The discovery thread!

[Ap616]

Hey, my birthday is on Christmas Eve! Do you mean the 23rd or yours is same as mine? I'm in the US so time zones may play a role lol... 

 

[HouseOfDoom]

23rd is mine. Thanks Wayne and happy early birthday Ap!!

 

[Dsnuts]

  After weeks of waiting. I finally got my MSR-7..The resolution of these phones are stupid. It puts so many headphones to shame detail wise, clarity wise, has a grown up mature balanced sound that sounds more semi open due to the venting system. Great set of cords with a nice pouch. The price on these are getting a bit cheaper. Worth owning a pair for certain. I am very very impressed. These sound like a semiopen verison of the ADXXXX tuning. In other words. AT is doing what AT does best. Vocals and instruments sound stunning on these phones. One of ATs best sounding phones to date as far as I am concerned. More after some time on the burner.
 
Lol. I grabbed this pic from google images and it turns out to be a earfonia pic. Great pic.

 

[dweaver]

Well it looks like I am a Sony fanboy. After getting the Z7 I just couldn't shake the desire to get the Z5 figuring it would cut from the cloth sound wise. Guess what...

Is sure is and then some! I have owned the EX1000, MDR7550, XBA-H3, XBA3 and several other Sony IEM's. The Z5 is DEFINITELY THE FLAGSHIP! I would say it is the perfect marriage of the EX1000, 7550 and H3. It is ever so slightly V shaped ala the EX1000, with most of the midrange goodness of the 7550 while being able to provide similar bass levels of the H3.

Size wise it is slightly smaller than the H3 being more similar to the 7550 or EX1000. I wish Sony had added the H3 iPhone cable, at the price of this IEM it seems a cheap move on their part. I will not be able to test the balanced cable though since I do not own anything to use it (Pono might be in my future). Fortunately my 3 button android cables I bought for my DJE1500 fit perfectly. So as of right now I am using my "upgrade" silver/Teflon cable which works perfectly with my LG G3 phone and is more comfortable than the stock cable.

I will be doing an A/B comparison against the DJE1500 since that IEM is my only 5/5 I have ever given. Based on what I am hearing right now I think the Z5 is technically superior but I will need to do some extensive A/B testing to exactly by how much and in what ways. Off the top I think the Z5 goes slightly deeper in the sub-bass and has more detail, slightly more treble extension, better insregiment separation, and better imaging. Now I just have to A/B to see how good my sonic memory really is. BTW while I think the Z5 is better sonically, I think the DJE1500 is by far the better value considering its less than 1/3 the price.

 

[drbluenewmexico]

   
 
congratulations ericp .  look forward to your impressions of these beauties!
 

 

[BGRoberts]

A little background:
I used to send a singing voicemail to over 200 people each Christmas.
About 16 months ago, I was rushed to the ER. Doctors doubted my survival.  I spent several days in a coma, then several months in multiple hospitals,  I came home just before Christmas 2013 in a hospital bed.  Due to severe nerve damage and paralysis of my tongue, vocal chords, and stomach, I was  unable to drink, eat, talk, sit, or stand.  I was fed through a feeding tube implanted into my body for many months.
Today, the future looks bright.  I am up and about in a wheelchair and beginning to use a walker and canes
 I'm back to listening with my FIIO X3 & Rain2s (and some other stuff  

).
I said all that to say that God is AWESOME and blessing me every day!.
I made this greeting to wish all my friends a VERY Merry Christmas & fabulous New Year!!!
I hope it brings you a smile in this holiday season.
 

 

[slowpickr]

Merry Christmas Bob!  Hope 2015 is a wonderful year for you.

 

[drbluenewmexico]

Originally Posted by Dsnuts /img/forum/go_quote.gif  congratulations DS!  santa be good to you...looking
forward to your burned in  impressions!!!!

 
  After weeks of waiting. I finally got my MSR-7..The resolution of these phones are stupid. It puts so many headphones to shame detail wise, clarity wise, has a grown up mature balanced sound that sounds more semi open due to the venting system. Great set of cords with a nice pouch. The price on these are getting a bit cheaper. Worth owning a pair for certain. I am very very impressed. These sound like a semiopen verison of the ADXXXX tuning. In other words. AT is doing what AT does best. Vocals and instruments sound stunning on these phones. One of ATs best sounding phones to date as far as I am concerned. More after some time on the burner.
 
Lol. I grabbed this pic from google images and it turns out to be a earfonia pic. Great pic.

