I've just bought a used Z7 from Ebay and while it's on its way wanted to ask about
its stock balanced cable - does it have standard 3.5 stereo jacks?
I am planning to use Z7 mostly with my WM-1A balanced.
I am wondering if there are some adapters available on the market (Ebay, Amazon, etc.) like
#1 or #2 on the attached pic.
So that I can use the Z7 stock balanced cable.
I am aware of separate ones, like Kimber, but
want to give a try to the stock one first.
I've just bought a used Z7 from Ebay and while it's on its way wanted to ask about
its stock balanced cable - does it have standard 3.5 stereo jacks?
I am planning to use Z7 mostly with my WM-1A balanced.
I am wondering if there are some adapters available on the market (Ebay, Amazon, etc.) like
#1 or #2 on the attached pic.
So that I can use the Z7 stock balanced cable.
I am aware of separate ones, like Kimber, but
want to give a try to the stock one first.
Yes there's one, i saw on my local market place here, like this one, i have z7 as well but i didnot use stock cable, you better buy kimber cable like i do and enjoy the improvement
Managed to get my hands on a brand new set for around 330$. Now I’ll never sell this pair again, as I’ve owned them previously and had to let go of them. Can’t wait to spend hours listening to great music with them. So happy.
Managed to get my hands on a brand new set for around 330$. Now I’ll never sell this pair again, as I’ve owned them previously and had to let go of them. Can’t wait to spend hours listening to great music with them. So happy.
Managed to get my hands on a brand new set for around 330$. Now I’ll never sell this pair again, as I’ve owned them previously and had to let go of them. Can’t wait to spend hours listening to great music with them. So happy.
Thanks! Just bought a pair listed New from a seller with no reviews at $499. We will see.
Super happy knowing for certain they are a great headphone for my tastes. Now to consider the perfect amp and DAC for these. I might get rid of my A-9010 and get the new Denon stereo reciever reviewed favorably in soundandvision, DRA800H I believe. Schiit Asgard 3 4490 my current desktop unit but it might go possibly for Magnius - could be time to make a balanced cable. Anyone using periapt balanced with these?? Any desktop dac/amp reccomendations for Z7???
You may just want to try a Sony 1A with the new MrWalkMan firmware?
I have always pushed the Sony TA desktop/Kimber balanced cable combo with the Z7. Yet strangely the Walkmans have now a style of added volume and clarity. It’s funny as it’s not a lot more than regular Sony stock 3.02 but that tiny amount seems to bring a bunch of forward character to full size headphones. I’m normally the guy on the soapbox ranting about desktop damping factors needed to enhance the nature of the Z7 while removing a little of the lower bass fog and smoothing out the treble? But the 1A DAP is pretty good?
Obviously there are a lot of roads to go down. Tonight I was listening to a DSD recording vinyl rip and the Z7 and 1A, even on high gain it was slightly not loud enough. Still many times home made vinyl rips are pretty quiet.
So I mean there may be all kinds of desktop DACs and amps which will win out over the 1A.
Many of us are simply emotional due to these new firmwares changing the 1A and 1Z, so everything sounds way better to us.
Obviously when the dust settles there will be a more grounded reference point to listen with.
The thing is is even tonight listening to the 1A and MDR-Z7 on high gain there was still that slightly slow bass that always gets corrected with good desktop juice. A DAP, and especially one like the 1A is not always considered optimal.
So in this thread there are really three types. One type needed to do physical modifications like damping material to the cups inside to get a loved sound. Others no matter what felt in the end that the MDR-Z7 just wouldn’t work out due to tone response.
Finally the third group who found amps and the Kimber cable dialed in the Z7 and made it enjoyable. I actually know of a person who went and did a two week demo session with the MDR-Z1R and didn’t like it. He had some of the best equipment to use but ended changing his mind after using the MDR-Z1R with the Kimber cable. So for many they would think that there is no possible way something like that could happen but it did. With stories like that, I always feel safe recommending the Kimber and especially the 4.4mm balanced Kimber as a path to take the Z7 to the next level.
Four types
The 4th type of person (me) like the Z7s just for what they are. They don't bother with cable tweaks or dedicated amps, they take Z7s flaws as an acquired taste.
Four types
The 4th type of person (me) like the Z7s just for what they are. They don't bother with cable tweaks or dedicated amps, they take Z7s flaws as an acquired taste.
