[cl5160316]

how much burn-in time was there, for user above?

 

[Mink]

I agree on most parts.
The mids posed the biggest issue for me, that huge difference in upfont to laid-back, sometimes even with tracks on the same album. It almost made me return them.
I don't find vocals to be grainy though, actually I find them very smooth.
There is however a tiny peak/resonance at 1Khz that can cause vocals to become shouty, but it may be my ears that are more sensitive to this frequency.
 
 
Quote:

  Here's my impression and opinion for the Sony Z7.
 
I bought this headphone at the Sony Store almost a week ago as I saw Mike had it paired with the WA7+WA7TP combo which I also have, so I figured why not give it a try since there's a 15 day return policy. In addition, I wanted to see if I can find another headphone that can complement my HD700 as I sometimes find the lower end to be lacking.
 
Let's start with the bass. Hey, that's why I bought this headphone for, and to be honest I thought it was fantastic initially. I was almost convinced that it's better than the HD700. Then later I came to realize that it certainly has more volume than the HD700, but it's not really tight and controlled. The bass texture sounded the same, regardless of the song, with the same thumping effect and the Sony-signature mid-bass "boing" if that makes sense to any of you. And while I appreciate headphones with some bass presence as I prefer a warm headphone signature, I felt like it can sometimes be intruding, especially when it bleeds into the mid.
 
Interesting mids. I have no problem with the mids in general, except for some reason there's a huge inconsistency in the vocal staging. Some songs have really forward mids, while some songs have overwhelming bass with mids that are far too recessed. I've never experienced this with any headphones so far, so I am not sure if this is the "accurate" presentation. It would be nice if someone could explain why this phenomenon exist for the Z7. Also there are traces of mid-bass bleeding. Some may appreciate this darkness and warmth, but not to my ears.
 
Oh my, the treble. They are fantastic surprisingly. I have no complains whatsoever. It is not recessed at all, yet it doesn't kill your ears like the HD700 can. It has just as much detail, but presented very subtly. To my surprise, this is my favourite part about the Z7 as I never feel fatigue listening to the treble range in any song. 
 
How about the soundstage? To my surprise, for a semi-closed can, they are pretty decent. Can I "feel the air"? Sadly no, you will need a HD800 but they are no slouch. Instrument separation is pretty good, but it can compete with open cans like the HD700.
 
Clarity, or lack-of? Sadly, this headphone doesn't have the clarity that I had wish for compared to the HD700. The vocals always sound a bit grainy and I can certainly see why some might appreciate, but to me it doesn't quite work. Is it terrible? Definitely not, but it never gave me a wow factor like the HD700 often do.
 
Super comfy. Almost as good as the HD700. There won't be any problem listening with these for hours, and I have fallen asleep with them many times already.
 
Solid Japanese build quality. Excellent. Better than any Sennheiser imo, and yes that includes the HD800 (because the paint chips). I feel more confident chucking the Z7 around than my HD700. There's also not a single trace of cosmetic blemish and I am very OCD about it (unlike Schiit with cosmetic blemishes in all units that I have seen and opened). Huge kudos to Sony! The genuine leather and stitching is a nice touch. Smells good too! And the serial number badge in the box is very cool. The only thing I don't like is the 1/4" adapter as it is not a screwed-in one. And IMO a headphone at this price should have a 1/4" standard, but I can see why they chose 1/8" or balanced because of the PHA-3 combo.
 
I am going to audition it for a few more days, but so far I am favouring just keeping the HD700 and saving the money for the upcoming EL-8 instead. It's not bad overall, but I don't think it's worth $699.  Let me know what you guys think.
 
dL

 

[dL.]

how much burn-in time was there, for user above?

Just over 100 hours. Forgot to mention. Though to be honest, the burn in never really made that much of a difference probably becauss the mids were so inconsistent I could never predict.

dL

 

[dL.]

