[Redcarmoose]

Wow, so you have the Kimber for the XBA-Z5 already! That will sound amazing with the WM-1A! Congratulations!

 

[rockervungtau]

Wow, so you have the Kimber for the XBA-Z5 already! That will sound amazing with the WM-1A! Congratulations!

Thank you, all I have to do now is Z7, yeah I want it so much , lets see if I can do something with it.

 

[Redcarmoose]

Thank you, all I have to do now is Z7, yeah I want it so much , lets see if I can do something with it.

Just open both packages and put the Kimber on the XBA-Z5 and leave it on. You’ll be fine. But also kinda baby it, like (I anyway) only listen to them at home. The form-factor is fine if you stay at home with them. Experiment with tips, but the included Sony Hybrids are the best ones I found for them. They probably need 50-100 hours of burn-in before sounding their best!

 

[nephilim32]

Hi mate, do we need amp/dac for this combo, or just kimber cable and the original ones, thank you

If that DAP has a balanced output I’d utilize that.
If the standard 3.5mm OUT has a VRMS rating above 2.3 your absolutely golden. The Z7’s are 70 ohms I believe, so they need a bit of care. I have the Z7’s and I have the AK JR DAP and my AK does not give it the sufficient umphhh it needs.

 

[rockervungtau]

If that DAP has a balanced output I’d utilize that.
If the standard 3.5mm OUT has a VRMS rating above 2.3 your absolutely golden. The Z7’s are 70 ohms I believe, so they need a bit of care. I have the Z7’s and I have the AK JR DAP and my AK does not give it the sufficient umphhh it needs.

They also recommend this one : but I dont like dac/amp any way

 

[runssical]

Does anyone know what Japanese website (s) sell replacement parts for the Z7 such as the headband?

 

[runssical]

Been 5 years since I purchased my Z7. The cushion material in the headband has undergone some compression. The headphone still feels comfortable atop my head. I wonder how long the headband can reasonably last. One thing I notice is that the solid portions of the headband which are right and left of the center foam are actually where the headphone is supported.

 

[runssical]

This is a great time to order genuine OEM replacement ear cushions for the Z7 from Japan. The Japanese Yen has been in free fall for several months and now trades at levels not seen in nearly 20 years. I was able to order a pair for about $60 including shipping through ZenMarket. The price for the ear cushions has increased for the first time in several years due to the inflation issue but the falling Yen has muted the impact. Don't bother with the knock-off cushions that come out of China. Those are junk and non-OEM cushions adversely impact the sound.

 

[Redcarmoose]

This is a great time to order genuine OEM replacement ear cushions for the Z7 from Japan. The Japanese Yen has been in free fall for several months and now trades at levels not seen in nearly 20 years. I was able to order a pair for about $60 including shipping through ZenMarket. The price for the ear cushions has increased for the first time in several years due to the inflation issue but the falling Yen has muted the impact. Don't bother with the knock-off cushions that come out of China. Those are junk and non-OEM cushions adversely impact the sound.

Great news!

 

[Mink]

Most people agree with the following phrase, often used when deciding which audio product to buy: "Trust your own ears".
Well, this may be true to some people, but I have found out over the years that my ears are not to be trusted at all.
I haven't used the Sony MDR-Z7s for over 2 years or so, because I felt they were a lot more fatiguing in the high mids and lower treble than other pairs I favored, like the AudioQuest Nightbirds, Avantone Planar and Sennheiser HD 650. I could listen to the other pairs non-stop for an indefinite period of time, whereas with the Z7s my ears would get fatigued after a couple of hours.
Today I decided to give them another go and now my ears register them as much more relaxed than the NightHawks, even though they are brighter in the high mids and lower treble, I find them more pleasing and forgiving, less fatiguing with the majority of music and videos I play. The complete opposite of what I registered two years ago.
What is this nonsense?
I would have expected that my developed taste partnered with my 'educated' hearing, my trained ears so to say would have established some baseline by now from which I can easily tell what I like and don't like. Which sound is too bright, too edgy, too bassy etc. But none of that. My ears seem to decide willy-nilly what they like and what they experience as fatiguing without any rationale behind it.

Oh well, never mind. I am actually glad that I am given the chance to renew my love for the Sony's! Man, that bass is something else, so much oomph without any hardness. And their soundstage is something of beauty as well.

 

[Hinomotocho]

Wanting some overheads for movies, or maybe just an excuse to own another Sony product, I intended to get the Z7 but found sourcing a good condition one for a reasonable price shipped to my country difficult so for now decided on a good deal on a 1AM2 as a starting point.
The 1AM2 ticks some boxes with weight, comfort, the one-sided cable, and decent sound quality. I understand it's price point and intended market and appreciate the level of sound it provides but find it a bit hit and miss depending on the music track or movie audio. At times it nicely hits a sweet spot but other times it seems to lack in certain frequencies and perhaps sound a bit hollow (not soundstage). Would the Z7 being a higher level headphone be a better choice overall for movies or should I just appreciate the 1AM2? If anyone either owns both or upgraded could please offer an opinion?

