cl5160316
New Head-Fier
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2009
- Posts
- 32
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- 15
how much burn-in time was there, for user above?
Here's my impression and opinion for the Sony Z7.
I bought this headphone at the Sony Store almost a week ago as I saw Mike had it paired with the WA7+WA7TP combo which I also have, so I figured why not give it a try since there's a 15 day return policy. In addition, I wanted to see if I can find another headphone that can complement my HD700 as I sometimes find the lower end to be lacking.
Let's start with the bass. Hey, that's why I bought this headphone for, and to be honest I thought it was fantastic initially. I was almost convinced that it's better than the HD700. Then later I came to realize that it certainly has more volume than the HD700, but it's not really tight and controlled. The bass texture sounded the same, regardless of the song, with the same thumping effect and the Sony-signature mid-bass "boing" if that makes sense to any of you. And while I appreciate headphones with some bass presence as I prefer a warm headphone signature, I felt like it can sometimes be intruding, especially when it bleeds into the mid.
Interesting mids. I have no problem with the mids in general, except for some reason there's a huge inconsistency in the vocal staging. Some songs have really forward mids, while some songs have overwhelming bass with mids that are far too recessed. I've never experienced this with any headphones so far, so I am not sure if this is the "accurate" presentation. It would be nice if someone could explain why this phenomenon exist for the Z7. Also there are traces of mid-bass bleeding. Some may appreciate this darkness and warmth, but not to my ears.
Oh my, the treble. They are fantastic surprisingly. I have no complains whatsoever. It is not recessed at all, yet it doesn't kill your ears like the HD700 can. It has just as much detail, but presented very subtly. To my surprise, this is my favourite part about the Z7 as I never feel fatigue listening to the treble range in any song.
How about the soundstage? To my surprise, for a semi-closed can, they are pretty decent. Can I "feel the air"? Sadly no, you will need a HD800 but they are no slouch. Instrument separation is pretty good, but it can compete with open cans like the HD700.
Clarity, or lack-of? Sadly, this headphone doesn't have the clarity that I had wish for compared to the HD700. The vocals always sound a bit grainy and I can certainly see why some might appreciate, but to me it doesn't quite work. Is it terrible? Definitely not, but it never gave me a wow factor like the HD700 often do.
Super comfy. Almost as good as the HD700. There won't be any problem listening with these for hours, and I have fallen asleep with them many times already.
Solid Japanese build quality. Excellent. Better than any Sennheiser imo, and yes that includes the HD800 (because the paint chips). I feel more confident chucking the Z7 around than my HD700. There's also not a single trace of cosmetic blemish and I am very OCD about it (unlike Schiit with cosmetic blemishes in all units that I have seen and opened). Huge kudos to Sony! The genuine leather and stitching is a nice touch. Smells good too! And the serial number badge in the box is very cool. The only thing I don't like is the 1/4" adapter as it is not a screwed-in one. And IMO a headphone at this price should have a 1/4" standard, but I can see why they chose 1/8" or balanced because of the PHA-3 combo.
I am going to audition it for a few more days, but so far I am favouring just keeping the HD700 and saving the money for the upcoming EL-8 instead. It's not bad overall, but I don't think it's worth $699. Let me know what you guys think.
dL
how much burn-in time was there, for user above?
Yeah I wasn't sure if grainy was the best choice of words. It could be smooth. But I felt like it isn't as clear and HD-like as my HD700, so that's why I referred it as grainy. But I agree, it's very smooth, however I think I prefer edgy.
dL
If you want the Z7 Service Manual, get it now while it can :
https://docs.sony.com/release/MDSM/989605201_sm.pdf
I like the part saying the inside color of the left earpad is black and the right earpad is red. This is what I call "well thought" manufacturing process.
Yep...source is quite important...with my AK100II, Resonance Labs Herus or my main rig (a bit overkill: Metrum Hex - GS-X Mk2), the Z7s sound quite wonderful!
Well, now I have just received the PHA-3 this morning and running the Z7 balanced (with stock cable for now). For the record I have never run headphones balanced so far this is my first. I was expecting a huge improvement in clarity, instrument separation and extension both down and up. After a couple of hours listening to ZX1 - PHA3 - Z7, to very different music from indie to rock & hard rock to classic, jazz, flamenco guitar and some good Muddy Waters MFSL master, I'll need further listening.
Don't mistake me there is a significant improvement in clarity and everything sounds more coherent and defined, more air and better imaging but I didn't hear the "fall of your chair" improvement I was expecting from a high priced / good spec'ed DAC/amp.
Maybe the PHA3 needs burn in (and the Z7 further too)... or maybe the IE800 have spoiled my hears with their sparkle and transparency, even the warmer Pandora Hope VI have that sparkle that make you shiver (but oh my they're so uncomfortable). On the other hand, I like the laid back yet detailed nature of the Z7 and the effortlessness of the 70mm drivers when properly driven (this is really distinctive to me, that "big" sound).
I feel like bass are really both a strong and weak point, sometimes they ruin things a bit (not really bleeding into mids but overpowering them, not sure if I make sense) and sometimes they are the fun factor of the Z7. It's hard to put a finger on it, as it's so far fairly inconsistent for me (or maybe it's frequencies that were not there with other headphones and I am not used to getting big sub-bass, brain burn-in will tell).
On a side note I think it's been said before but this amp is sucking power, I have the PHA3-AC (unfortunately no battery) but I plugged my 10000mA external unit for convenience and it drains like 15% an hour with the pot at 40% on low gain. Other note, I have trouble imagining how the PHA3 can run the Z7 properly in single ended mode with the 100mW output, I think Hi Gain is probably required.