[johnwamp55]

 
Highly, highly disagree. I would never, ever pick the Z5 over the FX850 for classical, jazz or rock. 

Bingo I aint no Classical listening guy but if you amp the Z5 it will sound better than the JH13 and would you say the JH13 is a neutral Custom IEM? ROck like Led Zep, Rush, Queen, The Who, Queensrÿche the Z5 is perfect. So in your world of music what would sort of music would you pick the Z5 for if it isnt CLASSICAL, JAZZ or ROCK? I sense you a cd non bass neutral kind of guy.

 

[ImperialBlade]

 
Bingo I aint no Classical listening guy but if you amp the Z5 it will sound better than the JH13 and would you say the JH13 is a neutral Custom IEM? ROck like Led Zep, Rush, Queen, The Who, Queensrÿche the Z5 is perfect. So in your world of music what would sort of music would you pick the Z5 for if it isnt CLASSICAL, JAZZ or ROCK? I sense you a cd non bass neutral kind of guy.

Hello Johnwamp55,
 
Ohhhh you said Queensrÿche, you have me sold on the Z5's now!  Queensrÿche  is on eof my all time favorites, I mean the original Queensrÿche, before Geoff Tate had the falling out.
 
Regards,
Eric 

 

[Idsynchrono_24]

LOL, I love me some bass, and have been through more than a few sets that possess highly articulate, slammin bass, so it's not like I gravitate towards sterile sounding phones or anything. I can't comment in regard to the JH13 as I've never heard it, but from opinions of those whom I trust, it's a U shaped phone, not exactly neutral. The issue with the Z5 IMO is that it straight up lacks edge, bite and transparency. Guitars just plain sound wrong. I'm not the only person to hold this opinion in this thread either:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/733404/sonys-new-2014-flagship-iem-xba-z5/525#post_11066669
 
It sounds far from perfect IMO. To be honest, the Z5 disappointed me greatly from the moment I took it out of the box to the moment I sold it. I just never voiced my opinions cause I don't really enjoy coming across as contrarian in a thread of ardent fans, nor do I really enjoy arguing over the merits (or lack thereof) of phones with people who don't see eye to eye with me. I’m just offering my dissenting opinion so that perhaps others with similar tastes to myself can make more informed decisions. 
 
As for what I feel it excels with - as a few others have noted, the Z5 is good with pop, dance, and electronic genres. I believe the Z5 was developed in tandem with a pop music producer or artist so it shouldn’t really come as a surprise that that’s the genre it excels with.  As I'd mentioned before, these will appeal to a select group of people, and the very mixed reception in this thread corroborates this.
 
 I also don’t share the opinion that upper mid/treble presence translates to brightness/aggression. It certainly can, but not always. It’s simply not a binary choice of, like upper mids/treble? Z5 no likey. Like relaxed upper mids/treble? Z5 FTW. There are plenty of other phones that I find polite or relaxed in the upper spectrum such as the ASG 1 Plus, LAB I, Tenore, Rockets, SM64 etc. that didn’t set off my alarm bells in the way that the Z5 did. 

 

[johnwamp55]

  Hello Johnwamp55,
 
Ohhhh you said Queensrÿche, you have me sold on the Z5's now!  Queensrÿche  is on eof my all time favorites, I mean the original Queensrÿche, before Geoff Tate had the falling out.
 
Regards,
Eric 

Love the bass drums and duo guitars. Been listening to Coal Chamber the drums are insane !

 

[johnwamp55]

  LOL, I love me some bass, and have been through more than a few sets that possess highly articulate, slammin bass, so it's not like I gravitate towards sterile sounding phones or anything. I can't comment in regard to the JH13 as I've never heard it, but from opinions of those whom I trust, it's a U shaped phone, not exactly neutral. The issue with the Z5 IMO is that it straight up lacks edge, bite and transparency. Guitars just plain sound wrong. I'm not the only person to hold this opinion in this thread either:
 
http://www.head-fi.org/t/733404/sonys-new-2014-flagship-iem-xba-z5/525#post_11066669
 
It sounds far from perfect IMO. To be honest, the Z5 disappointed me greatly from the moment I took it out of the box to the moment I sold it. I just never voiced my opinions cause I don't really enjoy coming across as contrarian in a thread of ardent fans, nor do I really enjoy arguing over the merits (or lack thereof) of phones with people who don't see eye to eye with me. I’m just offering my dissenting opinion so that perhaps others with similar tastes to myself can make more informed decisions. 
 
