[mrjayviper]

I have been wanting to try out the Dekoni pads for the Z1R for a while, and finally got the chance to do so. I chose the elite sheepskin pads and I must say Im really happy with the result.

I bought a pair of these phones and the seller is including a set of unused dekoni elites. Very excited though I'm still sorting out my DaC/head amp situation.

I have a tubed DIY solution but it's not balanced

 

[wompa164]

Just wanted to share my experience and impressions after purchasing a pair of these to test out based on all the good things I heard, going in blind so as not to taint my experience.

My first impression was being blown away by the design of the unit and comfort - total class act as to be expected from Sony. I have been using HD800 S exclusively for the past several years and have found them very light and comfortable and can wear them for hours on end, but I never expected the Z1R to exceed them given their size. It was like wearing a pillow on my head. Perfectly balanced, no pain from clamping pressure on my ears or on top from the headband.

Second impression was how meager the included cable was - for the money I think Sony could do much better on this given the premium materials used everywhere else. Take the money away from the leather box which I'll never see again and put it towards a nicer cable.

Third impression was that the mids were quite recessed which was a pretty big turnoff coming from the 800 S. They felt veiled and quiet, which was in sharp contrast with how wide and luxurious the rest of the soundstage was.

I thought that the mids alone would be a disqualifier.. however I was shocked by how much my impression changed over the next 30 days. I grew to REALLY like these headphones. If I had to use one word, it would be 'engaging' - everything I listen to sounded effortless, and putting them on my head every time was a pleasure. The isolation afforded by the big ear cups, big pillowy ear pads and closed back design was really novel after having open backs for so long sharing a home office with my wife.

After a while, the recessed mids didn't really bother me much at all. And the low end was so luxurious that it more than made up for it. Not in an excessive way - I was expecting a bass monster.. I felt like they were exactly what I wanted from a headphone.

I returned them as I was having a bit of trouble justifying the price tag and wanted to try a few others before settling on a new pair, however I keep finding myself thinking about them. I have a pair of LCD XC on the way to demo, though I am a bit worried about the weight and clamping pressure. I forsee repurchasing the Z1R in my future..!

 

[Lookout57]

Just wanted to share my experience and impressions after purchasing a pair of these to test out based on all the good things I heard, going in blind so as not to taint my experience.

My first impression was being blown away by the design of the unit and comfort - total class act as to be expected from Sony. I have been using HD800 S exclusively for the past several years and have found them very light and comfortable and can wear them for hours on end, but I never expected the Z1R to exceed them given their size. It was like wearing a pillow on my head. Perfectly balanced, no pain from clamping pressure on my ears or on top from the headband.

Second impression was how meager the included cable was - for the money I think Sony could do much better on this given the premium materials used everywhere else. Take the money away from the leather box which I'll never see again and put it towards a nicer cable.

Third impression was that the mids were quite recessed which was a pretty big turnoff coming from the 800 S. They felt veiled and quiet, which was in sharp contrast with how wide and luxurious the rest of the soundstage was.

I thought that the mids alone would be a disqualifier.. however I was shocked by how much my impression changed over the next 30 days. I grew to REALLY like these headphones. If I had to use one word, it would be 'engaging' - everything I listen to sounded effortless, and putting them on my head every time was a pleasure. The isolation afforded by the big ear cups, big pillowy ear pads and closed back design was really novel after having open backs for so long sharing a home office with my wife.

After a while, the recessed mids didn't really bother me much at all. And the low end was so luxurious that it more than made up for it. Not in an excessive way - I was expecting a bass monster.. I felt like they were exactly what I wanted from a headphone.

I returned them as I was having a bit of trouble justifying the price tag and wanted to try a few others before settling on a new pair, however I keep finding myself thinking about them. I have a pair of LCD XC on the way to demo, though I am a bit worried about the weight and clamping pressure. I forsee repurchasing the Z1R in my future..!

I'm not familiar with the LCD-XC, but I have the MDR-Z1R and LCD-X and it's no contest. The LCD-X is very heavy, dry and analytical. The MDR-Z1R is much warmer and musical when using a 3rd party OCC Copper or Silver cable. The stock silver plated copper is crap. It's also extremely comfortable for long listening sessions, unlike the LCD-X.

 

[Vamp898]

Just wanted to share my experience and impressions after purchasing a pair of these to test out based on all the good things I heard, going in blind so as not to taint my experience.

My first impression was being blown away by the design of the unit and comfort - total class act as to be expected from Sony. I have been using HD800 S exclusively for the past several years and have found them very light and comfortable and can wear them for hours on end, but I never expected the Z1R to exceed them given their size. It was like wearing a pillow on my head. Perfectly balanced, no pain from clamping pressure on my ears or on top from the headband.

Second impression was how meager the included cable was - for the money I think Sony could do much better on this given the premium materials used everywhere else. Take the money away from the leather box which I'll never see again and put it towards a nicer cable.

Third impression was that the mids were quite recessed which was a pretty big turnoff coming from the 800 S. They felt veiled and quiet, which was in sharp contrast with how wide and luxurious the rest of the soundstage was.

