Sony MDR-Z1R

Good point.
Instead of wasting money on the Z1R and the Z7 I'd just buy the MDR-1A. Sounds similar, measures better and costs 200 instead of 2200.
However it's not always about the sound. Some people just want that luxury. And in that respect I think the Z1R delivers with its top notch ergonomics, and construction/build quality.

 

The R10 and Qualia were light years ahead of anything else Sony had out at the time. It does not appear that the Z1R is doing anything of the kind, relative to the Z7 and MDR-1A.

I've only been here a short time but I feel that SBAF has more stable measuring "yardsticks", objective and subjective, whereas HF has more FOTM and fanboy purchase justification. SBAF members are not afraid to 'tell it like it is'.

 

The Atticus, Eikon and Paradox/Slants all took the Z1R out back and bukakeed it til it got pregnant.

 

Catch you around in ten years Marvey. Waited more than that to sell my "sibilant and nasty" CD3000 almost three times what it cost me, and if the Z1R fails in a similar way, I can live with it.
Will have a look at how the Eikon is doing by then too. It's going to be awesome. Just awesome.

 

It occurred to me, if the Z1R was white...

 

Great movie. Like it much better than the Z1R's unfortunately...

 

^^LMBO lolol

 

Hi there--new member here (but active in other forums). I own the Z1R and have owned the 1A in the past. They are nothing alike, except for the brand and the general size. The Z1R does everything better than the 1A, and it's not even close.

I love the Z1R. I own the Eikon, Utopia, and HD800 SDR as well, and I think they all have their place in my headphone pantheon. No, a closed can can't compete on a lot of things an open can can do well (soundstage, imaging, midrange balance/resonance, bass texture), but it is a different use case. Like @beowulf said, sometimes you just need a closed can because you don't have a completely quiet environment. For me, I like both the Z1R and the Eikons for different reasons. Z1R is better for me to relax with my WA8 on my patio or in my office at work because of the weight and comfort. I use the Eikons more at home for a closer to reference sound when I can't use the HD800 or Utopia because of ambient noise. But they are heavy and can get tiring to wear for long periods of time. I am not sure I would rate the Eikons as better, but they are somewhat closer to neutral than the Z1R. But even the Eikons are quite colored--see Tyll's most recent Inner Fidelity review to see the frequency response curve. But I choose to appreciate the different headphones and their sound as part of their character--and ultimately as part of their fun.

The Z1R would not be my choice if I could only have one headphone. That would be the Utopia. Thankfully, no one is holding a gun to my head to make me choose. I don't need to listen to reference neutral all the time. In fact, I like having choices because it allows me to hear things differently in the same songs I have listened to a thousand times. And isn't that what this hobby is all about, having fun while listening to music?

 

Hi! I didn't mean to offend with my uneducated comment. I only had a brief session comparing the two and I have to agree with you that the Z1R is certainly a nicer sounding headphone. Especially the bass is much improved, less boomy and more extended. The sense of scale and the soundstage was impressive.
However I did find the two (Z1R and 1A) to share a similar signature with the not unpleasantly accentuated bass, somewhat recessed mids with and overall warm tilt and a somewhat sparkly, though not annoying, treble. This I find to be consistent throughout most of Sonys headphones past the SA5000/EX1000/Z1000.

It was undoubtedly an enjoyable listen, although I couldn't help but feel that the MSRP of 2200€, like with most high-end prodcuts, is offensively exaggerated.

 

No offense here--I love having a good discussion. Cheers!

Anyway, I don't think their sound signatures sound similar subjectively or objectively. Here are some FR curves from this forum (with the usual caveats about different rigs etc.):

MDR-1A


MDR-Z1R



I think these are pretty accurate to what I hear. In practice, the 1A rolls off the sub bass much more than the Z1R, and the mid to lower treble dip is easily heard on female vocals, where they seem distant. The treble on the 1A is a bit "zingy" for me as well, and can be sometimes sibilant. Not so with the Z1R--everyone gets appropriate placement on stage to my ears and I don't get any sibilance. The resolution of detail on the Z1R is also worlds better than the 1A, which a frequency response curve cannot show you.

 

similar ≠ same
Some measurements taken on the same coupler of both the Z1R and the 1A
Z1Rs treble certainly is more laid back. The bass less overblown and the square waves have nicer shape. Distortion is much lower than the 1A.
Let me take back my comment about the 1A measuring better

However the CSDs show a ridge @ the 10k spike. Probably contributes to the perceived sparkly nature.
Guess I'll have to buy the Z1R now since the 1A doesn't sound the same.
And if I had the cash I probably would because the Z1R for me designwise is a stunner. They make the Eikon and the Ethers look hopelessly under engineered. Sound for me atleast is far from bad, however I just expected a bit more? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Because they sound REALLY SIMILAR to the Z7

 

The sound signature of the Z1R is definitely closer to the Z7 than the 1A. The difference is in the details though. For me, they're both 60" TVs--but the Z1R is a 4K TV, and the Z7 is a 1080P.

And you know how the law of diminishing returns works--it always costs a lot more to get marginal improvement in this hobby (and almost all others). We just have to decide for ourselves if that difference is worth it.

 

I quite like these. I prefer them over my HD650's in terms of comfort and sound. However, I would not pay 6x the price of the HD650's for these.
They do feel very premium with the nice metal and other premium contruction, very nice box, ect. But 1899 is a lot of money.

Time to put these on my measuring rig, whenever I can get them off my head.

 

Wow, big changes with positioning. 3 positions on my rig, and one where I put a screwdriver across the pads to simulate glasses.

 

glasses wouldn't measure like that. I find that very hard to believe. Something else is going on with the screwdriver being in there.

 

you know, I might have done something stupid and actually blocked the mic with the screwdriver.... I'm going to try this again later today... with an actual pair of glasses.

 

Yeah, it definitely screwed things up...

[Sorry, couldn't resist.]

 

Stereophile just reviewed them.

Gramophone Dreams #16: Sony & AudioQuest headphones
Read more at https://www.stereophile.com/content...ony-audioquest-headphones#SrCE4ltb034YIuic.99

seems the AQ nightowls supposedly a fab bang for the buck, if this reviewer had only one pair
to choose from and keep...guess the SQ to price ratio wins out there.
https://www.stereophile.com/content/gramophone-dreams-16-sony-audioquest-headphones

 

Rekt: https://www.innerfidelity.com/content/sony-mdr-z1r-sealed-over-ear-headphones