Yeah I wasn't sure if grainy was the best choice of words. It could be smooth. But I felt like it isn't as clear and HD-like as my HD700, so that's why I referred it as grainy. But I agree, it's very smooth, however I think I prefer edgy.

dL

 

[kman1211]

Yeah I wasn't sure if grainy was the best choice of words. It could be smooth. But I felt like it isn't as clear and HD-like as my HD700, so that's why I referred it as grainy. But I agree, it's very smooth, however I think I prefer edgy.

dL

What exactly do you mean by grainy when you said it? I find grainy to me is a bit of an unnatural abrasiveness that generally doesn't really have anything to do with frequency response(grain be very slight but it's generally quite noticeable, especially from more refined headphones) that detracts from clarity and smoothness in a section of sound or the entire sound. Sometimes grain can be caused by the system but I often found it's inherently there to a degree.

 

[cheznous]

I do like the Z7 but having recently resurrected my old MDR 5000 I do not think Sony make better products than they did ten years ago.

 

[nephilim32]

Hello my fellow head-Fi'rs.
I have obtained the MDR Z-7's due to a substantial gift card at 'Sony Lifestyle' retail store. Plus I was able to haggle with the price a bit, so I was able to grab these cans for half a grand. I couldn't pass this up.

So as of right now I am using these wonderful headphones for travel and sometimes for home use.
When I travel with the z-7's I use a FiiO E17 DAC/Amp and it supports these headphones quite well. Not that far off from the power of the PHA 3 balanced Sony amp. I wasn't that surprised seeing how these z-7's are around 65ohms and the FIiO amp can support 300ohms headphones maxed out. Anyhow. At home I am using a Burson soloist and an ARCAM irDAC with quality interconnects except I am still using the MDR z-7's stock cable. Would love to hear feedback on the kimber cable upgrade. Anyway. Gonna give these a run through with my more expansive equipment and then report my results.
Meanwhile I was delighted how well these headphones did perform with my E17. I think these MDR's are accurately priced at around 700$.

So. My serial number to officially be a part of the MDR family is #000239.

Gonna now spin the Beatles 'Abbey Road' and Fields of the Nephilim's Elizium.
What I can already say is that the bass extension on these headphones are huge!!! It's quite lovely.
But lets make no mistake. These headphones do not compete with the AUDEZE LCD 2 or 3's, Stax 009 and most all the beloved HD 800's by Sennheiser. Those headphones are on a way different platform, but the MDR's are surely good for the money. I recommend them. You can even take them on the go (travel wise) and be absolutely fine.

Good day everyone. Happy listening.

 

[Lorspeaker]

Amazon'price is sub 500...just.

 

[cdsa35000]

[COLOR=FF00AA]If you want the Z7 Service Manual, get it now while it can :[/COLOR]
https://docs.sony.com/release/MDSM/989605201_sm.pdf
Old news, some at page234 got it already.

 

[borrego]

If you want the Z7 Service Manual, get it now while it can :
https://docs.sony.com/release/MDSM/989605201_sm.pdf

 
I like the part saying the inside color of the left earpad is black and the right earpad is red. This is what I call "well thought" manufacturing process.

 

[cdsa35000]

I like the part saying the inside color of the left earpad is black and the right earpad is red. This is what I call "well thought" manufacturing process.

Yes, time is money so quick assembly is important.
They use color coding ages ago also with CD3000 was red ring= right and blue ring= left cups.

 

[davidmolliere]

  Yep...source is quite important...with my AK100II, Resonance Labs Herus or my main rig (a bit overkill: Metrum Hex - GS-X Mk2), the Z7s sound quite wonderful!

 
Well, now I have just received the PHA-3 this morning and running the Z7 balanced (with stock cable for now). For the record I have never run headphones balanced so far this is my first. I was expecting a huge improvement in clarity, instrument separation and extension both down and up. After a couple of hours listening to ZX1 - PHA3 - Z7, to very different music from indie to rock & hard rock to classic, jazz, flamenco guitar and some good Muddy Waters MFSL master, I'll need further listening.
 
