[Oregonian]

  Lachlan has his unboxing and first impressions of Z7 up.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yW3n3_kerQ&feature=youtu.be
 
 
Sound quality aside, I am appalled that Sony is not learning from their past mistakes. Cable rattling issue from MDR 1R, hiss issue with Walkmans, for me I had a severe cable tangle issue in the Y splitter of XBA H1 and H3, and this time with their return Flagship Z7. Hope they go back to the basics before attempting anything fancy. 

From my few weeks with the Z7 there is no cable noise/microphonics or tangling issue either at the splitter or in general. 

 

[gr8soundz]

I think it's quite a bit more complex than that.

 
Then Killer, killed Nibbles.........

 

[zhenya]

I have just noticed in the last couple of days that there is some creaking coming from the cable/connectors at the earcups. It's not a tremendous amount, but it has bothered me at times.

 

[gr8soundz]

I have yet to get any creaking. I think the screw connectors at the earcups helps though. Are you using the stock unbalanced cable?

 

[zhenya]

Yes, stock unbalanced cable. 

 

[dweaver]

So the general verdict on the Z7 is...don't buy? As an owner of both the MA-900 and XB1000, this question is extremely important for me. Will the Z7 be an upgrade to these particular headphones, or should I save it for something else?

coming from what you own these will be a sonically better than those 2 headphones in my opinion. I have owned the MA900 and do prefer the Z7 over it. In the case of the XB1000 these may not be bassy enough though.

As someone who is coming from other $3-500 hear (K712, Q701, Shure 1540, and others) the Z7 is as good as or better depending the model. BUT it is also sonically very different. Its the difference that matters versus which is "better" because the difference will either make it Better or worse for each person. In your case the Z7 will have better bass than the MA900 and way better construction, the treble will be smoother but the closed design will impact the sense of space. In the case of the XB1000 the X7 will have less bass But I suspect it will have better detail and be more controlled and will be less congested. If you were coming from my AKG headphones on the other hand you might hate the Z7 in my case I am loving the contrasting sound as an alternative.

 

[gr8soundz]

The cover/coating on the stock cable is a bit unwieldy (guess it could cause slight friction issue). I carefully wrapped mine with a velcro strap to keep excess at bay. Still waiting for the Kimber cables to become avail. Should help with all of the above plus better sound (I hope) based on what others here have said.

 

[GubaFace]

Thanks HiFiGuy!
 
If not too much trouble, how would you describe the difference?

 

[Mickice]

With an afternoon of listening done I have come away with this:
So much space you could rent it to a hobo.
Bass is fantastic, punches when required.
Mids are above average, not overly bright on S's.
Treble is fantastic, this has to be the cleanest high end I've heard.

In comparision the V6 sounds smaller, bass is lighter, more vibrato on the vocals and sparkly grainy highs.

What you experience is upto you, this is what I get and really love what I am hearing.

 

[beemarman]

Hi,
 
Does anyone know if the Denon D600 cable would fit the Z7? The standard cable is a bit long.

 

[tseliottt]

Week or so later, still no thoughts of returning these. Anyone who says these sound cluttered or muddy or anything like that, it probably has to do with the music your listening to and the recording process. For electronically produced music, these are extremely layered, detailed, and that soundstage is amazing. Better than many open headphones I've tried.
 
One guy said it made the bassline sound monotonous on some indie acoustic album. Well I listened to two albums by The Bug, and I could hear just about every detail he put into his basslines. Absolutely fantastic.
 
So if you listen to music made with analog synths, samplers, romplers, etc etc, I still would not hesitate to recommend these.

 

[gr8soundz]

  Week or so later, still no thoughts of returning these. Anyone who says these sound cluttered or muddy or anything like that, it probably has to do with the music your listening to and the recording process. For electronically produced music, these are extremely layered, detailed, and that soundstage is amazing. Better than many open headphones I've tried.
 
One guy said it made the bassline sound monotonous on some indie acoustic album. Well I listened to two albums by The Bug, and I could hear just about every detail he put into his basslines. Absolutely fantastic.
 
So if you listen to music made with analog synths, samplers, romplers, etc etc, I still would not hesitate to recommend these.

 
Well said.

 

[a_recording]

I don't plan on returning to regular posting, but I think it's important that I check in with new MDR-Z7 owners at this point. The right driver on my pair of the MDR-Z7's produces a rattling noise at low frequencies.
 

 
There are some more details / links in the video description.
 
I'm trying to get some idea if this is a common fault or isolated to my particular unit, so you might want to check this out on your own unit...

 

[joey99]

So much space you could rent it to a hobo.
 

LOL .. I love that analogy 

 

[cheflatte]

Totally agree, have found over the last three weeks despite there independence the z7 need juice.... More the better. Secondly they need time diver burn/head burn is what they need, mids have come forward, bass tighter and more controlled, thirdly and what I find most important to get the best out of these is quality of music, I Sony take the high-resolution sticker seriously and the z7 imo does not cover, smooth over or make bad recording/mastering sound audible.
I'm in no way an audiophile all simply imo.