[Sp12er3]

That peak in the midrange is actually the pleasant surprise for me tho its the tuning part where both XBA A3 and Z5 a bit recessed at. and I find changing the pleather pads of the Z7 to Velour is already enough to tame the midrange just a tad to be actually very smooth and very relaxing for me
Honestly it feels like a perfected tuning of my MA900 and that's just fantastic.

 

[headfi19]

Haven't tried it, the price/looks/lore was a bit of a turnoff. Seemed like an overpriced edition for the Asian markets that are buying anything regardless of value.
So you like it? I'm a big fan of holographic spacious signatures, with a lot of air, lots of room but keeping good positioning/separation and tone.
Have you listened to the CA Andromeda? If so, I'd be very curious to know how the two compare. I'm a big fan of the Andromeda, it's the HD800 of the IEM world to my ears, but smoother and more voluptuous.They can sound so wide and spacious, I love it.

If the IER-Z1R can go beyond that, would definitely check them out.

My last R10 listening was ages ago, I can't recall much anymore. These days I doubt many are still in good shape, you seem to have one of the few exceptions. As for the Z1R midbass, can't say I disagree. They can sound a bit too bloated with some masterings. Not extreme as the 1000XM3 or similar, but a bit too strong. I would have tuned them a bit flatter on the lower end and added a bit of brightness. Still, pair then with the right tunes and they can sound perfect. Full and extremely fun.

Z1R aren't a good choice for anyone wanting a single headphone IMO, but if you have the space/funds for more than one, they're excellent when paired with the right content. And in build/comfort, are still my favorite overall.

To be back on topic, Haven't heard the Z7mk2. I really didn't care much for the original Z7 sound at all, so didn't even check them out. Assumed it was... even worse.
vs a Z1R also doubt I'd be happy, but who knows. They might have good value and a different tuning from what I assumed. I'll see if I can checkout a pair, you made me curious.

right now almost all retailers in US sell for $ 599.00, thanks

 

[CoryGillmore]

That peak in the midrange is actually the pleasant surprise for me tho its the tuning part where both XBA A3 and Z5 a bit recessed at. and I find changing the pleather pads of the Z7 to Velour is already enough to tame the midrange just a tad to be actually very smooth and very relaxing for me
Honestly it feels like a perfected tuning of my MA900 and that's just fantastic.

I'm very curious about pad rolling the Z7 and M2. Which pads did you use? Are the pads even easy to get off?

 

[dazzerfong]

I'm very curious about pad rolling the Z7 and M2. Which pads did you use? Are the pads even easy to get off?

To remove the pads, look around the bottom of the pads inside the cups - you'll see 2 screws. Unscrew them, then twist them anti-clockwise and they pop off.

 

[CoryGillmore]

To remove the pads, look around the bottom of the pads inside the cups - you'll see 2 screws. Unscrew them, then twist them anti-clockwise and they pop off.

Thanks. What’d you use to replace them? I bet OEMs are crazy expensive if you can even find them.

 

[dazzerfong]

Thanks. What’d you use to replace them? I bet OEMs are crazy expensive if you can even find them.

Last I checked with SpeedySpares, they're around $100 AUD for a pair of pads. Not cheap, but not the worst I've seen. I remember arguing with Sennheiser to get them to fix a HD700 pad - they wanted $250 AUD for it!

 

[CoryGillmore]

Last I checked with SpeedySpares, they're around $100 AUD for a pair of pads. Not cheap, but not the worst I've seen. I remember arguing with Sennheiser to get them to fix a HD700 pad - they wanted $250 AUD for it!

$100 isn’t the worst I’ve seen but it’s still absolutely unacceptable. $250 is criminal.

 

[CoryGillmore]

What about aftermarket pads? I've got quite a few Brainwavez XL pads laying around...

 

[Leetransform25]

I've noticed that the Z7M2s are being discounted to just $600 on a lot of sites, is it for Black Friday/Cyber Monday?

 

[Sp12er3]

What about aftermarket pads? I've got quite a few Brainwavez XL pads laying around...

You can, you have to mod them a bit so they can fit the into the bracket of the stock pads.

Which the prev owner actually uses to fit aftermarket one, i dont know where one go to get the bracket only.

 

[svinaik]

Folks

Got my pair of Z7M2 from Australia and all I can say is lush & smooth sound. I have to say, they more than surprised me with their sound quality. Probably the best description is large sound stage, excellent separation and smooth like hot knife through the butter with excellent isolation.

I had listened to the Z7 way back and distinctly remembered not liking them. They were artificially base heavy and sound seemed too colored but the M2 are a totally different beast. I also own the MDR-Z1R and these are not too far from them and that says a lot.

What makes them steal of the century is the Australian price offer.

I am thankful to the folks who originally posted about the Australian prices.

Happy listening..

 

[Maxx134]

I been analyzing the interior of this unit, and is totally different than previous generation.
There is nothing similar.
Totally different driver.
Different motor structure, different material different setup & different cup design.

The extra wide voice coil is reminiscent of the hd800 .

Previous generation had a normal sized voice coil for this oversized large driver...

 

[CoryGillmore]

I been analyzing the interior of this unit, and is totally different than previous generation.
There is nothing similar.
Totally different driver.
Different motor structure, different material different setup & different cup design.

The extra wide voice coil is reminiscent of the hd800 .

Previous generation had a normal sized voice coil for this oversized large driver...

Not surprising at all. I feel the Z7M2 is a better headphone in every way. To go directly from the Z7 to the Z7M2 in a listening session, I find the Z7M2 sounds much better every time. It’s a very pleasant change in sound.

 

[Maxx134]

Not surprising at all. I feel the Z7M2 is a better headphone in every way. To go directly from the Z7 to the Z7M2 in a listening session, I find the Z7M2 sounds much better every time. It’s a very pleasant change in sound.

Yes I agree.
For the money, I consider this unit is preferable to most others in it's price range.
The real challenge is to see if it can be improved upon.

Going to re-read this thread for any posts on modding, as it saves time if others have already done so.

 

[sergeant blackburn]

Yes I agree.
For the money, I consider this unit is preferable to most others in it's price range.
The real challenge is to see if it can be improved upon.

Going to re-read this thread for any posts on modding, as it saves time if others have already done so.

been here since the beginning, no one modded.
why do you think you want to mod anyway?
these headphones sound great, balanced, no peaks or dips!