Don't mistake me there is a significant improvement in clarity and everything sounds more coherent and defined, more air and better imaging but I didn't hear the "fall of your chair" improvement I was expecting from a high priced / good spec'ed DAC/amp. 
 
Maybe the PHA3 needs burn in (and the Z7 further too)... or maybe the IE800 have spoiled my hears with their sparkle and transparency, even the warmer Pandora Hope VI have that sparkle that make you shiver (but oh my they're so uncomfortable). On the other hand, I like the laid back yet detailed nature of the Z7 and the effortlessness of the 70mm drivers when properly driven (this is really distinctive to me, that "big" sound).
 
I feel like bass are really both a strong and weak point, sometimes they ruin things a bit (not really bleeding into mids but overpowering them, not sure if I make sense) and sometimes they are the fun factor of the Z7. It's hard to put a finger on it, as it's so far fairly inconsistent for me (or maybe it's frequencies that were not there with other headphones and I am not used to getting big sub-bass, brain burn-in will tell).
 
On a side note I think it's been said before but this amp is sucking power, I have the PHA3-AC (unfortunately no battery) but I plugged my 10000mA external unit for convenience and it drains like 15% an hour with the pot at 40% on low gain. Other note, I have trouble imagining how the PHA3 can run the Z7 properly in single ended mode with the 100mW output, I think Hi Gain is probably required.

 

[qsk78]

To me the difference in balanced vs non-balanced output is huge on Z5 and not that big on Z7, although there is still a difference. 
So to me the pha-3 + z5 balanced combo is perfect while the pha-3 + z7 is just good (really good with a custom cable) for home usage.

 

[joey99]

To my ears, I favoured my H3 much more then the IE800. the IE800 just sounded so thin on vocals ... it was definitely detailed but no meat.
The Z5 is way better than my H3 in every single way.
 
Tonight was the first time to listen to my Z7 for longer than 2 hours just looking for things to listen to. Comfort is great. I'm really liking the smoothness of the kimber kable. I also accidentally stumbled up on Olivia Ong on youtube and she sounds divine on the Z7. 

 

[osiris1]

Well, now I have just received the PHA-3 this morning and running the Z7 balanced (with stock cable for now). For the record I have never run headphones balanced so far this is my first. I was expecting a huge improvement in clarity, instrument separation and extension both down and up. After a couple of hours listening to ZX1 - PHA3 - Z7, to very different music from indie to rock & hard rock to classic, jazz, flamenco guitar and some good Muddy Waters MFSL master, I'll need further listening.

Don't mistake me there is a significant improvement in clarity and everything sounds more coherent and defined, more air and better imaging but I didn't hear the "fall of your chair" improvement I was expecting from a high priced / good spec'ed DAC/amp. 

Maybe the PHA3 needs burn in (and the Z7 further too)... or maybe the IE800 have spoiled my hears with their sparkle and transparency, even the warmer Pandora Hope VI have that sparkle that make you shiver (but oh my they're so uncomfortable). On the other hand, I like the laid back yet detailed nature of the Z7 and the effortlessness of the 70mm drivers when properly driven (this is really distinctive to me, that "big" sound).

I feel like bass are really both a strong and weak point, sometimes they ruin things a bit (not really bleeding into mids but overpowering them, not sure if I make sense) and sometimes they are the fun factor of the Z7. It's hard to put a finger on it, as it's so far fairly inconsistent for me (or maybe it's frequencies that were not there with other headphones and I am not used to getting big sub-bass, brain burn-in will tell).

On a side note I think it's been said before but this amp is sucking power, I have the PHA3-AC (unfortunately no battery) but I plugged my 10000mA external unit for convenience and it drains like 15% an hour with the pot at 40% on low gain. Other note, I have trouble imagining how the PHA3 can run the Z7 properly in single ended mode with the 100mW output, I think Hi Gain is probably required.

So between Pandora Hope VI and Z7, which is a better all rounder? Sounds like the Hope VI is a faster phone...