[fullranger]

-and, as my name suggests, I’m a big two-channel fan. No tweeters for me. My hearing tops out around 13kHz...
Some crossfeed would help with the comparison, I agree.

 

[raybies]

No headphone will ever create the illusion of a live musical event like a properly set up 2 channel stereo.

I'm probably alone on this, but I think HPs can offer a nicer musical experience. The very few times I've attended a live music event I have been very disappointed with the sound, but maybe it was just where I was seated in the 2nd row, balcony, middle...

With my stereo I have spent literally weeks tuning the output with FIR filters (I have 4 presets for my differing listening locations), and perfectly tuned xovers; yeah I'm using subs bcos no affordable speaker goes deep enough. My HT avr has Audyssey multeq xt32 which rocks my world, literally.

So when you say create the illusion, are you referring to the arbitrary standing waves, reflections, etc... introduced by the venue, people walking around, your location? I agree it would be pretty hard reproducing that in a perfectly set up and controlled head mounted stereo, like the Z1R... you could always try flicking your tube amp's tubes for something equally hard to reproduce.

 

[rgs9200m]

In this Stereophile review of the Abyss Phi, Herb Reichert goes on a tangent on page 2 about the joys of headphone listening vs. speakers [Page 2, under heading "Attention Luddites."]
There is more about this in the article's comments.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/gramophone-dreams-17-abyss-ab-1266-phi-headphones

Excerpt (but there is more on this in the full article):

High-quality headphones can always do something that even the best two-channel loudspeakers never can: put you in the middle of the musical action. With stereo speakers, the music appears separate from you and in front of you—lower in energy, smaller in size. With speakers, we sit in our soft chairs and observe the fuzzy or sharp illusions they cast with an unavoidable degree of detachment—a detachment that, I imagine, most audiophiles find comforting. But! Therein lies the intrinsic fakeness of stereo sound from loudspeakers. With speakers, the entire illusion of the musical performance is ghostly, and distinctly over there. The listener, separated from the illusion, must mentally reach out and adjust to apprehend it.
Read more at https://www.stereophile.com/content...266-phi-headphones-page-2#se5mfIoauV0FG0tl.99

 

[ervin192]

It's based on personal viewpoints. Some people insist they need a big sound stage for their 'live image'. The headphones can never match any speakers in this issue. But I don't think the stage size is very important in headphone listening, instead you'd better focus on what the phone has put you into, on the sound space it's created. The headphone preserves details easily, avoids room acoustics and multi-driver inconsistency, so they just provide the 'rooms' of themselves with their own advantages.

 

[music_man]

What I was saying is I think these are the first headphones that come the closest to the huge soundstage and placement. I feel more so than any headphone I have heard. That is their forte not technicality. of course ymmv. Maybe someone hears them much different. That is the problem with audio you cannot just speak for everyone. I feel that these behave in a way no other headphones I have heard do. I have most of the high end phones and have heard any others. That does not at all mean someone else may hear something different completely.

 

[dnnaudio]

Currently listening to Ambrosia 70s music using Hugo2 > Z1R and it is easy to get lost in it. The term therapeutic mentioned seem to be its effect on me. I am using a Norne Silver Draug cable and the synergy is excellent. Tried other cable like DHC Fusion w/ is hybrid pure silver pure copper and preferred the pure silver. Both though is a material improvement over stock. I am a 2 channel speaker person that just dabbled into headphones and I can appreciate the comparison of the Z1R to loudspeaker experience. Loudspeaker experience is of course better but I feel lucky to discover these magical headphones. I plan to order second pair for backup.

 

[music_man]

Yeah, it is pretty much physically impossible for any headphone to match high end loudspeakers. Although these are the best simulation of such that I have yet to hear. What is missing is the detail but I do not mind. It is not fair to compare them to $100k speakers. For starters the headphones are 3 grand so how about compare them to some "average" 3 grand speakers? I do not have any here but I am betting the Z!R are going to be the more enjoyable in that situation. If for nothing else, 3 grand speakers are pretty low end and 3 grand headphones are in the high middle usually.

