying it doubles the detail and bass (my first impression in switching back and forth with the Symbio Ws).

The sound isolation is perfect too! This material blocks sound better than all tips besides the comply and WM-X10004 tips, and these are more stable in the ear than both.

Comfort on these tips is the best, also when considering the confidence and ease available to you only because you know they aren’t falling out.

Yes these tips need to be briefly run under a faucet to remove dust they pick up

I can confidently say that these are the undisputed champions. They offer the best in bass and detail, comfort, staying power, looks, and third best in sound isolation.

People spend hundreds on cables and have to convince themselves there is a difference. Grab these ear tips and they’ll peak the sound of your Z1Rs.

Good looking out @SoundJedi !!!

Now what do I do with this gallon ziplock filled with all the world’s best ear tips?

 

[SoundJedi]

Ok

The Azla SednaEarfit Crystal tips arrived and I am really impressed. This is a unique material for ear tips, very sticky, and it has unrivaled staying power in your ear. They also have an impressive, particular kind of rigidity! I’ll do my best to describe what I’ve found. With others like the Final E, as they crease or fold into your ear spaces they do so rather inflexibly, so that a crease in one space will raise the silicone off of your ear canal’s inner curve to make a straight, flat line to the next crease. This leaves typical gaps between the material and your ear, diminishing the noise blocking. But these crystals will hug the curves of your inner ear no matter where they crease or bend, so that they are always against every part of your inner ear canal. It’s truly impressive.

I loved the Symbio W. But after I wrote that review, their long term use rubbed my left inner ear raw. The foam is just too dense, it needs more flexibility. They do look very cool.

But these also look great, as their grey and charcoal shades exactly mirror the IER-Z1R cable’s grey charcoal and silver hues in the ear hooks.

These also have a noticeably wide mouth. I bought the standard ones, not the TWS version. On all ear tips I went LL size, Medium on the Symbio and now Medium again on the Crystals.

The sound is unrivaled. I’m able to get such a comfortable deep insertion that wasn’t available on any other tip. One could be forgiven for saying it doubles the detail and bass (my first impression in switching back and forth with the Symbio Ws).

The sound isolation is perfect too! This material blocks sound better than all tips besides the comply and WM-X10004 tips, and these are more stable in the ear than both.

Comfort on these tips is the best, also when considering the confidence and ease available to you only because you know they aren’t falling out.

Yes these tips need to be briefly run under a faucet to remove dust they pick up

I can confidently say that these are the undisputed champions. They are the best in bass and detail, comfort, staying power, looks, and third best in sound isolation.

Good looking out @SoundJedi !!!

Nice write up! Glad you're enjoying them. The Crystals have become my reference tips on most of my iems.

This said, I've been also enjoying the symbios on my ThieAudio L9. Similarly thanks for the rec!

 

[falcon1125]

Whats the difference between TWS and non TWS version for the Azla Crystal? Wanna buy it but most of them are TWS. Cant seem to find the non TWS version.

 

[SoundJedi]

Whats the difference between TWS and non TWS version for the Azla Crystal? Wanna buy it but most of them are TWS. Cant seem to find the non TWS version.

The TWS version has a much shorter stem than the standard and the bore is also somewhat narrower. Not necessarily recommended. Standard worked best with my Z1R.

 

[keenears]

Whats the difference between TWS and non TWS version for the Azla Crystal? Wanna buy it but most of them are TWS. Cant seem to find the non TWS version.

I found mine on Amazon, but you have to read the title carefully or you’ll miss it. I ordered the wrong ones the first time.

These are so grippy that they often invert when I remove them. I would therefore NOT recommend the TWS version because they would be so short as to be completely inside your ear and I would be worried about pulling them out without incident

 

[xjaynine]

Yin Yang

side note: curious to listen to MKII as well but i dont plan on cheating on this one yet. Try to hold onto the marriage as long as I can. (Of course the main reason is budget )

How are you finding the DUNU cable with the Z1R's compared with the stock one? Always liked how the aesethetics of the DUNU matches the Z1R

 

[falcon1125]

I found mine on Amazon, but you have to read the title carefully or you’ll miss it. I ordered the wrong ones the first time.

These are so grippy that they often invert when I remove them. I would therefore NOT recommend the TWS version because they would be so short as to be completely inside your ear and I would be worried about pulling them out without incident

Thanks for the heads up!

