Not having the auto detection is a god send. You don’t need to unplug and replug all the time, you can leave them all connected and then cycle through them with the menu or remote. Awesome. Different strokes for different folks.
Yes but you would imagine that at this price point they could at least program it to auto switch if only 1 device is plugged in at a time and keep it manual selection for when 2 or more devices are plugged in.
I tried this amplifier and to summarize this is not a huge plate of kebab but a delicate tasteful experience in a 5 star restaurant. I have the THX AAA789 with much more power but it doesn’t come near the sound quality of this unit. Totally worth the money and Sony is doing their own thing in terms of DA conversion. This is a Stradivarius violin against some collection of loud metal bins
Update after 5 days of studio use for music production. The amp gives your Sony Z1R 12-15 % in improvement of sound quality but in the world of audio that is massive. Don’t expect 50 % increase in sound quality especially how heavy it weights ! If your rich or using this setup for work go for it !! If your don’t have spare cash and planing to use it for listening pleasure I’d stay away from the amp. Im actually happy Sony kept the power output low on the amp, It’s very easy to start start listening to ear damaging decibels.
I don't think anyone would buy the TAZH1ES unless they want it to properly drive their pair of Z1R. And since they are made for each other, all this talk about not enough power becomes a side note. As a matter of fact I've never used high gain on my unit, and that includes using it with some harder to drive planars.
As an owner of this amp, I agree with your review. I bought the Sony NW-WM1Z player and the Sony MDR-Z1R headphones and was very impressed with both products. The ZH1ES was my last purchase and the only one of the Sony Signature products that I have second thoughts about. The output power is almost exactly the same as the portable WM1Z and I would not consider connecting headphones through the SE input because of the lack of power. It's not quite enough for my LCD-4Z's even with the lower impedance. With that said, it is a GREAT sounding amp. I very much enjoy this amp through my JH Audio IEMS and MOST of my headphones (Z1R's and TH900 MKII's). However, I run custom cables on all with the Sony 4.4mm balanced connector. It makes a great "swiss army" type of product, able to connect and integrate into most systems and sources and make them sound very, very good, especially portable devices and streaming services in audio and video. Your comments are spot on. It's has great connection options, sounds wonderful, integrates perfectly with the other Sony Signature products, but for $2k you should not want for more power. I don't know that I can go so far as to say that I couldn't recommend it, but I would certainly recommend it with reservations. Those reservations being that it is not "end game", capable of driving anything you have or could want in the future. If you stick to IEM's and easier to drive headphones, you'll love this amp, even at $2k.
1.2w?! I was expecting a crippling 1.5w at least. Yeah for most it's enough, but for $2,000 it's gotta drive nearly everything. I could trip that amp with my headphones fairly easily
Hey Josh, thanks for the amazing content! FYI - iFi Pro iDSD retails for around $2500 ($2750 for the one with 4.4 mm balanced) and the iFi Pro iCan (no dac) retails for around $1800. I only mention because I think you said $1800 for the iDSD? :) Thanks again for the great review!
This DAC is fantastic, especially now that you can find it for $500 or more off the original list. The headphone capabilities are top of class for the price range (but you need good headphones for it to matter) - with good headphones the difference between balanced/unbalanced is not noticeable. For my use, the USB in and pre-amp out are the standout features; I can connect this to my mac with a UDB-c to USB-b cable and output 192/24 HRA from iTunes, Amazon Music, etc… or use the Sony “hi-res audio player” software to directly play DSD and DSF files directly into the DAC - the pre-amp out connected to my TA-A1ES amp is 🧈 and makes full use of the KEF LS50s connected to it. Just sublime, and best part is if I don’t want to fill the house with sound a quick button press and the DAC switches to headphones without missing a beat.
Also, the HR audio USB input also works with iPads with USB-c at the highest resolution available (up to 192/24, maybe more, but that’s where Apple Music taps out)
And my one regret in this review is Joshua presumes the headphone is the only use case for this device which is a fatal mistake because this thing has a pre out that can be set to either fixed or variable. That means its sonic feature and performance can be deployed in a full blown speaker based audiophile system. Some of the best amplifiers, including the best integrated amps don't come with a remote. This does, and can now serve as the system's DAC preamp with volume control. In this context, the price can actually turn out to be considered a steal.
