Sony's new IEMs

Discussion in 'IEMs and Portable Gear' started by Bill-P, Oct 26, 2018.

  1. Bill-P

    Bill-P Level 42 Mad Wizard

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    Namely, the IER-M7, M9 and Z1R.

    I'm kinda... not surprised to see no discussion of them here, considering Sony is not really pushing for a presence in the Western spheres (underwhelming Z1R promotion for one), but here in Asia, they're really pushing for these IEMs to be recognized. They are a part of Sony's new Signature line of audio products.

    I got to try these from a local dealer recently, and wow... color me surprised. Sony actually secretly did their homework, and I found these IEMs to be very close to my Andromeda (V1.5 with the old bores and slightly brighter signature, no extra mod) in terms of tonal balance, erring a bit more on the bass-heavy side. Didn't have a ZX2 on hand to try them with, but out of my phone, they were very nice.

    IER-M7 and M9 were close-ish, not very hugely different in signature. Typical upper midrange boost a la most Asian IEMs. M9 maybe a bit sharper (think like... 10%) than M7. I thought these were decent but I didn't care for them. Bassy with a healthy does of upper midrange is basically how I'd describe them. Soranik's SP3 at $250 ish (that's the local retail price for them) is a better deal IMO, if you are looking for just an upper midrange boost. In case some of you are wondering, SP3 is that black IEM with the red-ish wood cover that some of you got to try. :)

    IER-Z1R is a different story. I'd say... it's like an Andromeda with more middle midrange (think 1KHz) emphasis, and bass drivers being dynamic instead of balanced armature. But it's very tastefully tuned. Out of my phone, the Z1R IEM basically sounds like a more efficient version of the bigger Z1R around-ear headphone, but with less of the weird upper midrange reverb. Oddly enough, I thought the Z1R IEM actually sounded more open than the Z1R headphone. Must have been the weather or something.

    At $2K, the Z1R IEM certainly isn't cheap, and I'd say... it's not really worth that much. But at $1K, it would be very competitive against Andromeda, for those looking for a slightly different take on the Andromeda sound signature. Think a basshead's Andromeda.

    So... just putting this down here in case some of you just happen to see these IEMs around. They are worth a listen. :)
     
  2. Vansen

    Vansen Gear Master (retiring)

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    Oh my god can we please stop only making bass head IEMs these days? This is getting old. :/
     
  3. tranhieu

    tranhieu MOT: Soranik

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    The wooden faceplate SP3 was a prototype just saying...
     
  4. LVF1

    LVF1 New

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    How is the fit of the Z1R? They look heavy and uncomfortable. I can't imagine that they could be worn for 2 to 3 hours comfortably.
     
  5. Crinacle

    Crinacle Friend

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    I tried the Z1R too. It was surprisingly large and ridiculously heavy. While I really really liked its signature, I wouldn't get one for that reason alone.
     
  6. Kunlun

    Kunlun cat-alyzes cat-aclysmic cat-erwauling - Friend

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    Could you say more about your take on its signature, please?
     
    Last edited: Oct 27, 2018
  7. Crinacle

    Crinacle Friend

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    So disclaimers first, I tried them at the Australian Hi-Fi & AV Show but they were using 4.4mm balanced cables (which I wasn't allowed to swap out of) so I used it off a ZX300 that they loaned me which only had 4 songs I was relatively familiar with. Would've taken measurements on the day too but alas.

    The Z1R sounds V-shaped for sure, perhaps tilting more towards the lower frequencies? The first thing that stood out was the size of the soundstage; very wide, very spacious, almost 64 Audio Tia Fourte-like. Bass is clean, a lot more impactful and better defined than the IER-M9 that I tried soon after. No distortion artifacts, decay was realistic but also expected since it's a DD and all. Didn't really feel like the midrange was recessed, though there's a boost in the treble. Nowhere close to my sibilance range at least, which is less for what I can say for the M9 which was coming very close (10k-ish?).

    That's really all I've got for a 15 minute listen. Depending on my schedule I might head over to the store next week or the week after for some actual listening and proper measurements.
     
