Hi all,
Bit the bullet after years out of the game and bought the IER-Z1R. Back then was with the A&K DAP and AKG K3003 transitioned to Airpods for ease of use for years.
Eyed the Z1R ever since it launched and when I tried it last weekend (Which is a beautiful regret
) Immediately fell back into this hole I once were in!
I love this thing, the soundstage is so great that my angry fiancee jaw-dropped after trying it out as well and gave it me the green light to get it lol.
Quick question, the earhooks don't fit me quite well, always falling off my ears, do i have to push the IEM really deep to get the earhook to....hook?
I'm currently using my 2021 Macbook Pro that's able to drive high impedance headphones or iPhone 12PM with the dongle for OTG usage. Do suggest some small OTG DAC/AMP that you guys have used and works really well with this masterpiece.
Glad to be here, cheers!
The Earhook doesn't really hook, sadly. That's just the way Sony designed it, i would not bother that much.
The better the source, the better the IER-Z1R will sound, that is for sure. It is not as picky as the IER-M9 but still you hear a difference using an better source. So they will sound best with TA-ZH1ES/DMP-Z1 for sure. The next best thing might be an WM1 Series DAP.
If you want something really small/lightweight for OTG that sounds well with the IER-Z1R, i'd recommend the NW-A50.
1. S-Master HX + 5 POSCAP --> Good sound
2. USB DAC Mode --> To connect your phone
3. LDAC Bluetooth Receiver Mode --> Not with Apple
Afair neither MacBook nor iPhone support LDAC (as no other Apple device uses/supports it) so you might beforced to use the USB DAC Mode which is sad, as it is extremely comfortable to connect just any device using LDAC and be done (there is pretty much no difference from an Cable Connection compared to an LDAC)
If you have the money to spend, get an ZX300 (also does have USB DAC+LDAC) or even WM1A/Z (same here) instead of the A50 and use the IER-Z1R with 4,4mm Balanced. But this is already significantly larger than the A50 so this is not really an option for OTG if you want to connect it to your phone.
I personally would say, screw the phone and use an DAP for OTG. You don't buy an Ferrari and put 16" Eco Tires on steel wheels on it.
But if you really want to use your phone and you do not want to use an NW-A50 for whatever reason, i'd say check the new FiiO KA3 as this also supports 4,4mm (be sure to install the FiiO Software and put it Into Low-Gain, otherwise it will drain your battery in seconds, get extremely hot and you just don't need it for the IER-Z1R)
You really want an WM1 Series DAP to complete the IER-Z1R for OTG, at least the WM1A, but if this is not an option due to the size restriction, your best alternative is most likely the A50 or the FiiO KA3.
KA3 gives you the 4.4mm (but this uses the same circuit as the 3.5mm, so there is pretty much no improvement in sound), but needs your phone and drains its batteries heavily.
The A50 gives you the S-Master HX/POSCAP combo and the feature, that you could use it as an DAP (and you have something that sends and receives LDAC which is not possible with any of your gear right now) but no 4.4mm