Yep. Pre-out to a good amp (I use a TA-A1ES) is just magical, especially since you can high res 192/24 HRA directly into the DAC from a computer with the USB input (even works with Apple music).
You, sir, are a rising star in the headphone (and headphone amplifier) review genre. And the "balanced" shirts kind of explains your patter too. You're on par with Tyl (sp?) (ex-Inner-fidelity spokesman).
Yea a video about power would definitely be interesting especially for people just getting into the hobby to have a better idea of how power affects and how much power is needed.
It is and it's also a bit more complex than other aspects of a headphone build. I thought 1w would easily run my headphones, but now I'm tripping it if I'm not careful. Too many reviewers don't accommodate for personal preference either
How dare you sir! It’s not a hobby! It’s a state of being! Baked in the DNA, no choice in the matter, state of being. This affliction is not to be taken lightly!
I own this amp for over a year. My recommendation for future buyers is stick with low impedance/high sensitivity/dynamic drivers headphones(I use the mdr 7520, z1r, nightowl, shr1540 etc for with my setup volume between db 37-34 average) with this amp. Try to use balanced output if possible and you will be fine. It's all about synergy. Other than that, the sound is killer.
@@zacharyshort384 .... Alright...the ZH1ES overall sound is very smooth, warm and liquidity. But yet, very detail from top to bottom. All the micro details is there. Dark and quiet background. The bass has definition and weight. Non fatigue. Pro audio quality sound. Great for late evening listening sessions. I haven't try the z1r with idsd and ican pro. I'm sure they would pair well together no doubts.
Hey Ricky, I also own this for about a year and want to purcahse THX AAA887 as an AMP to fill the power gap in Sony ZH1ES. I wonder if you have paired ZH1ES as a DAC with other Amps, and if these change the overall sound quality for certain headphones. I currently own HD800s and I had no issue with listening to it, but I wonder why Josh mentions that ZH1ES is not enough to drive HD800s. I also want to purchase beyerdynamic T1 2nd which has a higher Ohm... So, I want a feedback before purchasing extra gears...
@@honeyfarmer0 My zh1es is currently the only amp I owned at this time. As far as using the zh1es as a dac, my suggestion is to use a amp and interconnect cables that has a neutral sound signature to minimize the changes of the signal from the zh1es. Josh experience with the hd800 and zh1es together... that depends on a lot of variations. Volume level, balanced/unbalanced output, high or low gain etc. And his expectations pairing the two. Try out the T1 with the zh1es first and see the out come. Then take it from there.
@@rickym.5271 Thanks for your suggestion/recommendation. I was puzzled by Josh's comment on ZH1ES with HD800s... But I have to rely on Josh's comment, as he has tried a number of AMPs. I will try out the T1...if I ever purcahse it... more likely I will purchase it now or after the boxing day. May post my experience with it. However, ultimately, I will need a AMP with enough power to verify Josh's experience... I may purchase THX AAA 887 for testing... I wish there is a shop where I live in Vancouver to experience different gears before making significant purchases. :(
I have owned the the HD800s and this amp, even with quiet music it plays it just fine and never had an issue with it. When a HD800s only uses .06 watts, even the single ended has more than enough power for normal listening levels. Which is how I normally listen to it. I only used pretty efficient headphones so it's totally adequate for so many people. If you are pushing hard to drive planars, you are looking at much nicer and seperate DAC and amp setups. This is your convenient combo unit for nice and efficient headphones. Even really nice stuff like a Focal Utopia would have no issues playing on this in terms of power. This ain't the caliber piece of equipment for high quality and hard to drive planars.
I’ve picked up some older Sony headphones some going back 20-25 years that would not be considered TOTL in their day and yet they just sound wonderful with this amp, it’s like Sony just knows you’re plugging in one of their own and make them shine. It’s very much an apple ecosystem way of doing business.
This amp drives almost everything beautifully. I own it and the Arya which Josh mentions needs more power than this has. I disagree - the combo sounds lovely. Also sounded great with the HD800S with more than enough power. It drives the Focal Clears beautifully and smooths them. It drives the Rosson RAD 0 beautifully and the list goes on. Use it balanced and 1.2 watts are enough.
