[tradyblix]

what for ? people who buy on ebay dont read this *****

 

[Pirastro]

I agree with all those things, they aren't fatiguing and they are fun, I am absolutely stunned at how bad the isolation is, the worst I've *heard* in anything over 100$. I feel it up to par of hd600 as far as how the isolation is.

Comfort is good.
Over all I believe the he400i is a better headphone

I don't get what you mean by, "worst I've heard in anything over 100$" comment?  There is absolutely no correlation between price and isolation in headphones.  One of the reasons Z7 sounds good is because of the air venting technology, which allows sound to get out and in.  It doesn't advertise as being a noise isolating headphone, so that's on you for not understanding the headphone.  

 

[NaiveSound]

It doesn't have any isolation, I've heard headphones under 100$ that offer better closed can experience. Anyways. Glad to sell them and get rid of them ASAP. Fun little sound, but the bass is full of mud and clarity is something missing entirely. But fun nonetheless. I'll let it be someone else's fun

 

[pietcux]

It doesn't have any isolation, I've heard headphones under 100$ that offer better closed can experience. Anyways. Glad to sell them and get rid of them ASAP. Fun little sound, but the bass is full of mud and clarity is something missing entirely. But fun nonetheless. I'll let it be someone else's fun

The Z7 is love or hate, no in between. Good that you can sell it without loss.

 

[Roland P]

Just a question from a newbie here. I have these headphones and I'm running them from a NWZ-E585 (A not too expensive player from Sony). So far I like them, but on bass-heavy tracks (with bass-drums) it sounds somewhat distorted. For example, when listening to Reise Reise (Rammstein), it seems that the bassdrum bleeds into the high-hat, very annoying.
 
Will an amplifier like the PHA-3 address these problems, or is this the signature of these headphones?
 
I found an interesting review that discusses these problems: http://singaporehifi.blogspot.nl/2015/05/sony-mdr-z7-headphones-and-pha-3.html

The PHA-3 performance in balanced operation was exemplary. The MDR-Z7 was the only headphone I had on hand with appropriate wiring for the PHA-3. In this case, the Z7 gained additional authority and clarity in bass lines. There was also an improvement in speed and separation, especially during busy mixes. I would even dare to suggest that the PHA-3 and Z7 were truly made for each other.
 
...
 
Moving on to balanced drive, this is where the Z7 shines. With the PHA-3, the issues I had with the bass were largely addressed, with the low frequencies gaining tightness, control and explosive dynamics. Similarly, an increase in speed and incision lifted the midrange and treble to a faster and closer to neutral presentation. 

 

[fullranger]

Good luck trying to control Rammstein.

 

[gerelmx1986]

sometime i will go balance with my walkman WM1A

 

[Roland P]

  Absolutely love my Z7's, have been running them with a Pono or PHA-3. 

How do the Pono and the PHA-3 compare?

 

[tompaz909]

 
How do the Pono and the PHA-3 compare?

 
I must admit that I haven't compared them that much. I have always listened to them at different occasions. That said I don't remember noticing any glaring differences. They both do a great job.

 

[smellis]

  Just a question from a newbie here. I have these headphones and I'm running them from a NWZ-E585 (A not too expensive player from Sony). So far I like them, but on bass-heavy tracks (with bass-drums) it sounds somewhat distorted. For example, when listening to Reise Reise (Rammstein), it seems that the bassdrum bleeds into the high-hat, very annoying.
 
Will an amplifier like the PHA-3 address these problems, or is this the signature of these headphones?
 
I found an interesting review that discusses these problems: http://singaporehifi.blogspot.nl/2015/05/sony-mdr-z7-headphones-and-pha-3.html

 
Hey there- as a user of a number of Walkmans, I can tell you that's a problem most likely from your source, the E series Walkman, rather than the Z7. The Z7 does have the problem of muddy bass, but the E series Walkman is more likely the bigger contributing problem. An amp will NOT solve that- it will only enhance the problem. I currently use the PHA-2 amp with my Z7s. 
 
