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

Product Information

Some strangeness here. These have a relaxed presentation but are a little dark and veiled. But it has a large sound stage with big bass and pretty good imaging. Hmm… At the end of the day the IER-Z1R is still an in-ear and will never have soundstage performance matching ToTL full size headphones or speakers. However, they've one of the best soundstages for IEMs. Rather than being a 3-blob imager, the Z1R does well in placing sounds and instruments at distinct places in space, with enough depth to separate them out. They also avoid that 'in your head' sensation that some IEMs can have. The Z1R has a sort of funny design. The material on the headphones is two big earcups is clean and unique, and it also bulges outward. You’d think by the size that the Z1R would be a lot more weighty, but they actually have a lightweight feel to them. The earpads and headband material are also very soft and comfortable, being made from sheepskin and prioritizing a non-fatiguing fit after numerous listening hours. I thought the Z1R had great isolation and my ears still had enough room to breathe and avoided getting hot. Design Let’s investigate the history and realization of the IER-Z1R. As only out in the wild a week, we’re going to find out if it’s possibly the mythological unicorn; the thing that didn’t exist. So you’ve just been lied to about being lied to your entire audiophile life? Of course you knew that.

These look and feel stunning in the hands. The way Sony presented them in the little jewelry box really solidifies what Sony wanted these to be; a halo product that is one of a kind. They're built very well and can easily last generations with the machining being super precise. 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.

The company celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2016 with a range of new reference products that were designed to impressively demonstrate the company’s accumulated engineering knowledge under the Signature Series label. The MDR-Z1R headphones tested here have been designed with a clear focus on detail-coded component selection and a “novel” audio design to give the listener the feeling of real-world sound as authentically as possible. In terms of comfort and material selection—as much as anticipated—the MDR-Z1R delivers impressive qualities. Sony’s engineers claimed to seek nothing less than the perfect reproduction of every subtle nuance. Keywords, such as micro-sounds, sound details, dynamics and atmosphere, are mentioned in interviews when it comes to the ideal translation of actual sound events with headphones. At a suggested retail price of €2,199, these claims should have been implemented… First Impression

At times other famous 2019 flagships have painted a pretty picture for me but it was painted on clear cellophane. At first I could recognize the musical information but at closer inspection it wasn’t truly there. Great Hybrid. Cannot beat the DD sound, which i am very fond of. Manages to have the best of both worlds. 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.

Over 70 Years of Innovation

Toto -Africa (have listened to this song about 20 times in the last 2 days, it sound incredible through the Z1R's) The next thing is the typical recessed lower mids to make everything sound clear (i'm not a fan of this) and a bit cold but thats a slight change. Its still done very tastefull, especially in comparison with its direct competitors. Other than that, the mids are excellent. You can grasp even the slightest change and the tiniest details as they are just insanely fast. At this point I don't even want to comment on the graph and what-not, if you're talking about IEMs of this calibre, the graph can only tell you so much because other than telling you the IER-Z1R is a mild V-shaped IEM with slightly warm characteristics and recessed mids, it clearly doesn't show anything about its technicality, which I will actually go into first. 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.