[willywill]

  Well some think the Z7s sound worse than NAD VISO HP50s, so seen in that light, yes the Z7s would be overpriced as hell.
I don't agree, the Z7s are better than the HP50s, I find them worth 400 dollar for sound alone, that means 499 dollar for sound + built quality. 

I came from the Beyer DT770 and i paid $320 back in the day and at $500 the Z7 is a big upgrade well worth the extra money. The Z7 is here to stay for another 10 years

 

[fullranger]

RE: Sony MDR-Z7 Balanced cable for use with Go V2, or other 3.5mm balanced out for DAC. 
 
I did the legwork and found this cable that should do the job for balanced output from a DAC with 3.5mm output to the Sony MDR-Z7.
It's the SONY MUC-S20BL1 cable. -found it on CNET and eBay. Prices range from around $80-$110. 
It is for the Sony MDR-1A, but appears appropriate for the MDR Z7
It has a TRRS 3.5mm (male) plug for a 3.5mm balanced output, and two 3.5mm male plugs representing the left balanced and right balanced inputs to the headphone (female) sockets. Length is about 6 1/2 feet.
Mine is shipping from Japan, and when it arrives I'll get back here and offer feedback about its applicability.
See you soon,
Fullranger

 

[Metalsludge]

Just wanted to throw in my two cents on this controversial headphone that gives different people such differing impressions. After more than a year and a half of being tempted to try it out, (and examining this thread on and off for about as long) I finally grabbed a pair. I don't have golden ears, and don't know all the lingo, but will do my best to give some early impressions and comparisons. I was anxious to see how these compared with some of my other high-end closed pairs. I was pleasantly surprised. 
 
They are certainly darker than some cans. The contrast between light and dark becomes extreme when comparing the Z7 to the TH900. As much as I enjoy strong bass and don't always mind a darker signature for some kinds of music, I also love small details and a brighter headphone can help bring those out. The TH900 is the sun to the Z7's moon, in this area, especially when neither is amplified. 
 
While having amazing bass, the TH900 really brings out the little details in fun electronic tracks at the same time as well in a style that has always blown me away. The Fostex can really hit synthesizer notes and such with a pointed authority that brings out the fun in many tracks with ease. But this involves a V shaped sound and what some call recessed mids, which some people don't enjoy for all kinds of music. 
 
The Z7s are darker and have more forward mids. At first, when comparing these two, I felt like the TH900 won out over the Z7 in the vast majority of cases, when used directly from the source without added amplification. The Z7 was having a lot of trouble reaching the notes that the TH900 seemed to hit effortlessly, revealing details and presence for parts of the music that the Z7 seemed to be lacking. Even so, the Z7s brought a nice rumble and soundscape to things, along with immediacy to the vocals. But while that was interesting and enjoyable, it wasn't nearly enough to make up for what was lacking relative to the TH900. I know the TH900 has a lower impedance, but even when doing volume changes to compensate, the Z7 still lagged behind too much in some areas, to my ears. 
 
Then I tried attaching the Z7s to a WA7 Woo Audio amp. The transformation was immediately obvious, and very pleasant to the ears. Given all that I had heard about how these cans don't really need amplification, this was not at all what I was expecting, but it was very clear. Now, the headphone's strong points of sub bass, power and and enveloping soundscape shined even more, but without sacrificing being able to hit some of the instrument notes with enough authority to be fun in a way that didn't lag behind the TH900s so much. In fact, the Z7s now had something that the TH900s lacked, in the overall presentation, thanks to those combined qualities, even when directly comparing the two sets of cans from the same amp. Very interesting, and quite enjoyable.
 
I had been skeptical, but it seems that HiFiGuy was right - these cans really do "sing" when well amplified, and lack something when they are not. I am also starting to see why Jude so confidently stated that the Z7 belong in the same league as some other high-end closed cans, despite costing less than many of them. Their approach may not be for everyone, but it brings something special to the table. 
 
Since I'm having a fun time with these so far, as a musical and enveloping alternative to my micro-detail emphasizing cans, I decided to get the Kimber cable to see if these continue to scale up well. I look forward to seeing if they have any more nice surprises in store.

