[Sonic Defender]

Thanks, the only changes I made were removing everything in the config.txt except for the reference to include the mdr settings and I set the pre-amp to have a negative gain. I never like to boost frequencies without turning down the preamp gain to avoid potential clipping. I can always turn up the amplifiers gain instead. I'm going to very much enjoy this tool as I'm sure others in the community will thanks to you, so again thanks brother.

 

[kman1211]

  Equalizer APO is a system-wide EQ for Windows. You can find a tutorial on how to install and use the program here:
www. youtube. com/watch?v=Cyb1r5E9K3I
 
For the installation files, you should visit this site:
sourceforge .net /projects/equalizerapo/
 
You should copy the text EQ parameters I pasted in the forum to file such as mdr.txt and put it in .../EqualizerAPO/config and write in config.txt :
Preamp: 0 dB
Include: mdr.txt
 
and it will start system-wide EQ on Windows.

Equalizer APO is nice, I've been using it for a while now. Definitely worth installing and using. 

 

[drbobbybones]

I have no clue how to do this as my laptop doesn't have an EQ,
nor do I have a separate device allowing me to do so
(however, the new Roon Labs 1.3v  now offers a parametric EQ, and cross feed filtering etc so will try it there)
but I do admire others who are more technically proficient in this area.

Coming over the hill: the monstrous Roon 1.3

http://www.digitalaudioreview.net/2017/01/coming-over-the-hill-the-monstrous-roon-1-3/

The DSP engine in Roon is amazing. I run the EQ present from u/metal571 (Reddit) for my HE800 and it makes them perform like perfection. I also upsample to DSD 256 into my Chord Dave which takes it up another notch. Sonic perfection.

 

[isquirrel]

I have had a set of the Sony MDR-Z1's for about a month now. I also have the Utopia, LCD -4, Abyss and Stax SR-009 to compare it to.
 
Before I go forth and post my thoughts, I am wondering how many hours are you guys putting on the Headphones prior to critical listening and forming judgements on the Z1?

 

[thatonenoob]

  I have had a set of the Sony MDR-Z1's for about a month now. I also have the Utopia, LCD -4, Abyss and Stax SR-009 to compare it to.
 
Before I go forth and post my thoughts, I am wondering how many hours are you guys putting on the Headphones prior to critical listening and forming judgements on the Z1?

I didn't notice much to be perfectly honest.  Any change noticed would've been too small to measure objectively using my existing rig (changes probably fall within error margin lol). I usually just assign differences heard to brain-in/ acclimatization.  
 
My 2c.  Burn-in is quite the topic and I've  seen people religiously burn-in cables.  In personal experience, I burn-in for good measure after initial listening but frankly wouldn't say it's attributed to any changes in impressions for my review.

 

[heliosphann]

So I still haven't been able to get my pad situation taken care of. My left pad is misshapen and causes a lot of discomfort, especially when listening for longer sessions. As far as contacting Sony directly, does anyone know how the best way to do this? Really love these headphones, but it's annoying that they're uncomfortable because of a product defect.

 

[thatonenoob]

  So I still haven't been able to get my pad situation taken care of. My left pad is misshapen and causes a lot of discomfort, especially when listening for longer sessions. As far as contacting Sony directly, does anyone know how the best way to do this? Really love these headphones, but it's annoying that they're uncomfortable because of a product defect.

Sorry to hear man.  Could contact wherever you bought from, or perhaps just buy some from Japan.  I'm sure there are also some Head-Fi'ers in Japan who may be able to help in this regard.  Also maybe retailers in US can source the parts.  

 

[Sonic Defender]

  I have had a set of the Sony MDR-Z1's for about a month now. I also have the Utopia, LCD -4, Abyss and Stax SR-009 to compare it to.
 
Before I go forth and post my thoughts, I am wondering how many hours are you guys putting on the Headphones prior to critical listening and forming judgements on the Z1?

I would say you are good to go, you should be used to the signature by now, unless of course you don't think so.

 

[isquirrel]

Hmm okay, I assumed being a dynamic driver that it wouldn't need too much "burn in time", how wrong I was. In a discussion with Jack Wu, he said that I should give them a solid 24/7 burn in of a couple of weeks.
 
When I initially listened to the Z1 I was disappointed, the bass was disjointed and TBH the sound was all over the place. An Audiophile friend had a listen at the same time and did not like, his dislike was stronger than mine. What a difference a couple of hundred hours make. Its like listening to a totally different headphone, I invited my friend over and tried them again on him. He then bought a pair and fell in love.
 
I am going to go so far to say that its my go to Headphone now, I prefer it in some respects to the Utopia, I find it highly detailed, very good clarity and now a unified and decent bass output. On top of that its very comfortable.
 
