Sony Z1R....listening impressions only
Oct 2, 2018 at 7:26 PM Post #2,086 of 9,535
Yes that is a good point. However knowing how bad the stock cable is based on remarks on this thread, people could be disappointed with that Zingy treble spike and then return the Headphone. Those that have the Sony Kimber cable have explained that the Zingy peak disappears with Kimber cable.

It’s a proprietary cable, molded ends with good connectors. The designers in Japan especially Sony take great pride in their designs. It’s not like they thought it was a cheesy cable. They included it to give you the experience Sony deliberately planned as a great experience for the consumer.

I think, but I’m not sure that the Sony Kimber for the Z1R specifically, was an afterthought and I know for sure Kimber Kable AXIOS came long after. ....just my thoughts on the topic but by no means am I on the inside of Sony’s brain enough to know for sure.
 
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Oct 2, 2018 at 7:44 PM Post #2,087 of 9,535
I understand that logic, but surely it can back fire if less than knowledgeable Customers are not aware of the compromised stock cable and end up returning the Headphones. Plus in the UK there is not even option to buy Sony Kimber cable from Sony Dealers and it is not on the Sony UK website.

I am slowly saving up and will buy it from you.

I would not call the stock cable compromised, it’s a perfectly decent cable and I’m sure I would have enjoyed the phones with it, it’s just that the Axios is better (at least to my preference and with the gear I have heard it with)
 
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Oct 2, 2018 at 7:55 PM Post #2,088 of 9,535
To me the stock Sony cable is more lively because of the silver plating. The Sony/Kimber Cable better defines the bass and mids but it’s doesn’t have the treble clarity of the stock cable cable to my ears. The Sony/Kimber Cable doesn't take anything away from the treble but it doesn’t add anything either. Unlike the improvements I hear to the bass and mid section. The stock is fine and the Sony/Kimber is an upgrade but not an absolute must have.
 
Oct 2, 2018 at 8:16 PM Post #2,089 of 9,535
To me the stock Sony cable is more lively because of the silver plating. The Sony/Kimber Cable better defines the bass and mids but it’s doesn’t have the treble clarity of the stock cable cable to my ears. The Sony/Kimber Cable doesn't take anything away from the treble but it doesn’t add anything either. Unlike the improvements I hear to the bass and mid section. The stock is fine and the Sony/Kimber is an upgrade but not an absolute must have.


The MUC-B20SB1 Sony/Kimber is a nice improvement to my ears from stock, though it bothers me to read about absolute cable personalities. The cable is just a small part of the overall equation.

Amps are going to make a bigger change, as well a source personality and specific sound signature goals. So one cable will be interpreted one way and heard differently in a different system with different requirements.

We do generalize to try and express ideas and sort out the confusing aspects of the subjectivity; but every system is different, which in turn makes the Z1R sound slighly different regardless of cable used.
 
Oct 2, 2018 at 8:21 PM Post #2,090 of 9,535
You might find a lot of information/impressions rather conflicting with that person opinion/review. We sell all those brands and more but I find that YouTube review quite contrary in most respects to many of our clients impressions. My impressions are also very contrary.

Which Axios will bring out the mids and lower high frequencies? I would like to keep the bass and high frequencies that same as the stock cable. I don't have issues with the "Zingy" treble. I want to have more female vocal presence and bite.
 
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Oct 2, 2018 at 9:48 PM Post #2,091 of 9,535
Which Axios will bring out the mids and lower high frequencies? I would like to keep the bass and high frequencies that same as the stock cable. I don't have issues with the "Zingy" treble. I want to have more female vocal presence and bite.

The AXIOS CU does almost does exactly what result you ask about. Really causes a more linear response on the Z1R making it a smoother listen without the loss of any bass
 
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Oct 3, 2018 at 11:58 AM Post #2,095 of 9,535
The 3 meter length for AXIOS CU is 1,095 dollars on the USA KIMBER website.

Yep expensive. I was able to make do with the shorter one as my rig is at the bed side
 
Oct 3, 2018 at 6:18 PM Post #2,096 of 9,535
I'm also sensitive to treble harshness. That is why I went with the AXIOS Cu as it tamed it compared to the stock balanced cable.
 
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Oct 3, 2018 at 6:24 PM Post #2,097 of 9,535
Which Axios will bring out the mids and lower high frequencies? I would like to keep the bass and high frequencies that same as the stock cable. I don't have issues with the "Zingy" treble. I want to have more female vocal presence and bite.
Have you considered buying a tube amp to alleviate your GAS? I never experienced a tangible audible difference when replacing cables, but a 300B tube amp was a good experience. Not sure how you define bite, but a 300B amp is renowned for nice mids, and mine gives amazing space to female vocals.
It's easy to replicate the Z1R fatiguing treble with a Trap High Hat; I have a Digitone (w/ HP out) and I can cause the the issue (fatiguing treble) with a press of a button, but passing it through my tube amps reduces the fatigue... still connect the Z1R directly to the Digitone for convenience though.

I also built a Neil Pass Class A amp, and that sounds amazingly smooth, which has ignited a passion for Class A amps and I think it's part of the tube magic (they're also Class A).
 
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Oct 3, 2018 at 8:23 PM Post #2,098 of 9,535
Cables simply help fine-tune the sound to a desired sound signature. The regular MUC-B20SB1 is a value in my eyes considering how much it improves treble, mid-detail and bass definition.

It’s nice to have a member of the trade sharing his knowledge here, as people in the industry have spent their life getting educated and helping others. But really this all comes down to the same old issues, of some liking warm and some likeing a detailed (more treble-centric) reference tone. Everyone’s idea of prefect sound is different. Also everyone has a different value system; where that extra % of change is worth $1000; or not.

And of course putting the Z1R on the end of a tube amp is going to replicate the warmth of a copper cable to some extent. In my experience of mixing and matching equipment there has been times of actually getting the sound to become too warm, too layed-back and creating a signal with not enough treble response. In those circumstances getting a brighter cable is often the solution to pulling out a new level of detail thus getting everything to sound both warm and balanced.
 
Oct 3, 2018 at 8:30 PM Post #2,099 of 9,535
Using big words to describe improvement in audio is actually pretty normal. There is nothing wrong with adjectives like “night and day” or “light-years”. Even if the difference is subtle; the human mind dwells on the area of change and after time that area of difference can become profound. This is simple, normal part of audiophile life and has no correlation with questionable sales talk.
 
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Oct 3, 2018 at 9:15 PM Post #2,100 of 9,535
Using big words to describe improvement in audio is actually pretty normal. There is nothing wrong with adjectives like “night and day” or “light-years”. Even if the difference is subtle; the human mind dwells on the area of change and after time that area of difference can become profound. This is simple, normal part of audiophile life and has no correlation with questionable sales talk.

I can understand that level of hyperbole if you're talking about a DAC upgrade or something. But for a headphone cable? I'm sorry but I can't agree with you there, that reeks of sales bias which this topic is not the place for. I do completely agree with your previous post though on cables and synergies. I previously had paired the Z1R with the Mojo and found the stock cable to be a great match as the highs are a bit rounded off with the Mojo. When I got a Hugo 2 though the stock cable was a little bright.
 

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