 

[lugnut]

Lol ? yes...silver brings a lot to the z7

Do you or anyone else have any recommendations on where to have custom silver cables made ? Thanks

 

[gerelmx1986]

 

Lol ? yes...silver brings a lot to the z7

Do you or anyone else have any recommendations on where to have custom silver cables made ? Thanks

He will self-sponsor

 

[PLUSSOUND]

  Do you or anyone else have any recommendations on where to have custom silver cables made ? Thanks

 
Several cable options available for Z7:
http://www.plussoundaudio.com/customcables/headphone.html

 

[cjc]

Anyone here on Head -Fi  made their own (unbalanced) cables for the MDR-Z7?  If so, What connectors did you use?
 2 or 3 pole?
 How to arrange wires on 1/4" plug?

 

[Mainrollman]

  Just wanted to throw in my two cents on this controversial headphone that gives different people such differing impressions. After more than a year and a half of being tempted to try it out, (and examining this thread on and off for about as long) I finally grabbed a pair. I don't have golden ears, and don't know all the lingo, but will do my best to give some early impressions and comparisons. I was anxious to see how these compared with some of my other high-end closed pairs. I was pleasantly surprised. 
 
They are certainly darker than some cans. The contrast between light and dark becomes extreme when comparing the Z7 to the TH900. As much as I enjoy strong bass and don't always mind a darker signature for some kinds of music, I also love small details and a brighter headphone can help bring those out. The TH900 is the sun to the Z7's moon, in this area, especially when neither is amplified. 
 
While having amazing bass, the TH900 really brings out the little details in fun electronic tracks at the same time as well in a style that has always blown me away. The Fostex can really hit synthesizer notes and such with a pointed authority that brings out the fun in many tracks with ease. But this involves a V shaped sound and what some call recessed mids, which some people don't enjoy for all kinds of music. 
 
The Z7s are darker and have more forward mids. At first, when comparing these two, I felt like the TH900 won out over the Z7 in the vast majority of cases, when used directly from the source without added amplification. The Z7 was having a lot of trouble reaching the notes that the TH900 seemed to hit effortlessly, revealing details and presence for parts of the music that the Z7 seemed to be lacking. Even so, the Z7s brought a nice rumble and soundscape to things, along with immediacy to the vocals. But while that was interesting and enjoyable, it wasn't nearly enough to make up for what was lacking relative to the TH900. I know the TH900 has a lower impedance, but even when doing volume changes to compensate, the Z7 still lagged behind too much in some areas, to my ears. 
 
Then I tried attaching the Z7s to a WA7 Woo Audio amp. The transformation was immediately obvious, and very pleasant to the ears. Given all that I had heard about how these cans don't really need amplification, this was not at all what I was expecting, but it was very clear. Now, the headphone's strong points of sub bass, power and and enveloping soundscape shined even more, but without sacrificing being able to hit some of the instrument notes with enough authority to be fun in a way that didn't lag behind the TH900s so much. In fact, the Z7s now had something that the TH900s lacked, in the overall presentation, thanks to those combined qualities, even when directly comparing the two sets of cans from the same amp. Very interesting, and quite enjoyable.
 
I had been skeptical, but it seems that HiFiGuy was right - these cans really do "sing" when well amplified, and lack something when they are not. I am also starting to see why Jude so confidently stated that the Z7 belong in the same league as some other high-end closed cans, despite costing less than many of them. Their approach may not be for everyone, but it brings something special to the table. 
 
Since I'm having a fun time with these so far, as a musical and enveloping alternative to my micro-detail emphasizing cans, I decided to get the Kimber cable to see if these continue to scale up well. I look forward to seeing if they have any more nice surprises in store.

I got the Kimber's for my Z7. They are not cheap, but you'll like them.

 

[Bandooken]

  Just wanted to throw in my two cents on this controversial headphone that gives different people such differing impressions. After more than a year and a half of being tempted to try it out, (and examining this thread on and off for about as long) I finally grabbed a pair. I don't have golden ears, and don't know all the lingo, but will do my best to give some early impressions and comparisons. I was anxious to see how these compared with some of my other high-end closed pairs. I was pleasantly surprised. 
 
They are certainly darker than some cans. The contrast between light and dark becomes extreme when comparing the Z7 to the TH900. As much as I enjoy strong bass and don't always mind a darker signature for some kinds of music, I also love small details and a brighter headphone can help bring those out. The TH900 is the sun to the Z7's moon, in this area, especially when neither is amplified. 
 
