[Sonic Defender]

Oh no, I meant to direct that post at dweaver.

And yeah, I think... when I got the Z7 in, I was a bit underwhelmed. The HE-560 was more of an impact for me when it first got in. And having the 560 back then to compare to the Z7 made it even worse. The Z7 was so far behind that I didn't even think I should bother with modding. But I tried anyway, and I got somewhere.

But I do recognize that not everyone will try that, and so... you may very well feel as underwhelmed by the sound as I did.

All it really is, I think, is just expectation management. The hobby is riddled with so many new offerings these days, and people rave about things so much that it's kinda hard to keep track of how something would fit into one's personal preference. Not to say the Z7 isn't a good headphone. I love mine to death. Comfort is top notch, and now sound is equally good. But it's just not the $700 bombshell that Sony would have us believe.

Fair enough, I just hope that it isn't so flawed in any one area to stand out poorly in that area. I can live with some soft bass, and a little bass bleed into the lower mids; as long as it isn't very prominent and the defining quality of those frequency areas. Same goes for the treble, I don't need the articulate and airy 560 like treble, I can live with less sparkle, as long as it isn't dull or sibilant, which I think it isn't.
 
I want a fairly big, rich and inviting sound, and I want a comfortable, sexy headphone. I of course really want a TH 900 as a closed can, but I just don't want to sink that kind of cash into a headphone as I may look to get a new DAC this year so that is where my main expenditure will go. So for less than $500 Canadian, I'm hoping the stock Z7 is a nice sounding (albeit imperfect) headphone that will have some strengths as well as weaknesses. That might be a good question, comfort aside, did you feel the stock Z7 had any standout positive sonic attributes, or was it all a disappointment to you?

 

[Bill-P]

  Fair enough, I just hope that it isn't so flawed in any one area to stand out poorly in that area. I can live with some soft bass, and a little bass bleed into the lower mids; as long as it isn't very prominent and the defining quality of those frequency areas. Same goes for the treble, I don't need the articulate and airy 560 like treble, I can live with less sparkle, as long as it isn't dull or sibilant, which I think it isn't.
 
I want a fairly big, rich and inviting sound, and I want a comfortable, sexy headphone. I of course really want a TH 900 as a closed can, but I just don't want to sink that kind of cash into a headphone as I may look to get a new DAC this year so that is where my main expenditure will go. So for less than $500 Canadian, I'm hoping the stock Z7 is a nice sounding (albeit imperfect) headphone that will have some strengths as well as weaknesses. That might be a good question, comfort aside, did you feel the stock Z7 had any standout positive sonic attributes, or was it all a disappointment to you?

 
Let's see... my memories of the stock sound is kinda hazy now, so take this with a grain of salt, but I think I liked the soundstage width and the clean treble. The treble of the Z7 is very clean, without sibilance, even though it's super recessed. There is a peak somewhere, but it's not a big issue. I think I had more of an issue with the upper midrange peak around 3KHz, so some EQ may be necessary there. But if you never had any problem with the stock HE-560, then you likely won't notice it here.
 
And yeah, I think that's about it.

 

[dweaver]

Oh no, I meant to direct that post at dweaver.

And yeah, I think... when I got the Z7 in, I was a bit underwhelmed. The HE-560 was more of an impact for me when it first got in. And having the 560 back then to compare to the Z7 made it even worse. The Z7 was so far behind that I didn't even think I should bother with modding. But I tried anyway, and I got somewhere.

But I do recognize that not everyone will try that, and so... you may very well feel as underwhelmed by the sound as I did.

All it really is, I think, is just expectation management. The hobby is riddled with so many new offerings these days, and people rave about things so much that it's kinda hard to keep track of how something would fit into one's personal preference. Not to say the Z7 isn't a good headphone. I love mine to death. Comfort is top notch, and now sound is equally good. But it's just not the $700 bombshell that Sony would have us believe.

DOH! I've been zapped . For me I think the Z7 is good at what it does and is a $700 bombshell IF that is what you want sonically speaking. But I do get that it certainly won't be for everyone. I actually put you into a 3rd camp Bill. Your in the, "this ain't what I want but dang I think I can FIX that" camp. A master tinkerer who can coax that extra 5-10% out of your gear in the areas you want. I respect that and even do some tinkering myself just not as effectively as you. If I was a bit unhappy in one or two areas with the Z7 I might even have tried something with them. But I am lucky in that I like what have got out of them so have not had to do anything. But I have a lot of respect for someone like yourself who can do what you do.

My main reason I stick to my guns about the Z7 being what Sony wanted sonically speaking is the Z5. While the two products are not identical in sound the similarities are so strong it is obvious to me that Sony really was going for a specific sound with them. It is not a sound everyone will like but for my ears it has hit a serious sweet spot.

 

[Sonic Defender]

That is my hope, that because Bill is a die-hard modder at heart, he hears what can be tweaked by nature. Other than that I will be really disappointed if the Z7 is as bad as you make it sound Bill (nothing personal).

 

[Bill-P]

DOH! I've been zapped

. For me I think the Z7 is good at what it does and is a $700 bombshell IF that is what you want sonically speaking. But I do get that it certainly won't be for everyone. I actually put you into a 3rd camp Bill. Your in the, "this ain't what I want but dang I think I can FIX that" camp. A master tinkerer who can coax that extra 5-10% out of your gear in the areas you want. I respect that and even do some tinkering myself just not as effectively as you. If I was a bit unhappy in one or two areas with the Z7 I might even have tried something with them. But I am lucky in that I like what have got out of them so have not had to do anything. But I have a lot of respect for someone like yourself who can do what you do.

