[TSAVJason]

Maybe then Sony hit something with LDAC. I tried he 1000x with standard Bluetooth and was not impressed with the sound (the noise cancelling was impressive however it still bothered me like the Bose (even worse) -vertigo feeling).

I ended up with the new B&O H9 wireless. THe noise cancelling was not as good -which is why it bothered me less - and I preferred the sound.

Then again this is through Bluetooth so perhaps Sony's LDAC is similar to Aptx - which iPhone's don't have (why?).

No doubt the LDAC makes a huge difference

 

[asquare3376]

Everything I listened to during the entire 6 hours of flying was incredible on the 1Z and MDR1000x headphones. Noise canceling worked better than any bose I've had. Made the flight awesome

I have the 1RNC. Just trying to avoid the "itch" for 1000x

 

[Sonic Defender]

Wow! Absolutely stunning.

Seeing as how you liked my previous suggestion try the track Smile by The Crystal Method from the album Divided by Night. A few really good cuts for sure.

 

[nanaholic]

Maybe then Sony hit something with LDAC. I tried he 1000x with standard Bluetooth and was not impressed with the sound (the noise cancelling was impressive however it still bothered me like the Bose (even worse) -vertigo feeling).

I ended up with the new B&O H9 wireless. THe noise cancelling was not as good -which is why it bothered me less - and I preferred the sound.

Then again this is through Bluetooth so perhaps Sony's LDAC is similar to Aptx - which iPhone's don't have (why?).

 
LDAC is superior to Apt-X as it has increased bandwidth and can transmit 48kHz and below formats in lossless and 96kHz at near lossless, so there is no transcoding loss during transmission. But you really need to full chain to take advantage of it. Apt-X HD is suppose to be the one that competes at a similar level, but hardly anything supports that format.
 
As for why iPhone doesn't have Apt-X or LDAC - because both technology are proprietary - LDAC owned by Sony and Apt-X owned by Qualcomm, both competes with Apple at different level and Apple has zero interest in supporting and licensing these technology, and with Apple now owning Beats, soon they'll just release their own BT technology for wireless headphones (they've already started with their own Bluetooth chips in the new AirPods). 

 

[isuperfish]

I know I will probably find some answers if I go through the whole thread-- is there a generally agreed choice for Z1R's cable?

 

[soundify]

I know I will probably find some answers if I go through the whole thread-- is there a generally agreed choice for Z1R's cable?

I think the standard options are the Sony KK or the Axios. But I personally feel that th Axios is too expensive for OFC cable. The only advantage for these cables is the screw lock connectors that other aftermarket cable makers don't have.

I am also looking for an option apart from KK that has screw lock connectors that uses OFC/OCC that costs less than the Axios.

 

[pietcux]

I know I will probably find some answers if I go through the whole thread-- is there a generally agreed choice for Z1R's cable?

I doubt that there will ever be a consensus. I like the stock cable a lot.

 

[buzzlulu]

I know I will probably find some answers if I go through the whole thread-- is there a generally agreed choice for Z1R's cable?

Perhaps Jason from TSAV will reply. I had a conversation with him about cables for the Z1R. Although I returned mine - and kept the Utopia - I have a desire to possibly get one in here again.

I use Axios for my Utopia and they are wonderful. In my conversation with Jason we seemed to be aiming toward the Wireworld Nano Platinum Eclipse. It is a silver cable which seems to do a nice job "fixing" the dark sounding nature of the Z1's. His description of what it does sounded to me like the right dose. If you use the search feature of this thread you will see some posts by someone who has it and absolutely raves about its performance.

It is also cheaper than the Axios which is a nice bonus.

Now that I provided you some feedback how about giving some to me - what do you think about the isolating capabilities of the Z's. My Utopias let too much sound in when I am in the TV room with my wife - and they leak too much out. That is why I am thinking about the Z's again. That and they are a very fun sounding can

 

[makan]

If anyone is looking for a 6 ft Z7 cable modded with an XLR4 pin termination, let me know. I bought one but it ends up that I would prefer a longer one. It looks exactly to be like the stock Z1R cable except the screw ons are silver coloured.

 

[soundify]

Perhaps Jason from TSAV will reply. I had a conversation with him about cables for the Z1R. Although I returned mine - and kept the Utopia - I have a desire to possibly get one in here again.

I use Axios for my Utopia and they are wonderful. In my conversation with Jason we seemed to be aiming toward the Wireworld Nano Platinum Eclipse. It is a silver cable which seems to do a nice job "fixing" the dark sounding nature of the Z1's. His description of what it does sounded to me like the right dose. If you use the search feature of this thread you will see some posts by someone who has it and absolutely raves about its performance.

It is also cheaper than the Axios which is a nice bonus.

Now that I provided you some feedback how about giving some to me - what do you think about the isolating capabilities of the Z's. My Utopias let too much sound in when I am in the TV room with my wife - and they leak too much out. That is why I am thinking about the Z's again. That and they are a very fun sounding can

The braiding for Axios cables is just outstanding. And it's flexible. The wireworld cable is not as flexible. And those wooden screw lock plugs...

Unfortunately the distributor here do not have demo cables so I can't try both of them cables.

 

[thebratts]

New owner of these maginificent headphones.
I've had the LCD-X before and various other less "expensive" headphones.
I was looking at the LCD-XC and other closed phones but from reading this thread and my old "love" for Sony i bought them a few weeks back.
So far i've found myself with a smile on my face more times than ever before while listening. says it all, right.
This is Balanced from myDP-X1 using a recently delivered Lavricable
 
anyway, i'm looking for a stationary/portable amp with DAC for 1500-2500 Euro and i wanted to check what everyone here in the thread have tried.
I've been reading A LOT of reviews the last week and i'm very curios about the Audio-GD Master / NOS / Singularity family, anyone tried any of them balanced with the Z1R? From the reviews the character of the sound from these seems to fit my taste. If they would be a little smaller, lighter it would be an easy choice.. Yes that matters since i would like to fit the amp on my desk and still have some space left.
I'm not really looking for excessive warmth and tubes galore but also not cold clinical but something in between with focus on separation, space, musicallity, details, natural..
 