 

[Mink]

Wanting some overheads for movies, or maybe just an excuse to own another Sony product, I intended to get the Z7 but found sourcing a good condition one for a reasonable price shipped to my country difficult so for now decided on a good deal on a 1AM2 as a starting point.
The 1AM2 ticks some boxes with weight, comfort, the one-sided cable, and decent sound quality. I understand it's price point and intended market and appreciate the level of sound it provides but find it a bit hit and miss depending on the music track or movie audio. At times it nicely hits a sweet spot but other times it seems to lack in certain frequencies and perhaps sound a bit hollow (not soundstage). Would the Z7 being a higher level headphone be a better choice overall for movies or should I just appreciate the 1AM2? If anyone either owns both or upgraded could please offer an opinion?

I cannot comment on the Z7 in comparison with the 1AM2, because I never auditioned the 1AM2's, but I find the Z7 to be excellent for movies and music. I think most audiophiles wouldn't recommend them for music, because of the less than neutral, somewhat obese bass, but they are in agreement that the Z7 is fabulous for movies. Subjectively I find the Z7 to be great for everything. Objectively, when listening critically (which isn't fun) I agree with those audiophiles.
To be clear, I am talking about the Z7 MKI, I never auditioned Z7 MKII

 

[Hinomotocho]

I cannot comment on the Z7 in comparison with the 1AM2, because I never auditioned the 1AM2's, but I find the Z7 to be excellent for movies and music. I think most audiophiles wouldn't recommend them for music, because of the less than neutral, somewhat obese bass, but they are in agreement that the Z7 is fabulous for movies. Subjectively I find the Z7 to be great for everything. Objectively, when listening critically (which isn't fun) I agree with those audiophiles.
To be clear, I am talking about the Z7 MKI, I never auditioned Z7 MKII

Thank you for your input.
I actually owned them briefly a few years ago but just couldn't appreciate them for music so let them go. Reading your recent post I chuckled as I have experienced the same thing and hope I will have a similar experience and be able to appreciate them for music also - perhaps my Sony Kimber cable and TA-ZH1ES may help offer a better feed than my ZX300 I had at the time?
Reading the 1AM2 thread there are people who favour them over the Z7 so I took the opportunity to try. Perhaps my ears have been spoiled having owned the MDR-Z1R but I am hoping the Z7's qualities will suit my ears, for movies at least.

 

[Hinomotocho]

I was lucky enough to get a mint condition Z7 locally, instead of having to factor in shipping and exchange rates etc etc etc, also there aren't that many in decent condition for a reasonable price.
When I had my Z5 a few years back I saw a local auction for a Z7 and thought I'd be getting a nice 70mm Z5 sound but was really disappointed. The Z7 is a beautiful headphone in looks and comfort but the sound was something I absolutely couldn't adjust to so sold it within 2 weeks. Highly possible I was listening to a lot more guitar based music, and maybe my stock ZX300 wasn't an ideal pairing so it just didn't work for the majority of my listening and I wanted an all-rounder like I found with the Z5 - I always find the Sony iems to be quite smooth.
When I decided to let my MDR-Z1R go to fund the WM1Z I thought I'd at least try them together to see if any magic happened but it just confirmed the Z1R wasn't working for me in the treble region unlike the IER. I bought the Z7 for movies but just tried them quickly with my 1Z and was surprised that it actually was quite a decent pairing for my ears. Nostalgia and interest in the progression of music during my life span has me listening to a lot of late 70's early 80's synth and new wave etc so it may be the synth sounds come through nicely with them.
I had written them off and was thinking that the Z7M2 might be my only other Sony option but reviews hadn't entirely sold me on those. Nice to see so much love for the Z7, including me.
Thanks to those who had helped my decision.

 

[Terriero]

I was lucky enough to get a mint condition Z7 locally, instead of having to factor in shipping and exchange rates etc etc etc, also there aren't that many in decent condition for a reasonable price.
When I had my Z5 a few years back I saw a local auction for a Z7 and thought I'd be getting a nice 70mm Z5 sound but was really disappointed. The Z7 is a beautiful headphone in looks and comfort but the sound was something I absolutely couldn't adjust to so sold it within 2 weeks. Highly possible I was listening to a lot more guitar based music, and maybe my stock ZX300 wasn't an ideal pairing so it just didn't work for the majority of my listening and I wanted an all-rounder like I found with the Z5 - I always find the Sony iems to be quite smooth.
When I decided to let my MDR-Z1R go to fund the WM1Z I thought I'd at least try them together to see if any magic happened but it just confirmed the Z1R wasn't working for me in the treble region unlike the IER. I bought the Z7 for movies but just tried them quickly with my 1Z and was surprised that it actually was quite a decent pairing for my ears. Nostalgia and interest in the progression of music during my life span has me listening to a lot of late 70's early 80's synth and new wave etc so it may be the synth sounds come through nicely with them.
I had written them off and was thinking that the Z7M2 might be my only other Sony option but reviews hadn't entirely sold me on those. Nice to see so much love for the Z7, including me.
Thanks to those who had helped my decision.

These last weeks, I have been stuck with the 9200s (enjoying a lot), but in a few days I plan to use again the Z7s. I mainly use them for jazz, some vocal and rock, even sometimes I like to listen to metal with them, but I don't consider them a multigenre pair of headphones (like, IMO, the 1990 Pros). For movies I prefer the HD 800s, but I want to also try the Z7s. Did you try your Z1Rs with movies? I have read comments and people in general seem to enjoy a lot them for movies.