My main reason I stick to my guns about the Z7 being what Sony wanted sonically speaking is the Z5. While the two products are not identical in sound the similarities are so strong it is obvious to me that Sony really was going for a specific sound with them. It is not a sound everyone will like but for my ears it has hit a serious sweet spot.

 
Haha, I see.
 
Well, to me, it's not that the stock Z7 had any significant issue with its tonal balance or sound signature per se. The ones I do highlight are minor.
 
The main problem with the Z7 for me is its technicality. It's a bit too... hm... how should I put this... "slow" sounding? This "slowness" makes the headphone sound a bit cloudy, muddy, etc... whereas its drivers were always capable of delivering a much more detailed sound.
 
For what it is, I think the Z7 already has one of the best tonal balance and FR for a closed headphone. Not so many closed-back has this clean a response, while still offering better isolation.

 

[gr8soundz]

  I think that some parts of a headphone, like comfort and design, are also important. The Z7 is by far the most comfortable headphone available. It also doesn't need crazy amounts of amplification and the sound is lovely. I do not understand why it is regarded as "quite not there", the Sony engineers could have applied some dampening, they didn't.

 
There was so much hype prior to release and I think many expected close to perfection (despite being closed) from the z7 due to the 70mm drivers and somewhat high price.
 
I love mine as they sound incredible, aren't fatiguing, and I agree are the most comfortable. I was more than happy with them fully stock.
 
Changing to a pure silver cable, imo, corrected any small issues they may have had sound wise. Asking more of the z7 at this point might as well mean changing the source end or changing to another headphone for a different signature.

 

[Voohoo]

I agree with Bill's descriptions of the Z7.
 
The Z7 is "almost there" and a bit "slow" sounding.
 
I feel that the Z7 could be a notch higher in overall clarity. The low end is a bit bloaty as most people have said, which sounds more apparent when you have listened to orthos. I wish the Z7's bass was leaner like a Hifiman and had more punch like an Ultrasone, however, I realize this would take away from the Z7's signature immersive movie-theatre bass. Also it seems that the lower bass frequency response is a little weak and makes for an incomplete sound for me. Again, this is more apparent when you have listened to orthos. I bumped up the <50 hertz frequencies in my Electi-Q and now the sound from my Z7 feels more complete.
 
That said, the Z7 has great characteristics. The 70mm drivers deliver big image sound like an ortho. The bass is fun; it's thick and sugary and your ears get enveloped in it. The sound stage does have a 3Dish thing going on as others have mentioned. And overall the Z7 is simply a pleasure to listen to, wear, hold and look at, and own! 
 
In the next month or so I will be receiving my Play It By Ear headphone amp by Lambert Audio and plan to upgrade my DAC (a Modi 2?). I'm excited to listen to my Z7s through some more serious gear! Also Bill's talk about his mods make me want to do more to my Z7 beyond the Dynamat damping I added.

 

[dweaver]

I am probably lucky in that my music tastes don't require a lot of speed. One thing I do notice in the Z7 and Z5 is less treble detail when compared to Sennheiser and AKG and some of the other headphone/IEM I have owned. But I don't notice it until I start doing A/B testing. The difference at times makes me wish the Sony's had the detail but just as often sounds distracting and to busy affecting the black background.

 

[Mink]

I think the biggest accomplishment of the Z7s is the complete lack of grain and with this I feel they are very transparant. They may miss some clarity, in comparison with my Denon D5000s that is, but at the same I think they are more detailed, so my perception about this lack of clarity may be just that they are not as bright as the Denons.
Another thing they do better than the Denons is 'layering', Z7s soundstage is just as open as the Denons, but different.

 

[HemiSam]

Despite the build quality and a pleasing sound signature, I've decided to sell my Z7's.  They have between 50-100 hours and have no scratches, etc...the cans and the packaging are both in great shape.  What would be a reasonable price for a sale given amazon, ebay options, etc...?  I'm in the U.S. (lower 48).
 
Thanks.
 
HS

 

[Sonic Defender]

I am probably lucky in that my music tastes don't require a lot of speed. One thing I do notice in the Z7 and Z5 is less treble detail when compared to Sennheiser and AKG and some of the other headphone/IEM I have owned. But I don't notice it until I start doing A/B testing. The difference at times makes me wish the Sony's had the detail but just as often sounds distracting and to busy affecting the black background.

I will know soon if the speed is an issue. I do like to listen to a fair amount of electronica so typically speed helps there, but ultimately it will be the sound signature that makes it or breaks it for me.

 

[zazex]

   
There was so much hype prior to release and I think many expected close to perfection (despite being closed) from the z7 due to the 70mm drivers and somewhat high price.
 
I love mine as they sound incredible, aren't fatiguing, and I agree are the most comfortable. I was more than happy with them fully stock.
 
Changing to a pure silver cable, imo, corrected any small issues they may have had sound wise. Asking more of the z7 at this point might as well mean changing the source end or changing to another headphone for a different signature.

 
+1

 

[TokenGesture]

Well I'm loving mine with the kimber cable, combined with the Chord Hugo.
 
Can any one offer any more comparisons between this and the Z5?  

 

[Bengkia369]

Me and my MDR-Z7!
 
 

 

[BRCMRGN]

Sony USA finally has the balanced Kimber cable for the Z7 back in stock. I ordered mine on Jan 25th and it finally shipped yesterday.