Tiring? These are the most relaxing headphones I’ve ever heard. It took me a bit to adjust and get used to their sound but now I’m so hooked. Tyll's a knowledgeable guy but I trust my ears - and they are happy as punch. Absolutely love the Z1R. I just sit back and smile, enjoying music like I'm in a luscious, detailed yet utterly relaxing soft puffy cloud of sound. A masterpiece from Sony.
After auditioning the Z1R, I just loved them, and they were on sale for $1648 AUD ($1254.14 USD) so I impulse bought one. I also have the Focal Clears (which are most definitely my end-game). I enjoy listening to both. I've seen the Z1R measurements, I've took into consideration of Tylls review, and also Z's review and I agree with Z; the Z1R is like an ice cream truck handing out ice cream in an F1 race. You just have to love it. There's something just fun about the Z1R's sound signature - I've compared it with the Clears, and of course the Clear just out classes it, but sometimes the coloured, laid back sound of the Z1R with its thick, lush bass is just what you need on the side to the Clears which are just tight, competent, confident and pushes the music right into your head. Happy to have the Z1R in my collection. Besides, the production quality of the Z1R (headphones + case & packaging) is second to none, taking the edge over the Clear.
@@ahwanpandey Tough to say. This might come too late but I say try to listen to them first. I really didn't like the Focal to be honest. The Z1R was also not love at first sight, but I've grown to really like what they bring.
I have these for a few hours. I bought them, so long I like them. I don't mind strong bass, actually- I like the bass performance with these. There's a lot of detail in it. 3 kHz peak of these HPs (result of resonance) is more of a deal to me, along with attenuated lower midrange. It colors male voices with strange, shrieky timbre (they sound higher in pitch). This may sound good for some rock music however. high mid/low treble (4,5,6,7 k) attenuation followed by 8,9,10k peak makes for strange timbre in most percussions. They sound hollow, without the usual hit/slam I was used for. This also makes sibilant noises less aggresive (most of the sibilance in vocals lies in the higher mids and lower treble I guess) sounding and puts these instruments/ noises rather backward to the mix. They sound more like a detail to make the mix more interesting rather than the main attraction. I don't think 10k peak adds much sibilance. Guess most of it that's present with Z1R comes from 3k peak. So long- I like electric guitars and female voices with these. They lean on to the aggresive side (maybe because the uneven frequency response?), but still enjoyable and not overly tiring to my ears. Electric guitars remind me of those old Marshall combos. Bass hits with physical impact- I feel it. I like it. Soundstage and separation is great so long. Kinda like helmet of sound with nice depth to it- some things really seem to be further away than others. Nighthawk does this too- maybe it's because attenuated mids? So these do things the other way around compared to most headphones I heard. Most high-end/ mid tier headphones hardly have any bass (I hardly hear melodies in bass spectrum with most other headphones), they only use it to make the final sound more appealing, while much of the energy lies either in mids or in highs- those percussions are bread and butter to many headphones I tried. Melodies and details in the bass spectrum gets lost to me (I can list HD600 and HE400i as an example). The main meal to Z1R are bass guitar and synth melodies, along with some kick drums in the big soundstage, while these only use percussions to make the whole mix a bit more interesting. A thing at the address of isolation measurement at innerfidelity- I also happen to own Nighthawks. They measure at -12dB of ambient noise attenuation. Z1R measure at -14 dB. Thing is, these Z1Rs seem to me as much better isolating pair than Nighthawks. Is the 2 dB difference really that big, or is there some problem with measurement? a lil thing of notice- these look great in my hands, but they look so dumb on my noggin. Kinda like huge, black, cyclopean nipples. Tilted drivers hit my ears a bit at the front. I have average ears.
I've tried this sample at the airport.. sweet jesus this is by far the best headphone within my reach, compare to other similar price range headphone this one seals the crown
Everyone, keep in mind that frequency response charts are NOT the same as musicality/subjective enjoyment. I do not own the Z1Rs, but I’ve heard several warm, non-neutral cans with odd treble measurements that outperform neutral ones. It’s all about what you enjoy!
