Oh my goodness. This thread is an absolute car crash. I do hope that Sony do not monitor these threads. They would, I am sure, be terribly embarrassed by the whole affair.
There are so many different points being addressed and a lot of people seem to be confusing issues and slinging vitriol.
Disclaimer: I have not heard the Z1R and have no intention of ever doing so. For a lot of you, you can stop reading now. I am intrigued by what Sony do. I love the EX1000s and am thinking about the new A35, but the Z1R is so out of my budget that it may as well be one million pounds.
Firstly, if you like and enjoy the headphone, that is great. Music is the point anyway. Listen to your music and enjoy it. There is no reason for people in this thread, or similarly in the Nighthawke thread ( I mention this because I notice some similarities), to get all butt-hurt and angry and defensive if people come along and say actually, I do not think this headphone is worth the price because they think it has bloated, wooly, one note bass, a recessed upper midrange and a peak that can sound ragged and jump out from nowhere. Everyone has different priorities and things they dislike.
Secondly, I agree with everything
@taktik has said, and anyone jumping on him is completely missing his very valid points.
Thirdly, the role of the reviewer is the much more interesting conversation here. If a reviewer points out what they deem to be floors, and backs them up with evidence and measurements, that is of value. You can listen for yourself and choose not to agree but their review is still of value. The Z1R does seem to present an abundance of bass. If that is your thing you will love them but a reviewer could not or should not pretend that this bass is not increased.
Finally, because Judes measurements have no context they are worthless and should be ignored. Tyll's measurements have context, everyone knows what he likes and does not like and can therefore calibrate how they react to his thoughts. This, and his huge cache of measurements are of value to this hobby and industry. When Jude publishes measurements of other headphones his measurements will become a much more valuable resource.
Thanks everyone for the entertainment. Not as well put together as the recent LCD-4 / Utopia events, but a fun read none the less.
Cheers.