[XM3orZ7m2]

My z7m2 finally came, and here's my impressions after a few hours.

These headphones are less fun than I thought they'd be out of the box. The mh755 were exceptionally "fun" when I first tried them, with lots of rumble and treble clarity. These sound quite relaxed.

Even EQing them didn't fix the lack of bass slam. I suppose it's due to my source being a mac book pro, but the volume was sufficiently loud and I was not even close to max volume. Perhaps the original Z7 has the slam I'd be looking for, despite having less bass ports. Don't get me wrong the bass was very smooth and clean, but not "wowing". It surprisingly left me yearning for my lost pair of mh755s that I left at the office. Perhaps the big bass notes will improve after more burn in. They definitely tried to appease the audiophile crowd with this one, but I'm not sure if they did with all the instability in the upper ranges of frequency response. I'll probably get a 4.4mm balanced desktop amp like the iFi Zen or I hope Sony comes out with a competitor.

The build quality is exceptional; the headphone are supremely comfortable, and the cups are very spacious. Now I was expecting a very wide sound stage, but it was just medium.

The isolation is okay, I can hear the outside world okay but they can't hear what I'm playing which is nice. Definitely beats the fully closed feeling for me.

Interestingly my z7m2 was made in March, but Sony just wanted to save money and ship them over with the numerous Sony wh-1000xm4.


I was looking for a "future-proof" headphone that can last me 10 years, and I have no doubt that this pair can do so with it's supreme build quality and 4.4mm balanced connection.


We're they work the ~$450 I paid? Absolutely not for most people. However, I probably will keep them. If anyone knows any semi-closed back with lots of fun, please let me know soon before the return period ends!

 

[Malevolent]

If you are looking for a semi-closed headphone that comes with a generous serving of mid-bass boost, and generally sounds "fun", the Klipsch Heritage HP-3 should be an easy recommendation.

Nevertheless, I don't think that the Z7M2 is particularly noted for being "bass-heavy". It doesn't sound like that at all, to my ears. However, bass notes have very good texture, with decent slam and layering. I actually like the lows on the Z7M2.

By the way, getting them brand new for $450 is a fantastic deal.

 

[Vitaly2017]

My z7m2 finally came, and here's my impressions after a few hours.

These headphones are less fun than I thought they'd be out of the box. The mh755 were exceptionally "fun" when I first tried them, with lots of rumble and treble clarity. These sound quite relaxed.

Even EQing them didn't fix the lack of bass slam. I suppose it's due to my source being a mac book pro, but the volume was sufficiently loud and I was not even close to max volume. Perhaps the original Z7 has the slam I'd be looking for, despite having less bass ports. Don't get me wrong the bass was very smooth and clean, but not "wowing". It surprisingly left me yearning for my lost pair of mh755s that I left at the office. Perhaps the big bass notes will improve after more burn in. They definitely tried to appease the audiophile crowd with this one, but I'm not sure if they did with all the instability in the upper ranges of frequency response. I'll probably get a 4.4mm balanced desktop amp like the iFi Zen or I hope Sony comes out with a competitor.

The build quality is exceptional; the headphone are supremely comfortable, and the cups are very spacious. Now I was expecting a very wide sound stage, but it was just medium.

The isolation is okay, I can hear the outside world okay but they can't hear what I'm playing which is nice. Definitely beats the fully closed feeling for me.

Interestingly my z7m2 was made in March, but Sony just wanted to save money and ship them over with the numerous Sony wh-1000xm4.


I was looking for a "future-proof" headphone that can last me 10 years, and I have no doubt that this pair can do so with it's supreme build quality and 4.4mm balanced connection.


We're they work the ~$450 I paid? Absolutely not for most people. However, I probably will keep them. If anyone knows any semi-closed back with lots of fun, please let me know soon before the return period ends!

It is true what you are saying, z7m2 is more on neutral natural side and no huge bass slam as we tought it would do!

What I found is that they are very easy and gentle, delicate on my ears. I like that.

I also had a unclear dis focused sound in the beginning. I felt that the notes where not clear. Now with 150hours of burn in things have changed a lot!
It is more and more precise. Soundstage is detailed and vast. Treble got a little more open shimmery. Vocals got better but I feel its begging for sony kimber kable Haha

Bro you are not giving your z7m2 0chances here. You really think a meeihh ipad se out will this hahaha

You have 0 amp amplitude! Volume loudness is not = sound quality!
Get your self a warmer tilted amp and be impressed like you never have tought it could.