  8. Bill-P

    Bill-P Level 42 Mad Wizard

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    Just chiming in again to say I have since tried the Z1R IEM out of the Sony WM-1Z w/ the 4.4mm port. Balanced and all that.

    Supposedly the "Sony signature" setup per se.

    The Z1R actually sounded very different in that configuration. Bass was much tighter, and the treble became even more relaxed. In a sense, it basically became more mid-centric, a la Andromeda S.

    In a way, it lost a bit of airiness and sparkle, and a bit of that "fun" bass, but in return, it gave a sort of vocal-centric presentation with thicc midrange, relaxed highs and just enough bass impact. That was unexpected. It was like Sony had a different tuning in mind than how the Z1R actually came out to be.

    Also had the chance to do Z1R with ZX2, and I'd say... not my cup of tea. Basically sounded like Andromeda plus more midrange shout and thicccccc bass. Bass like it couldn't be phatter.

    Between ZX2 + Andromeda and 1Z + Z1R, I'd say... the former is more my cup of tea, sounding a bit more airy, with bigger soundstage and with tighter bass. But if I wanted more intimacy, I think I'd go with the 1Z setup. It had a certain kind of vocal intimacy magic that I think would be hard to replicate with a different setup. Or maybe I still need to try Solaris with ZX2...
     
  9. Rockwell

    Rockwell Friend

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    Has anyone here heard the Z1R? Thoughts?
     
  10. Kunlun

    Kunlun cat-alyzes cat-aclysmic cat-erwauling - Friend

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    Friend, pull your chair closer to these old bones and let me remind you of the days when the stripes of my coat weren't yet grey and black. Back then, @purr1n spoke with the Emperor's voice, yes, Purr1n the builder we called him, for the legos which blessed his days. And there was his magic gnome, @Vansen, who it seemed could acquire any earphone, or so the scrolls say.

    Now, in those days, was a prophecy. Purr1n spoke and it was written that he promised to those who have faith on him that unto the loaner program would be given a magic Z1r, "once the goddamn price comes down as it always does with f'ing Sony". Or, something like that, the scrolls are hard to interpret. In that day, many shall hear the Z1r, I guess.
     
  11. Zhanming057

    Zhanming057 Friend

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    I spent some time with it at Canjam NYC and in Hong Kong. On both occasionally they struck me as being very bassy. With complys the bass was borderline overwhelming, bleeding heavily into the midrange. Things clean up a lot with Final tips, but I would still can them rather bass-heavy. The treble was very clean, though, with a small boost, and staging is not bad at all for the price range. As someone who has the XJE-MH2 I think it compares slightly poorly to the more coherent and spacious MH2 Listening, and at MSRP it strikes me as a bit overpriced even by IEM standards. At $1,500 it would be a good contender if you enjoy a punchier signature, though.

    A bit of gossip - I spend the better part of an hour during Canjam NYC at the Sony booth with Tomoaki Sato, the DMP-Z1 designer. We geeked out for a moment over the Just Ear's (he has the MH1 which he absolutely loves) and our collections of Van Nuys cases. He wasn't straightforward about it but he came across as not being a fan of the IER-Z1R. Might just be office politics, though.
     
  12. KenBall

    KenBall Owner - Campfire Audio

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    I bought a Z1R when I was at the Spring Headphone Festival in Tokyo a few weeks ago. I tried for months to buy one and have it shipped to me in Oregon, no dice.. Makes me wonder whats up with Sonys sales in the US. So the only way I could buy one was going all the way to Tokyo. Anyhow, yeah I am bias but I am also fan of Sony.

    Very refined sound, super tight mid and low with nice instrument placement, zero granularity in tone. Beautifully built, and I was impressed with the cables as well. The tips are also thumbs up, normally I dont like silicone tips but these were great.

    Heavy... so I could not wear them for long periods of time before I started to get a sore ear, I did not have problem with the size but many might, more of a buttoned down sonic presentation vs other IEMs I like, this might be a pro for some.

    Its not very sensitive, normally this would be good but I have to really crank up the volume to get it to be loud.

    I cant really compare it with the Solars for obvious reasons,

    What a beautiful IEM though. If anyone visits I am happy to bust them out or if your at a certain LA show I am also happy to let you borrow.