As for what I feel it excels with - as a few others have noted, the Z5 is good with pop, dance, and electronic genres. I believe the Z5 was developed in tandem with a pop music producer or artist so it shouldn’t really come as a surprise that that’s the genre it excels with.  As I'd mentioned before, these will appeal to a select group of people, and the very mixed reception in this thread corroborates this.
 
 I also don’t share the opinion that upper mid/treble presence translates to brightness/aggression. It certainly can, but not always. It’s simply not a binary choice of, like upper mids/treble? Z5 no likey. Like relaxed upper mids/treble? Z5 FTW. There are plenty of other phones that I find polite or relaxed in the upper spectrum such as the ASG 1 Plus, LAB I, Tenore, Rockets, SM64 etc. that didn’t set off my alarm bells in the way that the Z5 did. 

Well if you used them or burn them well for atleast 40 hours then I guess you made the right choice for yourself. Also amping the Z5 will greatly improve the all around sound. Again I am going on my experience with various IEMs such as: JH13, JH16, UE RM, UE18, Custom Art Harmony 8 Pro, Noble K10, Westone 3,4,6, and various other Universal and custom IEM. So besides that JVC that you recomend which other IEM is best suited for your style of listening? Also wondering what DAP you usng?

 

[Idsynchrono_24]

You can see the list of stuff I've used and owned so no need for a list war lol. I was also one of the early adopters of this phone since I bought a pair last year, shortly after it released, so it's not like I was hopping on some bandwagon or felt falsely mislead by hype. My main rig at the moment is the Go 450 -> Leckerton UHA-6 mk II, which is better than any DAP/DAC i've owned including the DX90, Cowon Plenue 1, Calxy M or Chord Hugo. The JVC isn't even my favorite IEM by a long shot lol. I use it primarily for classical and jazz due to its excellent timbral and dynamic qualities. Rock is my genre of choice, and I'm a big fan of the EQ-8 and the JH Angie at the moment. Was previously a huge fan of the LAB I, which is a warmer, more natural sounding phone. I'm also an admirer of the UERM, even if I don't use it as much. I appreciate many different sigs, so I think we'll have to agree to disagree man, I've said my piece and I stand by it. The important thing is, we both own stuff that we really dig, so if the Z5 works for you, or someone else, then that's awesome. I just wanted to chip in my bit which I've yet to do in this thread is all. 

 

[ImperialBlade]

Love the bass drums and duo guitars. Been listening to Coal Chamber the drums are insane !

Oh that had to n be awesome. Queensryche in Japan.

 

[johnwamp55]

  You can see the list of stuff I've used and owned so no need for a list war lol. I was also one of the early adopters of this phone since I bought a pair last year, shortly after it released, so it's not like I was hopping on some bandwagon or felt falsely mislead by hype. My main rig at the moment is the Go 450 -> Leckerton UHA-6 mk II, which is better than any DAP/DAC i've owned including the DX90, Cowon Plenue 1, Calxy M or Chord Hugo. The JVC isn't even my favorite IEM by a long shot lol. I use it primarily for classical and jazz due to its excellent timbral and dynamic qualities. Rock is my genre of choice, and I'm a big fan of the EQ-8 and the JH Angie at the moment. Was previously a huge fan of the LAB I, which is a warmer, more natural sounding phone. I'm also an admirer of the UERM, even if I don't use it as much. I appreciate many different sigs, so I think we'll have to agree to disagree man, I've said my piece and I stand by it. The important thing is, we both own stuff that we really dig, so if the Z5 works for you, or someone else, then that's awesome. I just wanted to chip in my bit which I've yet to do in this thread is all. 

I totally agree just find something we can enjoy and enjoy it. I dont admire myself knowing I spent thousands on equipment and realizing I am trying to find more. I do admire a person who gets it right and sticks to it for a couple of years before moving onto newer products. I remember back in the 80s when a Koss Porta Headphone which costs 20 Dollars brought a smile onto my face.

 

[Idsynchrono_24]

 
I totally agree just find something we can enjoy and enjoy it. I dont admire myself knowing I spent thousands on equipment and realizing I am trying to find more. I do admire a person who gets it right and sticks to it for a couple of years before moving onto newer products. I remember back in the 80s when a Koss Porta Headphone which costs 20 Dollars brought a smile onto my face.

LOL. I agree. Used to love my KSC50. I think HF is pretty much the worst thing to ever happen to me. Enjoyment is fleeting for us I guess I gotta say, I do envy the hell outta people who can just rock out with a pair of earbuds and have the time of their lives while the lot of us sit here bitching about this and that and agonizing over different parts of the chain. It was when I noticed myself fussing over the latter and devoting time to trivial things like A/Bing different phones more than actually listening to music that I realized that I didn't really care for this hobby in the way that I thought I did. 

