I recently placed an order for these. Taking a measured risk, as I've not heard these before. The cans were in my budget and offered the features I desired for this style of headphone.
It came down to the new Focal Elegia or these. I chose the Sony.
I'm looking at a 5-7 business day wait, do to overseas shipping, as I purchased from a dealer in Asia.
Had a chance to try them again with my own portable dac/amp this time and my impressions are much the same as before, with some additions.
The subbass is good but not amazing, very well extended but not as strong as the Harmon curve calls for. Not a huge deal, as it can be easily EQed up,but maybe a disappointment for some.
I used Kelala-Rewind and The Knife-Silent Shout to test subbass. Had a nice solid rumble to it but not as loud as many would want in comparison to the midrange.
They sounded a little brighter off my dac/amp (Aqua+wireless) than the Sony DAP, not entirely surprising as I have found Sonys DAPs/DACs to be dark in the past. I would guess for some the brightness will be a deal breaker, as it did make it revealing of sibilance, though it didnt seem to add to it, just reveal it. I used Rie Fu-Life is like a boat to test this, and got the telltale pricks in the ear. Thankfully it was just a prick rather than a full on knife the way very bright headphones can be at times.
Vocals continued to be most impressive aspect for me, very nice presence and strength to the vocals. If you are looking for sparkling female vocals though, it is not a good choice for that as it sounded quite warm which made them very rich and pleasant but not sparkly the way my T60RP does at times. I would guess this is due to the 2-4k region being somewhat relaxed.
Bass sounded even flatter of my dac/amp, very little midbass bloat, really impressive in that regard for a closed dynamic. I would guess some people wont like this as they want that bump, but I rather liked it.
I was even more impressed by how good the imaging and separation was, even with low DR music. Celldweller-Louder than Words sounded remarkably well separated even with its DR of 4. Really stellar for a closed headphone.
The stand out track I tried with them was Iron Maiden-Dance of Death, its a very good thing I tried it last, as its over 8 mins long and I would have used the entire time on it. Bruce Dickinson sounded absolutely fantastic, the best I have ever heard it sound actually. It gave him a presence he doesnt have on most headphones I have tried. The symphonic elements sounded massive behind him and the guitar solos cut through it all fantastically.
I am guessing the larger driver size contributes to it sounding as powerful as it did with symphonic elements.
I guess to put all my impressions together I would describe it as being fairly flat in the bass, with a warm midrange and brightish treble. Its a great sound signature IMO and is my favorite Sony headphone I have tried so far.
Its very comfortable as well, earpads are super cushy and its not all that heavy. It felt reasonably well built, though its got nothing on a DT1990.
Only sticking point for it is the price, it should be around $500 IMO, as I think it competes with headphones like the Sennheiser 660s, in other words the high-mid-fi category.
i definitely want to get one when it drops in price, again assuming I dont go nuts for electrostats after trying my Koss ESP95X next year.
Had a chance to try them again with my own portable dac/amp this time and my impressions are much the same as before, with some additions.
The subbass is good but not amazing, very well extended but not as strong as the Harmon curve calls for. Not a huge deal, as it can be easily EQed up,but maybe a disappointment for some.
I used Kelala-Rewind and The Knife-Silent Shout to test subbass. Had a nice solid rumble to it but not as loud as many would want in comparison to the midrange.
They sounded a little brighter off my dac/amp (Aqua+wireless) than the Sony DAP, not entirely surprising as I have found Sonys DAPs/DACs to be dark in the past. I would guess for some the brightness will be a deal breaker, as it did make it revealing of sibilance, though it didnt seem to add to it, just reveal it. I used Rie Fu-Life is like a boat to test this, and got the telltale pricks in the ear. Thankfully it was just a prick rather than a full on knife the way very bright headphones can be at times.
Vocals continued to be most impressive aspect for me, very nice presence and strength to the vocals. If you are looking for sparkling female vocals though, it is not a good choice for that as it sounded quite warm which made them very rich and pleasant but not sparkly the way my T60RP does at times. I would guess this is due to the 2-4k region being somewhat relaxed.
Bass sounded even flatter of my dac/amp, very little midbass bloat, really impressive in that regard for a closed dynamic. I would guess some people wont like this as they want that bump, but I rather liked it.