Tyll is of course entitled to his opinion, but I'm afraid he hear his measurements and not how they actually sound. The ATH-M50 were my stepping stone into the better audio quality world, but even mentioning them in comparison to the Z1R is beyond me. The Z1R are for people who want to feel and enjoy music to the fullest while relaxed in a comfy recliner. The ATH-M50 are best suited for short periods of studio monitoring.
It's a matter of taste, dunno what equipment you used, you should have stated, but vast majority will disagree with you on this review. But hey each to their own, listen for yourself and decide for yourself- one thing you have definitely got wrong is that - you don't get fatigued ears you can get with sennheisers or some of top end beyerdynamic or AKGs.
Presently I own a pair of Audeze LCD-3's, Beyerdynamic T1's (didn't like the T1.2's as much), Sennheiser HD800S's (preferred them to my original HD800's) and the Sony MDR-Z1R's. The Sony's are easily my favourite of the bunch. I feel like Tyll's confirmation bias regarding graphs and notions of sonic ideals, tainted his impressions. This much is clear based on his unbridled positivity towards the original HD800's, which he at the time claimed were the best headphones he'd ever listened to. The same headphones that people now feel the need to heavily mod to sound decent, and that he himself has modded to completely alter the sound, from what was originally a clearly detail, articulation or thin sounding emphasis, not neutral as claimed by so many. Surely this should tell you all you need to know about how jaded and misconstrued his opinions can be? I feel like Tyll, like so many others have a skewed idea of what "neutral" is supposed to sound like. Neutral isn't cold and over-articulate like the HD800's or HD800S, it's warm, punchy, emotive, like a high quality pair of speakers. The Z1R's essentially replicate that sort of sound and feel, the atmospheric sound of a speaker system or live performance. I have literally spent hundreds of hours blind testing my headphones, and no in no way would I ever agree that the MDR-Z1R made the music sound any more disjointed or separate than any of the others, on the contrary, a lot of music sounded markedly more cohesive with the Z1R's. Where the HD800S and T1.1's would can sound just a tad thin or lacking drama and impact due to a lack of bass impact and body, the LCD-3's would have the bass impact, but lack in bass and overall detail, texture, sound stage and imaging. The MDR-Z1R's most times out of ten, offer the best balance out of all the headphones I own. You can read about my impressions of the different headphones I own over at Head-Fi. I did a detailed blind listening comparison of all of them.
I have the exact same experience as you, i also have an beyerdynamic T1 and a dt770 but the sony mdr z1r sounds so much clearer and fuller that when i hotswap between headphones everything else just sounds wrong. I find the sony sounds more honest, more real than everything i heard before, it is like you said like listening to a good pair of floorstanding speakers or a live concert. I am so happy with these cans that after a half year i purchased their TA-ZHE1s amplifier when hooked up to the balanced output these cans become even more magical. For me this is the endgame i am done and satisfied:) I find his review very strange it's like he is reviewing a different headphone from a different brand.
The Terrible Puddle blind testing is meaningless if the person is already familiar with and knows what they’re listening to beforehand, so this guy’s blind test is worthless
I can understand Tylls frustration, lets be honest he is right $2,300 is a lot of money to spend on a headphone and I love the fact that he doesnt fold and say "yeah buy this" he looks out for the consumer and even though I love the z1r I love hearing this mans opinions regaurdless of good or bad because sometimes the bad (in this case the thick bass) is something that I love. Like any headphone give it a listen and if you love it or hate it at the end of the day thats the opinion that matters most. Keep the reviews coming Mr Herstons!!
Obviously opinions differ. Speakers to me are more noticeable in sound quality or shall I say easier to discern. Headphones on the other hand do not vary in the sound as much. I would buy the Z1r again based on the looks and build quality alone. Sound of the Z1r was like the hd800 but with more bass presence and a little less soundstage. I didn't think the bass was overblown at all especially when it was well amped. Also to add I owned the Ether C Flow after these for several months. They also have amazing build and are very good looking. However, the sound in comparison was more veiled on the Ether C Flow. Less bass, less treble. And overall smaller soundstage. I much preferred the Z1r. Tbh these are probably my favourite headphones available today. Mid 2018😬. I’ve owned quite a lot of the summit headphones and overall these are the best. IMO. I just wish they cost a lot less. I hope to buy these again when I can afford to.
