[beowulf]

Btw, comfort level on these are out of this world. It's so light and the earpads are medium firm pillows that engulfs your ears into its soft leather. Like damn is this the Cadillac of earpads?

I think if one were to go with an aftermarket cable for whatever reason (stock is decent sound and feel but the plug is so-so), lightweight is a must to keep that comfort level to excellent.

 
Comfort always varies a lot depending on the user. You know, ears, head, patience... but the Z1R are surprisingly comfortable, I agree. The lambskin pads are spft and have the right thickness and diameter (for my ears at least). The weight feels a lot lower, probably due to the wide headband and a softness that masks the pressure but is not exaggerated to the point of making them wobbly.
 
Something else I liked was how easy it was to reduce clamp. I've noticed that if you bend them open (literally, takes one second while putting them on) they retain the form for a few days and slowly gain clamp again. No need to put them on pillows or books over several nights. Grab 'em off the table, open a bit wide if needed, put them on, done.
 
Maybe this ease to "shape" the headband and the way it slowly returns to the original shape after a few days is related to the beta titanium and its elasticity. I'm not a materials engineer so better be quiet here.
 
Since we're having a go at the HD 800S, I have to add that to me the Z1R surpass the HD800/800S in comfort too for me. Main reasons:
-The 800 feel a bit heaver, although they are actually lighter. I think this might be due to the headband needing a bit more cushioning.
-The 800 often gave me a feeling of asymmetry. Might be my OCD, but they made me adjust them more often. This was probably due to the very wide diameter of the pads which was harder to "center" perfectly. Also, the positions on the headband didn't have that firm, satisfying "click" or numbering, so sometimes they'd be indeed not centered.
-The pads of the 800, while nice for not touching the ears at all are a bit rough. That japanese alcantara sure is nice and soft, but not as much as leather or even PU leather, sometimes they could even feel a bit itchy.
 
Despite all this, the 800 are still one of the most comfortable set I've ever used. And they have a big plus... the alcantara, diameter of the pads and open design mean they are a lot more comfortable in terms of temperature. I haven't noticing issues with the Z1R lately, but recall a couple of hotter days and a Z1R>HD800 change was a very pleasant and refreshing (literally) relief. But no surprises here... closed cans with leather pads will always less comfy when the hot summer days arrive.
 

I'm very interested too but need to spend a few words regarding the HD800. Ultimately it looks to me like those are the most flawed headphones around especially when they have proven themselves for 7 years now. Of course they are very demanding in terms of system requirements but let me tell you. I had them for 2 years now and have switched almost every component down the chain at least 3-4 times. Studying the extended experience of so many head-fiers I can say that almost every upgrade to my system brought improvements to the HD800. By improvements I mean additions to their weakness since what they did great was never an issue for the majority of people I believe.

 
That is true, sounds as if this is an HD800 bashing session but that's not the case (at least from me). I liked their qualities and indeed they scale a lot depending on the sources. That's one of the factors that made me part with them, they are a bit less versatile and the price can be somewhat misleading if you are not aware that they will require a considerable premium to sound as good as they can.

 

[Whitigir]

All this makes me wonder if a better cable, and which kind, could enhance the sound of the Z1R without harming some of it'sa strong points like the wonderul mids and slight warmth I hear about and both love.
Something like a decent copper cable (Jena) or would silver be a good thing here (Toxic)?

To answer you this....I found out...personally....stock cables is best tuned for Z1R. If you can not use the 4.4mm balanced, try to convert the stock 3.5mm to balanced. UPOCC is the best copper there is, and it brings too much warmth/sub-bass. Silvers brings the Z1R glares and harsher extensions. Stock cables is best tuned. I would like to use this picture again from Sony themself to prove my point again

You can see Sony using upgraded USB Cables, but not the headphones cables. I agree with this ! Try to tune your system with USB cables to get more from it.

 

[The Life]

To answer you this....I found out...personally....stock cables is best tuned for Z1R. If you can not use the 4.4mm balanced, try to convert the stock 3.5mm to balanced. UPOCC is the best copper there is, and it brings too much warmth/sub-bass. Silvers brings the Z1R glares and harsher extensions. Stock cables is best tuned. I would like to use this picture again from Sony themself to prove my point again

You can see Sony using upgraded USB Cables, but not the headphones cables. I agree with this ! Try to tune your system with USB cables to get more from it.

Is he wearing the Z1Rs backwards in that pic?

 

[phonomat]

Haha, yes, absolutely! And he still looks fab! ROFLMAO!

 

[phonomat]

Then again, maybe we're just missing out on a trend ...
 

 

[Whitigir]

I wondered that too ...LOL!

 

[LaCuffia]

Does anybody have an opinion on a good DAP pairing for the Z1R that is reasonably priced?  I was looking at the Onkyo DP-X1.   Some have said it doesn't have much power to drive certain headphones, but I would think that it would be more than capable for the Z1R given that even an iPhone is enough to drive them.