I was even more impressed by how good the imaging and separation was, even with low DR music. Celldweller-Louder than Words sounded remarkably well separated even with its DR of 4. Really stellar for a closed headphone.
The stand out track I tried with them was Iron Maiden-Dance of Death, its a very good thing I tried it last, as its over 8 mins long and I would have used the entire time on it. Bruce Dickinson sounded absolutely fantastic, the best I have ever heard it sound actually. It gave him a presence he doesnt have on most headphones I have tried. The symphonic elements sounded massive behind him and the guitar solos cut through it all fantastically.
I am guessing the larger driver size contributes to it sounding as powerful as it did with symphonic elements.
I guess to put all my impressions together I would describe it as being fairly flat in the bass, with a warm midrange and brightish treble. Its a great sound signature IMO and is my favorite Sony headphone I have tried so far.
Its very comfortable as well, earpads are super cushy and its not all that heavy. It felt reasonably well built, though its got nothing on a DT1990.
Only sticking point for it is the price, it should be around $500 IMO, as I think it competes with headphones like the Sennheiser 660s, in other words the high-mid-fi category.
i definitely want to get one when it drops in price, again assuming I dont go nuts for electrostats after trying my Koss ESP95X next year.
Had a chance to try them again with my own portable dac/amp this time and my impressions are much the same as before, with some additions.
The subbass is good but not amazing, very well extended but not as strong as the Harmon curve calls for. Not a huge deal, as it can be easily EQed up,but maybe a disappointment for some.
I used Kelala-Rewind and The Knife-Silent Shout to test subbass. Had a nice solid rumble to it but not as loud as many would want in comparison to the midrange.
They sounded a little brighter off my dac/amp (Aqua+wireless) than the Sony DAP, not entirely surprising as I have found Sonys DAPs/DACs to be dark in the past. I would guess for some the brightness will be a deal breaker, as it did make it revealing of sibilance, though it didnt seem to add to it, just reveal it. I used Rie Fu-Life is like a boat to test this, and got the telltale pricks in the ear. Thankfully it was just a prick rather than a full on knife the way very bright headphones can be at times.
Vocals continued to be most impressive aspect for me, very nice presence and strength to the vocals. If you are looking for sparkling female vocals though, it is not a good choice for that as it sounded quite warm which made them very rich and pleasant but not sparkly the way my T60RP does at times. I would guess this is due to the 2-4k region being somewhat relaxed.
Bass sounded even flatter of my dac/amp, very little midbass bloat, really impressive in that regard for a closed dynamic. I would guess some people wont like this as they want that bump, but I rather liked it.
I was even more impressed by how good the imaging and separation was, even with low DR music. Celldweller-Louder than Words sounded remarkably well separated even with its DR of 4. Really stellar for a closed headphone.
The stand out track I tried with them was Iron Maiden-Dance of Death, its a very good thing I tried it last, as its over 8 mins long and I would have used the entire time on it. Bruce Dickinson sounded absolutely fantastic, the best I have ever heard it sound actually. It gave him a presence he doesnt have on most headphones I have tried. The symphonic elements sounded massive behind him and the guitar solos cut through it all fantastically.
I am guessing the larger driver size contributes to it sounding as powerful as it did with symphonic elements.
I guess to put all my impressions together I would describe it as being fairly flat in the bass, with a warm midrange and brightish treble. Its a great sound signature IMO and is my favorite Sony headphone I have tried so far.
Its very comfortable as well, earpads are super cushy and its not all that heavy. It felt reasonably well built, though its got nothing on a DT1990.
Only sticking point for it is the price, it should be around $500 IMO, as I think it competes with headphones like the Sennheiser 660s, in other words the high-mid-fi category.
i definitely want to get one when it drops in price, again assuming I dont go nuts for electrostats after trying my Koss ESP95X next year.
Zeos FROM Z Review just posted an unboxing video of these, I'm looking forward to what he had to say as he was quite positive about the original, and the Z1R. His impressions mostly align with mine as well on those.