Your poor z7m2 sound dull and inexpensive cause they need amp juice.
With an amp you will massive sound, better details perception, pleasant warm sound and more.
Also bass will be more present and youl be able to feel that secret rumble shake that this z7m2 creates with particular songs!


Sony made z7m2 to be high resolution true fidelity sound. With a fun amazing bass twist. You simply need the right tools bro

 

[XM3orZ7m2]

If you are looking for a semi-closed headphone that comes with a generous serving of mid-bass boost, and generally sounds "fun", the Klipsch Heritage HP-3 should be an easy recommendation.

Nevertheless, I don't think that the Z7M2 is particularly noted for being "bass-heavy". It doesn't sound like that at all, to my ears. However, bass notes have very good texture, with decent slam and layering. I actually like the lows on the Z7M2.

By the way, getting them brand new for $450 is a fantastic deal.

I was just looking at that thread the other day and I thought I could EQ them to at least the Harman target for bass since that level was good enough on my mh755. However I don't think you can EQ "slam". I added like 20db around 50hz and still not as satisfying of a slam as the $9 mh755. Maybe I haven't gotten used to them or burned them in enough. It's weird since the original z7 had a similar 70mm driver so I thought I could get the z7 slam with EQ, especially with more 5x the bass ports and a bigger magnet on the Z7m2. Yeah the reason I want semi-closed is due to me wanting that high quality bass slam while in the office. Thanks for the recommendation, but they don't support 4.4mm pentaconn which I'm hoping to adopt on the future. Z7m2 ticks all my boxes on paper, I guess now I just got to get a dac/amp to adjust the sound So begins my step into this expensive hobby haha.

It is true what you are saying, z7m2 is more on neutral natural side and no huge bass slam as we tought it would do!

What I found is that they are very easy and gentle, delicate on my ears. I like that.

I also had a unclear dis focused sound in the beginning. I felt that the notes where not clear. Now with 150hours of burn in things have changed a lot!
It is more and more precise. Soundstage is detailed and vast. Treble got a little more open shimmery. Vocals got better but I feel its begging for sony kimber kable Haha

Bro you are not giving your z7m2 0chances here. You really think a meeihh ipad se out will this hahaha

You have 0 amp amplitude! Volume loudness is not = sound quality!
Get your self a warmer tilted amp and be impressed like you never have tought it could.

Your poor z7m2 sound dull and inexpensive cause they need amp juice.
With an amp you will massive sound, better details perception, pleasant warm sound and more.
Also bass will be more present and youl be able to feel that secret rumble shake that this z7m2 creates with particular songs!


Sony made z7m2 to be high resolution true fidelity sound. With a fun amazing bass twist. You simply need the right tools bro

I think MacBook Pro at 2Vrms is well enough power: https://www.hear.reviews/2019/06/01/headphone-power-calculator/

But I'm anxiously waiting Sony's entry into budget desktop amps, cause I don't want to pay for that TAZH-whatever amplifier. Maybe when you used it at the showroom it was plugged into a way more powerful amplifier. Have you EQ'd them for slam? I'm waiting for the autoEQ and oratory1990 Parameterized EQ to come out, they should be coming out soon!

 

[CoryGillmore]

FWIW I didn't really appreciate the Z7M2 until I bought a used one that had some serious hours on it already. The Z7 may have a little more bass impact but it also has some problems that the Z7M2 fixed. Cup resonance, bass bleed and sibilance was all fixed with the M2.

 

[XM3orZ7m2]

Tip: tape scilica bags inside the case to dry out sweat when you put them inside

 

[Vitaly2017]

Tip: tape scilica bags inside the case to dry out sweat when you put them inside

Man I dont even sweat with mine and I ware them like 5 hours a day in hot weather!

 

[dazzerfong]

It's almost as if existing owners kept repeating that these are not bass monsters whatsoever........

I'm sorry that you didn't find them as appealing as much as you hyped them in your head. Suppose that's a good lesson - try before you buy!

Oh, and be extremely wary of claims of burn in, especially of the headphone itself. That being said, give it a few more days to get your brain to acclimatize. Also be careful comparing sound via memory. More often than not, we romanticise what we have. Better to compare what you have on hand.

