Gamerlingual
Headphoneus Supremus
My own skin oil from my fingers can help the headphones? Is that what you mean?
Sony Z1R....listening impressions only
I went to an Hifi Store today to buy a second over ear headphone.
I tested like 12 Headphones up to 7000€ and the MDR-Z1R beat every single of them.
To my surprise the only thing I liked and most likely will get was the Audeze LCD-2C. It isn't as good as the MDR-Z1R but I just liked it. It was an enjoyable experience and an nice addition to the Z1R imho. Very beautiful sound. It's like an softer and more laid back version of the Z1R
I couldn't stand anything from Focal or Meze, they all sounded just off and wrong to me. The Hifiman where okay, but very generic and boring.
One Audio Technica (I forgot the name) also sounded very good, but I just liked the LCD-2C more.
But the MDR-Z1R holy moly made it the other ones bite the dust.
If you're into the sound signature of the MDR-Z1R, there is nothing better you can get, no matter the price
And I noticed again, how this has such an amazing soundstage and dry and clear and fast bass.
I tested some very expensive closebacks and they all sounded very typical closed back unlike the Z1R or Z7M2
I tested like 12 Headphones up to 7000€ and the MDR-Z1R beat every single of them.
To my surprise the only thing I liked and most likely will get was the Audeze LCD-2C. It isn't as good as the MDR-Z1R but I just liked it. It was an enjoyable experience and an nice addition to the Z1R imho. Very beautiful sound. It's like an softer and more laid back version of the Z1R
I couldn't stand anything from Focal or Meze, they all sounded just off and wrong to me. The Hifiman where okay, but very generic and boring.
One Audio Technica (I forgot the name) also sounded very good, but I just liked the LCD-2C more.
But the MDR-Z1R holy moly made it the other ones bite the dust.
If you're into the sound signature of the MDR-Z1R, there is nothing better you can get, no matter the price
And I noticed again, how this has such an amazing soundstage and dry and clear and fast bass.
I tested some very expensive closebacks and they all sounded very typical closed back unlike the Z1R or Z7M2
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This thick paper is not normal paper. it's called washi （和紙）and is a traditional art of paper making.I know, the MDR Z1R is actually pretty amazingly engineered. I only plan on having 2 mods on it, and one is already done.
my first mod was pretty easy in my experiences, but I would think it is about medium for diy attempts, but also is the main mod. It is a tuning mod That aimed toward mor air, transient responses and sub bass controls. Not in a way to totally changing the characteristics of the Z1R, but keeping it stock and refining it a little bit more in a tasteful way.
I swapped out the back vents, due to the designs of the drivers, housing, as a whole, the drivers were designed this way, but Sony did over dampening the drivers and for a good reason.
Stock is using very thick paper felts and if I rated it breathes ability (intake and exhausting of air), the thickness would be 10/10 on intake while the exhausting would be 9/10. So the drivers could exhaust out better than it could breathe in. Sony designed it very well, and it took me a while to study of their why and how. After I grasped their designs and intentions, I tried it out, and this back felt will effect the performance in an obvious way.
To just tastefully adjust it as mentioned above, I had found out that giving it the intake to be 8/10, and exhaust to be 7/10 will have more bass articulations, faster transient across the whole spectrum, while toning down that sibilants just a little bit more than stock, and keeping everything similarly to the Sony Z1R hour sound, which is bass focused and resolving. The resolving-ability, details, speed is improved, and from there, imagines, staging as well.
I don’t have the machines to test air pressure like Sony do when they engineered and tested, quality controlled the paper cup housing on the breathability of the materials….I use human sensory…aka, my breathing over the materials to judge it (nose and mouth). I made sure to have the materials coming from one single source as well. So, if anyone is attempting this mod, they should know what they want to do.
over my testing of period, when the vent is completely opened, the mid will be more recessed and carved out, the resolving ability will degrade, the mid bass will overwhelm many other traits, where as stock thickness would bring what stock does. So, test around, and judge it however you want your to be.
1/ You will need to be able to dissect the headphones. You don’t have to take off the hanger assembly, just removing the pad, and unscrew the drivers.
2/ You will need to remove the back paper felt. This is not salvageable. Unless you know how to remove glues efficiently, by using heating packs and applying it, be very caring toward it. However, feel free to experiences the differences. The drivers is only $150 a pop. The felt is not sold as parts. Make sure that you do want to seek better transients responses. If you love the Z1R the way that it is, then no need to do it.
3/ You will need B7000 glues, applying it carefully, and allowing time to cure for about 2 hours
4/ You will need to find your own materials that has the breathe-ability as disclosed above. I found that there are many materials that will work well. Even from the combination of semi-open cell porous foam together with a cotton layer that is cut out of your T-Shirt.
