[up late]

that's interesting. i was auditioning the questyle cma600i which also has current drive amplification with the utopia the other day, and thought that it may be a good match with the z1r.

 

[music_man]

To say they are bad or good is subjective. Like everything else on this board. Period. Take either with a grain of salt. I listened. my cable makes a huge difference. No one could realistically buy that though. The sound is among the best headphones in the world. Even the HE1. IMO. I do not know why we waited this long. This should have been the 010! I will bet in 10+ years these will be like the R10. 5x their price. It also depends what you listen to. I would not say these are for rap or death metal for that matter. They still work. Have the speed and pump out the bass line. In fact the aforementioned Genre's sound better on these just because everything does. However if you want to listen to Adult contemporary, Jazz, Vocal, Singer-Songwriter these will hang with any headphone on the planet IMO. Just look how they build them. I hope this does not get locked now, but do you think this is how they build PS2000E? 'Nuff said. I think their build has a long way to go how they sound. Sony do not just slap things together. They use meticulous R&D and construction. That is probably why we only see a flagship every 15 years. It is indeed a Flagship. Now you may not like it but give credit where credit is due. I do like them, a lot. These are way up there.

As I thought my Cullen GCHA with extra modifications powers them better than any of my balanced amps and I have some pretty good stuff. The cable and amp kind of take off some bottom and put more prominent top. Just what I felt would make them a serious contender for best headphone in the world. I am not getting carried away. Feed these right and you won't believe what you hear. these are the real deal IMO.

 

[Lemieux66]

Playing some Bach on harpsicord right now, the detail and spaciousness is really something else! I'm reminded of the design brief for these headphones - to be super comfortable and to reveal atmospheric cues in recordings. For me, they nailed it in both criteria

 

[up late]

To say they are bad or good is subjective. Like everything else on this board. Period. Take either with a grain of salt. I listened. my cable makes a huge difference. No one could realistically buy that though. The sound is among the best headphones in the world. Even the HE1. IMO. I do not know why we waited this long. This should have been the 010! I will bet in 10+ years these will be like the R10. 5x their price. It also depends what you listen to. I would not say these are for rap or death metal for that matter. They still work. Have the speed and pump out the bass line. In fact the aforementioned Genre's sound better on these just because everything does. However if you want to listen to Adult contemporary, Jazz, Vocal, Singer-Songwriter these will hang with any headphone on the planet IMO. Just look how they build them. I hope this does not get locked now, but do you think this is how they build PS2000E? 'Nuff said. I think their build has a long way to go how they sound. Sony do not just slap things together. They use meticulous R&D and construction. That is probably why we only see a flagship every 15 years. It is indeed a Flagship. Now you may not like it but give credit where credit is due. I do like them, a lot. These are way up there.

As I thought my Cullen GCHA with extra modifications powers them better than any of my balanced amps and I have some pretty good stuff. The cable and amp kind of take off some bottom and put more prominent top. Just what I felt would make them a serious contender for best headphone in the world. I am not getting carried away. Feed these right and you won't believe what you hear. these are the real deal IMO.

the design, comfort and build quality of the z1 is deluxe. i don't think the same can be said of the ps2ke tbh.

 

[music_man]

How do I say this very subtly, No kidding! I don't want to go to far but one of them seems to be slapped together in a 13 year olds parents basement. I also vastly prefer the sound. Right now I am not so keen on the other ones anymore. Quite frankly glad the Kitten ate it. I would have never have even thought of buying these. I do not think people realize just what these really are. they are not just very good headphones...They are perhaps right now some of the best current models in production period. Not to say others are not as good in different ways but these are very serious stuff indeed. As always the cable maybe counts for 5% so no big deal there but perhaps my amp I don't know. The detail, soundstage,placement,presence it nails every checkbox. again, I would have never bought these. Fate.

 

[Bern2]

How do I say this very subtly, No kidding! I don't want to go to far but one of them seems to be slapped together in a 13 year olds parents basement. I also vastly prefer the sound. Right now I am not so keen on the other ones anymore. Quite frankly glad the Kitten ate it. I would have never have even thought of buying these. I do not think people realize just what these really are. they are not just very good headphones...They are perhaps right now some of the best current models in production period. Not to say others are not as good in different ways but these are very serious stuff indeed. As always the cable maybe counts for 5% so no big deal there but perhaps my amp I don't know. The detail, soundstage,placement,presence it nails every checkbox. again, I would have never bought these. Fate.

All thanks to your cat!! (I have a couple...so know what you are talking about).

Bern

 

[vr1]

Does anybody here using Z1R with the ZH1ES ? I would like to hear some comments. Is it worth getting one? Thanks.

 

[nordkapp]

Interresting vdo

Thanks for sharing! Reminds me of a program I once viewed showing Breitling watches being crafted. The attention to detail is amazing.

 

[raybies]

Hi.
I know this is an impressions thread, but it's also the only Z1R thread...
I ordered a pair of Z1R's late December, but the vendor and Sony Store say they're built to order and take 8-12 weeks, was that your experience?

 

[TSAVJason]

Hi.
I know this is an impressions thread, but it's also the only Z1R thread...
I ordered a pair of Z1R's late December, but the vendor and Sony Store say they're built to order and take 8-12 weeks, was that your experience?

Definitely not the case. It’s a production product. They are readily available. Back orders are typically under 4 weeks.

 

[raybies]

Definitely not the case. It’s a production product. They are readily available. Back orders are typically under 4 weeks.

https://store.sony.com.au/audio-headphones-all/MDRZ1R.html
[BUILT TO ORDER - ORDERS MAY TAKE UP TO EIGHT (8) WEEKS.]

But the retailer said post xmas slow down could add another 4 weeks; they're giving me the option to cancel or wait... it's a good price at RRP -30% + other cashbacks.
January's like August in the Northern Hemisphere where everyone goes on vacation.

 

[Fifty five]

Look like they dont have stock of Z1R in your country - -

 

[TSAVJason]

https://store.sony.com.au/audio-headphones-all/MDRZ1R.html
[BUILT TO ORDER - ORDERS MAY TAKE UP TO EIGHT (8) WEEKS.]

But the retailer said post xmas slow down could add another 4 weeks; they're giving me the option to cancel or wait... it's a good price at RRP -30% + other cashbacks.
January's like August in the Northern Hemisphere where everyone goes on vacation.

That is very strange. For us here in the US we place the order in whatever quantity we want and within a week it’s being delivered. No special orders no special build.

 

[pietcux]

That is very strange. For us here in the US we place the order in whatever quantity we want and within a week it’s being delivered. No special orders no special build.

Maybe it is more purchased to order from the internal supplier, that is in this case this special factory from the video. We have similar processes in place. And they differ by region and sales channel.

 

[TSAVJason]

Maybe it is more purchased to order from the internal supplier, that is in this case this special factory from the video. We have similar processes in place. And they differ by region and sales channel.

That link shows it’s Sony Australia. Sony is Sony in each country. They order from Sony Japan just like all Sony entities in outlying territories. In some cases the supply does come from distributors that are not Sony but none of the Z1R’s are built to order. They are all production pieces that come from Sony Japan. This was verified in an email to Japan last evening when I first saw the post because it made no sense when I saw the built to order statement. Not that I cared much but I was curious enough to ask.