Yes, good one. As the more we listen and just try and get into the music the more our brain simply tells us all is well. I mean that is what I figure all of us did before Head-Fi. The Sony monitors were good in the late 1980s and whatever happened our minds filled stuff in. I had the Sony MDR CD-870 headphones from 1998 till 2006 as my only headphone, because they worked and I liked them. Though putting them on now you can totally hear how the upper treble was rolled off. But you would just let your mind fill in the areas and concentrate on just relaxing and listening to music.
And that’s a great point in that the MDR-Z7 sound can be simply loved without taking offense in what it wants to be. All this gear we like for it’s character anyway regardless of how special we think it is. Character is everywhere.
Still using my Z7 nearly every day. Bought it off Amazon in mid-2017 and got a nice price discount. I changed the cushions last Fall with a new OEM set I ordered from Japan. Got a back up set of cushions in the closet in case Sony stops making the part.
This headphone still amazed me. It synergizes perfectly with the Quad Dac in my LG phone. I listen to mostly classical music, a broad mix, and use the Z7 to listen to movies streamed through my Roku with the Roku app's private listening feature. Dialogue sounds natural, special effects sound impactful and ambient sound has a panoramic quality.
My Z7 likely has over 2,000 hours of use and it still looks mint. The aluminum earcup gimbals and the magnesium earcups resist scratches very well. The leather headband shows no wear.
The only issue I've had was a broken cable. But that was user error. I sat on my phone and bent the plug. The replacement cable off eBay for just $45 made the headphones sound even better imo or maybe that's a psychoacoustic effect. But I love the sound.
The fact this headphone was made by Sony in Japan is another plus in my book. Production for the updated model was offloaded to Thailand or China, neither of which are synonymous with 'quality'.
The og Z7 is built like a tank and could last 20+ years.
Finally, the comfort of the Z7 is unparalleled imo. The headphones manage a perfect equilibrium between headband clamp and comfort. The cushions are ergonomically designed to contour to the face and apply only enough pressure to keep the cushions flush against the skin. There's no feeling of being squeezed and this extends the life of the ear cushions. Speaking of the ear cushions, they are supremely supple and rarely get warm. The memory foam within them is both soft and resilient. The weight of the headphone is well balanced which, in my personal experience, has reduced the frequency of neck fatigue compared to other headphones.
I prefer the styling of the Z7 over the all-black Z7M2. The natural unpainted/non-anodized aluminium and chrome sandwiched between the black leather headband and the black earcups looks classy and more durable.
Still using my Z7 nearly every day. Bought it off Amazon in mid-2017 and got a nice price discount. I changed the cushions last Fall with a new OEM set I ordered from Japan. Got a back up set of cushions in the closet in case Sony stops making the part.
This headphone still amazed me. It synergizes perfectly with the Quad Dac in my LG phone. I listen to mostly classical music, a broad mix, and use the Z7 to listen to movies streamed through my Roku with the Roku app's private listening feature. Dialogue sounds natural, special effects sound impactful and ambient sound has a panoramic quality.
My Z7 likely has over 2,000 hours of use and it still looks mint. The aluminum earcup gimbals and the magnesium earcups resist scratches very well. The leather headband shows no wear.
The only issue I've had was a broken cable. But that was user error. I sat on my phone and bent the plug. The replacement cable off eBay for just $45 made the headphones sound even better imo or maybe that's a psychoacoustic effect. But I love the sound.
The fact this headphone was made by Sony in Japan is another plus in my book. Production for the updated model was offloaded to Thailand or China, neither of which are synonymous with 'quality'.
The og Z7 is built like a tank and could last 20+ years.
Finally, the comfort of the Z7 is unparalleled imo. The headphones manage a perfect equilibrium between headband clamp and comfort. The cushions are ergonomically designed to contour to the face and apply only enough pressure to keep the cushions flush against the skin. There's no feeling of being squeezed and this extends the life of the ear cushions. Speaking of the ear cushions, they are supremely supple and rarely get warm. The memory foam within them is both soft and resilient. The weight of the headphone is well balanced which, in my personal experience, has reduced the frequency of neck fatigue compared to other headphones.
I prefer the styling of the Z7 over the all-black Z7M2. The natural unpainted/non-anodized aluminium and chrome sandwiched between the black leather headband and the black earcups looks classy and more durable.
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