[Witcher]

It's actually a great pairing.
I do want to explain that Sony did create an amp/DAC and DAP's to pair with the Z1R but that by no means indicates it's mandated to sound good. It simply means it's how they decided you should hear it.

Are you referring only to the signature series? or beyond that? I'm assuming the amp/dac you're referring to is the TAZH1ES? I'm liking the Z1R with the PHA3, and trying to avoid testing out the TAZH1ES. My wallet cannot take another hit with that. Hahahaha...

For the DAP, 1A or 1Z with Z1R?

 

[TSAVJason]

Are you referring only to the signature series? or beyond that? I'm assuming the amp/dac you're referring to is the TAZH1ES? I'm liking the Z1R with the PHA3, and trying to avoid testing out the TAZH1ES. My wallet cannot take another hit with that. Hahahaha...

For the DAP, 1A or 1Z with Z1R?

Yes the concept behind the Signature Series was to recreate a "Live Performance" experience as I understand it from the engineer/designers.

Yes, I am referencing the TAZH1ES amp/DAC

Both the 1A & 1Z are very nice with the Z1R. I'd also admit the 1Z is just bitchen ...it's heavy it's not practical for traveling but it's bitchen none the less. lol ......I personally have both I use the 1Z at home with my Z1R or Utopia depending on my mood for music. I'll use the 1ES with the 1Z with the Z1R most commonly at home and occasionally switch over to the Utopia.

To be fair I'm almost always on a Cavalli LAu when using the Utopia

 

[Witcher]

Yes the concept behind the Signature Series was to recreate a "Live Performance" experience as I understand it from the engineer/designers.

Yes, I am referencing the TAZH1ES amp/DAC

Both the 1A & 1Z are very nice with the Z1R. I'd also admit the 1Z is just bitchen ...it's heavy it's not practical for traveling but it's bitchen none the less. lol ......I personally have both I use the 1Z at home with my Z1R or Utopia depending on my mood for music. I'll use the 1ES with the 1Z with the Z1R most commonly at home and occasionally switch over to the Utopia.

To be fair I'm almost always on a Cavalli LAu when using the Utopia

Well, I already have a HD800S, so I'm not so keen on testing out the Utopia, especially at that price. I did try the Elear and I didn't like it. I was looking for something to satisfy my cravings for that Edition X sound I heard. After some searching around, I finally settled on the Z1R (kimbers and all), and I hated it the minute I got it out of the box. But after burning it in, it does have that same quality as the Edition X, and then some. It's easily my fav can for music these days.

I'm seriously considering the 1A, and I don't think I'll shoot for the 1Z. Will probably go for the 1ES in time. But I'll wait till after IFA2017 to see what's coming before I take the plunge. Do you know what's the product refresh rate for Sony? Is it 4 years? (for cars it's 7 years as a norm in between models. facelifts don't count)

 

[TSAVJason]

Well, I already have a HD800S, so I'm not so keen on testing out the Utopia, especially at that price. I did try the Elear and I didn't like it. I was looking for something to satisfy my cravings for that Edition X sound I heard. After some searching around, I finally settled on the Z1R (kimbers and all), and I hated it the minute I got it out of the box. But after burning it in, it does have that same quality as the Edition X, and then some. It's easily my fav can for music these days.

I'm seriously considering the 1A, and I don't think I'll shoot for the 1Z. Will probably go for the 1ES in time. But I'll wait till after IFA2017 to see what's coming before I take the plunge. Do you know what's the product refresh rate for Sony? Is it 4 years? (for cars it's 7 years as a norm in between models. facelifts don't count)

Great! Nothing wrong with the 800S. Sony is not a consistent new platform company in nearly every product category. But it's in or about 3-4 years. Tell me about it on cars. I've been doing Ford, Ford/Shelby & Shelby SEMA designs for nearly 10 years now. I understand facelifts.

 

[Witcher]

Great! Nothing wrong with the 800S. Sony is not a consistent new platform company in nearly every product category. But it's in or about 3-4 years. Tell me about it on cars. I've been doing Ford, Ford/Shelby & Shelby SEMA designs for nearly 10 years now. I understand facelifts.

Thanks! So that means as of 2017, likely anything released by 2013 will need a refresh. Meaning my PHA3, Z1R, XBAZ5 still have a ways to go. phew!

 

[Luis Alberto]

I have both. Z1R and mojo. And to me, they don't pair as well as they should. The Z1R seems a little overly bloated with the mojo. The Z1R pairs very very well with the Sony's own PHA3.

Appreciate your response and surprising its not complimentary combo.

