Sony MDR-Z7M2 Headphone Thread
Apr 7, 2023 at 7:36 AM Post #2,341 of 2,440
For the past few days i have been totally enamored by the z7m2. Perhaps the first time ive ever truly appreciated them since getting them months ago. I'm not sure what really happened but once i stopped caring about certain frequencies missing they became natural sounding (which i find baffling) did not know i could train my brain to listen this way lol.

As of now, z7m2's sound amazing! bass is still light for my tastes but it adds to the overall ambiance these give off. Reminds me of speakers in how the soundstage extends everywhere. Running them off any of my sources that have a 3.5mm and i love how they just don't care if the source was a totl dap or an entry level one, heck even on a laptop. Love how easy they are on the ears.
 
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Apr 7, 2023 at 12:35 PM Post #2,342 of 2,440
For the past few days i have been totally enamored by the z7m2. Perhaps the first time ive ever truly appreciated them since getting them months ago. I'm not sure what really happened but once i stopped caring about certain frequencies missing they became natural sounding (which i find baffling) did not know i could train my brain to listen this way lol.

As of now, z7m2's sound amazing! bass is still light for my tastes but it adds to the overall ambiance these give off. Reminds me of speakers in how the soundstage extends everywhere. Running them off any of my sources that have a 3.5mm and i love how they just don't care if the source was a totl dap or an entry level one, heck even on a laptop. Love how easy they are on the ears.
Try z7m2 with EQ. The z7m2 is very tunable and takes well to EQ. For my tastes, stock tuning is too neutral and peaky in certain HF frequencies. This is even after break-in. EQ fixed the peakiness and the bass can be however you like.
 
Apr 7, 2023 at 12:58 PM Post #2,343 of 2,440
Try z7m2 with EQ. The z7m2 is very tunable and takes well to EQ. For my tastes, stock tuning is too neutral and peaky in certain HF frequencies. This is even after break-in. EQ fixed the peakiness and the bass can be however you like.
Im not really an eq person, though im more inclined to tune the sound using cables
 
Apr 7, 2023 at 8:00 PM Post #2,344 of 2,440
Im not really an eq person, though im more inclined to tune the sound using cables
I understand, I use to feel the same way. For a headphone system though, the difference can be huge. EQ has much more dramatic an effect vs cable rolling.

I own a pair of Sony z7m2 and a pair of Audeze LCD XC (2021 model). In both cases I would not listen to them without EQ, the difference is that dramatic. A parametric EQ, especially at source allows customizing/tuning of system sonic output like nothing else can. Just sharing.
 
Apr 7, 2023 at 9:40 PM Post #2,345 of 2,440
Im not really an eq person, though im more inclined to tune the sound using cables
I'm not much of an eq guy either but i will admit when i tried cdacostas eq preset it improved the headphones beyond what i thought it was capable of.

It filled in some of the gaps where the z7m2 was lacking.
 
Apr 7, 2023 at 9:57 PM Post #2,346 of 2,440
I'm not much of an eq guy either but i will admit when i tried cdacostas eq preset it improved the headphones beyond what i thought it was capable of.

It filled in some of the gaps where the z7m2 was lacking.
The thing about me is i dont have a permanent source i cycle through daps, laptops etc. So eq would vary between sources and i cycle between hps and iems as well so its somewhat of a chore to apply a specific eq to it everytime i want to listen to them
 
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Apr 7, 2023 at 9:58 PM Post #2,347 of 2,440
I may upgrade to the mdr z1r soon
 
Apr 7, 2023 at 11:18 PM Post #2,348 of 2,440
I may upgrade to the mdr z1r soon
I'm considering the same. I just got the Z7M2, but I like it so much that I'm always thinking that I should have gone for the Z1R in the first place. Well, at least now I know what I'll be getting when I do. With a move coming up, I don't want to expand my collection too much at the moment.

For me, the Z7M2 is the first headphone where the term "musical" came up naturally as the word I would use to describe its sound. For the longest time, I didn't really understand that term, and thought it was sort of fluffy BS audiophile jargon, but after I got over my initial reaction to the Z7 and its somewhat unorthodox tuning, "musical" just popped into my head intuitively. I had a realization where at first, I was baffled at what the Z7 wasn't reproducing, like all of the air and perceptive detail seemed to be missing from the sound, but after a while, I realized that everything I was hearing was part of music, not just the byproduct of an instrument. Like the trailing reverb of a cymbal isn't actually part of the music per se, it's not written down in the sheet music or consciously produced by the musician, that reverb is a side-effect of cymbal playing. The Z7M2 isn't lacking in detail at the note level, a cymbal hit is still reproduced and audible, but it doesn't linger or focus on that reverb.