I guess these are good enough that some of us including myself ordered backup(s) of them. I just said none of us hear alike but I think it is the consensus these get even nicer with any kind of silver cable. I mean you can build a great cable for $75 or buy the same for $150. Unless it is a big name brand like the Axios I would not hand just anyone more than say $200 for the cable. I have a couple of much better cables even but they literally cost me nothing other than 2 hours of my time. I would say unless you are getting the Axios AG probably do not spend that much! A bit of gold sounds good too but now you are getting expensive.

 

[pietcux]

In the office today, I had the Z7 balanced on the WM1A. Miles Davis Tutu. The Z7 blew me away I just love how it renders the complete set of instruments played on this record. Now at home, same record, Z1R instead of the Z7. This can can not only blows me away, it knocks me off my socks. It was made for such music and exactly for this DAP. With the Z7 on I still can work, with the Z1R I lose control, cannot think straight anymore and find myself totally diluted in the music. With this dap/can combination, SONY achieved audio nirvana for me. Each track grips my heart and soul....
And @music_man all this happens with the stock balanced cable which comes with the can.

Again KUDOS to the SONY team that made this possible.

 

[nordkapp]

Yeah, it is pretty much physically impossible for any headphone to match high end loudspeakers. Although these are the best simulation of such that I have yet to hear. What is missing is the detail but I do not mind. It is not fair to compare them to $100k speakers. For starters the headphones are 3 grand so how about compare them to some "average" 3 grand speakers? I do not have any here but I am betting the Z!R are going to be the more enjoyable in that situation. If for nothing else, 3 grand speakers are pretty low end and 3 grand headphones are in the high middle usually.

I guess these are good enough that some of us including myself ordered backup(s) of them. I just said none of us hear alike but I think it is the consensus these get even nicer with any kind of silver cable. I mean you can build a great cable for $75 or buy the same for $150. Unless it is a big name brand like the Axios I would not hand just anyone more than say $200 for the cable. I have a couple of much better cables even but they literally cost me nothing other than 2 hours of my time. I would say unless you are getting the Axios AG probably do not spend that much! A bit of gold sounds good too but now you are getting expensive.

With all due respect, you constantly contradict yourself with every other post. Comparing headphones to loudspeakers is akin to comparing cars to motorcycles. I'm not trying to bust on anyone here but this needs to either end or start a new thread. Just seems like a fruitless endeavor.

 

[Greyscale]

They do pressurize, but only at higher levels of inherently bassy music. Fortunately, they are one of the few headphones that sound good at lower volume levels

 

[cjfrbw]

Strange, I bought a small Chinese headphone amp using JFET and MOSFET circuitry for less than $130 ebay, and it is such a sweet sounding headphone amp, it is impossible to tell it is solid state. That is something I would never have expected from topology alone. I actually bought it as a gain stage for another audio purpose, but started listening to the headphone output and was surprised.

In one of my locations I have been listening to it with Z7, using the straight headphone output of Mac Mini, and the sound is stellar. Z1R sounds great with it as well, but I have taken that to my primary listening location.

 

[sarnhelen]

Have to admit it, the Z1R balanced through WM1A trounces the Z1R through my desktop Mytek Brooklyn with expensive linear power supply, expensive cables, iFi iUSB3, fed by Audirvana Plus on a Macbook Pro. WM1A is mesmerising, the desk setup is good but nothing really compels. How can I bring the desktop system up to the WM1A level or beyond? Do I have to add a separate amp, even, gasp, tubes? What does anyone think..

 

[raybies]

Strange, I bought a small Chinese headphone amp using JFET and MOSFET circuitry for less than $130 ebay.

Looks like a Zero-Zone, got a link?

 

[fullranger]

Maybe just try your MW-1A as your home setup, too. Then you can sell what you don’t need :0)

 

[fullranger]

Or use your WM1A...