[LaCuffia]

My choice is a bit more lopsided in terms of price - keeping either Z1R ($1,600) or the Nighthawk which I got for only $328.

Have to say the Nighthawk holds its own in terms of comfort. It's really not that far off from the Z1R. Need to do some sound comparisons later tonight.

Right now I am so impressed at how the Z1R sounds just out of an iPhone. A huge bonus for a high end headphone to be so easy to drive.

 

[Whitigir]

My choice is a bit more lopsided in terms of price - keeping either Z1R ($1,600) or the Nighthawk which I got for only $328.

Have to say the Nighthawk holds its own in terms of comfort. It's really not that far off from the Z1R. Need to do some sound comparisons later tonight.

Right now I am so impressed at how the Z1R sounds just out of an iPhone. A huge bonus for a high end headphone to be so easy to drive.

Depends if you connect Z1R to a balanced source or not...let me guess, you are using it SE.

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

My choice is a bit more lopsided in terms of price - keeping either Z1R ($1,600) or the Nighthawk which I got for only $328.

Have to say the Nighthawk holds its own in terms of comfort. It's really not that far off from the Z1R. Need to do some sound comparisons later tonight.

Right now I am so impressed at how the Z1R sounds just out of an iPhone. A huge bonus for a high end headphone to be so easy to drive.

Hmmm..hated the Nighthawk but love the Z1R. Does the Z1R masterfully add to the nighthawk or was the nighthawk just a few nudges in tuning to be masterful?

Oh head-fi

 

[Bern2]

Have to say the Nighthawk holds its own in terms of comfort. It's really not that far off from the Z1R. Need to do some sound comparisons later tonight.

 

Don't hold back any punches!!  Want to hear the truth.  No sugar coating.
 
Bern (who only likes sugar in candy bars).

 

[LaCuffia]

My source for testing is a vinyl set up:

Project Debut Carbon with Ortofon 2M blue cartridge > Lounge Audio Phono Preamp > Little Dot MKIII tube amp or O2 amp. I did a brief listen already with the Little Dot and I must say it sounds pretty great with the Z1R - I don't have concerns with tube sound coloring anything.

Call me old fashioned - don't have a DAC as of now or CD set up. Might have opportunity for the Chord Mojo soon though

 

[LaCuffia]

...and Beck's album Sea Change sounds glorious with the Z1R. Always one of my reference recordings when testing headphones.

The Z1R seems to have a natural and analog type sound that is perfect for record listening.

 

[Soundsgoodtome]

Starboy:: A fantastic album that was helped by Daft Punk in the production department. A good listen on the Z1R among others.

 

[The Life]

  Question: is the Kimber cable that much better than the stock for sound quality?     If yes, what is the type/model called and where is the best place to purchase it?  

I think it is, but everyones ears are different. If you are in the US, buy it directly from Amazon and return it if your ears tell you different.

 

[TSAVJason]

Sony! The creator of Personal Portable Audio is back with a vengeance! Available to ship next week.

 

[LaCuffia]

Okay so after some further listening and with the caveat that these are still "preliminary" impressions because it's unfair to cast judgments this early....
 
Not to take away from the Nighthawk, which I still think is an excellent headphone and underrated/misunderstood, but it just can't compete with the Z1R in terms of sound.   Of course, it's not really a fair fight considering the big gap in price points, and I am not surprised the Z1R comes out on top.  Granted, I have not had the Nighthawk that long and I still haven't hit that magical 150 hour burn in threshold that they talk about. 
 
Taking the Z1R on its own, however, I think it is quite extraordinary.  It is just about perfectly balanced, with a very musical and engaging sound while not sacrificing any detail.  It might be hyperbole and the excitement of the new shiny toy but I can't think of anything else that is better.   The big question for me: is it worth four times the price I paid for the Nighthawk.   I guess I have to look big picture too - I'll probably never find another Z1R for $1,600 at a later date (if I return them) and I suppose it might become a sort of collector's item years from now.  Probably not R10 level of rarity since they will manufacture more Z1R units.   To sum up, the Z1R is very special.  I love it. 

