It’s not always easy but I’d suggest if you give it time you’ll hear them voice much better. Don’t give up on them yet! It’s too soon if you just got them, they’re still probably pretty tight
Oh I’m not giving up on them! It’s just that other headphones I’ve demoed before have always sounded similar when I eventually bought a new pair. I’d like to get the kimber cables as that was the only difference between my pair and the pair at canjam. Hope I don’t open another can of worms but I don’t believe in burn in!
Oh I’m not giving up on them! It’s just that other headphones I’ve demoed before have always sounded similar when I eventually bought a new pair. I’d like to get the kimber cables as that was the only difference between my pair and the pair at canjam. Hope I don’t open another can of worms but I don’t believe in burn in!
Look, don't start this guy's. All I am going to say is would Sony partner with Kimber for a multi-thousand dollar cable if they thought the response would be very negative? When stuff sucks it sucks but it does not. Sony= not stupid.
Honestly I believe more that cables can improve the sound or change the signature somehow then people claiming they hear a difference between firmware 3.0 and 3.01.
I suspect that some people have spent money on cables, in some cases stretching financially to do so, and are bothered by hearing a comment that they may have misperceived and the cable doesn't really make a difference. I totally get that, but at the same time, we also have people wondering whether they should spend money to change cables, and they're influenced by the opinions and advice they read here. I myself was advised to change the cable, and then all will be well.
My thinking is that if it's ok for people to say the cables sound different and a particular cable will improve the sound, it should also be ok to question that and explain why. The alternative is to say that thread is limited to discussing the Z1R only, and we can't talk about how cables, DACs, amps, etc. may or may not affect its sound.
We are not even saying buy a Kimber cable just figure out a way to demo a set in your system. But your right, there are cable believers and cable non-believers. So it’s kinda of a cause that audiophiles get caught up in. Strangely though one of the big differences between the Sony Walkman 1A and 1Z is the 1Z has Kimber cable for the internal wiring.
You can maybe find a retailer to lend you a pair of after market Kimber cables. If they don’t make a noticeable improvement return them.
My personal experience is at times cables make a difference. But they can also make a bad difference if they are mismatched to getting the sound in the wrong direction from your goals. Thus I have had experiences where the aftermarket cables actually degrade the sound from the manufacturer’s included cables.
And of course placebo can make adds sound better than real life. That’s the confusing part about trying to upgrade audio equipment.
Changing the subject, with all the talk about Sony discontinuing the headphone, I ordered an extra set of ear pads wow 320 dollars. Got them from Ecompass- part numbers listed somewhere run this thread. I had to order left and right separately.
So after a not so good start to my brand new Z1R’s which sounded different to the ones i demoed at canjam, i was still hearing the same thing when reading through the thread and already contemplating getting the kimber cables. For some unknown reason, shortly after posting, the headphones somehow opened up and sounded exactly as I remember them! No joke!
When i first got them all the vocals were very ‘muffled’ and sounded like the artist was standing 20 -30 meters away from the instruments and the mic! Now for some reason its all perfect. Still don’t believe in burn in but i did have them playing for only 10 hours.
No need to get a new cable immediately now but would like to hear what difference they make. Unfortunately don’t think i can get demo ones in the UK.
So after a not so good start to my brand new Z1R’s which sounded different to the ones i demoed at canjam, i was still hearing the same thing when reading through the thread and already contemplating getting the kimber cables. For some unknown reason, shortly after posting, the headphones somehow opened up and sounded exactly as I remember them! No joke!
When i first got them all the vocals were very ‘muffled’ and sounded like the artist was standing 20 -30 meters away from the instruments and the mic! Now for some reason its all perfect. Still don’t believe in burn in but i did have them playing for only 10 hours.
No need to get a new cable immediately now but would like to hear what difference they make. Unfortunately don’t think i can get demo ones in the UK.
I had to go through Ebay to buy from a Korean reseller to get them. Even had to pay customs because they check on Sony branded stuff to find counterfeits. Costed me roughly 300 Euros. As on my Z7 the original 3.5 mm cable is broken, I wanted too be on the safe side and have a backup cable on hand. The original cable is on my Z7 now so that I can also use it with my WM1A balanced section.
Anyone interested in show of hands. Sony owners who have moved onto to third party cables while ditching the stock cables. Impressions only is best to keep this thread going in the right direction while benefitting the audience. The MDR-Z1 has enormously scalable potential given the right cable and electronics!
Can I answer for the Z7 rather than the Z1 without being drummed out of this thread?
My Sony MDR-Z7 has three cables: the stock, a silver balanced cable done by a head-fier here, and the Sony/Kimber Z7 cable. While I prefer the (shorter) length of the custom balanced cable, I cannot distinguish any difference in sound with the silver cable, even in balanced mode. I can maybe hear a very slight improvement with the Sony/Kimber cable, but not anything that I think would survive a blind test. I DO prefer the Sony/Kimber and the balanced silver for their shorter length, however.
I have Sony/kimber cable and imo it expands soundstage a little. It is my first experience in changing cables and I was sceptical about the sound improvings but I liked how it looks so decided to buy. I can feel the difference in a/b comparison. Now wonder how the axios cable sounds.
I have the AXIOS Cu balanced and it provides more low end and reduced the harshness of the highs. Made it sound smoother and more organic than the stock balanced cable
I had the FAW Noir Hybrid made for the Z1R. The headphone side plugs did not fot completely. The screw on mechnism was not tight enough. The plugs still could move and did lose contact. I had them rebuild to fit my HD800. Now I can run the HD800 balanced from my Sony WM1A. Thenafter I got the Sony Kimberas replacement. The FAW has the much better haptic than the Sony Kimber. Not stubborn at all. If he has better plugs now, you might give it a shot.
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