 

[dweaver]

Awesome post Robert, thanks for the great tune and happy to see your singing again. God is awesome

. Hope you have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

 

[DannyBai]

Thanks for sharing BGRoberts. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

 

[waynes world]

 

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

A little background:
I used to send a singing voicemail to over 200 people each Christmas.
About 16 months ago, I was rushed to the ER. Doctors doubted my survival.  I spent several days in a coma, then several months in multiple hospitals,  I came home just before Christmas 2013 in a hospital bed.  Due to severe nerve damage and paralysis of my tongue, vocal chords, and stomach, I was  unable to drink, eat, talk, sit, or stand.  I was fed through a feeding tube implanted into my body for many months.
Today, the future looks bright.  I am up and about in a wheelchair and beginning to use a walker and canes
 I'm back to listening with my FIIO X3 & Rain2s (and some other stuff  

).
I said all that to say that God is AWESOME and blessing me every day!.
I made this greeting to wish all my friends a VERY Merry Christmas & fabulous New Year!!!
I hope it brings you a smile in this holiday season.
 

 

 
Awesome Bobby - that made my day! Best wishes to you and your family this holiday season.

 

[slowpickr]

Let's remember Headphone Addict also.  I read over in the member's lounge where he and his daughter were recently involved in a very bad car accident.  He was one of the first reviewers I encountered years ago when I first joined Head-Fi.

 

[aiaosu]

A little background:
I used to send a singing voicemail to over 200 people each Christmas.
About 16 months ago, I was rushed to the ER. Doctors doubted my survival.  I spent several days in a coma, then several months in multiple hospitals,  I came home just before Christmas 2013 in a hospital bed.  Due to severe nerve damage and paralysis of my tongue, vocal chords, and stomach, I was  unable to drink, eat, talk, sit, or stand.  I was fed through a feeding tube implanted into my body for many months.
Today, the future looks bright.  I am up and about in a wheelchair and beginning to use a walker and canes
 I'm back to listening with my FIIO X3 & Rain2s (and some other stuff   ).
I said all that to say that God is AWESOME and blessing me every day!.
I made this greeting to wish all my friends a VERY Merry Christmas & fabulous New Year!!!
I hope it brings you a smile in this holiday season.

Thanks for sharing your story and God is good! I love celebrating Christ's birth and hearing stories of thankfulness. God bless you.

 

[dweaver]

For fun I tried the default DJE1500 cable on the Z5. It worked like a charm and I like it's softer less memory wire end on the cable. But playing with the default cable I have found it quite pliant and malleable so has become more comfortable/
 
I going to do a small A/B/C comparison on a few songs between the Z5, DJE1500, and Z7. All using my Lenovo Ideapad. Note I don't have any balanced sources so will not be doing any reviews or comparisons using balanced cables at this time. All headphones are using their stock cables. Volume set at 26 out of 100
 
Fleetwood Mac - The Chain
 
Z5 - Bass kick drum has nice authority and bass guitars sound clear with nice weight and vibration, the bass guitar that kicks in part way through the songs sounds wonderful. Vocals are clear and nuanced conveying emotion nicely. Love how the guitars sound vibrant and alive. Cymbals and drum kit or nicely present with good decay and detail. The song has a wonderful sound stage and imaging, instrument separation is extremely good with nice black space.
 
DJE1500 - Bass kick drum is present but sounds much thinner than the Z5, bass guitar has nice punch but not as nuanced a sound and lacks some of the vibration and weight. Vocals are noticeably brighter and a bit grainy. Guitars are brighter and almost screechy in comparison the Z5. Cymbals are very chatty and have a lot of sizzle making the song sound very busy. Sound stage is not as big as the Z5 but still nicely sized and has good imaging, instrument separation is compromised by the excess noise of the cymbals and lack of black space.
 
Z7 - Bass drum has nice kick but is a bit softer than the Z5 with a bit more bloom, bass guitar has nice weight and a bit more vibration that the Z5 but is not quite as authoritative. Vocals are clear and nuanced and very similar to the Z5 but possibly a bit.  Guitars are not as vibrant or detailed as the Z5. Cymbals and drum kit are nicely present with good decay and detail but are slightly less present as compared to the Z5. Soundstage is massive with excellent imaging and instrument separation besting the Z5 ever so slightly, being more open the black space is not quite as good as the Z5 but much better than the DJE1500.
 
For this song the Z5 definitely wins over the DJE1500 by a large margin, and bests the Z7 narrowly according to my tastes. Now having said that the DJE1500 will work better for those who love a brighter more energetic signature like a Grado or AKG sound but also want a bit more weight in the bass. Conversely the Z7 will be best for those who want a bit more relaxed less fatiguing sound with gobs of bassy goodness.
 