Right? Nobody should be listening to their headphones at 90db+ if they want to keep their hearing and reasonable listening levels are easily achievable with the 2400mw this unit can put out
Bismillah Great review. Thanks. This drives my HD800s unbalanced with no issues. Most modern flagships are easy to drive (9200’s, Utopia, Stellia, Empyrean, Final, Etc.). Also did you try balanced?
As an owner of this headphone amp I think your review is very fair. I personally love this amp, but I use it exclusively with the Sony MDR-Z1R headphones, which BTW ... is what it was ultimately designed to be used with. This combo sounds fantastic and satisfy's me, but I can see why others may not be as happy. What your really paying for here beyond sound quality is the build. This unit is machined from a single piece of aluminum. It is built extremely well. If that's not important to you, then certainly look elsewhere. Lots of good stuff out there. If I didn't own this I would have gone with iFi Pro DSD. Keep up the great work. I am really enjoying your channel. Cheers!
@@zacharyshort384 Hi Zachary. Yes I did. I am plenty happy with the current combo and don't want to go down that road of constant change. :-} Been there... done that.
I forgot to mention that I also own this AMP, and this has been my first AMP purchase.... Since I have not tried other AMPs in the past, I am not sure if the sound quality paired with my HD800s is good/bad, or can be enhanced by pairing this unit with more powerful Amp. I also want to purchase Beyerdynamic T1 2nd, which has a higher OHM, but now I am worried if this unit can properly drive Beyerdynamic T1... I will appreciate if you could share your experience. Thx!
@@honeyfarmer0 No I have not. I have had no need as it powers the Sony headphones without issue. I no longer use other headphones that might necessitate this.
I can understand why they don’t have automatic switching, if you for an instant plugged in multiple types of headphones because you wanted to hear a difference between different sets of headphones with different connectors being in auto mode when you plug in would be problematic especially from a power standpoint. So to make you do the switching manually is probably best. I did hear that this amp wasn’t powerful enough and for two thousand dollars, that’s not an option. There is way too much competition in that sector to skimp on power. Even the thousand dollar headphone amp section has tons of competitors. No excuses here Sony reduce the price and come out with a more powerful amp. In the 500 to one thousand dollar sector this would have been a much better value. Good review Josh and I agree with your assessments. I also appreciate your subscriber who sent the Sony in to you for review. Josh a topic base video on how much power would be great because when most people spend good money they have expectations for that 200 to 2000 headphone and if you just bought a 2000 or even four thousand dollar pair of low efficiency or high 600 ohm headphones and are looking for an amp it sounds like you would be quite upset with this Sony. Also Josh show some amp choices that fit the bill.
You can easily calculate it yourself. Go to your headphone specification and find impedance and sensitivity. Sensitivity shows how loud headphones will be if you put 0.1 watt power. Now with headphones impedance you can find how much power your amp can produce. For a comfort listening without damage to your ears you need about 80-85 db. So if you have a headphone with impedance of 300 Ohm and sensitivity of 100 db and your amp can produce 0.1 Watt into 300 Ohm - it's enough.
Have you ever measured what SPL you actually listen at Josh ? I've always been a little surprised at how often people say they 'need' more power (short of ridiculous headphones like HE-6)... I have a JDS Atom driven by a 2V RMS DAC and even my hardest to drive headphones - modded T50RPs - I use low gain and about 10-11 o'clock volume at most. I'm honestly concerned that the 'always more power' crowd is listening at unhealthy volumes.