 

[Whitigir]

Does anybody have an opinion on a good DAP pairing for the Z1R that is reasonably priced?  I was looking at the Onkyo DP-X1.   Some have said it doesn't have much power to drive certain headphones, but I would think that it would be more than capable for the Z1R given that even an iPhone is enough to drive them.

I honestly recommend you WM1A. Given that DP-X1 is already well into $700-800 category. Give it a bit more stretch and get the 1A Walkman.

Pros: 11-20 hours of play time, Balanced out which works with Z1R, 250mWx2 for power output. Simple UI, designed for Z1R

 

[sosrah]

Ahaha ,didn't expect to see you there Filippo


I hope you are enjoying them. I like to compare the Z1R with the HD800S because... they are comparable to me (I know, that's weird in many ways) and might give out the impression that I didn't like the 800S. I do like them a lot and might get another pair eventually. But they were totally crippled for me due to the background noise of the environment. In terms of the original signature, I prefer a bit more body overall, but the sense of space and air... that's something the Z1R cannot match and when the house is finally quiet (like now late at night) I still wish I had the 800S here for a nice roomy listening session.


Definitely too many choices for too few ears (and hours).

It's almost two weeks now that i'm enjoying them both: after all your impressions posts and the photos, the price drop convinced me to jump on the boat.
I continue to alternate them and i'm convinced that Z1R is the one that best suits with all genres; altought i prefer HD800S sometimes, depending what i'm listening, i could have only the Sony and live happily without the need for other headphones. The contrary is not true.

Yesterday i received the Kimber Kable 6.3 single ended, that i'll transform in a balanced cable as soon as neutrik 4 pin connector arrive.
After a short listening, it seems the cable improve the sound but not enought to justify the purchase in my opinion( but i consider this true for most cable update especially the very expensive ones). Anyway before transform it in balanced i'll try to compare it to the stock one, also because i noticed that during the first listening for error i left the HD800S plugged to the balanced output of my Violectric... It is powerful but with two headphones plugged, i think the sound could change a bit.

 

[LaCuffia]

I honestly recommend you WM1A. Given that DP-X1 is already well into $700-800 category. Give it a bit more stretch and get the 1A Walkman.

Pros: 11-20 hours of play time, Balanced out which works with Z1R, 250mWx2 for power output. Simple UI, designed for Z1R

The Onkyo is $600 here in the US. The Walkman is over double the price. I couldn't justify buying a DAP that's almost the price of the Z1R but I understand the synergy would be superior - but an almost 100 percent upgrade in sound from the Onkyo seems doubtful.

 

[Whitigir]

The Onkyo is $600 here in the US. The Walkman is over double the price. I couldn't justify buying a DAP that's almost the price of the Z1R but I understand the synergy would be superior - but an almost 100 percent upgrade in sound from the Onkyo seems doubtful.

I have owned DP-X1 briefly. There are 2 versions now with the newest being DP-X1 (A). It is around 700-800$ and is not available in the states yet, not official anyways. It has improved FT Capacitors compare to the original one.

From what I remembered back then, DP-X1 were good, but too much digital feeling for me, and was not engaging enough. From my experiences with WM1Z and ZX2, I would say personally, I would prefer WM1A over the Onkyo. However, you will be losing out Android, and WIFi streaming if that is your thing

 

[LaCuffia]

I don't know....I am still torn between the Onkyo and the Chord Mojo to hook up to my iPhone.   Same price for both.   I know somebody in a prior post got rid of the Mojo and was satisfied with the Z1R on the iPhone alone.
 
Incidentally, maybe it's my mind playing tricks, but the Kimber Kable I got yesterday does seem to give a bit more body and bass impact to the sound. The stock cable seems to be just a tad brighter.  I'll have to do more comparisons though. 

 

[Whitigir]

I don't know....I am still torn between the Onkyo and the Chord Mojo to hook up to my iPhone.   Same price for both.   I know somebody in a prior post got rid of the Mojo and was satisfied with the Z1R on the iPhone alone.

Incidentally, maybe it's my mind playing tricks, but the Kimber Kable I got yesterday does seem to give a bit more body and bass impact to the sound. The stock cable seems to be just a tad brighter.  I'll have to do more comparisons though. 

It is not your mind playing trick on you, but Copper do give the Z1R more warmth and impact vs stock cables. IMO, stock cables was perfectly tuned for Z1R, and I like it best.

 

[LaCuffia]

By the way, who is the guy in the photo?   Part of the Sony Engineering/Design Team?  I know from one of the promotional videos the chief engineer is a fairly young guy.

 

[Whitigir]

By the way, who is the guy in the photo?   Part of the Sony Engineering/Design Team?  I know from one of the promotional videos the chief engineer is a fairly young guy.

No idea, probably one of those VIP who was invited for a behind the science interview ?