I would love to get some tips on amps that i should have on my list.

 

[canali]

the thing i keep reading is that, while the Sony Z1Rs are perhaps not as 'true' or as accurate as the more pricey Utopias,
they nonetheless have such a fun sounding and appealing sound signature to many.  
and from the review below you'd expect the Sonys to be 'outclassed' by the almost double Utopias...
we're not talking a few hundred diff in price here, afterall.
 
but I've not top end gear, nor SACD or XRCD or DSD to feed the Utopias top quality material, either....
so the Sonys just intuitively appeal more to me.
 
this theme of an enjoyable sound sig is not only from Currawong in his thread/comments (below) but also from others on here.
Here's the comparative review of the Utopias (touches upon Sonys and others)
 
http://www.head-fi.org/products/focal-utopia/reviews/18281
 
'' I've had to return the Utopias now, so I'm on to the Sonys.
 I think Anakchan has it nailed owning them at the same time.
A lot of music I found just wasn't recorded or mastered well enough for the Utopias, but also the Utopias can be
somewhat too "polite" in their presentation -- too perfect in a manner of speaking. 
 
The Z1R is rather like what you'd get if a planar and Grado mated. There is a lot of bass, a somewhat forward midrange and the treble .... is rather odd.
What I found they do, both on Sony's desktop and my system is both entertain and deliver a good sense of the space of a recording.
If the music is forward, then so is what you hear. If the music is spacious, then that is what you get.
In many ways, they are very wrong, and very right at the same time.
If the Utopias are Wilson speakers, then the Sonys remind me of big, old JBL or Yamaha monitors.''
 
 


 

 

[Sonic Defender]

  New owner of these maginificent headphones.
I've had the LCD-X before and various other less "expensive" headphones.
I was looking at the LCD-XC and other closed phones but from reading this thread and my old "love" for Sony i bought them a few weeks back.
So far i've found myself with a smile on my face more times than ever before while listening. says it all, right.
This is Balanced from myDP-X1 using a recently delivered Lavricable
 
anyway, i'm looking for a stationary/portable amp with DAC for 1500-2500 Euro and i wanted to check what everyone here in the thread have tried.
I've been reading A LOT of reviews the last week and i'm very curios about the Audio-GD Master / NOS / Singularity family, anyone tried any of them balanced with the Z1R? From the reviews the character of the sound from these seems to fit my taste. If they would be a little smaller, lighter it would be an easy choice.. Yes that matters since i would like to fit the amp on my desk and still have some space left.
I'm not really looking for excessive warmth and tubes galore but also not cold clinical but something in between with focus on separation, space, musicallity, details, natural..
 
I would love to get some tips on amps that i should have on my list.

The Jot from Schiit is worth considering as you can have it with a DAC inside and it really should be a big step up from the DP-X1 (which I owned and used balanced with PM3s and HE400i). Of course there are many choices, but that is one that I would personally be researching for the Z1R if I was looking. Good luck with whatever you decide on, as I said there are many solid amp/DAC or just amps available. 

 

[Sonic Defender]

   
 
 
and from the review, IMO, you'd expect the Sonys to be 'outclassed' by the almost double Utopias...we're not talking a few hundred diff in price here.
 


 

As we always note, there is no absolute right or wrong when considering sound signatures that work for you. The Z1R does seem to be engineered from conception to execution with the spirit of experience and emotional conveyance. I'm not saying the Utopia can't do that for some people, I'm sure it does. What does matter is that if the Z1R makes you enjoy music and draws you into using it over and over again, it is a signature that resonates with you and that is what we all want from our headphones. Our tastes also change over time. I used to prefer the linear more neutral approach, or at least I thought I did. As I keep questing I find myself really wanting that rich, thick immersive sound, but I also want a very spatial quality about it.
 
I really liked the LCD 2F, but it didn't provide the enough of the spatial element to the sound that the Z1R is doing for me. Things may change, who knows, but to this point the Z1R has come closest for me in providing the musical experience I crave. I have no doubt there are several stellar signatures to experience LCD4, Utopia, HEK V2 etc, but those existing don't at all invalidate what the Z1R offers and given the crazy price points that headphones are reaching, for pure musical enjoyment the Z1R is looking like a very good value for the money spent.

 

[nanaholic]

  New owner of these maginificent headphones.
I've had the LCD-X before and various other less "expensive" headphones.
I was looking at the LCD-XC and other closed phones but from reading this thread and my old "love" for Sony i bought them a few weeks back.
So far i've found myself with a smile on my face more times than ever before while listening. says it all, right.
This is Balanced from myDP-X1 using a recently delivered Lavricable
 
anyway, i'm looking for a stationary/portable amp with DAC for 1500-2500 Euro and i wanted to check what everyone here in the thread have tried.
I've been reading A LOT of reviews the last week and i'm very curios about the Audio-GD Master / NOS / Singularity family, anyone tried any of them balanced with the Z1R? From the reviews the character of the sound from these seems to fit my taste. If they would be a little smaller, lighter it would be an easy choice.. Yes that matters since i would like to fit the amp on my desk and still have some space left.
I'm not really looking for excessive warmth and tubes galore but also not cold clinical but something in between with focus on separation, space, musicallity, details, natural..
 
I would love to get some tips on amps that i should have on my list.

 
If size matters and you want to go balanced you should at least check out the Sony TA-ZH1ES amp, may as well go with the full Signature Series line up there.