[Krutsch]

looking into the Hugo and Woo audio WA8 although not convinced that the WA8 is portable

Go ahead and put the WA8 in your pocket... it will keep you warm.

 

[Acemcl]

and eventually burn a hole in more ways than one

 

[Karlg]

Well, one thing is for sure. It's really hard choosing a next headphone after my TH900s. Both Z1R and SEM1 are on my radar, but choosing between them is hard. Another option of course is to keep the TH900s and get LCD3s alongside them. If I can make it to Can Jam London, I'll have a lot of listening to do.

 

[Karlg]

I own both headphones ie Z1Rs and SEM1
Both amazing at what they do well.
However, if i really have to choose, it'll be the pioneers...they just sound so close to a live concert. The pioneers succinctly analyzed is a sennheiser 800/TH 900 combo!

 

[MacedonianHero]

Yes, really. I honestly don't understand much about graphs anyway and perhaps that's a good thing. Apart from sound, the Pioneer has better build and comfort too.

When it comes to the Pioneers...that is a very good thing/ I found the build quality of the Pioneers like the sound quality...just plain weird.

 

[parabellum777]

I would like to pair my recently purchased Sony MDR-Z1R with an AK380 DAP+AMP throught the 2.5mm balanced output.

Could anyone recommend me a cable finished with that plug?

 

[pietcux]

Just saying....

 

[drbobbybones]

looking into the Hugo and Woo audio WA8 although not convinced that the WA8 is portable

I have a Chord DAVE and a WA8. I actually like the Z1R better out of the WA8 than the DAVE. The sound seems more even overall out of the WA8, and I think they're a perfect pairing.

 

[bytor33]

I have a Chord DAVE and a WA8. I actually like the Z1R better out of the WA8 than the DAVE. The sound seems more even overall out of the WA8, and I think they're a perfect pairing.

Would you mind elaborating more? I'm wondering if that preference would be the same with the Hugo 2 vs the WA8 as well.

 

[drbobbybones]

Would you mind elaborating more? I'm wondering if that preference would be the same with the Hugo 2 vs the WA8 as well.

The Hugo 2 is an amazing unit. I can compare it to the DAVE, as I listened to both side by side for quite a while at CanJam. Unfortunately, that was with an Eikon and not my Z1R, so I can't comment exactly how the Z1R would sound. However, I was very impressed how the Hugo 2 sounded very similar to the DAVE with the white filter setting. Obviously not quite as detailed or resolving, but pretty close for 1/5 of the price.

The WA8 is warm but extends farther in the treble than the Hugo 2, even on the Mojo setting. I didn't have time to A/B the WA8 for a long period with the Hugo 2, so my comparison impressions will have to wait until I get one myself.

That said, the Z1R seems to really mate well with the WA8 because it seems to smooth out any peaks in the treble, and it does not let the bass get too bloomy. It also adds some body to the mids, which addresses some people's complaints about the Z1R. I'd give the pairing a try to see if you agree!

 

[Softable]

The Hugo 2 is an amazing unit. I can compare it to the DAVE, as I listened to both side by side for quite a while at CanJam. Unfortunately, that was with an Eikon and not my Z1R, so I can't comment exactly how the Z1R would sound. However, I was very impressed how the Hugo 2 sounded very similar to the DAVE with the white filter setting. Obviously not quite as detailed or resolving, but pretty close for 1/5 of the price.

The WA8 is warm but extends farther in the treble than the Hugo 2, even on the Mojo setting. I didn't have time to A/B the WA8 for a long period with the Hugo 2, so my comparison impressions will have to wait until I get one myself.

That said, the Z1R seems to really mate well with the WA8 because it seems to smooth out any peaks in the treble, and it does not let the bass get too bloomy. It also adds some body to the mids, which addresses some people's complaints about the Z1R. I'd give the pairing a try to see if you agree!

I see that you also have the WA-22, and I was wondering how the Z1Rs pair with that tube amp? The WA8 sounds like a pretty good pairing for the Z1R though.

 

[Gibson59]

I see that you also have the WA-22, and I was wondering how the Z1Rs pair with that tube amp? The WA8 sounds like a pretty good pairing for the Z1R though.

I don't own the WA22, but I auditioned it a number of times and didn't feel it was a great pairing with the Z1R. I was so unimpressed that it was a big part of the reason I didn't end up with the WA22 even though I loved the pairing with my HE1000 v2 and thought the amp has stunning good looks which matters to me. I had actually been pretty set on the WA22 util i bought the Z1R and heard the pairing. The WA22 softened the Z1R up too much and it lost much of its control and clarity and it loosened up the bass too much. Lost a bit of it's energy too which is a differentiator for me when I want a departure from the slightly more laid back HE1000 for certain genres. The Z1R is a bit warm and the WA22 added warmth didn't seem to be fitting. Might be able to mitigate that with the right tubes though.

With all that said, it's not like it sounded like crap or anything, but for as much as the Z1R costs, I felt it was important to find an amp that brought the best out in it. I ended up buying a Wells Audio Milo after auditioning the Enigma. I don't have it yet (i'll hopefully have it in about a week or so), and i'll post impressions when I do. The Enigma sounded great with both my Z1R and HE1000 v2 so i'm hoping for much of the same form the Milo.

 

[bytor33]

The WA8 is warm but extends farther in the treble than the Hugo 2, even on the Mojo setting. I didn't have time to A/B the WA8 for a long period with the Hugo 2, so my comparison impressions will have to wait until I get one myself.

That said, the Z1R seems to really mate well with the WA8 because it seems to smooth out any peaks in the treble, and it does not let the bass get too bloomy. It also adds some body to the mids, which addresses some people's complaints about the Z1R. I'd give the pairing a try to see if you agree!

Thank you for the write up, I appreciate it. Unfortunately I'm in the Midwest with nowhere to audition these things so I just have to blind buy. I don't really notice any treble peaks with my pair using the Mojo and I like the overall tonality it presents, but wouldn't want to go any warmer.

 

[beowulf]

Wow this thread slowed down a lot lol.

Probably just a bit of momentum lost with the forum platform change. I'm guilty of it too, although some traveling time ended up overlapping with that.

Which is good, it's good to be away form you people. You're a hazard to wallets.
Especially those that do things like compare Vegas and Andromedas and Z1Rs and all that.

 

[drbobbybones]

I see that you also have the WA-22, and I was wondering how the Z1Rs pair with that tube amp? The WA8 sounds like a pretty good pairing for the Z1R though.

The WA22 is not a great pairing for the Z1R. Bass gets boomy and bloated. I personally think the Z1R sounds best out of leaner amps, but I think it sounds the best overall out of my WA8.