0:51 woha! "I've been really looking forward to these headphones.... so I could snap them in half!" That headband looked like the typical fairly rigid and thick plastic or metal like most headphones. I flinched a a little when you just bent then straight. Very cool
While i do follow and appreciate his reviews, I am a subscriber.... i have never felt more of a gap between my findings and this review. It almost felt like he dismissed them prior to starting. I have on many occasions his views almost inline with my thoughts (on the pairs I own), but I scratch my head on this one.
Personally I love them, but then again I never really care for graphs and diagrams...I just want to enjoy my music and with Z1R this is what I get. Paired with my Chord Hugo they sound just awesome and I have lots of fun!!! Could never understand how can someone find their sound tiring, that's really beyond me, but hey, taste is personal and although I respect his opinion, I respectfully disagree!!!
Yep, like most high end headphones, the source used makes a difference on how they sound. It's telling that Tyll makes no mention of source or amp used at all.
I respect Tyll's reviews generally, but wow did he miss big on these. It's like he's describing the opposite of what they actually sound like. Sibilant and tiring these are not. Lush, warm, relaxing & utterly musical are the words I would use to describe them.
So... When I first got them I couldn't get into them. In found them thin and bright sounding. But, after burn in they became so much more balanced and rich sounding. The harshness that he describes went away. It became super musical and sophisticated sounding. But, when they really became worthy of being called a world class headphone was when I replaced the stock cables with the Kimber Kable Axios cable. That's when the bass became tighter and controlled. The bleeding into the midrange simply disappeared. Highs became lush sounding. So, I would conclude by saying that the MDR-Z1R should be judged after burn in and after its properly accessorized. Otherwise, your not judging it at its true potential.
whats the point in comparing if you're gonna mod it to perfection lolll in that case a poor headphone could be mod to its best with an adequate set of dac amp
@@x3LightNinG Late to the party as I am looking to get these. 99% of people buying these will get thrid party cables, it's what we do. Also a poor headphone will alwasy sound poor no matter the DAC. DAC's are not the sound changers as people think.
@@invisiblekid99 sorry but i wholeheartly disgaree even after all these years of listening.. yes the dac doesnt change the nature of the headphone itself, but with a good dac u definitely hear more. i uses a focal clear mg now and paired with a benchmark dac3 hgc, its night and day difference believe it or not
I love these headphones. To my ears, they deal great with digital glare while preserving loads of detail. They are have no shrillness or fatigue even with harsh recordings. So I respectfully disagree with Tyll on these. (But I'm still a big fan of Tyll and Innerfidelity and have been reading his work for many years.)
Mate, i got that headphones and they sound amazing, amazing.. He doesnt understand the sound on mdr z1r because they sound very different in a good way though
In Jude's (from Head-Fi) latest video, he states the Z1R are his all-time favorite closed back headphones. I maintain there is something wrong with either Tyll or the pair he had , or both.
don't fool yourself, ATH's with those weird antena-type headband parts fit way better (you'll simply forget wearing them). I could not say the same botu MDR-Z1R, unfortunately. though they are still very comfortable to wear, even for long periods of time, dnt get me wrong. still it's more noticable, need little adjustment sometimes, when the top of ur head starts hurting. and you don't get that EVER at all on ATH models mentioned.
The Z1R is epic for closed cans. Not perfect, but really good. This review clashes with almost everything I've read from people who have been in the business for quite some time too, so I'm puzzled by Tyll's opinion. He could have disliked them, but the dislike in this one is so intense that it is difficult to digest. Something wrong. "OK sounding"? "ATH-50x?" wtf? And the R-10 was not the same price.... not even close. 30 years of inflation, my friend... It's more than an Utopia, the perfect headphone with a soundstage the size of a cherry tomato and a build quality that squeaks more more than my carbon fiber yacht in a storm.