 

[Witcher]

Appreciate your response and surprising its not complimentary combo.

Well, there ARE some who like that combo I believe. Maybe it's just because the resultant sound wasn't what I was looking for. The Mojo works fantastic with my HD800S, so it's possible I was spoiled by that already.

 

[Fifty five]

Enjoy Listening

 

[Sp12er3]

Actually first time I listen to Toccata and Fugue in D minor for its entirety, somehow this one just doesn't make me pull back when it starts playing (seems a memory from my childhood about Dracula movie makes it kind of a reflex...whatever). anyway, thanks for the link and I enjoy reading the comments there as well.

 

[buzzlulu]

Posted this on the WM1A/Z thread and thought it might also be appropriate here:

I had both the Sony made Kimber and the direct Kimber Axios here in the house to use with the Z1R and WM1Z. The difference is not inconsequential between the two with the Axios easily demonstrating its superiority. Actually the stock cable holds up quite well comparatively speaking vs. the Sony Kimber. I would say the people should either stick with the stock cable or jump straight to the Axios - some may find the Sony Kimber version to be more of a side step.

The Z1R continues to amaze me - its scalability is incredible. By scalability I refer to the ability to dramatically improve depending on the cables, and most importantly, the source which is used to drive it.

Coming from two channel it is the last part, the source used, which rings most important. It is commonly accepted wisdom in two channel land, at least where I hang out (flat earth UK brands such as Linn and Naim) that one should spend the bulk of their budget on the SOURCE. The smaller part of the budget goes towards the speakers. This was one of the prime selling points of the Linn LP12 turntable. Think about it - the music, the information, is contained in the vinyl grooves. If you do not maximize the equipment to ensure that you are extracting all there is to get from the grooves, getting all the music out, then the best speakers in the world will never be able to make things sound better - if you are leaving some of the music trapped in the grooves. Quite simply put the speakers cannot make out something that is not there. So it is useless to spend huge money on speakers - and less on the turntable. Spend your money on trying to get as much music as possible from out of the grooves.

Much in the same way things are identical when assembling a headphone system. One can have the best headphone available - a Utopia, a Stax, the Z1R - yet a Mojo is only capable of extracting a certain amount of information from the audio files, a Hugo even more, a WM1Z yet more, and finally some of the uber DAC's - DAVE, Linn DS etc. - which can extract ALL of the music there is in the files - music which lower DAC's such as a Mojo leave behind.

So - getting back to the point at hand - what impresses me about the Z1R is what kind of performance it gives me out of a Mojo - how said performance gets that much better with the WM1Z - and finally the dramatic leap which comes when using some of the uber DAC's.

The Z1R is capable of many things - its only limiting factors are the source used, and other ancillary components such as the cable etc.

So if people only hear the Z1R with the stock cable out of a Mojo (maybe even with MP3's instead of FLAC files) - then they are missing so much of what this headphone is capable of giving - and they should temper/qualify their opinions about its performance accordingly.

 

[up late]

^ the rule of thumb for expenditure on two channel hi fi that salesmen would recommend to me was to spend 50 per cent of it on the loudspeakers and the other 50 per cent on the source and amplification components. i'm prepared to invest more in loudspeakers and headphones than ancillary components because i've found that they make the most noticeable difference to the sound - ymmv.

 

[buzzlulu]

Well - that is the complete opposite of the commonly held advice you would hear from Linn, Naim, UK, and other flat earth dealers.

Google the Linn LP12 and it's history. You will get a better idea of the philosophy behind the reasoning.

What sounds better - a MP3 or FLAC?
What sounds better - a Mojo or DAVE?

Now take a Utopia and listen to a MP3 through a Mojo
Now take a lesser grade headphone and listen to a FLAC through a DAVE

Which will sound better?

Source first always rules.

 

[up late]

"source first always rules" is a matter of opinion and nothing more except when it becomes dogma, which is tiresome. i don't happen to subscribe to it based on my own experience but you and anyone else are welcome to.

 

[Tentacles]

Surely percentage of total cost can't be a very important factor (within reason)? My MacBook cost quite a bit more than my headphones, and I'm listening to V0 MP3. I imagine most of Head-Fi would consider that an inferior source despite the cost.

The ridiculous thing about this whole discussion is that I'm pretty sure the weakest link in the audio chain are people's ears. Opinions are close to worthless due to just that.

I very much doubt my 45 year old ears could tell the difference between a Orpheus and a HD800S.

 

[up late]

there's lots of ridiculous discussions about audio but i still value some opinions more than others regardless. anyways, i'm mindful that this is supposed to be a z1r listening impressions only thread.