5/ a nice pair of scissors to trim to the sizes
Here is a picture of stock driver . The inner felt is what you would like to adjust. Also another picture of focal Stellia. Very different in acoustic engineering. But FYI, it is one of a main way to control and tune your own headphones. I recommend you to read up more about acoustic suspension designs and studying it if you want to know further as of why I am doing it this way.
Stellia is using the combination of foam and cotton hybrid cover. You can see it as shown below
for my very own result. I chose a woolly materials that have the breathe-ability as mentioned above . 1 side is woolly and another side is cotton. To cut it out nicely, I used the pulled off felt as a mold to cut. This materials were actually found from my Ibasso player accessory as a bag that containing the cables. I wager that you can buy these pouches from Amazon, just make sure to choose the right breathe-ability to your preferences.
Working on the open back and preventing debris or crumbs to drop inside is pretty hard. Therefore, I don’t recommend you to keep trying over and over again. You can try to listen to stock very carefully and analyzing it. Then leave it completely open to judge the signature of how much air and breathe ability you would want the felt back to be, before you apply it on.
if you do want to try several different materials here. Use clear duct tape and carefully cutting, applying it to the driver. Do not use B7000 yet, this is resurveyed for only when you chose the right one that fit your desires. Just make sure that the intake is going to be proportional, the intake is going to be less than the exhaust, for better control and keeping it as close to the stock as possible but with transient improvements.
pictures below is from a totally opened, and then modified to my tastes. This is the most impactful toward the performances of the Z1R. There is no need to apply any other mods. The next one is to upgrade the internal wires. You can use all kinda Axios Cables as you want. The bottle-neck will still be the internal wires. I would also think that the internal wires should be upgraded, especially if you are loving the Z1R stock sound
This paper is absorbing sound waves which is the reason Sony decided for this. This is the reason why it doesn't have this typical, closed off bass, even though it's closed
Was that an impression based on closed back only comparison? And no @Whitigir in actually all using the stock Bal cable, plan to buy a copper one at 2m+ range that suit my daily use better but am not rushing it.
Only two or three were closed backs. Or more? I tested to many.
Two LCD closed backs one Meze and the three Focal
I tested several Hifiman (including the Susvara), an Open Back audio Technica and several open back Audeze.
But also some closed backs like the Meze Liric (horrible. My ears were ringing after just one song because due to the treble.) Then the Focal. One sounded like it had pillows inside, a second one was so weird, that it sounded like it had insane channel imbalance)
From the ones I tested, I disliked Meze the most, followed by Hifiman and Focal
I liked the LCD-2C and the Audio Technica (it was the ATH-ADX5000, just looked that one up) the most.
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Did you test against the Focal Stellia? Tried the Z1's a few years back and thought they smoked all I tested against, but didn't want to pop for them then. Seems that they still are superb against the rest. Do you know if Sony has a follow on coming forth, as I may be ready to purchase the Z1 by Winter.
Yeah, didn't like how cymbals sounded with them and also in some songs like from ReoNa the S's were to sharp.
But especially the Cymbals annoyed me. And when listening to ユメの喫茶店, I could hear the double bass, but not feel the vibration if the strings.
I didn't knew it was 3000€, the poor store clerk, I was pretty harsh on these. But seriously to me they did not sound much better then the MDR-1AM2 which sells for like 180€
But now I understand why he grinned when I said I liked the LCD-2C most
But pricing in the Headphone world makes no sense anyway
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Gamerlingual
Headphoneus Supremus
Still confused about the skin oil explanation. Can others mention how they clean their MDR-Z1R ear pads?
I just wipe them down with microfiber cloth after every use.
Had a feeling it'd be the ADX, only it have the ability to wow on first listen on AT's current flagship lineup IMO. Mostly because it's pretty underappreciated despite competing very well against 800s and Clear.
Same here.
+1, also they can be replaced easily, so sometimes i don't care
Gamerlingual
Headphoneus Supremus
Thanks. Despite the fact that they can be replaced, those leather pads aren’t cheap.
nc8000
Headphoneus Supremus
I’m using some much cheaper angled lambskin pads from eBay
Thats true. Depending on where you buy them, its almost 200 if you want to replace both.
From Dekoni there are some very very good ones, but they are only 10€ cheaper but you have more options.
They have like 4 styles. Sheep leather, fake leather, mesh and hybrid
From Dekoni there are some very very good ones, but they are only 10€ cheaper
but you have more options.They have like 4 styles. Sheep leather, fake leather, mesh and hybrid
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Verificateur
100+ Head-Fier
Thank you for your impressions. You mentioned both Z1R and Z7M2 at the end — could you please share your impressions of the Z7M2 and how it compares?
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