While having amazing bass, the TH900 really brings out the little details in fun electronic tracks at the same time as well in a style that has always blown me away. The Fostex can really hit synthesizer notes and such with a pointed authority that brings out the fun in many tracks with ease. But this involves a V shaped sound and what some call recessed mids, which some people don't enjoy for all kinds of music. 
 
The Z7s are darker and have more forward mids. At first, when comparing these two, I felt like the TH900 won out over the Z7 in the vast majority of cases, when used directly from the source without added amplification. The Z7 was having a lot of trouble reaching the notes that the TH900 seemed to hit effortlessly, revealing details and presence for parts of the music that the Z7 seemed to be lacking. Even so, the Z7s brought a nice rumble and soundscape to things, along with immediacy to the vocals. But while that was interesting and enjoyable, it wasn't nearly enough to make up for what was lacking relative to the TH900. I know the TH900 has a lower impedance, but even when doing volume changes to compensate, the Z7 still lagged behind too much in some areas, to my ears. 
 
Then I tried attaching the Z7s to a WA7 Woo Audio amp. The transformation was immediately obvious, and very pleasant to the ears. Given all that I had heard about how these cans don't really need amplification, this was not at all what I was expecting, but it was very clear. Now, the headphone's strong points of sub bass, power and and enveloping soundscape shined even more, but without sacrificing being able to hit some of the instrument notes with enough authority to be fun in a way that didn't lag behind the TH900s so much. In fact, the Z7s now had something that the TH900s lacked, in the overall presentation, thanks to those combined qualities, even when directly comparing the two sets of cans from the same amp. Very interesting, and quite enjoyable.
 
I had been skeptical, but it seems that HiFiGuy was right - these cans really do "sing" when well amplified, and lack something when they are not. I am also starting to see why Jude so confidently stated that the Z7 belong in the same league as some other high-end closed cans, despite costing less than many of them. Their approach may not be for everyone, but it brings something special to the table. 
 
Since I'm having a fun time with these so far, as a musical and enveloping alternative to my micro-detail emphasizing cans, I decided to get the Kimber cable to see if these continue to scale up well. I look forward to seeing if they have any more nice surprises in store.

Reading this really makes me excited to pick up a Pair of Z7, i currently own the Z5 and absolutely love them. I have listened to the Z7 at the sony store but it was way too loud. From what i was hearing though the headphone is very enjoyable. I am just waiting for a good sale, then i will def pick these up. 
 
I also have the Fostex THx00 Purple heart on the way. People are saying that these 2 headphones are very similar. Is this true? can anyone advise on this. Is there a point in getting both of the headphones? 

 

[AudioHi]

I own z7 and also waiting for the MD Purpleheart as well. I believe z7 and Purpleheart will have two different sound characteristics. My old denon d7000 had different sound characteristic than my current z7.

 

[ButtUglyJeff]

 

Reading this really makes me excited to pick up a Pair of Z7, i currently own the Z5 and absolutely love them. I have listened to the Z7 at the sony store but it was way too loud. From what i was hearing though the headphone is very enjoyable. I am just waiting for a good sale, then i will def pick these up. 
 
I also have the Fostex THx00 Purple heart on the way. People are saying that these 2 headphones are very similar. Is this true? can anyone advise on this. Is there a point in getting both of the headphones? 

 
I doubt they are that similar.  My TH600s were so lacking in mids, and hotter in treble.  And the bass of the two were both equal in quantity, but have very different flavors....

 

[Bandooken]

I own z7 and also waiting for the MD Purpleheart as well. I believe z7 and Purpleheart will have two different sound characteristics. My old denon d7000 had different sound characteristic than my current z7.

 
 

   
I doubt they are that similar.  My TH600s were so lacking in mids, and hotter in treble.  And the bass of the two were both equal in quantity, but have very different flavors....

Sounds good! now its time to find a pair of z7!

 

[Whitigir]

Fostex and z7 is very different, and as much as they can compliment each other very well. In my case, I have 900 and Z7....even modified both and they still carry their own unique pros and cons. The darker signature can be observed as similar as Z7 when I swapped the 900 cups to the EMU Ebony cups.

 

[Tripcrow]

Any recommendations for a portable dac/amp to power these? I have the fiio e17k for now, which works well enough. I was thinking of maybe getting the Creative E5.

 

[Whitigir]

Pha-3 and liquid carbon? Pha-3 because it was made for z7, liquid carbon because many reputable and respectable people said so