 

[daniel_hokkaido]

  I've never driven either phones in balanced mode. The basic tonal balance of the Z5 is just too exaggerated and colored to do classical and jazz any justice, I doubt that changes in balanced mode. Dynamics on the Z5 also trail the FX850, which I consider to be extremely good, even against cream of the crop multi BA custom/universals. Do keep in mind that I've modded the FX850 per James444's mod (it's simple reversible mod that emulates a front vent via a leaky seal) in order to attenuate the bass bloat, as I feel both models suffer from this (the FX850's to a lesser extent). The 850 just plain has better timbre than the Z5. I've always found the Z5 to sound off due to the midrange suck out and heavy bass. It makes the midrange feel really muffled and smooth, and lacking in detail. This has been mentioned early on, perhaps dozens and dozens of pages back, but it's since been displaced by the recent glowing comments. I dunno, I honestly wouldn't use the Z5 for anything other than pop music due to the coloration, or if you have some terrible aversion to treble, but eh, tastes vary I suppose. It's just too far from neutral for my tastes. 
 
As for the FX1200, I've never heard it, but James444 has compared both pretty extensively and has come to the conclusion that the 1200 is overall more refined once modded. I think it has smoother treble than the 850, which is the only area that I can really knock on that phone (it has excellent extension, perhaps the best out of any dynamic I've heard, but it can be pretty hot. Thankfully you can easily mod that too if it bothers you)

Interesting. I looked for a darker sounding iem to listen to classical. But it is avant garde stuff e.g winged victory for the sullen, and stuff like Fratres by Arvo Part. I find the darker, more bassy signature of the z5 (for WVFTS at least) really easy listening but not lacking detail. 
 
Dan 

 

[Dobrescu George]

I had seen that the discussion began to turn into a pro vs con z5.
 
I wonder if z5 can be compared to ie800 in any way?.. 
 
I, for one, am not really searching for the most neutral in ear monitor, ie800 itself is pretty far from neutral, but i really love it's sound.

 

[johnwamp55]

  I had seen that the discussion began to turn into a pro vs con z5.
 
I wonder if z5 can be compared to ie800 in any way?.. 
 
I, for one, am not really searching for the most neutral in ear monitor, ie800 itself is pretty far from neutral, but i really love it's sound.

Pretty much EVERY IEM every Amp EVERY DAP will have pros and Cons. I always wonder when one says "This has great Mids" what is he comparing that IEM to? One guy said "this has the best bass ever" then found out he is comparing the bass from his new IEM to his free Earbud that came with his phone.

 

[daniel_hokkaido]

  I had seen that the discussion began to turn into a pro vs con z5.
 
I wonder if z5 can be compared to ie800 in any way?.. 
 
I, for one, am not really searching for the most neutral in ear monitor, ie800 itself is pretty far from neutral, but i really love it's sound.

Search the thread. its a useful tool before asking. I previously made a comment on ie800

 

[chilledunit]

The Spinfits have completely transformed my experience with these. So comfortable now and the soundstage and clarity is just superb. On a completely other level. I like these better than my previous favourite IEM's (my old Shure 535's that I accidentally left on the Eurostar).

Thanks daniel_hokkaido for switching me on to these, and thanks to Dopaminer for the purchase!

 

[RedJohn456]

  I had seen that the discussion began to turn into a pro vs con z5.
 
I wonder if z5 can be compared to ie800 in any way?.. 
 
I, for one, am not really searching for the most neutral in ear monitor, ie800 itself is pretty far from neutral, but i really love it's sound.

I have tried the e800 on several occasions and to me Z5 has a thicker midrange with more bass. To me Z5 has a more holographic soundstage. IE800 has stronger treble, very impressive clarity and also good soundstage but it is more fatiguing compare to Z5.
 
Z5, when amped, sounds like no other iem I have come across. It needs to be played at higher volumes to sound good and it sounds like a pair of over ears. Amazing for music, movies and games. Its so smooth and detailed and the separation and layering is stupendous. The better the amp and synergy, the more you will get out of. It sounds awesome sauce out of my ****ty amps so I would imagine it would sounds pretty sick out of proper gear. While there are many iems that have better technical performance, but not many that can portray music the way the Z5. Their enhanced bass turns a lot of people off but I find their bass tightens up with better amping. I wish I could try it out with a PHA-3 to see what its true potential is.