Arvo Part Symphony #3 Part 2
 
Z7 - Strings at the beginning of the song sound vibrant and clear. As more instruments enter the song you can hear the separation and imaging clearly. As the song gains more immediacy and urgency you can feel the change in the song as it moves forward. The brass sections sounds absolutely divine pulling me into the music followed by the string and wind instruments. Single bell strikes are clear and poignant. As the song comes out of middle quiet period the buildup is again wonderfully portrayed with the kettle drums sounding unbelievably good as they build to a crescendo at the end of the song.
 
DJE1500 -  The strings lack a bit of vibrancy and clarity compared to the Z7. As instruments enter the song you get a good sense of separation and imaging, the separation is not quite as clear as the Z7 but the imaging is comparable. Brass is not as compelling and sounds a bit more busy. As the song becomes busy you notice the congestion. Single bell strike are less poignant and clear. Going from quiet to crescendo is not as compelling. Kettle drums are heavy but lack the detail of the Z7.
 
Z5 - Strings sound very clear and vibrant possibly a bit clearer than the Z7. As instruments enter the song there is good separation and imaging. The sound stage is slightly smaller than the Z7 but the imaging is as good as the Z7, again I noticed the added black space. The brass section is a bit more detailed but lacks the grandeur of the Z7 by a small amount. The single bell strikes are not quite as poignant as the Z7. The build from the quiet period to the crescendo is more detailed but not and grand as the Z7.
 
The Z7 clearly outperforms the DJE1500 and is better than the Z5 for this song according to my tastes. But if you like detail over grandeur then the Z5 will win. This song starts to separate the heavyweights from the welter weights though as the DJE1500 struggled to compete in my opinion. But keep in mind the DJE1500 is also less than a 1/3 the cost and was designed for rock and club music as it was made for DJ's.
 
Going to stop at two as I just don't have time for more.
 
The Z5 and Z7 are definitely cut from the same sonic cloth so to speak. I love the slight change in focus from grand to detailed, it allows me to have both while still having a similar signature to work from. BTW while I can only go from memory versus an actual A/B comparison I believe the Z5 is much more vibrant than the H3.

 

[sfwalcer]

  A little background:
I used to send a singing voicemail to over 200 people each Christmas.
About 16 months ago, I was rushed to the ER. Doctors doubted my survival.  I spent several days in a coma, then several months in multiple hospitals,  I came home just before Christmas 2013 in a hospital bed.  Due to severe nerve damage and paralysis of my tongue, vocal chords, and stomach, I was  unable to drink, eat, talk, sit, or stand.  I was fed through a feeding tube implanted into my body for many months.
Today, the future looks bright.  I am up and about in a wheelchair and beginning to use a walker and canes
 I'm back to listening with my FIIO X3 & Rain2s (and some other stuff  

).
I said all that to say that God is AWESOME and blessing me every day!.
I made this greeting to wish all my friends a VERY Merry Christmas & fabulous New Year!!!
I hope it brings you a smile in this holiday season.
 

^
So glad you'll doing well, and is in such high spirits cuz you're like our audio grandapa here.
 
That's why we love ya' BG, you're the coolest pirate Santa we know. : P
 
And yeppp health and love is indeed the most important things in lyfe.
 
Don't be a stranger and keep us posted on your audio aventures. :  )
 
But D'YAM dats some nice vocal skittles!!!

 
 

Well it looks like I am a Sony fanboy. After getting the Z7 I just couldn't shake the desire to get the Z5 figuring it would cut from the cloth sound wise. Guess what...

Is sure is and then some! I have owned the EX1000, MDR7550, XBA-H3, XBA3 and several other Sony IEM's. The Z5 is DEFINITELY THE FLAGSHIP! I would say it is the perfect marriage of the EX1000, 7550 and H3. It is ever so slightly V shaped ala the EX1000, with most of the midrange goodness of the 7550 while being able to provide similar bass levels of the H3.

Size wise it is slightly smaller than the H3 being more similar to the 7550 or EX1000. I wish Sony had added the H3 iPhone cable, at the price of this IEM it seems a cheap move on their part. I will not be able to test the balanced cable though since I do not own anything to use it (Pono might be in my future). Fortunately my 3 button android cables I bought for my DJE1500 fit perfectly. So as of right now I am using my "upgrade" silver/Teflon cable which works perfectly with my LG G3 phone and is more comfortable than the stock cable.

I will be doing an A/B comparison against the DJE1500 since that IEM is my only 5/5 I have ever given. Based on what I am hearing right now I think the Z5 is technically superior but I will need to do some extensive A/B testing to exactly by how much and in what ways. Off the top I think the Z5 goes slightly deeper in the sub-bass and has more detail, slightly more treble extension, better insregiment separation, and better imaging. Now I just have to A/B to see how good my sonic memory really is. BTW while I think the Z5 is better sonically, I think the DJE1500 is by far the better value considering its less than 1/3 the price.