Given Sony's work in material technology etc, I would think that if this was released by say a HiFiMan it would cost 3 times what it sells for here. I am highly impressed. Sounds better with a low impedance output and I replaced the stock cables with an adapter so I can use my DHC Prion 4S. 
 
I give it a 8-9 out of 10.

 

[Sonic Defender]

 
I am going to go so far to say that its my go to Headphone now, I prefer it in some respects to the Utopia, I find it highly detailed, very good clarity and now a unified and decent bass output. On top of that its very comfortable.
 
 
 
I give it a 8-9 out of 10.

Sweet, another person that meshes with the signature. The Z1R won't be for everybody, but for those that like it, typically they like it quite a bit.

 

[drbobbybones]

Sounds better with a low impedance output

THIS! Out of my Chord DAVE and my WA8, it is amazing. Out of my WA22 it feels a bit loose and boomy.

And I changed my opinion on it after burn in as well. Almost a different headphone altogether, like you commented on.

 

[Robert Joe]

I went to CanJam this weekend and spent most of the two days listening to and comparing headphones. I was going to spend around $1K for an upgrade to my Shure 1540 I use in my office. I kept coming back to the Sony booth. I liked the Z7 a lot and then I made the mistake of putting on the Z1R LOL I must have went back about 10 times to listen to the Z1R. It is like what Spendor and Harbeth are to speakers. Smooth and big sounding like real music. The detail is there like real music but the highs are not boosted to give the impression of more detail. You can listen to them for hours without fatigue and they are so comfortable. Then I spent about 2 hours in the Woo room trying everything. They also had the Z1R and paired with their amps took it to another level. I took advantage of the 10% show discount and no sales tax. So 17.775% discount. They will arrive on Friday!
 
Other headphones I would consider over the Z1R would be the Abyss and Stax. But those are much more $$ and not suited to the office. You also reach the law of diminishing returns with the Z1R, they are that good! I also liked the ZMF, Audeze and Nighthawk/Nightowl but prefer the Z1R over them. All the other brands I did not care for - too bright and analytical for my ears.
 
I'm going to pair my Z1R with my Teac UD-501 with upsampling to DSD128 from JRiver or Roon. I will visit the Woo room at T.H.E Show in Sept and probably spend more money

 

[Robert Joe]

How long are the stock cables? I want a 6ft one for work.

 

[isquirrel]

  I went to CanJam this weekend and spent most of the two days listening to and comparing headphones. I was going to spend around $1K for an upgrade to my Shure 1540 I use in my office. I kept coming back to the Sony booth. I liked the Z7 a lot and then I made the mistake of putting on the Z1R LOL I must have went back about 10 times to listen to the Z1R. It is like what Spendor and Harbeth are to speakers. Smooth and big sounding like real music. The detail is there like real music but the highs are not boosted to give the impression of more detail. You can listen to them for hours without fatigue and they are so comfortable. Then I spent about 2 hours in the Woo room trying everything. They also had the Z1R and paired with their amps took it to another level. I took advantage of the 10% show discount and no sales tax. So 17.775% discount. They will arrive on Friday!
 
Other headphones I would consider over the Z1R would be the Abyss and Stax. But those are much more $$ and not suited to the office. You also reach the law of diminishing returns with the Z1R, they are that good! I also liked the ZMF, Audeze and Nighthawk/Nightowl but prefer the Z1R over them. All the other brands I did not care for - too bright and analytical for my ears.
 
I'm going to pair my Z1R with my Teac UD-501 with upsampling to DSD128 from JRiver or Roon. I will visit the Woo room at T.H.E Show in Sept and probably spend more money

Try the new Woo WA 33 fully balanced Amp with quad KR HP 2A3 drivers and Takatsuki 274B rectifier. I repeat what I said earlier, if these Headphone were produced by any other company other than Sony the cost would be doubled if not tripled. I much prefer the Z1 over my Abyss, I don't know how it will fare against the new Abyss Phi however one thing is for sure it will never be as comfortable or as well built as the Sony is. 
 
I will be doing a full review shortly on Mono and Stereo when I have the new Abyss Phi in 8 weeks time and do a comparison of the top tier Headphones. Can't really compare the Stax as it needs a very high quality amp to get the best out of them. The Sony does not. I see the Z1 as a giant killer, its my go to for Soundtracks and large orchestral pieces.

 

[dnnaudio]

Given Sony's work in material technology etc, I would think that if this was released by say a HiFiMan it would cost 3 times what it sells for here. I am highly impressed. Sounds better with a low impedance output and I replaced the stock cables with an adapter so I can use my DHC Prion 4S. 

I give it a 8-9 out of 10.

Would greatly appreciate if you can describe how the DHC Prion improves the Z1R character, particularly the highs where the Sony has tendency to lack some vibrancy and detail. I use DHC for my 846 and aware how good their cables are.