I have the Walkman X, Z, E and a bunch of their NW- series (HD5, A3000), and I never use the E series for listening because of its sound. Its better for you to invest in a better source like a different DAP first before an amp IMHO. 

 

[Roland P]

Thanks for your responses,
 
Yesterday I plugged my Z7 into my macbook and to my surprise, the overblown bass was much less. So I think your right in your assessments on the WM-E585. The macbook (VLC player) seemed to sound more harsh/sterile to my WM-E585 (even heard some distortion coming up after hitting pause/play...). I also used a cheap Behringer amplifier which indeed didn't solve the problem in any way.
 
Overall, I love the sound of my Z7, so something new for my Z7 will be the way to go.
 
- I could get a new PHA-3 for €450, and connect it to my iphone. Usability is a trade-off then since I don't use itunes and will use ds-player but that's not gapless. Also, it's very weird to buy an amp for your headphones that's more expensive than your headphones.
- I could buy a pono for around €200. Use balanced outputs since they seem to work so well (don't know what to expect).
- Sony NW-A30 Series. I LOVE the sony interface and this seems to tick all the boxes. I love my NW-E series, but this device even has better dedicated buttons (next/previous) and expandable memory. It even seems to have digital out, so that could be an upgrade path if I want to add a PHA-3 later on.

 

[pietcux]

Thanks for your responses,

Yesterday I plugged my Z7 into my macbook and to my surprise, the overblown bass was much less. So I think your right in your assessments on the WM-E585. The macbook (VLC player) seemed to sound more harsh/sterile to my WM-E585 (even heard some distortion coming up after hitting pause/play...). I also used a cheap Behringer amplifier which indeed didn't solve the problem in any way.

Overall, I love the sound of my Z7, so something new for my Z7 will be the way to go.

- I could get a new PHA-3 for €450, and connect it to my iphone. Usability is a trade-off then since I don't use itunes and will use ds-player but that's not gapless. Also, it's very weird to buy an amp for your headphones that's more expensive than your headphones.
- I could buy a pono for around €200. Use balanced outputs since they seem to work so well (don't know what to expect).
- Sony NW-A30 Series. I LOVE the sony interface and this seems to tick all the boxes. I love my NW-E series, but this device even has better dedicated buttons (next/previous) and expandable memory. It even seems to have digital out, so that could be an upgrade path if I want to add a PHA-3 later on.

I had the Pono for some time exactly to test the Z7 balanced. It sounds great and better than Pono single ended. But my ZX1 still sounded better than the Pono balanced. On top the ZX1 can also drive my Z1r very well, has a much longer lasting battery and a much much better GUI than the Pono. A used ZX1 would be the route to go for you. The Fiio X5 ii could also serve you well. Have the Sony A17 on hand too here. The ZX1 sound much more refined.

 

[Roland P]

Wow, the ZX1 really looks gorgeous. This must be the best looking player I've seen yet. The extra buttons (prev, pause, next) are there, and it also seems to be able to stream from a NAS. No more copying when I'm home (I could probably setup something so I can access my NAS at the office too).

 

[pietcux]

Wow, the ZX1 really looks gorgeous. This must be the best looking player I've seen yet. The extra buttons (prev, pause, next) are there, and it also seems to be able to stream from a NAS. No more copying when I'm home (I could probably setup something so I can access my NAS at the office too).

Sony put a lot of design effort into this player. It is the 35th Anniversary of Walkman Edition. And it pays off as I use it day after day without any hickups.

 

[gerelmx1986]

Wow, the ZX1 really looks gorgeous. This must be the best looking player I've seen yet. The extra buttons (prev, pause, next) are there, and it also seems to be able to stream from a NAS. No more copying when I'm home (I could probably setup something so I can access my NAS at the office too).

Sony put a lot of design effort into this player. It is the 35th Anniversary of Walkman Edition. And it pays off as I use it day after day without any hickups.

I find WM1A to be a Sexy device too, also like the Pono, it has balanced audio but I must use an adapter for z7 a dual 3.5mm female to male 4.4mm. Out to f WM1A SE, Z7 sound great