Nuno N i think he's just pointing they're not worth their price tag, unlike some other HP. But Sony is not the only one, he thinks the same of lcd-4 for example... if this pushes these companies to improve and stop selling at >2000 usd, that would be better for us...
But the price tag is 1.8k $ from Amazon in the US , even closer to 1.5 if ordered from Europe,Currawong even mentioned that in his review,so trashing it for being too expensive at 2.3k is a bit like what politicians do,hell someone is selling the STAX 009 for 30k $ on amazon uk,why not trash them for being sht for the money ?
I disagree with Tyll's findings. I've been enjoying mine since Jan. 2017 and to my ears the Z1R are natural, detail without being bright, exceptional imaging, excellent lows, and very smooth. I can listen all day without fatigue.
Tyll also bashed the MDR 1000X, saying they sound quite worse than the likes of QC35 for example. Besides the fact that that description was dramatically opposed to virtually any other hi-fi review of the headphones, his description of the sound signature was completely alien to me, an 1000X user at the time. What i think happened is that Tyll's hearing is pretty damaged and he's unaware of that. That would make laid-back and warm headphones sound "muffled" to him, and ear-piercing headphones like focal utopia (or ath-50x) sound OK. I'm pretty sure, at least for quite a while, he's only basing his reviews on the electronic analysis and frequency response. That, or he's got some personal gripes with Sony.
Yeah his hearing is off. When you get to a certain point in life (age), you should get your hearing checked. Especially if your job is in the field of audio. M50x...over the z1r...? I gave my 95 year old grandfather the M50x. That should tell you something.
Naqoyqatsi L.A.W lol okay. It can’t possibly be that Sony hasn’t made a single good headphone since the R10, it must be that Sony didn’t pay Tyll enough money hahahahaha
Ouch for a $2k phone. Tho basically, this review says, if you want a flat phone this is not for you. Should be for people with a reference headphone/s already looking for some change in their system. I dont think that change is worth 2k tho.
This is comparable to a rotten tomatoes review to a fun and entertaining blockbuster with an awesome atmos track. The Z1R is such a fun headphone where music just takes you away from daily stressors.
Tyll also disliked AKG K812, my favorite headphone. Apparently he trusts his technical equipment more than his own ears. I always take his 'opinions' with a large grain of salt.
Does that officially mean this man should not be considered for a "correct" review of any headphones unless of course, you, yourself have found the ATH-M50x to sound better than the Sony MDR Z1R?
Thick was exactly the word I described for the bass. It just gave me too much. It wasn't bad at all at lower volumes - very pleasant actually. But when I turned it up, the bass became ....well, thick and kind of muddy. I'm glad I saw this after I had a chance to listen to them first.
I can see the sound signature being appealing to some people - heck I might like it if I had some - but as you say the price makes them poor value despite the nice looking construction.
I have a Ether C Flow and was planing to get Z1R based on reviews from Amos, Steve Guttenberg, What Hifi etc so was really surprised this review in a different direction. I will wait for a month to see if his unit was defected ;)
Headphones are like food. A meal that tastes bad to someone may taste great to others. I love the Z1R which why I purchased them. I cannot stand the Utopia they are so NOT musical to my ears. You have to go listen for yourself so do not dismiss these based on one persons subjective opinion.
I have notice that especially with bass and treble. When Tyll say they have too much bass I'm sure a lot of people who listens to other genres than he does will strongly disagree. Treble is another thing where genre, personal preference and also how much hearing loss has occurred in the high frequencies will impact what you find optimal.
I think this review came way too late after the launch date and contradicts what pretty much everyone else is saying (Amos,Steve Guttenberg,Whathifi,etc) .People love to hate on Sony for being a big company,and give way too much praise to MrSpeakers just because Dan is a nice guy ( IE Tyll changing the C flow review) @phototristan agree 100% i've compared the Z1r to Lcd-x and Lcd-3 before getting them and it was no contest for me,which is especially impressive with the Sonys being closed.Also they're actually around 1.9k euros with tax on amazon in europe, and people got them as low as 1600$ in the US
right,i trusted tyll and bought the oppo pm-3 that he recommended,after a year i thought they sounded dull compared to other headphones.After a lot of research and auditioning i got the z1r over the audeze lcx-xc.Listen to whomever you want.Me and a ton of people think there is no better closed headphone on the market today and it was 1.8k euros well spent.