How are you finding the DUNU cable with the Z1R's compared with the stock one? Always liked how the aesethetics of the DUNU matches the Z1R

TBH i bought it due to aesthetics reason . Sound wise, to my ears, i can hear better separation but thats it. Cable is more pleasing over the ear but i find it to be heavier than stock cable. What i mean by this is i can feel the cable pressure behind my ears if i move around. No pressure if i sit and the cable is on the table.

Other than that, its tight, i havent try to take it off, the switch on 3.5mm have some noise if move around the source (only in the beginning when plugging in but none when listening)

Easy to switch plug and aesthetics is the main reason I bought it since I wanna keep the Z1R forever.

 

[keenears]

How are you finding the DUNU cable with the Z1R's compared with the stock one? Always liked how the aesethetics of the DUNU matches the Z1R

The chrome matches the iems, but don’t overlook the special sparkle of the silk braiding in the stock cable how it matches the aesthetics of the handmade perlage on the flat side of the iem, their most distinctive feature. I tried both, my two reviews of the dunu Blanche are on one to two forum pages back, before I returned it. It’s a beautiful cable but I prefer the stock for both the sound and the aesthetic. My unsolicited 2¢

 

[productred]

Ok

The Azla SednaEarfit Crystal tips arrived and I am really impressed. This is a unique material for ear tips, very sticky, and it has unrivaled staying power in your ear. They also have a special kind of rigidity which allows the silicone to conform to your ear the way a foam comply would, without the pressure and fishbowl discomfort!!! With other silicone/rubber like the Final E or stock hybrids, as they crease or fold into your ear spaces they do so rather inflexibly, so that a crease in one space will raise the silicone off of your ear canal’s inner curve to make a straight, flat line to the next crease. This leaves typical gaps between the material and your ear, diminishing the noise blocking. But these crystals will hug the curves of your inner ear no matter where they crease or bend, so that they are always against every part of your inner ear canal. It’s such a great feeling. The silicone is slightly thicker than the Final E and Sony hybrid, much thicker than the spinfit. In terms of slippage, these are at least twice as fixed in your ear as the sony’s, which were twice as much as the final’s, and likewise forthe spinfits. I actually can’t imagine a single scenario where these crystals pop out come rain, shine, sweat, nor ear-cheese eruption. The silicone of these is warm in your ear where the spinfit and final e seem slightly chilled, and I think that is related to the likely more microscopically pourous / hetereogeneous surface of the Crystals. Think perfect grippiness, rather than as I have heard referring totheir predecessors, ‘stickiness’.

I loved the Symbio W. But after I wrote that review, their long term use rubbed my left inner ear raw. The foam is just too dense, it needs more flexibility/responsiveness. They do look very cool, the best looking of all of them with that two layer color depth.

But these also look great, as their grey and charcoal shades exactly mirror the IER-Z1R cable’s grey charcoal and silver hues in the ear hooks. It seems they were made for the IER-Z1Rs.

These also have a noticeably wide mouth. I bought the standard ones, not the TWS version. On all ear tips I went LL size, Medium on the Symbio and now Medium again on the Crystals.

The sound is unrivaled. I’m able to get such a comfortable deep insertion that wasn’t available on any other tip. One could be forgiven for saying it doubles the detail and bass (my first impression in switching back and forth with the Symbio Ws).

The sound isolation is perfect too! This material blocks sound better than all tips besides the comply and WM-X10004 tips, and these are more stable in the ear than both.

Comfort on these tips is the best, also when considering the confidence and ease available to you only because you know they aren’t falling out.

Yes these tips need to be briefly run under a faucet to remove dust they pick up

I can confidently say that these are the undisputed champions. They offer the best in bass and detail, comfort, staying power, looks, and third best in sound isolation.

People spend hundreds on cables and have to convince themselves there is a difference. Grab these ear tips and they’ll peak the sound of your Z1Rs.

Good looking out @SoundJedi !!!

Now what do I do with this gallon ziplock filled with all the world’s best ear tips?

The Crystals are good but they are not for everyone I suppose:

1. The ultra highs are still way clearer with the stock tips than the Crystal. Stock sounds much airier.
2. The Crystal sizing may not be for everyone - for one I need a size in between the M and ML.
3, The Crystals are comfy for maybe like 1 to 1.5 hours, but then it hurts quite a lot beyond that. And for people who enjoys classical music like me, need to revert back to the stock for longer periods of listening.