Most of my other headphones are neutral-bright, and they draw my attention to the character and texture of the instruments. "Hear how crisply the decay of the cymbal is rendered!" "Hear the pluck and follow the twang of the guitar as it fades after each note!" The other headphones cleanly separate and emphasize the character of each instrument, while the Z7M2 only presents the character enough to tell me that a particular instrument played a certain note at a certain point in the song. And because it doesn't emphasize the characteristics of each instrument, I find it easier to focus on other elements of the music, like background singers or harmonies, stuff that's written in the sheet music and not just the product of the performance and its recording. It's something that I had to readjust my brain and my expectations to understand, but it was quite informative and eye-opening (or ear-opening?) when I did.

I haven't even messed with EQ in earnest yet. I'm usually a big EQer, and I don't just run parametric EQ but dynamic EQ via VST plugins in my music player. I'll need to go back through this thread to find the EQ settings that cdacosta posted. I didn't find the oratory1990 preset to be a general improvement. A different, more neutral flavor, sure, but it didn't improve the musicality of the Z7M2.
 
Apr 8, 2023 at 1:26 AM Post #2,349 of 2,440
I haven't even messed with EQ in earnest yet. I'm usually a big EQer, and I don't just run parametric EQ but dynamic EQ via VST plugins in my music player. I'll need to go back through this thread to find the EQ settings that cdacosta posted. I didn't find the oratory1990 preset to be a general improvement. A different, more neutral flavor, sure, but it didn't improve the musicality of the Z7M2.
It has been awhile since I used the z7m2, modded and EQ'ed it. Here are some tips off the top of my head regarding EQing the z7m2...

The drivers can handle all bass frequencies and signal tuning really well and will not bleed or effect the mid and upper frequencies. If not modding the headphones to minimize vibration, I would go slow on bass adjustments and tune to liking. I use Equalizer APO with Peace extension, all free. The pic is of settings that are for modded headphones. For non-modded headphones dial up the bass frequencies slowly while listening.

Amp that has more power and good control of drivers makes a big difference when pushing bass and sub bass. The extra headroom makes a difference. When tuning up bass frequencies you will be requiring more power from your amp. I had no issues when using a Schiit Asgard 3 (SE) or Jotunheim 2 balanced.

Use pre-amp adjustments toward the top of the EQ to make sure that there is no signal clipping. The peak value meter at the bottom of the EQ should stay green, this means signal is not clipping. If starts clipping, dial/tune down pre-amp settings.

Since my system is very different than yours, meaning amp, DAC, cabling, source, modded to minimize vibration, etc., you will have to adjust to your system. Just use my settings as a guide to start. The settings in the pic with mods not only allow the z7m2 to produce bass and sub bass like it had a built in sub woofer, improves resolution, separation and PRaT. If you will not be modding the z7m2, then your lower frequency settings just will not be as boosted.

With Equalizer APO you can setup a universal preference and just save it. Or if you listen to many different genres and have different setting preferences, they all can be saved separately.

This is easy to do, just go slow and have fun!
 

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Apr 8, 2023 at 3:06 PM Post #2,351 of 2,440
Please I need SONY OEM or aftermarket earpads for my MDR Z7M2.Can anyone tell me where I can get them.????
OEM Sony earpads have to come from the Sony service partner in your region - and are ridiculously expensive. You can also find aftermarket earpads on Amazon. I recently purchased these earpads and they seem to look similar to and use the same materials as the stock earpads.
 
Apr 8, 2023 at 3:25 PM Post #2,352 of 2,440
OEM Sony earpads have to come from the Sony service partner in your region - and are ridiculously expensive. You can also find aftermarket earpads on Amazon. I recently purchased these earpads and they seem to look similar to and use the same materials as the stock earpads.
please find that these from amazon have small opening hole for ears than the original ones.thats concerns me alot.is it going to be a problem with sound reproduction while it is in use? dont you think.Besides the original ones seems to be curved and these from amazon are flat..... that is the problem
 
Apr 8, 2023 at 3:28 PM Post #2,353 of 2,440
please find that these from amazon have small opening hole for ears than the original ones.thats concerns me alot.is it going to be a problem with sound reproduction while it is in use? dont you think.Besides the original ones seems to be curved and these from amazon are flat..... that is the problem
Then your best bet is to find your regional Sony service provider and buy it from them. Sony does not directly sell replacement parts for their products; you have to go through their regional partners.
 
Apr 8, 2023 at 11:50 PM Post #2,355 of 2,440
Please I need SONY OEM or aftermarket earpads for my MDR Z7M2.Can anyone tell me where I can get them.????
Just get third party pads off amazon. Cheaper and better quality to stock too
 

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