[Mink]

Prices in the Netherlands vary a lot, from 367 euro (398 USD)  to a whopping 1027 euro (1090 USD)! It makes you wonder if the expensive ones are different? None of the shops are official Sony dealers, so this should be counted out as well.
 
Mine (I paid 375 euro) are made in Japan and nothing indicates they have a manufacturing fault or anything out of the ordinary...

 

[SptTablo]

Okay I know that this will be a little off topic but I have asked related thread and never got it answered.

I am considering purchasing a DAC.

Either Oppo HA-2 or IFI nano dsd.

Considering a pairing Z7, which is a better option?

I really like that Oppo HA-2 is slimmer and also MFI certified.(Thus, no need of cck)

But at the same time, nano dsd is cheaper while ifi is also known for its quality.

I will be mainly using Macbook Pro Retina and iPhone to listen to music.

Any inputs will be appreciated

 

[charpi]

Hi, I'm looking for a headphone to complement my IEMs and I'm considering this but I have a few questions.

- How is it with and without an amp? Does it make a big difference or can I drive it with a phone? I'm thinking I might get a full Sony combo of this and the PHA3
- Does balanced make a big difference?
- How is the sound leakage? I'm going to use this in an offic quiet environment
- how is this compared to the Alpha Dog Prime? That's something else I'm considering.

I really appreciate the advice

 

[SptTablo]

Hi, I'm looking for a headphone to complement my IEMs and I'm considering this but I have a few questions.

- How is it with and without an amp? Does it make a big difference or can I drive it with a phone? I'm thinking I might get a full Sony combo of this and the PHA3
- Does balanced make a big difference?
- How is the sound leakage? I'm going to use this in an offic quiet environment
- how is this compared to the Alpha Dog Prime? That's something else I'm considering.

I really appreciate the advice

Hey charpi, 
 
Since I am relatively new to the all head-fi world, I do not own fancy gadget like others on this site.
 
But I can comment on the sound leakage since that was one of my biggest concern prior to my purchase of Z7.
 
In my opinion, they do not leak sound much.
 
I am kind of person who listen to music pretty loud and often times, people in the same room do not hear my music.
 
The sound isolation of this headphone is not the best but it is decent.  

 

[Sonic Defender]

Hi, I'm looking for a headphone to complement my IEMs and I'm considering this but I have a few questions.

- How is it with and without an amp? Does it make a big difference or can I drive it with a phone? I'm thinking I might get a full Sony combo of this and the PHA3
- Does balanced make a big difference?
- How is the sound leakage? I'm going to use this in an offic quiet environment
- how is this compared to the Alpha Dog Prime? That's something else I'm considering.

I really appreciate the advice

I'll let you know as I have a Z7 and PHA 3 coming next week I hope. I also had an adapter made so I can drive the Z7s from my speaker tap cable I had made for my HE 560. That should be epic as I use a really nice 180 watt NAD M3.

 

[dL.]

What a world of difference after upgrading my power and USB cable to the Nordost Heimdall 2. Now listening to the Z7 is at another whole new level. I can't wait until the day when Nordost comes out with a cable for the Z7.
 
The Z7 is definitely a keeper for me, even after owning the HD800 for a few weeks. Sure, it's no competition in terms of soundstage and detail retrieval, but sometimes it's good to relax and enjoy the music. The Z7 is far more forgiving and that can be a good thing, especially when listening to a variety of different genre.
 

 
dL

 

[Sonic Defender]

  What a world of difference after upgrading my power and USB cable to the Nordost Heimdall 2. Now listening to the Z7 is at another whole new level. I can't wait until the day when Nordost comes out with a cable for the Z7.
 
The Z7 is definitely a keeper for me, even after owning the HD800 for a few weeks. Sure, it's no competition in terms of soundstage and detail retrieval, but sometimes it's good to relax and enjoy the music. The Z7 is far more forgiving and that can be a good thing, especially when listening to a variety of different genre.
 

 
dL

Did you get blind testing done? I only mention this as many of these after market cable solutions aren't inexpensive and new members might happen upon posts and not understand that very often nobody blind tests such things, and all claims of improvement need to be viewed cautiously. I'm a cable agnostic, I hope they make a difference, but until there are numerous and well designed blind listening tests, I have to remain unconvinced one way or the other and I like to make sure new users (you never know what threads they frequent) realize that cable differences are extremely controversial and before spending money in this area they need to carefully consider things.