Jeffrey Makuch I don’t quite understand it as well as an audio engineer, but the resistance of the headphones and it’s sensitivity are two different things. Amps output a certain voltage at a certain resistance (ohm). You can reach the same volume on a powerful amp and a cellphone, for example. You can tell the cellphone is not powering your headphones properly even though it seems loud enough. There will be distortion, narrower soundstage and confusing imaging. BUT. It always depends on the music you listen it. This test is obvious with classical, where there are so many instruments and a wide dynamic range. On pop, rock, rap or other genres that are studio recorded at higher volumes, the need for more power is not there. If ACDc or Iron Maiden sounds better on a $2000amp vs a good quality sub$500, that’s probably buyer’s remorse or placebo IMO. But you should always listen to the music you love, never to your system! cheers
I would also ask if Joshua realized there is a Hi/Lo gain switch. I would not hear any louder than -20 dB in Hi my HD-800s. I do not need legroom above that : if the electronics are good you can go to the upper limit (0 dB) and still not hear distortion. Ah, I paid 1300 Euros in France for my ZH1ES, that price was usual here at the time…
Did you use a balanced connection with hd820 ? This amp has 0.3 watt is SE mode, 1.2watt only in balanced mode, but this should be more than enough to drive hd820. I have hugo 2 which has even less power than sony and i can't max it with hd800(similar to hd820 300ohm/102db) on any song. It simply to loud
Well done! I think power characteristics plus reliability are both essential to understand when making a purchase at this price point, imo, and I'm pleased this was laid out for my consideration.
Josh, I would definitely like to see a video on how much power is needed for headphones, perhaps listed by the headphone efficiency and sound quality. Thanks for another valuable review.
Yes please! I currently use a Chord Hugo as my headphone amplifier for my Audioquest Nightowl headphones, but I have no clue whether that is a good match, powerful enough etc..
Precisely! I already owned the Hugo and the Nightowls just connected to them and really were the only option to use. Tube amp, so no headphone jack, Naim streamer, so no headphone jack, iPhone 8.. Well, you get the picture..
I love my Ta but I had to upgrade to a ifi pro Ican to be able to power properly my he1000v2. I now use my ta as a dac and unlike you I find it powerful enough to power the hd800s. To be honest I love the sound of 800s + tubes but the Ta is from another world.
@@honeyfarmer0 The Ta as a DAC is beautiful, much better than the schiit stack uber version i had before. Sry but i cant tell you about the THX since ive never listen to one.
Thanks Joshua for your review on TA! TA has been my first Amp which is paired with HD800s. I wonder if I pair TA as a Dac and THX AAA 887 as Amp, will these enhance the sound quality? Will I notice the difference? I am curious! Please help!
Your review is good. I watch a lot. Does Sony zh1es has dark and quiet background? How about the sound separation? How do you compare it with Hugo 2 and mytek Brooklyn?
I really wonder about your opinion on the MDR-Z7M2, I am currently testing it and I really dig it so far. Hope you get to review it at some point. Keep up the great work btw best audiophile channel on youtube imho!
Power, how much ? clean vs not clean ? Class A, AB, D ? For planars nominal spl count more than nominal impedance, how do we know if the amp will be able to drive ?....
I wanna see Sony make an E-Stat headphone with their vast resources as well as making a standardized EStat port/cable. I can't see any actual use for the Walkman port because Sony isn't even endorsing the WM port anymore, Sony has tried doing proprietary things on several occasions and failed but I think they are capable of making something open like LDAC and Pentaconn and standardize it.
@Aunchient Pistol they did in the past, people don't really remember it but Sony used to make planars and estats back in the day. They have the means to push the tech forward imo and take advantage of the improment and dynamics that come with those technologies.
For 2200 dollars you buy tubes or the Phonitor X/XE or the V281 if you want a littler bit darker tone, there are almost no more better solid state amps over 2000( more expensive yes, maybe the Niimbus), only tubes.
Excellent review, the sennheiser Amp is supposed to be powerful enough to drive any headphone (according to Zeos) though there are some much cheaper (though nowhere near as solidly built) amps that have more power and have great reviews like the SMSL SP200 which is only 10% of the price as the Sony.
This Sony amp may be underpowered...but watts do not tell the whole story of course. And overall specifications don't tell the whole story. There are enough headphones efficient enough to listen on this amp. My Rupert Neve RNHP should be very weak , looking at the specs, but it can drive almost anything. I demoed Sennheiser HD 800, Focal Clear, Sundara, I have the T50rp mk3, I tried different Audeze's etc. BUT the Sony amp...Well...You still pay for Japanese labour (high salary)...you still pay for old fashioned Japanese quality and design...and you pay extra for the Sony Brand...of course you pay extra for that High Res sticker...and Sony executives want their piece of the Hifi pie. It's a Sony🤷♂️.