You can always give EQ a try - unlike the HD600, these take amping to the bass quite well. Or, if you're still interested, seems like you like your bass: my recommendation would be the Fostex TH610. Much better impact, a bit darker, not peaky unlike the Z7M2 and a beautiful design to boot. Only problem is the cost: it's $700 AUD here.

It is true what you are saying, z7m2 is more on neutral natural side and no huge bass slam as we tought it would do!

What I found is that they are very easy and gentle, delicate on my ears. I like that.

I also had a unclear dis focused sound in the beginning. I felt that the notes where not clear. Now with 150hours of burn in things have changed a lot!
It is more and more precise. Soundstage is detailed and vast. Treble got a little more open shimmery. Vocals got better but I feel its begging for sony kimber kable Haha

Bro you are not giving your z7m2 0chances here.

Your poor z7m2 sound dull and inexpensive cause they need amp juice.
With an amp you will massive sound, better details perception, pleasant warm sound and more.
Also bass will be more present and youl be able to feel that secret rumble shake that this z7m2 creates with particular songs!


Sony made z7m2 to be high resolution true fidelity sound. With a fun amazing bass twist. You simply need the right tools bro

With a RME ADAC 2, bass was still as it is. Amping isnt the problem. Don't even think that cable is either.

I suppose you can give tubes a try, but with that output impedance I'm more convinced that's like applying a sledgehammer to a nail. Works, but not really the right tool.

As someone who has the Fourte, you really should be expecting more from the Z7M2's. They're especially anemic compared to 64 Audio's stuff (different form fact or, but still).

 

[dazzerfong]

EDIT: double post.

 

[XM3orZ7m2]

It's almost as if existing owners kept repeating that these are not bass monsters whatsoever........

I'm sorry that you didn't find them as appealing as much as you hyped them in your head. Suppose that's a good lesson - try before you buy!

Oh, and be extremely wary of claims of burn in, especially of the headphone itself. That being said, give it a few more days to get your brain to acclimatize. Also be careful comparing sound via memory. More often than not, we romanticise what we have. Better to compare what you have on hand.

You can always give EQ a try - unlike the HD600, these take amping to the bass quite well. Or, if you're still interested, seems like you like your bass: my recommendation would be the Fostex TH610. Much better impact, a bit darker, not peaky unlike the Z7M2 and a beautiful design to boot. Only problem is the cost: it's $700 AUD here.



With a RME ADAC 2, bass was still as it is. Amping isnt the problem. Don't even think that cable is either.

I suppose you can give tubes a try, but with that output impedance I'm more convinced that's like applying a sledgehammer to a nail. Works, but not really the right tool.

As someone who has the Fourte, you really should be expecting more from the Z7M2's. They're especially anemic compared to 64 Audio's stuff (different form fact or, but still).

Great points. I've played with the EQ and have found I've easily reached the upper limit of too much bass. However, It seems still doesn't seem to "rumble" as much as I remembered compared to some IEMs. I'm wondering in your experience if headphones and IEM rumble feel different. It seems way more intense if the air column in your ear canal is vibrating intensely comparatively to if the sound around your ear was doing it. Also would the attribute of quickness or driver response time affect the "slam effect"? I also think maybe the depth of flex of the driver would definitely make a difference(now that I think about this, this just amplitude so it can't be corrected with EQ).

It seems like I get very tired of loud sustained bass, but I very much enjoy quick bursts of deep rumble. Since I like that I'm thinking maybe I should tune down the range that is used for sustained notes like around 100hz, and add some more gain to sub-bass.

 

[dazzerfong]

Great points. I've played with the EQ and have found I've easily reached the upper limit of too much bass. However, It seems still doesn't seem to "rumble" as much as I remembered compared to some IEMs. I'm wondering in your experience if headphones and IEM rumble feel different. It seems way more intense if the air column in your ear canal is vibrating intensely comparatively to if the sound around your ear was doing it. Also would the attribute of quickness or driver response time affect the "slam effect"? I also think maybe the depth of flex of the driver would definitely make a difference(now that I think about this, this just amplitude so it can't be corrected with EQ).

It seems like I get very tired of loud sustained bass, but I very much enjoy quick bursts of deep rumble. Since I like that I'm thinking maybe I should tune down the range that is used for sustained notes like around 100hz, and add some more gain to sub-bass.

