[Kerouac]

I have a Pono player for some weeks now and I'm curious how the Z7 sounds straight out of that dap in balanced mode.
Does the Pono have enough power to make the Z7 shine or does it need extra amping?
 
Thanks in advance...

 

[Sonic Defender]

  I have a Pono player for some weeks now and I'm curious how the Z7 sounds straight out of that dap in balanced mode.
Does the Pono have enough power to make the Z7 shine or does it need extra amping?
 
Thanks in advance...

Depends who you ask, and how loud you like to play your music (stock answer I know). Extra headroom is almost always good if you like louder playback and you play very dynamic music as the demands on an amplifier changes drastically when music passages are demanding and very dynamic (think electronica with plenty of deep bass and pace, or orchestral movements that are powerful).
 
There seems to be two quite distinct camps on this issue; those who say as long as the amp supplies just enough, then it is just enough. The other camp would suggest as I do that extra headroom is almost always good. Maybe the extra headroom isn't always needed, but when it is there is no substitute for some extra horsepower. That isn't fact per say, just my opinion.

 

[raulromanjr]

Forgive me if this has already been posted here.
 
Sony MDR-Z7 Headphone & PHA-3 Headphone Amp - Sound & Vision Magazine

 

[Havo42]

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.

Thanks dude. Also I'm kind of a beginner at this so I'm not sure if I should go this route or just get something like a Grado Sr325e. I know they are two very different headphones (I'm also looking for something that's transportable and could be driven from my E10K) but even if I can get the Z7 for 450-500$ imported from Japan, it's still a lot of money. While the grados are $300. I don't know, I'm just skeptical I guess but I'll think about it a little more.

 

[dweaver]

Thanks dude. Also I'm kind of a beginner at this so I'm not sure if I should go this route or just get something like a Grado Sr325e. I know they are two very different headphones (I'm also looking for something that's transportable and could be driven from my E10K) but even if I can get the Z7 for 450-500$ imported from Japan, it's still a lot of money. While the grados are $300. I don't know, I'm just skeptical I guess but I'll think about it a little more.

the headphones are just about as close to polar opposites you can get. You need to read up on the differences in their signatures and list what you listen to so we can help you start to formulate an idea of what you want. If possible you might want hear both headphones as well.

The Grado is a bright mid centric headphone that has a relatively narrow sound stage despite being an open headphone that has ZERO isolation. The bass of the Grado while punchy will also not have much depth to it. The Z7 on the other hand has plenty of bass depth and weight but is thicker and not as punchy. The Z7 has ample midrange but is on the warm side compared to the Grado and is a lot more gentle in the treble area. The Z7 also has a wider sound stage despite being closed.

Think of the Grado as front stage at a rock concert and the Z7 as mid row at a block buster movie or some big orchestral works playing Hans Zimmer.

 

[Kerouac]

 

  I have a Pono player for some weeks now and I'm curious how the Z7 sounds straight out of that dap in balanced mode.
Does the Pono have enough power to make the Z7 shine or does it need extra amping?
 
Thanks in advance...

Depends who you ask, and how loud you like to play your music (stock answer I know). Extra headroom is almost always good if you like louder playback and you play very dynamic music as the demands on an amplifier changes drastically when music passages are demanding and very dynamic (think electronica with plenty of deep bass and pace, or orchestral movements that are powerful).
 
There seems to be two quite distinct camps on this issue; those who say as long as the amp supplies just enough, then it is just enough. The other camp would suggest as I do that extra headroom is almost always good. Maybe the extra headroom isn't always needed, but when it is there is no substitute for some extra horsepower. That isn't fact per say, just my opinion.

 
First of all, thanks for your reply...
 
Unfortunattely it's not always a matter of volume...for example: I have a Grado PS500 and a LCD2. When I drive them with X5 or DX90 + amp (Cayin C5 or Pico Power) both headphones really sound terrific, but when I drive them straight out of the Pono, I can get just enough volume, but the sound is way to thin imo to make them shine like they can.
Running the Pono in balanced mode should add more power and authority to the sound, but I'm not sure if it will be enough and I don't want to invest in an extra amp like the PHA-3. The Pono's shape is not very amp stack-up friendly anyway imo.
 
I really hope there's somebody around who has (tried) the Z7 straight out of a Pono player...
 
Cheers!