Yes, please make a video about how much power you need in a headphone amp. Please take your time on it and make sure you have lots of varied gear as well as headphones(make sure to touch on Fostex T50's + mods). It would also be good to open up and explain what balanced brings to the table and why its even in the headphone world.
Yup completely agree, if having 2000$ to spend there are many far better headphone amp / dac systems. Rather get something that plays the songs exactly in their original quality and will be able to drive all the headphones. Schiit magni 3 amp can drive pretty much any headphones, even hard to drive ones and costs about 99$
True. I compared HD800S and mdr-z1r by using TA - ZH1E. It can hardly drive HD800S. I always use max volume to listen to classic music and it seems not very good. Z1r works greatly with it.
Sorry, but your complaint about this amp's power is bogus. I use my TA-ZH1ES to drive an Aeon 2 Open, which is my least efficient headphone, but I'm using a balanced output with high gain switched on, and there is plenty of power to play much louder than I could stand to hear. The amp's sound quality is excellent and its versatile inputs and outputs allow me to use it as pre-amp for my desk area including PC, OPPO Blu-ray player, Walkman, and KEF powered speakers.
I think the reason why you have to go through the menu is if you want to leave multiple things plugged in. I wouldn't do that but I'm sure some people like it.
Must admit that it’s not to little power which I find to be the limiting factor of this amp. For me the missed opportunity is that it doesn’t come with a optional equalization for the Sony MDR Z1R. The Z1R has this peak at 10 kHz, why Sony why, why, oh why haven’t you taken the opportunity to reduce the this through a dash of tailored eq??? Another inconvenience which you touch upon is the lack of Bluetooth. Greetings from Denmark
power can be an issue for more people than you might think, thats why i got a (32 Ohm): 2 x 7,5 Watts amp. headphones needs eq, that will eat up headroom. not to mention some movies and other content is really low volume. sometimes you come across orchestra music recorded really low also. i am fine turning up the digital volume one source for those bits. but setting a digital volume so it won't ever reach clipping is asking to much volume on my analogue amp. i blame the loudness wars for some of the music i listen to, its just maxing out the levels.
Hey Joshua, thank you very much for your effort in reviewing this and many other devices. I am new to the Hi-Fi realm and have no background knowledge whatsoever. Would you please do fundamental of audio and entering the world of Hi-Fi? I think many people can benefit from that. Thank you!
I’m set on the z1rs not in a position to buy a collection of high end headphones ( rather spend it on music), so it would just be those and my trusty dt770s So this would suit me nicely, not so much my bank account!! ! Cheers for your honest review though it hasn’t put me off. If you could just do another video where you predict the next lottery numbers I’m in!!!
Hi Joshua, were you using the high gain setting and the balanced output when you maxed out the amp? Because the single ended output is a lot less powerful according to the specs: Balanced: 1,200 mW + 1,200 mW (32 ohms 1 kHz 1%) Unbalanced: 300 mW + 300 mW (32 ohms 1 kHz 1%) Based on the footage it looks like you were using the XLR4 output, so I guess my answer would be Balanced. But could you please confirm. I ask because I can drive the HD600 to pretty loud levels from my ZX300 which has only 200 mW x2 on balanced.
Hi, I saw the Asgard 3 in this video. I just bought one. Will there be a review out soon? I'm thinking of buying the DT 1990 and use it with the A3 after your reviews. I would like to know if it is a nice pairing. Keep up the good work!
You should review the Burson Conductor V3! Phenomenal amp. Even better is the Hegel HD-12, though discontinued. Very review-worthy products if you can get your hands on them.
I have it, it’s my unit for review. I have done countless listening with DSEE HX and DSD up sampling on this thing AND the NW-WM1Z, and I reassure you all that it’s not all I’m my head. IT MAKE NO Difference! I paid for those features and wanted them to work and I was wrong. Will I sell the NW-WM1Z or the Amp/DAC unit? Heck know! I love the look and the usability and the sound is not bad at all. Also, the Sony NW-WM1Z is underpowered just like this. I hate that the most about them! Come on Sony, it won’t kill you to up the power and voltage for such a price!