It's different. IEMs, especially the lower-end ones, rumble at around 100-200 Hz, where you can almost hear it. Stimulating, but to me isn't as satisfying. Headphones, and better IEMs, rumble lower and it's more of a 'feel' than a 'hear'.

If it's any indication, here's my completely non-Harman EQ. Goal of it is to get rid of the 3 peaks the Z7M2 has:

 

[XM3orZ7m2]

Thanks! I've been playing around with frequency generators as well, and surprisingly you can really feel the z7m2 even at 2hz, though it's not clean at all. There's a bit of a whishy washy sound for those frequencies. You can actually hear something funky going on, I'm wondering if it's just my pair of headset or if you all can hear it as well. I made a quick web sine generator using the native Web Audio Api. It kind of sounds like a train "chugachugachuga" or like typing "takataktak". edit: now that I think about it, it could be from outside noise coming into the headphones and providing the audible sound on the beat. Interesting if the z7m2 can reproduce sounds as low as 5hz though, try my app and see if you can hear lower



Just open the codepen, and click start, let me know if you all hear it as well.

 

[Vitaly2017]

Thanks! I've been playing around with frequency generators as well, and surprisingly you can really feel the z7m2 even at 2hz, though it's not clean at all. There's a bit of a whishy washy sound for those frequencies. You can actually hear something funky going on, I'm wondering if it's just my pair of headset or if you all can hear it as well. I made a quick web sine generator using the native Web Audio Api. It kind of sounds like a train "chugachugachuga" or like typing "takataktak". edit: now that I think about it, it could be from outside noise coming into the headphones and providing the audible sound on the beat. Interesting if the z7m2 can reproduce sounds as low as 5hz though, try my app and see if you can hear lower



Just open the codepen, and click start, let me know if you all hear it as well.

So I got home and hoomed my z7m2 into my home system marantz via 3.5mm jack.

I set volume high enough and big difference from my wm1a. Sounds more large as sound and bass is bigger in mass. I agree this headphones arent bass cannons but! They are rather tuned to be natural neutral with slight warmth added. I found them to sound best out of warmer sources!

For me personally I dont feel they need eq and I found them well tuned for long listening sessions.

I cant stand mdr-z1r bit mdrz7m2 are really good.

You are talking about an un clear and un precise sound... I mentioned this. They are not burned in! Once you reach 150 to 200 hours they get clear and precise! Just do it and you will see!

I also ordered a brand new kimber kable from japan, will see how it goes I gota a feeling it will be a nice pairing!

 

[Gamerlingual]

So I got home and hoomed my z7m2 into my home system marantz via 3.5mm jack.

I set volume high enough and big difference from my wm1a. Sounds more large as sound and bass is bigger in mass. I agree this headphones arent bass cannons but! They are rather tuned to be natural neutral with slight warmth added. I found them to sound best out of warmer sources!

For me personally I dont feel they need eq and I found them well tuned for long listening sessions.

I cant stand mdr-z1r bit mdrz7m2 are really good.

You are talking about an un clear and un precise sound... I mentioned this. They are not burned in! Once you reach 150 to 200 hours they get clear and precise! Just do it and you will see!

I also ordered a brand new kimber kable from japan, will see how it goes I gota a feeling it will be a nice pairing!

Finally you got them. And yup, perfect pairing

 

[dazzerfong]

Thanks! I've been playing around with frequency generators as well, and surprisingly you can really feel the z7m2 even at 2hz, though it's not clean at all. There's a bit of a whishy washy sound for those frequencies. You can actually hear something funky going on, I'm wondering if it's just my pair of headset or if you all can hear it as well. I made a quick web sine generator using the native Web Audio Api. It kind of sounds like a train "chugachugachuga" or like typing "takataktak". edit: now that I think about it, it could be from outside noise coming into the headphones and providing the audible sound on the beat. Interesting if the z7m2 can reproduce sounds as low as 5hz though, try my app and see if you can hear lower



Just open the codepen, and click start, let me know if you all hear it as well.

You're not hearing anything at 2Hz, it's distortion from the applet. Also, most DACs have a HPF at around 10-20Hz, so even if the headphones are capable of it, you won't hear it anyway.

You are talking about an un clear and un precise sound... I mentioned this. They are not burned in! Once you reach 150 to 200 hours they get clear and precise! Just do it and you will see!

I also ordered a brand new kimber kable from japan, will see how it goes I gota a feeling it will be a nice pairing!

How long have you had the Z7M2s for?