 
+

  For fun I tried the default DJE1500 cable on the Z5. It worked like a charm and I like it's softer less memory wire end on the cable. But playing with the default cable I have found it quite pliant and malleable so has become more comfortable/
 
I going to do a small A/B/C comparison on a few songs between the Z5, DJE1500, and Z7. All using my Lenovo Ideapad. Note I don't have any balanced sources so will not be doing any reviews or comparisons using balanced cables at this time. All headphones are using their stock cables. Volume set at 26 out of 100
 
Fleetwood Mac - The Chain
 
Z5 - Bass kick drum has nice authority and bass guitars sound clear with nice weight and vibration, the bass guitar that kicks in part way through the songs sounds wonderful. Vocals are clear and nuanced conveying emotion nicely. Love how the guitars sound vibrant and alive. Cymbals and drum kit or nicely present with good decay and detail. The song has a wonderful sound stage and imaging, instrument separation is extremely good with nice black space.
 
DJE1500 - Bass kick drum is present but sounds much thinner than the Z5, bass guitar has nice punch but not as nuanced a sound and lacks some of the vibration and weight. Vocals are noticeably brighter and a bit grainy. Guitars are brighter and almost screechy in comparison the Z5. Cymbals are very chatty and have a lot of sizzle making the song sound very busy. Sound stage is not as big as the Z5 but still nicely sized and has good imaging, instrument separation is compromised by the excess noise of the cymbals and lack of black space.
 
Z7 - Bass drum has nice kick but is a bit softer than the Z5 with a bit more bloom, bass guitar has nice weight and a bit more vibration that the Z5 but is not quite as authoritative. Vocals are clear and nuanced and very similar to the Z5 but possibly a bit.  Guitars are not as vibrant or detailed as the Z5. Cymbals and drum kit are nicely present with good decay and detail but are slightly less present as compared to the Z5. Soundstage is massive with excellent imaging and instrument separation besting the Z5 ever so slightly, being more open the black space is not quite as good as the Z5 but much better than the DJE1500.
 
For this song the Z5 definitely wins over the DJE1500 by a large margin, and bests the Z7 narrowly according to my tastes. Now having said that the DJE1500 will work better for those who love a brighter more energetic signature like a Grado or AKG sound but also want a bit more weight in the bass. Conversely the Z7 will be best for those who want a bit more relaxed less fatiguing sound with gobs of bassy goodness.
 
Arvo Part Symphony #3 Part 2
 
Z7 - Strings at the beginning of the song sound vibrant and clear. As more instruments enter the song you can hear the separation and imaging clearly. As the song gains more immediacy and urgency you can feel the change in the song as it moves forward. The brass sections sounds absolutely divine pulling me into the music followed by the string and wind instruments. Single bell strikes are clear and poignant. As the song comes out of middle quiet period the buildup is again wonderfully portrayed with the kettle drums sounding unbelievably good as they build to a crescendo at the end of the song.
 
DJE1500 -  The strings lack a bit of vibrancy and clarity compared to the Z7. As instruments enter the song you get a good sense of separation and imaging, the separation is not quite as clear as the Z7 but the imaging is comparable. Brass is not as compelling and sounds a bit more busy. As the song becomes busy you notice the congestion. Single bell strike are less poignant and clear. Going from quiet to crescendo is not as compelling. Kettle drums are heavy but lack the detail of the Z7.
 
Z5 - Strings sound very clear and vibrant possibly a bit clearer than the Z7. As instruments enter the song there is good separation and imaging. The sound stage is slightly smaller than the Z7 but the imaging is as good as the Z7, again I noticed the added black space. The brass section is a bit more detailed but lacks the grandeur of the Z7 by a small amount. The single bell strikes are not quite as poignant as the Z7. The build from the quiet period to the crescendo is more detailed but not and grand as the Z7.
 
The Z7 clearly outperforms the DJE1500 and is better than the Z5 for this song according to my tastes. But if you like detail over grandeur then the Z5 will win. This song starts to separate the heavyweights from the welter weights though as the DJE1500 struggled to compete in my opinion. But keep in mind the DJE1500 is also less than a 1/3 the cost and was designed for rock and club music as it was made for DJ's.
 
Going to stop at two as I just don't have time for more.
 
The Z5 and Z7 are definitely cut from the same sonic cloth so to speak. I love the slight change in focus from grand to detailed, it allows me to have both while still having a similar signature to work from. BTW while I can only go from memory versus an actual A/B comparison I believe the Z5 is much more vibrant than the H3.

^
Thanks for the impressions/comparos meng!!! Looks like we have ourselves a Sony fan boi in the making!!! Wish i had that kinda' cabbage to get 'em $onys.