[bvhme]

Is there anyone here that has tried the Meze Empyrean with the TA-ZH1ES?

I'm considering getting one as it is such a beautiful thing and I hear it complements the MDR-Z1R, however I'm a bit worried about the amp synergy.

 

[kefs]

My first listen, absolutely sublime. If i had to use one word, it would be 'textured', everything has a feeling to it, bass strings are the most obvious. This is going to be a VERY late night !

 

[Richard Wray]

Can anyone comments on the reliability of the TA?

I've found one that is a great deal, but it's warranty expires in May.

Does anyone know if Sony offer extended warranty for a price?

 

[Gamerlingual]

Contact Sony regarding the extended warranty. As far as reliability? It's gem. Very stable and wonderful.

 

[nc8000]

Can anyone comments on the reliability of the TA?

I've found one that is a great deal, but it's warranty expires in May.

Does anyone know if Sony offer extended warranty for a price?

I’ve certainly had no problems after 4 years of nearly daily use

 

[Divine Fang]

Hi all, just got my TA yay! I find the supplied walkman cable is just too short, is there a longer one sold separately? I do not mind third party cable. Thanks!

 

[Redcarmoose]

Hi all, just got my TA yay! I find the supplied walkman cable is just too short, is there a longer one sold separately? I do not mind third party cable. Thanks!

Congratulations.
https://www.amazon.com/Sony-WMC-NWH10-Conversion-Cable-Output/dp/B00FF086HE

This is the way to ether go to the back USB, or take any USB (don’t know the letter C?) and hook to the side.

 

[Divine Fang]

Congratulations.
https://www.amazon.com/Sony-WMC-NWH10-Conversion-Cable-Output/dp/B00FF086HE



This is the way to ether go to the back USB, or take any USB (don’t know the letter C?) and hook to the side.

Thank you!

 

[rohit8]

I'm thinking about pulling the trigger on a TA-ZH1ES since my FiiO K5Pro is struggling, and is at 75% volume at high gain. Has anyone found a better DAC/AMP in terms of sound quality as an alternative to the TA-ZH1ES to drive their Z1Rs?

 

[VladYR]

Can anyone comments on the reliability of the TA?

I've found one that is a great deal, but it's warranty expires in May.

Does anyone know if Sony offer extended warranty for a price?

I’ve had mine since 2018 and it hasn’t given me any trouble at all. I often use it to burn in new interconnect cables and headphones, leaving it on for 12 to 14 hours per day. All it really needs is good ventilation, particularly during the summer months. During the fall to spring months it barely gets warm after extended use. Depending on the price, I wouldn’t really be concerned about warranty as Sony products are very reliable.

 

[VladYR]

I'm thinking about pulling the trigger on a TA-ZH1ES since my FiiO K5Pro is struggling, and is at 75% volume at high gain. Has anyone found a better DAC/AMP in terms of sound quality as an alternative to the TA-ZH1ES to drive their Z1Rs?

Sure. Chord Dave sounds magnificent if the price is not a consideration . You won’t even miss the balanced output of the Sony amp. It is really that good even though it’s single ended. The low end on Chord is really insane compared to Sony. On -20dB low gain Sony can be relatively loud. Bass is nice and hard hitting depending on interconnects and power cables and the music choices, of course. On the Dave you actually feel the bass at the same volume levels; your ears get quite a massage without even a hint of distortion. Whether all of that is worth almost $11000 is a personal choice.

Here’s a really funny side note. Before fully settling on the Chord Dave I went to a local shop to check out a DCS Bartok, which I’ve been mildly obsessing about after a friend mentioned it to me a year ago at Christmas party at our mutual friend’s place who sells really high end hi fi. It was a real disappointment. The Bartok sounded practically mechanical. There was no excitement in the music. At almost $18000 you tend to expect a lot. At $10900 Chord Dave is practically a bargain in comparison while sounding leaps and bounds better while taking up a lot less space.

In any case, try out the TA or anything else that you are considering before buying. Some things can be a real disappointment or a pleasant surprise. Some places even let you take it home for a few days. Home trials are best as you are getting exactly what you’d be keeping as opposed to some dealers hooking up those pieces of equipment with high end cables that drastically improve sound quality that you simply won’t recognize at home with stock cables.

 

[gsiu33]

Anybody had ever compared, using the TA as preamp, the pre-out output with the headphones unbalanced output(connected directly to the power amp)? Anybody know the internal differences in the circuit ?

I have using TA as a DAC+Preamp in my main speaker system for 2+ years, playing red book CD with Wadia 861se and hi-res with AK240. The sound is pretty good. Never consider to use the unbalanced headphone output in the front to amp as the pre-out is good enough, and the connection is more easy.

 

[PointyFox]

Does anyone know why my PC volume control won't change the volume on the line-out when connected to the TA-ZH1ES via USB but will when connected via optical?

 

[bvhme]

Is there anyone here that has tried the Meze Empyrean with the TA-ZH1ES?

I'm considering getting one as it is such a beautiful thing and I hear it complements the MDR-Z1R, however I'm a bit worried about the amp synergy.

To answer my own question here. It is spectacular! Holy moly. The Empyreans are headphones that just sound amazing with everything, whilst also scaling insanely well. The Empy and Taz together is a very, very addictive combination.

And to the second part. I think the Empyreans are an amazing companion to my MDR-Z1R. They have a bit of a similar sound signature whilst being different enough, are both incredible pieces of design, very well build and very good.

I'm in heaven right now I think. However, I fear for my sleep.

 

[VladYR]

To answer my own question here. It is spectacular! Holy moly. The Empyreans are headphones that just sound amazing with everything, whilst also scaling insanely well. The Empy and Taz together is a very, very addictive combination.

And to the second part. I think the Empyreans are an amazing companion to my MDR-Z1R. They have a bit of a similar sound signature whilst being different enough, are both incredible pieces of design, very well build and very good.

I'm in heaven right now I think. However, I fear for my sleep.

Yep, you definitely found a very good pairing. Empyreans tend to pair well with quality streamers/headphone amps. The only one I absolutely hated was Dcs Bartok despite its eye watering price tag. The sound was boring. Everything was there but musicality and excitement. I said something along those lines but with considerably more tact to a guy who was demoing it for me at a local Hi fi shop. He was taken aback somewhat. Another dealer who heard it before and decided not to stock it confirmed my opinion.

By the way, what’s your source for the Sony amp? It tends to perform a lot better through digital inputs rather than line in inputs. Those aren’t bad by any means but digital seems to produce better sound.