[CoryGillmore]

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!

Agreed! Assume from maybe trying some different pads, I can’t think of anything that needs to be fixed with the Z7M2

 

[dazzerfong]

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!

There's one at 4.5kHz, but it's not too awful. Just a slight EQ cut at 3 dB was enough to fix the issue. Nothing like the Mt Everest on the HD 700 - I still have no idea why I bought that headphone........

 

[Maxx134]

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!

It's my hobby..
it's what I do.

There's one at 4.5kHz, but it's not too awful

I can fix this.

I recently redone a HD580 to be more like a 650, but cleaner:

HD6xx will be a loaner

I remade a THx00 for more resolve :




Those were last ones I made.
I like the Denon 7200 change the most, but I'm interested in the Sonys to see how they climb.

Initial testing shows I can make the Sony z7m2 more detailed so I just measured and ordered special parts for completion.
It will be a challenge as the driver is unlike any others.

Will do a before and after measurements soon.


I am hoping I can elevate these enough to sell my other top closed can which I feel is a top choice and the one to beat for a closed can, the Denon9200.

 

[CoryGillmore]

It's my hobby..
it's what I do.



I can fix this.

I recently redone a HD580 to be more like a 650, but cleaner:

HD6xx will be a loaner

I remade a THx00 for more resolve :




Those were last ones I made.
I like the Denon 7200 change the most, but I'm interested in the Sonys to see how they climb.

Initial testing shows I can make the Sony z7m2 more detailed so I just measured and ordered special parts for completion.

Will do a before and after measurements soon.


I am hoping I can elevate these enough to sell my other top closed can which I feel is a top choice and the one to beat for a closed can, the Denon9200.

Looking forward to seeing what you can do!

 

[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.

I can only seem to find one screw on each cup..and what do you rotate exactly? The whole pad? I've never owned a headphone where it wasn't a complete pain in my ass to do something as simple as remove/change the pads. The DT880 was the worst effender. Simple mechanism in theory, but in practice I was ready to throw that POS through the window.

EDIT: are the Z7 and Z7M2 pads interchangable? My Z7 pads are in much better shape than my Z7M2 pads and I wouldn't mind just swapping those over if it's possible.

 

[Maxx134]

I can only seem to find one screw on each cup..and what do you rotate exactly? The whole pad

yes yes both of those units the 7z and the 7zm2 I have only one tiny screw visible inside each ear pad and then you twist off the whole pad after you screw is out.
if it's the first time the pad will be pretty stuck.

EDIT: are the Z7 and Z7M2 pads interchangable?

That's a good question you can find out since you have those units but I not believe so..

Also after some evaluation and inspection I feel it is both a travesty and a tragedy (which is not uncommon), that we are getting these headphone anomalies, not only from Sony, but also from other manufacturers, in which they have no excuse for such random peaks and resonance in the measurements.

I am pretty bummed that now I have a real challenge to see if I can reduce this 3K ring & 5K peak on this headphone, pretty much similar to the top unit issues.

Overall this is not an issue with normal users because they accept the headphones as it is which is an above average performer but for me I want to see if I can elevate this thing to end game levels and it is pretty disheartening to see the work ahead of me to try to elevate this unit...
Regardless it is a fun challenge.

 

[Sp12er3]

I can only seem to find one screw on each cup..and what do you rotate exactly? The whole pad? I've never owned a headphone where it wasn't a complete pain in my ass to do something as simple as remove/change the pads. The DT880 was the worst effender. Simple mechanism in theory, but in practice I was ready to throw that POS through the window.

EDIT: are the Z7 and Z7M2 pads interchangable? My Z7 pads are in much better shape than my Z7M2 pads and I wouldn't mind just swapping those over if it's possible.

If i remember right Z7M2 has the same mechanism as Z1R, you can see two dots on the leather at the bottom part of the headphone? Turn it counter clockwise until the dots separate from the thin line in the housing.
When outting it back do it the other way around.

 

[Maxx134]

Update, so on my first attempt, I reduced the 10k ring (not dampened, but true reduced), extended the bass, and gave more mids tonality while cleaning up the bass sound, but the nasty 3k ringing is a driver issue which will have to be dealt with much more aggressively...

Red is moded
Green is stock

I like to point out that the issues noted are not apparent unless you are comparing and know what to look for.
It is still an above average headphone and one of my favorites overall.
That's why I am looking to improve it.

 

[hifi80sman]

Sooo...B&H Photo Video has these on sale right now for $298. Crazy. Had to order a pair.

 

[svinaik]

Did the same. Thanks much for posting the offer at B&H. I seriously think they made some error but hopefully will honor the price once the order has gone in.

Sooo...B&H Photo Video has these on sale right now for $298. Crazy. Had to order a pair.

 

[Doug2507]

Bought I pair myself as well, had m7 and m9 in the basket also (200 bucks, 600 bucks) but they managed to change the price before the order went through.

Anyone owned Beyerdynamic t1 and compared with z7m2?

 

[Leetransform25]

Sooo...B&H Photo Video has these on sale right now for $298. Crazy. Had to order a pair.

What the hell? Any reason why they did that?

Bought I pair myself as well, had m7 and m9 in the basket also (200 bucks, 600 bucks) but they managed to change the price before the order went through.

Anyone owned Beyerdynamic t1 and compared with z7m2?

If only I knew about the M7 deal eariler...

 

[Doug2507]

They've marked down the price incorrectly. M7 was an absolute steal at 200 bucks. They've corrected m7 and m9 but haven't spotted the cans yet I think...

W60 also on a ridiculous discount if that's your flavour.

 

[hifi80sman]

What the hell? Any reason why they did that?


If only I knew about the M7 deal eariler...

Coincidentally, it looks like the price was at $298 for a while and all of those (Z7M2, M7, M9) are all special orders, so my guess is they have a bulk buy target, so they need X number of orders to get them at a good buy price and the sale, of an already sale price, gets it there. Better profit margins for high quantity sales, which makes sense, given it's less shipping cost for the manufacturer for a large bulk order vs. a few here and a few there.

 

[Maxx134]

I am thinking this Z7M2 is the best compromise between performance, and FR signature.
At it's price, it's a great choice.

Once I experimented on the driver, I found that although it did already excell better than original z7, pushing it further also took on the same characteristics as the z1r, so becoming very similar in signature.
That was not preferable, as I do not like the stock z1r (FR) signature peaks.
Similar issue with some ZMF drivers, and some older Focal drivers, and other top cans having undesirable FR peaks.

Only the bass was easily adjustable.

Green is stock
Yellow is test
Red is modified.

For my final efforts to be successful, I must at least kill the 2k peak.
For now I would only suggest EQ & slight damping.