[457139]

before i sold my mdr-z1r, i only had the stock cable. when i read your impressions, i want to buy the z1r again, but with your recommended cables or lavricables grand .

since i have only 1x per week time to listen, i decided to stay with the meze elite and sell the mdr-z1r, which was basically in "almost new" condition. however, i realize how i miss the sound even if i am not able listen to music often.

I have been a believer in swapping pads and cable to mod the sound to preference, as I have always been able to hear all kinds of differences when I make changes (YMMV). When i had the HE500 i used to swap the stock pads for ether C angled pads and it would sound god-tier. It is still my all time fav other than the ZIR now.

The Z1R just needs a lift in the mids that's all - literally all that prevents it from being one of the best headphones you can buy. Stock it has treble and loose bass, but excellent technical ability, so much potential. The pad/cable change simply adds more meat and cheese (mids) to the sandwich bread that is the Z1R treble and Bass happy response. I'll add that in this config there is no harshness and it needs no EQ.

 

[ducnsh]

Just received the Dekoni hybrid pads yesterday, after an hour of listening and comparing them to the velour, my first impression is the hybrid has better isolation, and the treble is smoother. But the transparency and detail are under 1 level compared to the velour. I highly recommend using the velour in a quiet environment (isolation of these is really bad) to get a clear, detailed sound (vs the stock pads).

 

[The1Signature]

Just received the Dekoni hybrid pads yesterday, after an hour of listening and comparing them to the velour, my first impression is the hybrid has better isolation, and the treble is smoother. But the transparency and detail are under 1 level compared to the velour. I highly recommend using the velour in a quiet environment (isolation of these is really bad) to get a clear, detailed sound (vs the stock pads).

this is interesting: dekoni has 4 different pads but the cheapest by far - velour - seems to be the prio 1 for most people.

 

[Rayon]

I think I managed to snipe this peak off with the help of autoeq and some fine tuning:

AutoEq calculated this when using only one band:
3282 Hz, -4.6 dB, Q 8.44

Then I modified this into:
3282 Hz, -5 dB, Q 8

So little more attenuation and just a tad wider band to give some buffer for measurement error. Heavy EQ ruins the sound of Z1R IMO, but using just this tactical fix it's now much more calm compared to stock. Just wanted to share this in case someone wants to try it out.

 

[ducnsh]

this is interesting: dekoni has 4 different pads but the cheapest by far - velour - seems to be the prio 1 for most people.

Since it has the cheapest material, but I think that this kind of pads is more suitable for open back headphones

 

[flvtch]

ordered a pair of dekoni velours, let's see what all the fuss is about!

 

[MatthewWeflen]

I have a pair. They're fine, but for me it takes away some of the special bassy character that the Z1R has with stock or Dekoni leathers. I prefer to just EQ a light boost in the 1-4khz region, and to thin out the midbass just a wee bit around 250hz.

No matter how you slice it though, one of the nicest things about the Z1R as a product is the ease of pad swaps and the availability of the Dekonis for doing so.

 

[svmusa]

Another satisfied Z1R owner, I like the sound signature as it is and looking for another closed headphone with similar traits. My obvious choice is Z7M2 but curious if others have any recommendations worth looking into in the lower <$1k range for closed ones. I have tried higher ends on Beyer/Fostex/Audio technica a while back but never was able to hang on those with sibilance and too hot of a sound signature, at the most I can listen may be 30 min.
For reference I have JVC hp-dx1000 and Meze 99 Neo.

 

[Hinomotocho]

I've posted my Z7M2 vs Z1R writeup in the reviews section:

https://www.head-fi.org/showcase/sony-mdr-z7m2.23953/reviews

Still waiting for my Z1R to arrive, I had sold them about this time last year so my perceptions may have changed. For me the Z1R could be used with many different types of music. I haven't heard the Z7M2, but I find the Z7 very hit-and-miss with music, there are some electronic/synth tracks where they can hit a sweet spot but with some other types they just don't work at all.

 

[MatthewWeflen]

Still waiting for my Z1R to arrive, I had sold them about this time last year so my perceptions may have changed. For me the Z1R could be used with many different types of music. I haven't heard the Z7M2, but I find the Z7 very hit-and-miss with music, there are some electronic/synth tracks where they can hit a sweet spot but with some other types they just don't work at all.

I was actually just coming to amend my review upward - more listening without comparison to other cans reveals the Z7M2 to be pretty kickass across multiple genres (today I was listening to Lady Gaga, Michael Jackson, Dvorak orchestral works, and some jazz).

It's a really good headphone, probably about even with the Aeon Closed X in my book, just excelling at somewhat different things. It gives you 95% of the slam of the Z1R, just not quite as much sound stage.

But with that said, I felt pretty much the same way about the Z7 mark 1.

 

[457139]

this is interesting: dekoni has 4 different pads but the cheapest by far - velour - seems to be the prio 1 for most people.

They don't heat up your ears like the stock pads also. But yes, the mids will lift to a nice level and the mid bass is restrained. Cable change alone will not do the job sufficiently in my experience. It's the diamond of mods for the Z1R.

 

[MatthewWeflen]

Another satisfied Z1R owner, I like the sound signature as it is and looking for another closed headphone with similar traits. My obvious choice is Z7M2 but curious if others have any recommendations worth looking into in the lower <$1k range for closed ones. I have tried higher ends on Beyer/Fostex/Audio technica a while back but never was able to hang on those with sibilance and too hot of a sound signature, at the most I can listen may be 30 min.
For reference I have JVC hp-dx1000 and Meze 99 Neo.

Z7M2 is the obvious choice, it's definitely a "baby Z1R." If you're looking for a backup Z1R, there's really no other choice. With that said, the other closed backs in this price range are the Aeon Closed X (which I own and think is wonderful), the Focal Elegia, the two Hifiman models (R10 and Sundara Closed), and a few others. The Aeon and Focal seem like the best in the range outside of Z7M2.

 

[Hinomotocho]

When I first owned the Z1R they didn't have the box, my second-time purchase have arrived and I get to see how big it is. Beautiful presentation but due to it's size it'll have to go into storage and I'll use the smaller case with foam insert I bought for original ones.
One of the biggest with one of the smallest.

 

[davidmthekidd]

This cover by Ramsey Lewis made my Z1R + WM1Z sing!

 

[Doug2507]

I gave MDR its first proper session on my ears last night. Left DMP accumulating play time and used WM1ZM2. Ended up listening to Jack White Fear of the Dawn Album on Tidal (no HR / Master available but I'll be hunting it down!). Was absolutely blown away tbh. Compared to IER I didn't find them overly V shaped, mids were far more present. The sheer amount of space in the mix was just superb, didn't do any critical listening tbh as I was having too good a time with them. Bass could be a little tighter but such an easy listen, treble I don't think needed any change and that's with Axios Cu. I've got Dekoni velour on the way out of curiosity to see what they do to bass and mids but really quite happy with them. Like them better than 9200 by a mile & Stellia have been gone for too long to make any comparison. These are a set that I feel might hook me back into using cans at home....