[nordkapp]

Well, this is off topic, but I'll ask still. Is anyone here going to CanJam NYC next month? If so, PM me. ☺

 

[music_man]

I take it I am boring you folks or something? I meant well. I honestly think these are the real deal. Just my opinion and of course subjective. This is the first time I actually did not considerably prefer $105,000 loudspeakers. I mean these are on some stuff. Good stuff. I love them and you can't have mine! I always was down with headphones but to be honest loudspeakers past a certain level just demolish headphones but these for the first time have me thinking differently. Of course it is just my taste. I stumbled upon them. I fully expected to be returning them. Boy was I wrong. Of course what I think matters to no one. Nor should anyone else's interpretations. If you are serious about buying a piece of high end audio gear either you are prepared to lose $$$, you bought with a full return policy or you listened somewhere. On that note can jams are perfect for this type of thing and very welcomed by me. To answer the question I will not be in NYC then. I will say it is amazing the stuff some people bring. Don't doubt there is an HE1 there. Things like that would never leave my residence. I am not selfish but I am realistic. Kudo's to those that bring that kind of stuff.

As I was saying I just wished they had fancied these up. My only very minor gripe that has nothing to do with sound. I would not care if they were in the $3k or even $4k range then. They were smart though they allowed more sales. TBH, I fully appreciate even $2,400 is a lot to many people. Then you need a dac and amp.

I would like to mention one thing. I plug serious headphones into no dac. I do not care what it is, it is a dac and a headamp was thrown on because it is the norm. My high end amps slaughter the Dave and QX-5 Twenty upstairs. On the lower level there is a MSB select but I spend most of my time upstairs now. So I am saying to do any high end headphones right you should have a dac and a amp. Thus I understand it could actually be unaffordable for many people. I appreciate that. I think you can still enjoy them but unfortunately not realize the full potential otherwise I remember when Benchmark said their amp in the dac1 was so incredible. It did not hold a candle to high end amps. Some that really dissed these hard might be their setup. Or they just did not like them which is fine with me. I think this pair might be a love or hate. So fully understandable. Coming the last year or so with mainly grados I was really surprised I liked them so much in fact.

Oh, I do kind of wonder what the dac/amp is like. Sony ES goes in cycles. Sometimes it is featherweight other times Sumo. The SCD-1 might be the greatest SACD player ever made. Even the 999ES was serious stuff.

 

[cjfrbw]

Z1R are immersive, just what I want. They are like a hypnotic 300b amp on good speakers.

Not the headphone that you put on and say "wow, listen all that DETAIL" and you are tearing them off your head fifteen minutes later and swearing off headphones for a few days. More like, you put them on and hmm that's nice, and hmm that's kinna nice, and hmm that's nice, too and three hours later your wife is tearing them off your head and kicking your ass to do your chores as you fall limp from your chair.

 

[Maelob]

Just reminded me of what one reviewer said about them - “therapeutic” Lol they definitely are

 

[rgs9200m]

I find the Z1R awesome with the Apex Pinnacle amp (original version of this amp). I'm using the cheap Sony/Kimber cable (not the Axios which I never heard).
The stock cable is fine too, just not as full bloomy as the Sony/Kimber.

I had the R10 bass-light, but I like the Z1R more. I sold the R10. I like the full, rounded textures of the Z1R better.

I also have a Rudistor RP010B amp (solid state), and the Z1R sounds different, a little more prominent in the very high treble, but still excellent and not fatiguing or annoying.

So I know that the Z1R is one of my favorite headphones that I never intend to give up.
I would even buy a second pair as a spare if I heard they were in danger of being discontinued.
I like them That Much.

 

[fullranger]

Well, last night, I walked the neighborhood with my EX-1000’s, and had a good time.
Tonight, however, I listened to Beck’s album Sea Change (Tidal) with my MDR-Z7’s in 25MPH winds at 25 degrees Fahrenheit from my iPhone with a head scarf to block the wind.
Hate to say it, but I’m starting to doubt that I’d bump up to the Z1R. Maybe I have crappy ears, but at $350, the Z7 has me singing the Hallelujah Song...

 

[cjfrbw]

I like the Z7, too. My thought was that the Z7 was the best sales pitch for the Z1R. However, the Z1R is such a refinement, I'm not so sure the Z7 comparisons are quite as literal as some observers have made them out to be. I think the thought is whether the Z1R is worth the upgrade price. If you have the gnosh rattling around and you listen to headphone a lot, then yes, they are, but if you don't, the Z7 is very fine.