Also his review is always the most entertaining to watch, for me at least
I have a modified MDR-Z7 with mods done according to some of those posted here: surgical tape, charcoal filter material behind driver, silver internal wiring, Norne Audio cable. Hope to be able to compare to the Z7M2 at some point as the modded Z7 is very different from a stock Z7. I would have to disagree that the Z7M2, or the Z7, is comparable in quality to the Sennheiser 660S. In my opinion the Sony's are definitely a step up from the 660S as far as materials and build quality. Just comparing the pads shows the Sony to be on a higher material level and much more comfortable. That being said, I wish the Z7M2 listed at $699 as I think that represents the improved construction quality over something like the 660S. But higher prices seem to be our new reality. For me, patience and buying used is pretty much my reality now.
My headphones arrived and I'm currently having a listen. As it turns out the only headphone amp I own, the Woo Audio WA8, is off at WA for service and tube upgrades. I'm using what I have at the moment and that's my Samsung S9+ as my source and have the Z7M2 plugged into the headphone jack. I know this isn't the ideal set-up, but it's what I have at the moment. With that in mind I'll refrain from a more detailed review.
I will however comment regarding comfort and build quality. The set feels sturdy and feels good in the hands. Visually, I find them to be attractive, as far as headphones go. The alloy yokes offer a sliding adjustment for head size. The adjustment "clicks" into place in a soft, elegant way. Not in the hard, stiff way, like my Sennheiser HD-6XX do. Small detail, but the devil is in the details, as they say.
Isolation, is very good. It's a hot day in the Los Angeles area today. I'm presently running the A/C and have a oscillating fan in my office. I can't hear either. Headband and earpads seem to be comfy. Again, only time and hour+ long listening session can say how comfy they really are.
I'll leave it here for now. More critical listening sessions and thoughts when I receive my WA8 back from Woo.
One final thing: I did purchase from Accessory Jack in Hong Kong. With last weeks exchange rate I ended up paying $668.06USD.
I have a modified MDR-Z7 with mods done according to some of those posted here: surgical tape, charcoal filter material behind driver, silver internal wiring, Norne Audio cable. Hope to be able to compare to the Z7M2 at some point as the modded Z7 is very different from a stock Z7. I would have to disagree that the Z7M2, or the Z7, is comparable in quality to the Sennheiser 660S. In my opinion the Sony's are definitely a step up from the 660S as far as materials and build quality. Just comparing the pads shows the Sony to be on a higher material level and much more comfortable. That being said, I wish the Z7M2 listed at $699 as I think that represents the improved construction quality over something like the 660S. But higher prices seem to be our new reality. For me, patience and buying used is pretty much my reality now.
It's not comparable at all, considering both have a very different sound signature.l, not to mention you are comparing open back against closed back headphones. That said, the HD660S does sounds better overall than the Z7 (no idea about the Z7m2, I have never listened to these). The MDR-Z1R however do sound better than the HD660S (or the Z7) by a wide margin.
It's not comparable at all, considering both have a very different sound signature.l, not to mention you are comparing open back against closed back headphones. That said, the HD660S does sounds better overall than the Z7 (no idea about the Z7m2, I have never listened to these). The MDR-Z1R however do sound better than the HD660S (or the Z7) by a wide margin.
If I wasn't clear, I was saying that the build quality of the Z7 is definitely a step up from the 660S and, in my opinion, justifies a higher price than the 660S. I never compared the sound quality of the Z7 to the 660S, only the materials and build quality. If the 660S retails for $499, in my mind the Z7M2 at $699 would be a justifiable price increase for me. It appears the Z7M2 can be ordered overseas and is close to $699, although the list price is $899. I may be checking the Black Friday prices to see if there any deals from a seller in the USA.
We'll see gray market sellers from Japan list the Z7M2 for far less on Amazon. Could be a while before this happens. I would not buy at full retail. Even people who liked the original Z7 hedged by saying it's not worth the $699 MSRP. I paid $339 for my Z7
@Redcarmoose, it looks like you are running with upgraded cables for your Z1R. Thankfully Sony didn't touch the connections and the Z1R, Z7 & Z7M2 all share the same.
How do you like your Sony MUC-B20SB1 cables? I'm thinking about my options regarding cabling. Thanks!
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