The Terrible Puddle yes Z is a subjectivist, but so are we all in this hobby. I think he stated that they were musical and not tuned for pin point accuracy. Unlike Till, who couldn't even look past the measurement and the comparisons and actually like listen to how they conveyed the music.
This sounds like he was measuring them first and then, after seeing the measurement, was hearing what he measured. What he describes is exactly how they measure but is far from close to what they actually sound. This is a common thing that happens to a lot of reviewers these days. They Love something at first, then measure it, then are ashamed that they liked something that measures bad and listen to it again more closely to hear what they have measured and they, they dislike it. This is pretty sad. Measuring everything to death kinda does that, kills the enjoyment. Yes these don't measure accurate, but they sound excellent. They sound way better than a lot of headphones that measure significantly better. So maybe listen to them first and _then_ measure them when you're 100% sure you made up your mind. Because if they then measure "Bad" instead of changing your opinion on if you like them, you might actually do the opposite. Asking your question, why do these sound this good, even if they measure bad? Is my target right?
I'm a fan of Sony products and didn't want to believe Tyll's review, so I recently purchased a Z1R. I really tried to like this headphone, but Tyll is exactly right about the sound. The muddy bass and the treble peak were unacceptable to me. The treble is fatiguing to listen to. It makes the sound of orchestral strings very unnatural. Fortunately I could return the Z1R. To me, the amazing thing is I have a much better Sony headphone, the MDR-1AM2, that sells for about $250. It is much more balanced and natural sounding than the Z1R. If you want to spend $2,000, MrSpeakers Ether 2 is MUCH better than the Z1R.
Either he doesn't like bass presence or he didn't pair them with the right equipment. He was exaggerating. Also, pad-rolling can change the FR dramatically.
Can someone explain to me why they are pushing this high res audio thing? Responsive up to 120khz, but humans cant hear over 20khs? Who are they marketing this to? Dogs and cats? Are there any perks with having headphones that can go that high? Is it all just a buzzword they can throw around or does it actually have any benefits? Is it all just a meme?
Supposedly while you can't actually hear anything,that frequency response + extremely resolving dacs like the Chord Dave make it "feel" more like a live recording instead of a rendering.Of course,talking about audiophiles it might all be snake oil
Good, then I can finally meme my friends about it. "-Do you know what High res audio is? Well, you know of the 'brown note' right? Apparently there is this note on the lower spectrum of sound, a bass tone not audible, but you´ll feel it. You see it matches the vibration of the hairs in your bowels and after a while of unknowingly hearing it, you will shit yourself weather you´re planning on doing it or not. This high res thing is similar, its way above the audible sound range, not even dogs or cats will hear that high, maybe your pet bottlenose dolphin can, but you wont... However... you will FEEL it. This time, it wont cause you to drop a brick in your pants, no no, since this is on the other side of the spectrum -this time, you will inaudibly jizz in your pants. Prepare to get you dick blown." And thats how I will shill my friends into buying sony headphones for $2299 with the High res sticker on them.
Tyll, really surprised at this. I would love you to review the Sony MDR-Z7 as a comparison (their previous flagship). I'm extremely impressed with it. Very lush and clean can. At the price point, I expected it to approximate some of planars like the ZMF Omni/Vibro but it just blew them out of the water. Bass was better and so are vocals with very present top end. I do think, like many headphones, choice of amplifier is critical. An overly analytical amp can give a peak that is a tad too bright.
That was quite a harsh review and preferring the M50x just murders the Z1R. Was so in love with these Sony headphone.. am still going to demo them for sure along with a couple of other headphones I'm planning on getting.
yeah, that's also my thought on the sound of these when listening in the shop. It's beautiful and sound...good, but the price always come to mind and for the price, it's...just not worth it, totally. A beautiful fashion can is it all about, and we know fashion things are expensive. :(
I wanted this review to be wrong so bad, because I got these just recently for half the retail price. Being the owner of Sony MDR-5706 among other excellent headphones, I was expecting Sony to retain the qualities from that model, but make the soundstage larger. I'm disappointed, as you say, these headphones don't sound natural at all..They sound big, but not natural. I don't understand how Sony could go so wrong here..I mean, if you got a good ear and know what music SHOULD sound like, you will immediately hear the weaknesses of this headphone.