Have to say the Z1R NEEDS to be fit deep and the edge of the tip should seal the first bend of the canal in order to achieve the best sonic results. I have a hard time getting that fit with the Crystals. On the other hand the stock fits naturally there and stays there for as long as I wish it to.

 

[keenears]

The Crystals are good but they are not for everyone I suppose:

1. The ultra highs are still way clearer with the stock tips than the Crystal. Stock sounds much airier.
2. The Crystal sizing may not be for everyone - for one I need a size in between the M and ML.
3, The Crystals are comfy for maybe like 1 to 1.5 hours, but then it hurts quite a lot beyond that. And for people who enjoys classical music like me, need to revert back to the stock for longer periods of listening.

Have to say the Z1R NEEDS to be fit deep and the edge of the tip should seal the first bend of the canal in order to achieve the best sonic results. I have a hard time getting that fit with the Crystals. On the other hand the stock fits naturally there and stays there for as long as I wish it to.

I can understand how the expanding pressure—of which there is more with the Crystal material than the hybrid—could become uncomfortable for some over a long period of time. Also I could imagine the grippy texture to be abrasive if inserted and removed often. You might try heating them up then letting them cook in your ear to more permanently shape them to your ear shape (I don’t know if this would work). But while I can achieve the same insertion with both MS Crystal and Hybrid, for one reason or another the hybrid seems to dislodge often enough to cause its own kind of discomfort. The hybrid are more grippy than the Spinfit and Final E, to be sure, but the Crystal is leaps and bounds ahead. The Crystal are, one could say, ‘intense’ in their fit, while the hybrid are easy going. I need mine not falling out, so I’m using the Crystal. And yes I listen to these long sessions too, whether I listen to classical or not. Classical, blues, jazz, and rock all fit my ear the same after a long 12+ hour day of mine working with these in my ears.

While I can understand on the fit, I have an entirely different experience than you on the sound. Using the same diameter tip for both with the same insertion, I have an obviously broader dynamic range with the Crystal than the Sony hybrid: sub bass, bass, all mids and all highs. They’re expansive. And there isn’t even any splitting hairs about it for me. If I was to try and figure out why… look at their bore. Their design—which has twice the open area to the speaker on the Crystal vs the hybrid —opens conically towards the ear (like a trumpet) for an acoustic that naturally expands the sound. The sound interacts with the tip material differently and I am loving the detail I’m hearing from being closer, more enveloped on the stage by the music than with the hybrid. The hybrid by comparison seem distant, muffled, and detached.

Aside from all that, the Crystal block so much more sound than the hybrids. For my commuting, office, and cafe work sessions I will prefer the Crystal.

 

[nc8000]

I found mine on Amazon, but you have to read the title carefully or you’ll miss it. I ordered the wrong ones the first time.

These are so grippy that they often invert when I remove them. I would therefore NOT recommend the TWS version because they would be so short as to be completely inside your ear and I would be worried about pulling them out without incident

I also missed that and got the TWS which essentially sits flush with the front of the iem sound tube but I actually like them. I have since ordered the longer ones and they should arrive later today so I can compare

 

[xjaynine]

Thanks for the heads up!


TBH i bought it due to aesthetics reason . Sound wise, to my ears, i can hear better separation but thats it. Cable is more pleasing over the ear but i find it to be heavier than stock cable. What i mean by this is i can feel the cable pressure behind my ears if i move around. No pressure if i sit and the cable is on the table.

Other than that, its tight, i havent try to take it off, the switch on 3.5mm have some noise if move around the source (only in the beginning when plugging in but none when listening)

Easy to switch plug and aesthetics is the main reason I bought it since I wanna keep the Z1R forever.

Yep, stock cable is super light and comfortable. I actually prefer to the Sony Kimber Cable, which adds too much warmth to the Z1R for my taste.

 

[manilein]

Sony Z1R is the best

 

[Vamp898]

The MDR-Z1R are still on sale in Japan for 1480€, but the IER-Z1R are back at 2199€. So maybe the same happens to the MDR? Better get one fast if you really want one.

Congratulations to the one who get the IER-Z1R for the cheap price