Sony MDR-Z1R High-Resolution Audio Premium Over-Ear Headphones - Black

Product Information

Panic! At the Disco’s “High Hopes” is the best example of simbilance from the highs on the Z1R I’ve experienced. The intro opens really well with the instruments, but the vocals are extremely painful and the sibilance is extremely rough to the point where it feels like someone is stabbing me in the ear consistently as Brendon sings. Ahhh! I get none of that from the XTC-C. Everything just comes across really well, strings, vocals, bass, etc. One note: This baffled me as i never found a difference between tips with other IEMs, well, the IER-Z1R is my first IEM, that changes sound depending on fit (shallow vs deep) and tips (Triple comfort, vs Silicone vs Comply foamies). But also like the HD 800, I find it very light and very comfortable. It weighs just 385g and I do not find it clamping, long listening sessions are easy (even more comfortable than the AH-D7200). The leather ear pads are large, no issues with my ears but other headphones have more spacious ear pads (TH-900). They are the best IEMs I have ever heard to date, in summary, they sound like the bigger MDR-Z1R. They have no trouble spitting details and resolution, they have the most natural sound for an Hybrid IEM. Before we get to the sound, it is crucial to mention that the Z1R needs quite a lot of power to be operational/listenable. Initially I only heard it on the AK SR15 and it sounded heavily mediocre, but swapping to a source like the AK SP1000M and the WM1Z gets you a midrange - underpower it and you only really have lows and lower highs.

Fortunately, this was a fight that i came out victorious. After a solid week of breaking my ears in and using Sony's own hybrid tips, i found a way to let them sit in my ear, without much discomfort, for hours on end. For once i actually used the cable clip included. In terms of midrange, I prefer the A8000’s vocals by a margin over the IER-Z1R. Final knows how to tune the midrange and the vocals/string instruments are as articulate as they can be on the A8000. Every subtle nuance is highlighted including vocalists breathing in/out. Timbre is another strong point here with the metallic tinge of steel strings being evident against the more natural, softer tone of nylon strings.

Sound

Would i recommend the IER-Z1R over something like the Vision Ears EST, UE LIVE, 64 Audio Fourté and similar? Absolutely yes. Its significantly better than these and this is what makes it look cheap but(!), and here comes the caveeat, its still insanely overpriced imho. If the price is no issue for you and you already have an good reference like an IER-M9, Mach 70, TG335 or even SE846, then grab these. There is nothing for a lower price that gives you what it is. Bonus: These might be some of the prettiest things ever. Honestly they look like modern art pieces than earphones. The treble region is where the Sony IER-Z1R pulls ahead with no sharp 6KHz peak (A8000’s biggest downside) and more extended upper-treble. This leads to an even wider soundstage (though A8000 has very good stage width). Imaging is about even on both with center-imaging being slightly less accurate on both IEMs. Overall resolution is about similar on both, with the more resolving A8000 midrange being counter-balanced by the smoother yet better extended treble on the IER-Z1R. What Sony calls Xtra Bass, mostly cheap non-audiophile headphones --> Can be used for every genre but tends to sound mushy and boring and consists of mostly bass. If you're older than 20, you're most likely not enjoying these. Opening the carrying case reveals the Earpieces, below the earpieces there is a cable-holder, a shirt clip and a cleaning cloth which i found a bit rough and hard, prefer to use the one i use to clean my eyeglasses. The interior of the case is covered in some sort of veñvet.

