[Bartosz]

Hi,

I am just facing a choice between z7m2 and Audioquest Nightowl. Which will work better in electronic music and and which of them will have better bass? Did any of you compare the two pairs at all?

 

[Maxx134]

As i recall it smaller stage than the sony, if that matters.
Bass is there, mids forward, but clarity im trebles lower than sony, if that matters.
Audioquest still a darker type Regardless that this version supposed to improve o. Original.

 

[Sp12er3]

also, the Night owls are discontinued I hear? how does AQ handle their warranty and parts fix requests?

 

[Bartosz]

also, the Night owls are discontinued I hear? how does AQ handle their warranty and parts fix requests?

In the place where I live I can buy the new NightOwl for 325 USD and SONY z7m2 for 440. I listen mainly to electronic music, rap, r & b and soul.

I asked the distributor there is no problem with parts or pads for this model.

 

[XM3orZ7m2]

Anyone who has the z7m2 and xm3 care to compare the sound quality is of each from something like a MacBook Pro (2 Vrms)? I'm really not keen on buying a dac or amp, and the xm3 has a built in fact amp also with dsee-hx so it seems like that could bring the quality close to the z7m2.

Could anyone speak to sound quality without dedicated dac / amp vs the xm3?

 

[sergeant blackburn]

Anyone who has the z7m2 and xm3 care to compare the sound quality is of each from something like a MacBook Pro (2 Vrms)? I'm really not keen on buying a dac or amp, and the xm3 has a built in fact amp also with dsee-hx so it seems like that could bring the quality close to the z7m2.

Could anyone speak to sound quality without dedicated dac / amp vs the xm3? ❤

these two are completely different headphones, no point in buying xm3 unless you want noise cancelling or wireless.
z7m2 need an amp to sound good, they will sound mediocre out of ur laptop.

you should get mdr-1A or 1Am2, work perfectly with any device. without an amp, 1A will sound better than both mentioned headphones.

 

[w0000t]

I just got the M2s and I'm a beginner audiophile (Just enjoy good music) - my prior set was the DT1770. My very basic comparsion of the two:
- DT 1770 - Very "shrill" and my ears hurt after an hour of listening
- Z7M2 - Warmer.. richer.. vocals are a bit in the background? and much more comfortable to wear for hours on an end..

 

[pjones5]

Anyone who has the z7m2 and xm3 care to compare the sound quality is of each from something like a MacBook Pro (2 Vrms)? I'm really not keen on buying a dac or amp, and the xm3 has a built in fact amp also with dsee-hx so it seems like that could bring the quality close to the z7m2.

Could anyone speak to sound quality without dedicated dac / amp vs the xm3? ❤

I'd have to agree with some of the above things said. The WH-1000XM3s are a good pair of cans when you're looking for wireless and noise cancelling. I'd hold off on buying them now because there are rumors of an XM4 release so you'd see a drop in price on the XM3s. No idea when that'll happen.

Pro's for the XM3s -
- Wireless
- Noise cancelling
- Cheaper
- Probably the best sounding cans in the mainstream headphone world (headphones you can buy at Best Buy) for the price.

Pro's for the Z7M2s -
- Better sound quality
- More comfortable
- Better, more durable build quality
- a "discount" version of the Z1Rs which are Sony's flagship audiophile headphones.

Ultimately, it comes down to usage. If you're using these at home or at the office and have the money for it, I'd go Z7M2s. If you're doing a lot of commuting in noisy environments (e.g. the subway), I'd go XM3s.

I don't think you would necessarily need an additional amp. The Z7M2s require very little power to drive them so you could definitely use them on your MacBook. I would consider investing in something like the BTR5 or ES100 which is a DAC/amp for easier to drive headphones (recommended impedance of 16 to 150 ohms on the BTR5). That'll help the Z7M2s shine a little bit more. As is the case with most expensive headphones, they'll always sound better on more expensive/elaborate setups, but you can get away with some of the basics. I've also heard that the Z7M2s are exceptionally forgiving on recordings, so they'll sound good with just about anything you'd plug into.

 

[drykoke]

Anyone who has the z7m2 and xm3 care to compare the sound quality is of each from something like a MacBook Pro (2 Vrms)? I'm really not keen on buying a dac or amp, and the xm3 has a built in fact amp also with dsee-hx so it seems like that could bring the quality close to the z7m2.

Could anyone speak to sound quality without dedicated dac / amp vs the xm3? ❤

I've spent many hours testing both using my LG mobile phone.
They are not in the same league at all.

Z7M2 is like driving a prestige German car with 3 L, 6 cylinder engine - big, smooth and powerful sound.
XM3 is like driving a VW Golf 1.5L with ACT, DSG, 48V mild hybrid etc. - it does the day to day job fine, but no amount of fancy technology and acronyms can hide the ultimate lack of dynamics and transparency.

