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Best closed backs I have heard are the ZMF Eikon and Sony MDR-Z1R.
I’ve been eyeing the Z1R ... in your opinion how does it compare to the Cascade?Best closed backs I have heard are the ZMF Eikon and Sony MDR-Z1R.
I’ve been eyeing the Z1R ... in your opinion how does it compare to the Cascade?
Much better everything, especially clarity. It's so clear it sounds like an open back.
The Z1R compared to the Eikon has more treble sparkle and midbass which makes for a more fun sound, but it's not as liner or quite as realistic as the Eikon. Comfort and build quality is about the same.
I kind of regret selling mine. Sold it in mint condition on Ebay for $1070, and the guy who got it wanted me to refund him $80 for a piece of the packing material being missing.
Thank you for the comparison! Also for comparing the comfort and sound to the Eikon - I’ll start looking seriously at the Z1R and Eikon. ...and about your experience on eBay - some people are just horrible to deal with.
btw, I received cloth pads for the Cascade yesterday and really liked what they did to the sound:
1. bass is reduced (it’s still elevated but without the kick to the back of your skull LOL)
2. mids are bought forward and have body which is something the filters didn’t do
3. the sound stage is a little wider and a lot deeper with very accurate positioning
Unfortunately, for some reason the Cascade feels more uncomfortable with the cloth pads and I felt a hotspot on the top of my head within 30 mins :-/ (now you know why I bolded “comfort” up above LOL)
I couldn't wear the LCD4 for longer than 30 minutes without getting a hotspot on top of my head. It's the primary reason I sold it. I can wear the Z1R or Eikon for hours. The Eikon is heavier than the Z1R, but the pads are more comfortable and I think the earcups don't get quite as hot since they're vented a little more.
Not much good stuff in close backs. Aeon flow closed was one of the worst things I've heard. It had no dynamics or detail. I had to return it after about a week because I could not get it to sound good with any genre. I have not tried the Elegia but I have heard mostly bad things about it.
th-x00 is pretty good but I hardly consider it closed. I sold mine recently because it did not pair with my music genres well, but I respected its great bass. TH900 is good as well.
The only closed back I own currently is the shure srh1540. I think it is underrated. Maybe not great for its price (which is still $500 after many years), but it has very good staging and imaging for a closed back.
After weeks with 3 closed backs (all with 100+ hours on them) - Focal Elegia, Mr. Speakers Ether C Flow 1.1 and Mr. Speakers Aeon Flow Closed - I have to give my recco to the the Elegia - especially since you can find them for 150-200 off in the classifieds. At and under 1K I just don't think anything has the dynamics, bass extension and clarity. I love the comfort of both of the Mr. Spearers closed backs and would want to wear either for hours, but for sound I am going to recco the Focal Elegia as best close back under 1K. Hope to here the Stellia soon to see if its 3X better. I listened to all 3 on 3 Amp/Dacs - New Burson Playmate with the V6 opp amps (2 classic/2 vivid), Grace M900 and SMSL T1 Tube. With all three the Focal was my winner. The biggest thing I noticed was that the Either C Flow and Aeon Flow C are very similar - I don't know that I I could see enough difference for almost double the money to get the Ether over the Aeon (as long as you find the teardrop shape comfortable).