I understand Tyll and can take his reviews and know what to expect.... My sound signiture preference is much different to his though so I think these would be enjoyable but a bit lacking in detail..... And not in the ballpark of the Focal Stellia's my endgame
Zeos calls the Z1R "Hippie" headphones for their laid back presentation. Classic Rock anyone after several tokes of medicinal herb. These are old-school headphones with ultra modern technology so while not "neutral" as seems to be all the rage these days, they are musical, enjoyable, relaxing and non-fatiguing. For years Tyll had the HD800's on the Wall of Fame. Are you fricking kidding me? Head Fi is obviously a very personal choice. Some prefer the rather analytical and clinical sound of the newer Sennheisers although to this Head Fier they seem to be a company that lost their way after the fabulous HD650. One can hear deep into the music with the Utopias but their is no soundstage to speak of, they are bass light, the treble can be annoying to some not to mention the QC problemas they seem to be having. Buy what sounds good to you. The highly regarded reviewers know Head Fi but their preference may be 180 degrees from what makes another audiophile smile.
hi just subscribed 🙂 I wonder if you can you do a review of the Musical Fidelity MF200 headphones. I can't find a decent video review anywhere and seems your the guy for the job. I have a pair and frankly hated them upon first listen as initially very very bright sounding but I have stuck with then EQ'd them and now absolutely love them, I think they are so open (and bright at times) they reveal bad recordings. just that at the moment they can be a steal on ebay as mine were, probably because they are marmite headphones I.e you love them or hate them. would love to hear your views or anyone else. great posts, much enjoy them.
The one thing I found with Tyll reviews anything with BASS he gets sour very fast like it automatically reminds him if it has BASS it must equal that GOD DAM RAP MUSIC. People listen to all types of music which makes each headphone special to that music. Everyone ears are different as well. I remember when the Samsung NOTE came out all the little small hand midget people complained it to big in my tiny hands no one will by it. Mmmm 5 years later look where we are with the phones. I often wonder what happened to those midget people with the small hands? They are probably in there tiny little Hobbit houses somewhere..
I think your review is spot on and you do not tremble at the name Sony, you just told the truth. Now please take them on about all their claims on the website in the Hi-Res area and their imaginary benefits of sound above 20K. Then I will say you have balls my friend though I already respect you.
Mr2pint different type. dynamic Vs planar. Sony used a really tiny magnet in this, which some people who are experienced with driver design pointed this out as probably the reason for this sounding odd. planar needs to be larger in order to have that linear bass response with impact
just two very different ways of designing a driver, with the audeze it's not a piston mechanism of sorts. tyll has an article on how orthodynamic planars work, it will explain why
The most immediately "bleh, this is kind of gross and mushy sounding" headphone heard at CanJam 2017. Two different booths, doubt it was the source, this seems like more of a luxury headphone that colors the sound a lot like Ultrasone luxury headphones, but less "let me scratch your ear off." I'd almost describe it as getting a headphone, dampening it too much, boosting the treble, then adding a random comb filter, with enough bands to make it sound kind of like all the music is there, but in reality it's missing tons of notches. Maybe I need more listening time, but for now I'd put it above a Beats Solo, but slightly below a Koss PortaPro. I wish "headphone libraries" were common, and I could listen again, because frankly I'm shocked when I hear someone likes it.
I have (IEM) Oriolus Traillii, Unique Melody Fabled Sounds, Unique Melody Amber Pearl pair the Sony M2. I also have this headsets with sony ta-zh1es. Yes, I have very expensive toys. My IEM are very good but No way near Z1R headphones. Totally disagree with this review. You have lost all credibility with this odd review. This is one dumb son of a beach. Really dude? You would pick a $150 headset over this?