I thought that the mids alone would be a disqualifier.. however I was shocked by how much my impression changed over the next 30 days. I grew to REALLY like these headphones. If I had to use one word, it would be 'engaging' - everything I listen to sounded effortless, and putting them on my head every time was a pleasure. The isolation afforded by the big ear cups, big pillowy ear pads and closed back design was really novel after having open backs for so long sharing a home office with my wife.

After a while, the recessed mids didn't really bother me much at all. And the low end was so luxurious that it more than made up for it. Not in an excessive way - I was expecting a bass monster.. I felt like they were exactly what I wanted from a headphone.

I returned them as I was having a bit of trouble justifying the price tag and wanted to try a few others before settling on a new pair, however I keep finding myself thinking about them. I have a pair of LCD XC on the way to demo, though I am a bit worried about the weight and clamping pressure. I forsee repurchasing the Z1R in my future..!

I was testing several Audeze including the XC but the X was much better imho. The Bass on the XC was very distorted and sounded very unnatural. You could really feel the pressure of the bass to an level that made it uncomfortable to listen to.

Unlike the Z1R it's completely closed, like sealed. They are meant for noise isolation.

It sounds much more like you expect and closed back to sound

 

[ST33L]

Just wanted to share my experience and impressions after purchasing a pair of these to test out based on all the good things I heard, going in blind so as not to taint my experience.

My first impression was being blown away by the design of the unit and comfort - total class act as to be expected from Sony. I have been using HD800 S exclusively for the past several years and have found them very light and comfortable and can wear them for hours on end, but I never expected the Z1R to exceed them given their size. It was like wearing a pillow on my head. Perfectly balanced, no pain from clamping pressure on my ears or on top from the headband.

Second impression was how meager the included cable was - for the money I think Sony could do much better on this given the premium materials used everywhere else. Take the money away from the leather box which I'll never see again and put it towards a nicer cable.

Third impression was that the mids were quite recessed which was a pretty big turnoff coming from the 800 S. They felt veiled and quiet, which was in sharp contrast with how wide and luxurious the rest of the soundstage was.

I thought that the mids alone would be a disqualifier.. however I was shocked by how much my impression changed over the next 30 days. I grew to REALLY like these headphones. If I had to use one word, it would be 'engaging' - everything I listen to sounded effortless, and putting them on my head every time was a pleasure. The isolation afforded by the big ear cups, big pillowy ear pads and closed back design was really novel after having open backs for so long sharing a home office with my wife.

After a while, the recessed mids didn't really bother me much at all. And the low end was so luxurious that it more than made up for it. Not in an excessive way - I was expecting a bass monster.. I felt like they were exactly what I wanted from a headphone.

I returned them as I was having a bit of trouble justifying the price tag and wanted to try a few others before settling on a new pair, however I keep finding myself thinking about them. I have a pair of LCD XC on the way to demo, though I am a bit worried about the weight and clamping pressure. I forsee repurchasing the Z1R in my future..!

Good review, and agree that I’d trade the box for better cables. I think that they’re great headphones for all genres. They’re not the best at anything, but very good at everything.

 

[mrjayviper]

Unlike the Z1R it's completely closed, like sealed. They are meant for noise

received the Z1Rs today. these are very comfy (a different comfy compare to say the Focal Clear Pros)

 

[mrjayviper]

going through my 6H30 tubed amp and the BASS!! (this pair are secondhand sets. not available brand new anymore in my country so it's likely been broken in already)

 

[gerelmx1986]

Yes better cables make a difference. I had @nc8000 kimber axios and sold it to get his Lavericablew

 

[IXOYE]

I am very interested in these headphones but am a little skeptical about the cable connection to the headphones, aren't they in the way if you lie down on the couch on a pillow and listen to music?

 

[Vamp898]

I am very interested in these headphones but am a little skeptical about the cable connection to the headphones, aren't they in the way if you lie down on the couch on a pillow and listen to music?

They can be, yes. You need a pillow of the size of your head. Anything larger will push the headphones from behind

 

[nc8000]

I am very interested in these headphones but am a little skeptical about the cable connection to the headphones, aren't they in the way if you lie down on the couch on a pillow and listen to music?

Yes they are. I use a small pillow and turn it length wise so it is narrower than my head and then there is no problem

 

[TomM71]

I have recently found, that the Z1R offer a really unique experience when paired with my little Brocksieper tube amp.

The ammount of punch and soundstaging this can offer is really amazing. However with some songs it can end up sounding almost comically warm and a little grainy.

Has any one else got experience using the Z1R with tube amps?

 

[davidmthekidd]

as an aside, rumors are that the IER-Z1R were discontinued, saw this on reddit.

https://www.reddit.com/r/SonyHeadphones/comments/whr3o7/apparently_the_ierz1r_has_been_discontinued/

 

[nc8000]

I have recently found, that the Z1R offer a really unique experience when paired with my little Brocksieper tube amp.

The ammount of punch and soundstaging this can offer is really amazing. However with some songs it can end up sounding almost comically warm and a little grainy.

Has any one else got experience using the Z1R with tube amps?

That brings back memories. My first dedicated headphone rig was the Earmax AE with AudioTechnica L3000 about 17 years ago. Source was Jungson CD2 with Nordost Valhalla cables

 

[mrjayviper]

I'm using the Z1R right now using a Cavalli-designed tubed amp (3x 6DJ8 family) (which I built a long long time ago when headwize was still around with Alex's help)