 

[Kamil21]

Okay so after some further listening and with the caveat that these are still "preliminary" impressions because it's unfair to cast judgments this early....

Not to take away from the Nighthawk, which I still think is an excellent headphone and underrated/misunderstood, but it just can't compete with the Z1R in terms of sound.   Of course, it's not really a fair fight considering the big gap in price points, and I am not surprised the Z1R comes out on top.  Granted, I have not had the Nighthawk that long and I still haven't hit that magical 150 hour burn in threshold that they talk about. 

Taking the Z1R on its own, however, I think it is quite extraordinary.  It is just about perfectly balanced, with a very musical and engaging sound while not sacrificing any detail.  It might be hyperbole and the excitement of the new shiny toy but I can't think of anything else that is better.   The big question for me: is it worth four times the price I paid for the Nighthawk.   I guess I have to look big picture too - I'll probably never find another Z1R for $1,600 at a later date (if I return them) and I suppose it might become a sort of collector's item years from now.  Probably not R10 level of rarity since they will manufacture more Z1R units.   To sum up, the Z1R is very special.  I love it. 

Welcome to the Z1R club. Am really glad you're catching the magic. Hearing is believing!

 

[Naim.F.C]

 

Starboy:: A fantastic album that was helped by Daft Punk in the production department. A good listen on the Z1R among others.

 
Listened to it a few times now, it grows on you. I wasn't particularly keen on it the first listen, at least comparative to some of his older albums, a few of which are in my opinion a bit more visceral, consistent and unique overall. There's something a bit monotonous about elements of Starboy as a whole, and I feel like there's unnecessary filler throughout the album too. That said, there's definitely some foot tapping successes in there, and it's mastered and produced really well making for some pretty addictive listening. It also definitely pairs really well with these cans. In some tracks at certain points, The Weeknd legitimately sounds like he's right there with you in person, singing directly to you lol, at least if you get the volume level just right. Side note, I wish the Stargirl interlude was a full track
 
 
Post production to vocals.

Another random observation I've found about these cans, they're very good at bringing out textural differences in vocals. Whilst they might not nail the realism and honesty of tone every time, they are really good at showing off when vocals have had certain very subtle effects, reverbs, post processing etc applied to them. I find it easier to make out what has or hasn't been tweaked to vocals in certain tracks with these cans, than I do with my HD800's for example, which imo peak up top a tiny bit too much, making vocals sometimes have a very slightly compressed, less rich dynamic about them, that also makes noticing vocal production tweaks a smidgen less easy.
 

Side note, why is this thread not in the Summit-Fi segment? If £1700 is no longer considered Summit-Fi, I think I might just go and bash my head against a wall lol.

 

[beowulf]

Side note, why is this thread not in the Summit-Fi segment? If £1700 is no longer considered Summit-Fi, I think I might just go and bash my head against a wall lol.

 
After a month of ownership, agree. Thread is not in the right place.

 

[thanatosguan]

   

Side note, why is this thread not in the Summit-Fi segment? If £1700 is no longer considered Summit-Fi, I think I might just go and bash my head against a wall lol.

 
Sony is not known to produce Summit-Fi so I suppose that's why. (Albeit one of the earliest Summit-Fi players... how ironic.)
 
I mean some headphones are 100% more expensive than Z1R so I suppose Z1R pricing is in the middle of all things ; )

 

[LaCuffia]

The Z1R is like Mt Everest for me in terms of price, value, performance, and aesthetics.  Even the US retail price is too much for me, and I am never going to get the prestigious Utopia or Stax 009, so very lucky to be able to have and experience it.   I am not sure what the specific criteria is for the Summit-Fi thread, but the Z1R is miles beyond mid-fi.