I also got mine a few days ago, using it with the Z1R's and i can clearly hear differences when switching between the DSEE HX modes (they actually do what they say they do), the DSD up sampling...not really, maybe from lower quality sources.Coming from a Chord Mojo it's a pretty big difference, i've also tested the Hugo 2 and wasn't as impressed as everyone is,i prefer the TA.
adrian m , I agree with Chord Mojo not being impressive. Maybe if my critical listening skills improves, then I can tell the difference between DSEE HX and DSD. Can anyone tell me they actually here a difference between a good 24/192 and DSD, even DSD512 or DSD1024?
I wouldn't call the HDV820 a toy though. It has a really sleek black anodized aluminum housing with very sturdy internals, one could say that the Sony amp looks more like a toy when you look at the very German style engineering of the HDV820. The Sony amp does have more features but the HDV820 sounds better.
Love the design, the only thing I don’t get is why all the headphonejacks are resets, like you see in the video the black is gone be scratched very easy, further I think that 2300,00 usd is way to much for this amp/dac, there is not enough power and there is no new tech
To be honest, if you're maxing out the volume on this you're almost certainly listening at too high of volume. My Hifiman HE-500, which is my hardest to drive headphone, can get to really uncomfortable levels on high gain at max volume. Typically I'm at about 20-15db on low gain with those, with more sensitive headphones being at about 25db on low gain. I'd also make the point that power output is not equal to volume. You can get roughly the same volume from balanced and unbalanced on this amp, despite the balanced outputs offering 4x the power. Voltage gain determines volume, and current provides the power to maintain that volume without losing control. I suspect power requirements for headphones are VASTLY overstated though, with amps pushing multiple watts per channel being so far beyond overkill that it's not even funny. I'd bet at comfortable volume levels, 99% of enthusiast headphones would be just fine with ~100mw.
Hi Josh, I'm relatively new to the "audiophile" world. What are your thoughts on EQ'ing headphones? Is it considered sacrilege? I have the 800 S with the HDV 820 amp/dac and they seem a tad bright and forward in the upper mids and lower trebs. But, if I EQ them, they're a bit recessed (which fixes the brightness/forward issue), but the sound isn't as full and rich. I appreciate your thoughts on this.
That low power is definitely a deal breaker. My planars are all juice whores. I am interested in the rmi but there doesn't seem to be a state of the art dac amp combo for under 1000. People say the amp section in the rme isn't as good as the 789 which I have. I also have the teac 503 which is a great dac amp combo but the 789 is cleaner right off the bat but the teac does have a little bit better midrange. The weird elephant in the room is that despite my darkvoice, onkyo dpx1, smsl su8, thx 789 and teac ud503, my best sounding headphone amp is my marantz sr6011 avr with spotify connect. The separation and layering of sound is far superb, the decay is better, then bass is controlled. It sounds much more holographic. It blows me away and I can't for the life of me figure it out.
I think because Sony’s Flagship Headphone (Z-1R) is like 70 OHMS it is quite easy to drive forcing more audiophiles to buy the complete set (Z1 with ZH1)
Timestamp ~13:20. Re: REQUIRED power. Mr. V., perhaps you can look into the phenomena of "the first watt". Apparently, the Audiophiliac explored that with an amp designer.
An all digital amplifier, Class D amp from Sony. Upsampling and its proprietary (just like iDSD remastering is) DSD remastering is its virtue. Power? Never been as all of Sony's offerings has always been efficient. Thats the thing, its limited in its design of being an all digital amp. Sony even ditched it and change its architecture for their transportable flagship DAP/Desktop DAC-AMP the DMP-Z1. They just set the power req limit too low when designinv it that they forgot to consider it being used with other headphones. Also, didnt know you still have the Z1R.
@Aunchient Pistol oh I see, I work and listen to music it's never occurred to me people would sit and listen to music while doing work on laptops as I just always assumed it required concentration. But yes it makes sense
The HDV820 is a toy huh, other videos I thought you were but here on I know you are biased. You talked about the built quality and said the schitt Asgard was steel, the toppings were aluminium but you thought the Sony's were aluminium, so you know about the ones that you aren't reviewing but don't know about one that you are.