 

[Havo42]

the headphones are just about as close to polar opposites you can get. You need to read up on the differences in their signatures and list what you listen to so we can help you start to formulate an idea of what you want. If possible you might want hear both headphones as well.

The Grado is a bright mid centric headphone that has a relatively narrow sound stage despite being an open headphone that has ZERO isolation. The bass of the Grado while punchy will also not have much depth to it. The Z7 on the other hand has plenty of bass depth and weight but is thicker and not as punchy. The Z7 has ample midrange but is on the warm side compared to the Grado and is a lot more gentle in the treble area. The Z7 also has a wider sound stage despite being closed.

Think of the Grado as front stage at a rock concert and the Z7 as mid row at a block buster movie or some big orchestral works playing Hans Zimmer.

Thanks for the detailed answer. I listen to a wide variety of music, which one is the best all-rounder? I'm also going to do some gaming with it, so I guess the Z7 is better for that regard since it apparently has a bigger soundstage.

I live in Lebanon, and there are no "big" headphone stores here, only Beats, Skullcandy, Bose, Monster, and a bit of Philips, and some other popular names. That means that finding a Grado here is impossible. The Z7 MAY be in Sony World, but I don't think so, and even if there was, I doubt that they would let me audition a pair, so I have to rely on reviews.

 

[Kerouac]

  I really hope there's somebody around who has (tried) the Z7 straight out of a Pono player...

Update: I've just bought me this Z7 on HF:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/759870/sony-mdr-z7-sold
 
So pretty soon I'll know how it sounds straight out of the Pono player in balanced mode.
If anybody's interested I can share my thoughts on it later on...

 

[Allanmarcus]

Thanks for the detailed answer. I listen to a wide variety of music, which one is the best all-rounder? I'm also going to do some gaming with it, so I guess the Z7 is better for that regard since it apparently has a bigger soundstage.

I live in Lebanon, and there are no "big" headphone stores here, only Beats, Skullcandy, Bose, Monster, and a bit of Philips, and some other popular names. That means that finding a Grado here is impossible. The Z7 MAY be in Sony World, but I don't think so, and even if there was, I doubt that they would let me audition a pair, so I have to rely on reviews.

If you like treble, get the grado. If you like bass, get the Sony. I have both and I listen to both depending on mood and music.

 

[Havo42]

If you like treble, get the grado. If you like bass, get the Sony. I have both and I listen to both depending on mood and music.

I like both, but I'm a bit sensitive to strong treble (and that's what grados have from what I've heard). I guess the Sony is a better choice for me. Thanks for the help everyone!

 

[Sonic Defender]

The Z7 is buttery smooth where treble is concerned, so no chance that it will aggravate your treble sensitivity. One thing is very clear to me right away,that the Z7 does indeed have a bass problem, fortunately it is easily fixed if you have a parametric EQ. So I do like the Z7, quite a bit, but in my opinion Sony missed the boat where the bass is concerned. There is some bloat and muddiness that does obscure other aspects of the sound making the rolled off treble and upper mids seem recessed. It appears that using a parametric EQ (I used the one built into JRiver) and cutting at 250hz and 500hz helps. The cuts I used were quite moderate and I need more testing, but without a doubt the bass can be cleaned up quite a bit without ripping the headphone apart and using damping materials.
 
Of course a well done mod that addresses the bass bloom in theory is better as it improves the headphone for use where a parametric EQ isn't available, but modding isn't for everyone or without risk so if you have access to a parametric EQ please experiment with some narrow and gentle cuts and see if you don't find the Z7 sounds better. Frankly I'm shocked that Sony would send into production an otherwise quite nice headphone with bass that is overblown to this extent. With electronica that I was using (Deadmau5) on my 560 even the higher energy bass lines and elements are in general very well controlled and they fit within the piece. With the Z7 through balanced on the PHA 3 these same elements were just too emphasized and frankly distracting which pisses me off as I was very much enjoying the other aspects of the sound. Not only would I say they were too emphasized, there is a lack of articulation that made the bass feel somewhat blob like. Interestingly, I did not find the Z7 slow sounding which seems counter to other impressions.
 
I will qualify this bass commentary in that with other genres, I actually found the bass to be much better behaved so this is something I will explore and report on in the coming days as I get time. Overall I think I am going to enjoy the Z7 quite a bit, but I am still a little surprised that Sony did not tune the lower frequency responses to be a little better balanced. 