 

[SylvesterH]

I just got the M2s and I'm a beginner audiophile (Just enjoy good music) - my prior set was the DT1770. My very basic comparsion of the two:
- DT 1770 - Very "shrill" and my ears hurt after an hour of listening
- Z7M2 - Warmer.. richer.. vocals are a bit in the background? and much more comfortable to wear for hours on an end..

Hi,
I have also the Z7M2 and interested in the DT 1770 also.
Care to elaborate a bit on your comparison?

 

[Sp12er3]

I think its pretty clear the 1770 demands your attention way more than the Z7 ever could, they're made for different use and the tuning reflects that, there's many that think that the 1770 is too exhausting to use for long hours and only the 177X fixed that.

 

[pjones5]

I think its pretty clear the 1770 demands your attention way more than the Z7 ever could, they're made for different use and the tuning reflects that, there's many that think that the 1770 is too exhausting to use for long hours and only the 177X fixed that.

I agree with that, everything I've heard about the majority of Beyerdynamic products is that they are very aggressive. It's only a bad thing when you want something more laid back - which the Z7M2 is.

 

[XM3orZ7m2]

I've spent many hours testing both using my LG mobile phone.
They are not in the same league at all.

Z7M2 is like driving a prestige German car with 3 L, 6 cylinder engine - big, smooth and powerful sound.
XM3 is like driving a VW Golf 1.5L with ACT, DSG, 48V mild hybrid etc. - it does the day to day job fine, but no amount of fancy technology and acronyms can hide the ultimate lack of dynamics and transparency.

Thanks @pjones5 and @drykoke , this is just the advice I needed!

I first bring up the previous question since I was reading about Sony amps and saw their "S-Master" amp tech and "DSEE-HX" upscaling tech. Since I was planning on using the either headphone "naked", plugged just into my macbook pro, I thought that the xm3 having both built in might bring it up to par with the z7m2. @drykoke, do you have some audio specify LG phone like the one described in this article? It seems like some LG phones like that one were meant to drive audio devices up to 100 ohms. Could you shed a bit of light on your LG phone, like maybe how much Vrms that the headphone jack outputs? I ask because the macbook pro is rated at 2 Vrms, so if your phone lower than that AND it makes the the z7m2 sounds that much better, that would really convince me to wait for the next z7m2 sale like the B&H $298 sale.

It seems like the S-master amp tech and DSEE-HX upscaling doesn't seem that impressive compared to headphone quality. I don't own any premium music service subscription either so I mostly just listen on soundcloud / youtube music, which is why I thought the DSEE-HX upscaling would be really helpful.

 

[Sp12er3]

I have Sony XZ Premium, basically one of the last Sony phones with DSEEHX, I turnt hat on when i feel i don't need to use the DSP feature the phone has, and for the most part, its great, DSEEHX isn't really a magic button to make headphone shines more than it is, music format is IMO the 7/8th thing you should worry about in your listening, way below the transducer (headphone quality), Comfort, Amplification, Convenience, Mastering Quality, DAC, Cable, only then format should matter to you. as long as its at least CD quality you should be good.

rather than the DSEEHX, It's the Equalizer that you should care more about the XM3/4 they are actually pretty well implemented and robust, EQ is what would make them a "one headphone for everything" affair. sometimes people just want one headphone and i do agree a Wireless ANC headphone is a good one to start that.

 

[drykoke]

]@drykoke[/USER], do you have some audio specify LG phone like the one described in this article? It seems like some LG phones like that one were meant to drive audio devices up to 100 ohms. Could you shed a bit of light on your LG phone, like maybe how much Vrms that the headphone jack outputs? I ask because the macbook pro is rated at 2 Vrms, so if your phone lower than that AND it makes the the z7m2 sounds that much better, that would really convince me to wait for the next z7m2 sale like the B&H $298 sale.

It seems like the S-master amp tech and DSEE-HX upscaling doesn't seem that impressive compared to headphone quality. I don't own any premium music service subscription either so I mostly just listen on soundcloud / youtube music, which is why I thought the DSEE-HX upscaling would be really helpful.

My LG phone has a standard 2 V rms just like your Macbook Pro. The Z7M2 is really easy to drive compared to other audiophile headphones that I have tried with my phone. You won't have any problems with you Macbook.
I have tried various players that claim to upscale or whatever, and I couldn't notice any improvement. So, I generally don't pay much attention to techno-jargon about S-master amp or DSEE-HX.
It's all about whether you want to have a daily run-about headphone, or if you want the best possible sound quality from a home-use headphone.