Treble elements are like fireworks in the sky. And every once in a while you’ll hear new aspects of songs you never heard before. Small things like an accent which was always there but somehow hidden all these years. Thus the quality of treble that doesn’t need sibilance edging brightness for detail. The detail here emulates life. The decay and timbre emulates life. And finally the treble presentation is diffuse like speakers in a room. There is some slight guitar emphasis going on in Queens’s Bohemian Rhapsody, I guess it’s always been there but somehow the song sounds new? So we always read about some reviewer telling tales of noticing a small little new thing in a song. My cynical side tells me we hear these new details because of an unusual frequency response normally. But I must admit it’s most likely going on here due to ability of resolve. If you clean your windows the outside is more detailed. Still this style of listening experience is why we are here. It’s surprise, “they actually did that part like that?” “That part was always like that?” Huh? RCM builds are geared toward the great air-cooled superbikes of the 1970s-80s, including the Suzuki Katana, Kawasaki GPz1100, Kawasaki Zephyr, Honda CB, and the Kawasaki Z series, including the Z1-R like you see here. And remember too, for some listers the sound of the full-size Z1R was never going to work for them. Some folks are simply looking for audiophile neutrality and not our warm U shaped Sony House Sound. What Sony did was dial in a less U shape into the end sound signature of the IER-Z1R. Maybe it was simply easier to do? The IEM has three drivers per side, the full-size Z1R only has one? But to summarize, the IER-Z1R is completely usable right out of the box. It’s doesn’t need a special cable to be it’s best. Obviously the IER-Z1R is so transparent that it reveals what is upstream; so better information in, better information out. In fact let’s get into the sound signature............ With the IER-M9 this happens much later compared to the IER-Z1R and the reason is exactly this push in the treble. That is not an issue as nobody should listen at loud volumes (especially for longer times) anyway, but if you have songs with a lot of dynamic range, this can make you run into issues. Especially with Hans Zimmer i noticed that things just got too loud at peaks too early.I am very sceptical when it comes to subjectivity and will question my own experiences and biases vigorously (hence why I have been up until now questioning the Z1R’s performance). But this change in performance of my Z1Rs cannot be understated. I am now on to a live performance of La Mer (Debussy) and I am in the fking hall with the orchestra! After owning this headphone a couple of interesting concepts can come to mind. There are better recordings out there, but what about musicianship, what about sonically unearthing a classic? At times audio isn’t about the best sound possible. At times it’s about retrieving and excavating and old classic. For many Led Zeppelin’s first album is a liked album but not a favorite. Recorded prior to any fame, the album has a slightly rough recording style. At first it can seem minimalist in approach. But with the IER-Z1R the microscopic detail starts to unfold the classic in a new and profound way. After listening for a while, folks realize where the midrange is. It’s always been there but just like visual perception, the mind doesn’t always look where it needs to. What I’m saying is most of us have found the midrange after some style of mental meditation. But again, crazy as it may seem; once you have stumbled upon IER-Z1R midrange enlightenment it normally stays with you for life. If not, maybe the IER-Z1R is not meant to be with you in your future. They are not for everyone. But remember too these audio opinions are reached by using whole systems. The end result is the end result of a whole system, just as a car can not travel with three wheels. At the bottom I will list the whole system as so to lessen confusion. Compared to BX: BX has more bass quantity, however is more muddy and upper bass bleeds into the low ids, Compared to the cascades. Lol. Cascades are nuts - Overpowered bass with little control

Bass: The bass region has emphasis in the Subbass, therefore, it reaches deep and very low notes can be heard, rumbles nice and has a very well defined texture, the mid bass is very well balanced, there is no bloat and no bleed into the Mids. The lowest of notes can be heard with these as well with the MDR-Z1R (Froberger edition Volume 6. AEOLUS /Bob van Asperen DSD 2.8MHz, Bach: The four great Toccatas and Fugues, SONY Classical / E. Power biggs DSD 2.8 MHz & Dittersdorf & Vanhal: Double bass Concertos. Hyperion records UK, Swedish Chamber orchestra, 16/44.1 FLAC).Since I have the Tesla, I feel that the driving experience feels the same. Nothing really wows me. The only 2 that wowed me are Anole VX and M5. Probably because they are so easy to drive. But VX is the one that caught my attention the most. Iem itself is gorgeous, fit perfectly in my ears. Since Z1R is kinda my first time, other than Anole VX, the build for the rest of the iems feels too light and cheap, But Anole VX is almost double the price than Z1R, its like maybe Electric Bugatti without the Self-Driving feature. The big elephant in the room: the fit. Without a deep, snug fit you’d have a hard time finding what makes the IER-Z1R so special, making it rather necessary to trial these beforehand. This full-size flagship was introduced in 2014, two years before the Z1R. Sound-wise the Z7 offers a more focused, more robust and less refined signature than the full-size Z1R. We are gifted with a smaller soundstage though still amazingly expansive. Bass is all in one area as well as a lovely upper treble soundstage presentation. Build quality is through the roof as well as form factor being smaller of the two full-size flagships here. This headphone exudes excitement and fun in an almost wonderful expensive yet trashy but cool way.................. it’s the very definition of a guilty necessity. Even with my Dumbo ears, the IER-Z1R becomes uncomfortable after a few hours of continued use. And of course, the sound quality depends greatly on your insertion depth. Deeper is better, but also less comfortable.