 

[dweaver]

If you suffer from treble fatigue you will prefer the Z7. I like treble but generally prefer a headphone that is gentle in this area as I suffer from fatigue otherwise.

The bass settles down as you use the Z7 and the treble becomes more detailed. The change is not massive but noticeable over the first 100hrs or so of use.

 

[raulromanjr]

A few interesting notes from the Sound &Vision magazine review I posted here yesterday.
 
Steven Guttenberg compares the MDR-Z7 to the following 3 headphones: Audeze LCD-X, Hifiman HE-560, and the Sony MDR-7520.  These were his impressions:
 
LCD-X: “…tracked dynamic contrasts… more accurately.”
HE-560: “…was the most see-through transparent…”
MDR-7520: “…more accurate…” (he is comparing it to the Z7 only)
MDR-Z7: “…sharper soundstage focus…”, “…it sounded more like being in the room with the band.”, when compared to the MDR-7520 the Z7 was, “richer and sweeter”
 
When comparing the HE-560 & LCD-X with the Z7, Steven says, “There was no clear winner in this three-way face-off, but I gravitated to the MDR-Z7 more than the other two headphones during the session.”
 
Steven’s conclusion on the MDR-Z7, “Sony’s back with a winner! The MDR-Z7 looks, feels, and sounds like a high-end headphone.”
 
My own Z7 arrives today from Amazon so I hope Steven Guttenberg’s impressions on this headphone are close to what I’ll experience with my own 2 ears.

 

[Sonic Defender]

A few interesting notes from the Sound &Vision magazine review I posted here yesterday.
 
Steven Guttenberg compares the MDR-Z7 to the following 3 headphones: Audeze LCD-X, Hifiman HE-560, and the Sony MDR-7520.  These were his impressions:
 
LCD-X: “…tracked dynamic contrasts… more accurately.”
HE-560: “…was the most see-through transparent…”
MDR-7520: “…more accurate…” (he is comparing it to the Z7 only)
MDR-Z7: “…sharper soundstage focus…”, “…it sounded more like being in the room with the band.”, when compared to the MDR-7520 the Z7 was, “richer and sweeter”
 
When comparing the HE-560 & LCD-X with the Z7, Steven says, “There was no clear winner in this three-way face-off, but I gravitated to the MDR-Z7 more than the other two headphones during the session.”
 
Steven’s conclusion on the MDR-Z7, “Sony’s back with a winner! The MDR-Z7 looks, feels, and sounds like a high-end headphone.”
 
My own Z7 arrives today from Amazon so I hope Steven Guttenberg’s impressions on this headphone are close to what I’ll experience with my own 2 ears.

I would take that with a grain o salt, the Z7 is very nice, but I have owned a 560 for quite some time, and there is nothing besides comfort that the Z7 does better. Now the 560 is quite a bit more extended in the high frequencies, so that could be an issue for some who prefer mellower treble. I would add that the Z7 sounds like a closed back design which can be good depending on your preferences, but the 560 is a very open sounding headphone so it feels less in your head. Depends on the music style as well so some styles will actually feel better with that in your head feel.

 

[Mink]

 
I would take that with a grain o salt, the Z7 is very nice, but I have owned a 560 for quite some time, and there is nothing besides comfort that the Z7 does better. Now the 560 is quite a bit more extended in the high frequencies, so that could be an issue for some who prefer mellower treble. I would add that the Z7 sounds like a closed back design which can be good depending on your preferences, but the 560 is a very open sounding headphone so it feels less in your head. Depends on the music style as well so some styles will actually feel better with that in your head feel.

 
This is exactly what the review states and what aulromanjr has left out in his quotes.

With the LCD-X and HE-560 the soundstage extended outside my head more, while the MDR-Z7 pulled the soundstage in.

http://www.soundandvision.com/content/sony-mdr-z7-headphone-and-pha-3-headphone-amp-1
 
And the following statement is exactly what I feel about the Sony's and what many people won't notice in a quick listening session, they are very detailed indeed:
 

The sound is highly detailed, but the sonic balance is warmer than neutral. Given my long experience listening to headphones, that confounded me at first. How could the MDR-Z7 dish out oodles of detail, yet still let me enjoy over-compressed, even harsh sounding contemporary recordings that would be unlistenable on many other ‘phones? Whatever, it absolutely works.