 

[music_man]

you are all right and why I like them so much. they are not technical just draw you in. do you really want to take 15 minutes of wow like a demo in your home on your equipment or enjoy listening for hours.

 

[Witcher]

Well, last night, I walked the neighborhood with my EX-1000’s, and had a good time.
Tonight, however, I listened to Beck’s album Sea Change (Tidal) with my MDR-Z7’s in 25MPH winds at 25 degrees Fahrenheit from my iPhone with a head scarf to block the wind.
Hate to say it, but I’m starting to doubt that I’d bump up to the Z1R. Maybe I have crappy ears, but at $350, the Z7 has me singing the Hallelujah Song...

You're right. The Z7s are really good enough. In this case, do yourself a favour, and NEVER hear both the Z7 and the Z1R side by side. they really do sound very similar, and there are slight differences. But those slight differences are what will make or break your love for the Z7. As long as you never realize what they are, you'll be safe. I made the mistake of trying the Z1R "just to see" when I was there really to buy the Z7. Side-by-side. The idea was to convince myself that I would be happy to stick with the Z7 because of the huge price gap. I walked out with the Z1R after that. My wallet hurt for months after.

 

[pietcux]

You're right. The Z7s are really good enough. In this case, do yourself a favour, and NEVER hear both the Z7 and the Z1R side by side. they really do sound very similar, and there are slight differences. But those slight differences are what will make or break your love for the Z7. As long as you never realize what they are, you'll be safe. I made the mistake of trying the Z1R "just to see" when I was there really to buy the Z7. Side-by-side. The idea was to convince myself that I would be happy to stick with the Z7 because of the huge price gap. I walked out with the Z1R after that. My wallet hurt for months after.

The Z7 is still so much better than the rest of my cans regarding how much it connects me to the music, it's worth to keep it once you got the Z1r. And the wallet thing, no problem here, as the musical joy they bring is priceless and timeless at the same time.

 

[Witcher]

The Z7 is still so much better than the rest of my cans regarding how much it connects me to the music, it's worth to keep it once you got the Z1r. And the wallet thing, no problem here, as the musical joy they bring is priceless and timeless at the same time.

well, for me there were more issues than just the SQ thing. the depth of the cups mattered, and my ears felt claustrophobic with the Z7 by comparison. I found the comfort of the Z1R to be better.

 

[music_man]

Again, I completely agree with you guy's. It is not a technical headphone but it just draws you in. It sounds so good to me. Instead of constantly focusing on macro details I just enjoy the music. I swear, if you guy's can get the Kimber Axios AG for it. It only adds like 10% performance to it but compared to the stock cable it sounds amazing. If you can deal with a shorter length the price is a lot but not unheard of. If you must have 6 feet I would probably forget it then. Heck, if that is the case plug it in a Mogami extension and it will still drastically improve the sound. I am a Vegan but I imagine this with the right amp and dac as lobster in hot butter sauce. The sound is just so rich and enveloping but I would not say highly detailed. It was a pleasant surprise after all of these extremely exacting headphones. It is by no means "sloppy" just robust and liquid. The sound is sublime to me. It follows the R10 and 010 IMO but is just more oozing with syrupy goodness.

 

[nordkapp]

Maybe you could say, for analogies sake, the Z1R is like a sweet sounding tube amplifier. Sonic signature akin to something like an VTL or Conrad Johnson - still high on detail retreival but ever so slightly tilted up mids/bass? Or similar sounding SS stuff from Mcintosh. IDK. Just sitting here reading these posts has me thinking.....

 

[nc8000]

Yep that is my feelings exactly. I just want to enjoy my music and I certainly do with this headphone and probably more than with any other headphone I have ever owned and with any and all genres and types of music but I totally respect that others might not feel that way. Just don’t tell me that I’m deluded and don’t know how to listen just because I love this headphone.

 

[sweetben]

I've been loving my Z1R since I got them, but I've been struggling to find the right amp/dac for them. Last week I purchased a Naim DAC V1, and I am in heaven. The combination of that classic "NAIM sound" and the rich sounding Sony's, is magic. The bass of my headphones has taken on a much more authoritative and crisp sound...tighter and deeper than before. The midrange is a little more clear, and the high's are super detailed without being too strident. It's really killer combination!