 

[dL.]

 
Did you get blind testing done? I only mention this as many of these after market cable solutions aren't inexpensive and new members might happen upon posts and not understand that very often nobody blind tests such things, and all claims of improvement need to be viewed cautiously. I'm a cable agnostic, I hope they make a difference, but until there are numerous and well designed blind listening tests, I have to remain unconvinced one way or the other and I like to make sure new users (you never know what threads they frequent) realize that cable differences are extremely controversial and before spending money in this area they need to carefully consider things.

No I did not and I don't intend to do any test. I simply listen and enjoy music and I personally discovered improvements worthy of my investment. Sometimes it's a good thing to not believe in cables because that hobby can get really expensive and nobody's wallet is going to like that.
 
Anyways, I'm not hear to convince anyone to upgrade their cables. I'm just sharing my impression and opinion on it. I do believe that a good source and equipment is necessary to hear the potential.
 
dL

 

[Sonic Defender]

 
No I did not and I don't intend to do any test. I simply listen and enjoy music and I personally discovered improvements worthy of my investment. Sometimes it's a good thing to not believe in cables because that hobby can get really expensive and nobody's wallet is going to like that.
 
Anyways, I'm not hear to convince anyone to upgrade their cables. I'm just sharing my impression and opinion on it. I do believe that a good source and equipment is necessary to hear the potential.
 
dL

Absolutely, and for the record I spent $500 on a headphone cable, and I do one day intend to do the testing. My post wasn't aimed at you, or your beliefs on a personal level, but as I think my post was clear about I usually make a counter post when strong claims of massive improvement are made. That isn't done to be an ass, or to challenge or demean others, I just think it is important that less experienced users be allowed to look at both sides of the spectrum. I'm sorry if it seemed to be personal, certainly not my intent.

 

[Allanmarcus]

Hi. I just got some Z7s today and I've been wearing them for a few hours. Nice sound, though it will take some getting used to.
 
My issue and question concerns the headband. After a hour or so, the very top of my head started to hurt. I notice there is very little padding on the headband at the top, and none on lower sides of the headband; there is no padding for the first two inches up from the silver sliders. I have a very early version (serial 0126). Is there more padding on more recent serial numbers?

 

[Sound Eq]

i was thinking out the below which has the great bass, warmth and rich full sound signature without any irritating piercing highs

1- audeze closed el8
2- sony z7
3- zmf vibro x
4- oppo pm3
5- denon 7000
6- jvc 1000

 

[Sonic Defender]

i was thinking out the below which has the great bass, warmth and rich full sound signature without any irritating piercing highs

1- audeze closed el8
2- sony z7
3- zmf vibro x
4- oppo pm3
5- denon 7000
6- jvc 1000

How are you ordering these? I currently have a ZMF Vibro here and it does not even come close to the bass of the D7000 which I also owned, not even in the same ballpark. I would say the Vibro has bass similar to the DT 880 in terms of quantity and impact. I would beyond crushed if the Z7 isn't significantly harder hitting in the bass. 

 

[Mink]

I suspect hykhleif forgot to add a question mark? He wants to know which headphones out of the list he posted have great bass, warmth, without any piercing highs...?

 

[Sound Eq]

i was thinking out the below which has the great bass, warmth and rich full sound signature without any irritating piercing highs ?

1- audeze closed el8
2- sony z7
3- zmf vibro x
4- oppo pm3
5- denon 7000
6- jvc 1000

 

[Sonic Defender]

  I suspect hykhleif forgot to add a question mark? He wants to know which headphones out of the list he posted have great bass, warmth, without any piercing highs...?

Gotcha, yah that should have been obvious. My bad. The D7000 is a gorgeous sounding headphone I thought. I did slightly drop the treble via parametric EQ, but overall from memory the treble was very nice, well extended but not piercing.