    Kb
     
  13. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    @netforce: you guys are a Sony dealer. PM me on a loaner price for z1r IEM. Might be a good loaner candidate once we sell the Crane Song DAC.
     
  14. Kunlun

    Kunlun cat-alyzes cat-aclysmic cat-erwauling - Friend

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    Oh god, tell me you told him to get the Just Ear offered in the U.S. PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE
     
  15. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Spoke to @netforce. The Source AV is willing to make this happen for us. So shameless plug for them here: Call them for the best deal in town and don't click buy now on the Internet.

    The downside: poor availability.

    I'm giving up on low end loaner gear for this community because of lack of interest.
     
  16. Elnrik

    Elnrik Super Friendly

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  17. Bill-P

    Bill-P Level 42 Mad Wizard

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    Gonna tag @KenBall because I got multiple chances to compare the Z1R and Solaris back to back while I was in Vietnam.

    Weird... I could have sworn there were at least three vendors in Vietnam who had Z1Rs in stock at any random time. Again, not sure why Z1R doesn't have as much of a presence in the US as it should.

    Anyway, long story short, I would say.... it sounded very much like how Ken himself would tune a dynamic version of the Andromeda. It's somewhat more comparable to Andro than it is to Solaris.

    IMHO, both Solaris and Z1R are kind of two kings of extremes. Solaris being better at presenting midrange to me, while the Z1R never failed to impress with how it did treble and bass. Z1R did sound more bassy than Solaris to me, and it was more a V-shaped sound than the somewhat balanced dark-tilted voicing of the Solaris.

    And Solaris is actually more bassy than what I'd call neutral, even, so there's that. Z1R's bass was very north of neutral, but it was fun, and very technical for how bassy it sounded.

    In retrospect, Z1R and WM-1Z were supposed to go together IMO, as the somewhat mid-centric tuning of the 1Z kind of helped balance Z1R out. Solaris is just... a more versatile headphone, closer to neutral, and more likely to please midrange-heads like myself. I'd honestly just like to have a slightly less bassy Solaris, with smaller/lighter housing, but then again, maybe that's just me. (but really, please, Ken, please!!)

    On the other hand, I think Z1R would beat Andros hands down if you'd like to have Andro but with moar bass impact, as it's basically that. If only the housing was more comfortable to wear.
     
  18. Rockwell

    Rockwell Friend

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    This is my biggest reservation based on the impressions I've read-- it's not even clear to me if my ZX300 will drive it adequately.

    Interesting...usually it's the other way around. After about 300 hours and much ruminating I've decided that bass on Solaris is "just right" for the majority of what I listen to.

    That's pretty much my impression of Solaris :)
     
  19. Zhanming057

    Zhanming057 Friend

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    I would have, but he wouldn't have had any say in the matter. Just Ear is a particularly independent division within Sony. I've been told that the regular high end headphone group doesn't ever talk to the JE group, which is essentially controlled by Koichiro Eto, the guy who hand-tunes all of the MH1's.

    To be frank, the MH2's also don't have too much going for them outside of the superb comfort and staging. They've been using the same DD since 2014-ish and none of the MH2's feel like they're worth $2,000 in resolution. I don't regret buying them, but I also wouldn't want to use them as my only pair of CIEM's.

    The Solaris is a winner for me, and by IEM metrics it's a bargain at $1,500. Sony's material choices are considerably more exotic, though, and I have to say that the Z1R feels more robust and precisely machined than the Solaris.
     
  20. netforce

    netforce MOT: Headphones.com

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    It feels like a chicken and egg problem for Sony high end IEMs. Sales on their bigger IEMs were never particularly strong in foreign markets so it seems like JP didn't allocate that many to foreign markets. My March orders to Sony for the IER-Z1R should finally be caught up by the end of this month.

    Looks like other high end Sony IEM dealers like Woo and Moon went through the same thing we did.

    Always willing to help. Looks like June is around when the backlog of orders should start clearing up at least a little.

    Little note for SoCal guys, we should finally have a demo unit in store by early June. Planning to include that along with the DMP-Z1 (if we can get our demo also) for our exhibit in CanJam SoCal for those going.
     

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