[Sonic Defender]

  After giving this due thought -
Sorry that I allowed my less than stellar mood Saturday to go on display here.
It was inappropriate and I apologize to all involved, especially those reading and posting in
this thread.

We all do it from time to time, and I'm sure your apology will be appreciated.

 

[AppleheadMay]

  After giving this due thought -
Sorry that I allowed my less than stellar mood Saturday to go on display here.
It was inappropriate and I apologize to all involved, especially those reading and posting in
this thread.

 
 

  We all do it from time to time, and I'm sure your apology will be appreciated.

 
And so did I. 
Lashing out to you was entirely unnecessary, realizing everyone can have a lesser day would have been the right thing to do.
My apologies to you as well.

 

[Mickice]

I find ABBA plays quite well on these, some nice bass tunes too. 

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

I'd suggest some David Bowie too.  He's had some of the best musicians over the years, and the Z7 presents them well.  I could listen to "Modern Love" over and over.... 

 

[Sonic Defender]

I will have mine tomorrow if Canada Post is to be believed so let's hope that is true. I will throw some Steely Dan, Deadmau5, Dead Can Dance and some Thievery Corporation at these headphones right away! David Bowie is a good suggestion too, and some Queen I think would work.

 

[Mink]

70's recordings in general sound very good with the Z7s.
10CC, Kate Bush and Elvis Costello sound fabulous.

 

[AppleheadMay]

That's why I think they might be interesting phones.
The L3000 were the best phones I ever heard for older rock, flower power, hardrock, etc...
From what I read here a lot of people seem to like the Z7 with these kinds of genres so the phones must be pretty forgiving on lesser recordings as well.

 

[betteridea]

I am reading this thread for a couple of days as I am trying to find great warm closed headphones with punchy/colourful lows, realistic mids and smooth/softer highs. The comments here and the 70mm drivers were promising. I found a demo Z7 and gave them a try, so I'll add some thoughts for those in doubt.
 
I never really considered Sony, but lately they have made up their mind about strategy and decided to focus on higher quality products (generally, not just audio). They cut a lot of unprofitable lower product lines and did a very good job with some newer ones, so I really believed in Z7.
 
I am still not sure if the pads are leather or pleather. Sony website says "luxurious leather earpads", but this thread says it's pleather. Whatever they are, they get a bit too hot too soon. I don't think Z7 pads are easily replaceable, so this might be an issue for some people, myself included.
 
They sound best with thick tracks like Mogwai - San Pedro. You won't hear the pulling of each bass string (as with Beyer T1), the lows are not too punchy and clear, but they are layered in a strong flow. A lot has already been said about the highs in this thread, so there is no need to elaborate. They are soft and I liked them.
 
The mids are the most tricky. I would agree with @Allanmarcus on "boomy" and "veiled" sound of Z7, which made me cross them off my list. They definitely have a ton of upper bass and lower mids, and while it adds fun and emotion to thicker tracks, it doesn't go well with quieter and airy ones like Sufjan Stevens - Only At Christmas Time. The lower guitar and vocal notes sound reverberated and inappropriately hollow. It hurts soundstage and mids reproduction for both voices and instruments.
 
I usually prefer richer upper bass and lower mids (is there one word for it? I thought it was 'midbass', but i am not sure anymore), even if it means less detail. Today was the first time I wanted this 'veil' to be recessed with Z7.
 
Z7 definitely works well with most genres for some people - and some genres for most people.
 
Naim UnitiQute 2 I used for the test is not a headphone amp, and it leaves me with a feeling that I didn't drive Z7s nicely enough, but I compared them to some HPs I am familiar with to make sure of the result.

 

[AppleheadMay]

So, does anybody have any news on the true new flagship from Sony that was rumored to be coming this year when the Z7 launched?

 

[BlinkST]

  So, does anybody have any news on the true new flagship from Sony that was rumored to be coming this year when the Z7 launched?

Ha ha boy I remember when two guys were teasing the 'king'. No idea what happened with that.

 

[Sonic Defender]

Listening to my Z7 PHA 3 combination now through the balanced cable. Quite nice for sure. I'm trying to decide if the Z7 could keep me happy for a year as I'm considering selling my stunning 560s and Gungnir along with a few other items to help fund a new DAC purchase, but that is just a tentative plan, first I need to see if the Z7 can hope to replace the 560s in terms of being acceptable as there is no way they will be able to best the 560. I'm still looking forward to hearing these powered through my home rig when my cable adapter arrives! So far lots of bass, not super controlled or articulate, but certainly not bad either. I also need to get used to a new sound signature so these are extremely early impressions. I like the PHA 3 so far, very nice.

 

[Havo42]

I've heard that the Z7 is rather easy to drive. Does this mean that I will be fine on a FiiO E10K?

 

[Sonic Defender]

I've heard that the Z7 is rather easy to drive. Does this mean that I will be fine on a FiiO E10K?

It depends on what drive means to you. For me, I listen rather loud in general it seems. I found that on high gain with the PHA 3 in balanced mode I was able to listen with the Z7 at about 1 - 2 oclock rather comfortably. I will try with my E12 tonight and see how it does, but I would expect it to drive the Z7 quite well. Unless the E10K is very lightly powered I'm sure it would do a decent job with the Z7. What is the E10K rated at?

 

[Havo42]

It depends on what drive means to you. For me, I listen rather loud in general it seems. I found that on high gain with the PHA 3 in balanced mode I was able to listen with the Z7 at about 1 - 2 oclock rather comfortably. I will try with my E12 tonight and see how it does, but I would expect it to drive the Z7 quite well. Unless the E10K is very lightly powered I'm sure it would do a decent job with the Z7. What is the E10K rated at?

The E10K has an output impedance of <1.04 ohms. Also I usually listen at medium volume levels, sometimes lower.

 

[Sonic Defender]

Just looked at the specs and it should be fine, certainly if you listen at moderate volumes. If you go this route make sure to post your impressions! I see you're early in your postings here so welcome.