Have you heard me lately? Sony MDR-Z7

I suppose this thread will die a short death based upon the popular phones and amps being discussed these days. The ones that I am not listening to.

For the past 3-4 months I have had my (modded) Z7's plugged into my Liquid Carbon with Gungnir Multibit as source and battery powered Audeophillio sending the digital goodness to the extra large dac. The bass is deep and faultless. The midrange is to die for. The treble couldn't be any better - so my question is, are my modded phones this great or has the community overlooked a gem??

 

So what have you compared them against? Just wondering what the frame of reference is... What mods did you do to it? Heaping praise sans context makes it hard to interpret.

 

I really liked the Z7. Bought it the day it was available from Sony. That said, after owning it and being a Denon fanboy (own the D200, 5000 and LA7000) they were all so close in sound signature to me I ended up selling them. I think they are a great can with better build quality than the Denon's with very strong bass, comfort and isolation.

 

Could be slightly overlooked, have you heard the HD600 or HD650? Because those are still the reference in that price range IMHO. Another good comparison would be against the TH-X00 I guess.

But Sony can churn out some grade A audiophile stuff when they want to, so I have no doubt they could be good. The SS-AR1 is a very nice loudspeaker and everyone knows about the r10 headphones.

 

Hey Purrin, are there any guides to modding the Z7?. I have a pair here that I've been enjoying but I think there is just a bit missing.

 

Now we just need this for the z5...

 

I have compared them directly (meaning same source and amp) to a pair of balanced (but otherwise unmodded) hd650's.

Direct comparison, to my ears, leaves the 650's as (relatively) dull and lifeless in comparison with less treble energy, way more distant soundstage and bass depth and response that leaves much to be (again, in comparison) desired.

I should probably do the 650 mods to level the playing field but I have been having too much fun with the Sony's to get off my ass and do so.

 

I, like Oregonian, early adopted this headphone. So, another term could be "overpaid" for this headphone.

But I prefer the Z7 over the Denon/Fostex sound. I haven't even modded it yet, and I love the sound. Yes mid bass is a bit too strong and loose for my liking, which hides the sub bass some. But by most accounts this can be dealt with though dampening of the inside of the cups with the thinner types of material used.

But the mids are by far better then lets say the TH600, but still lose out to my HD650. And treble is more even and less edgy. And I can't complain about soundstage considering its a "nearly" closed headphone. Its better then my HD650 soundstage wise, thou that's the HD650's weakness. Music might be a touch forward in my head, but far from uncomfortable...

Other early adopters called the Z7 "three blob" in sound. And while I think I heard that at first, its all came together in maybe 200 hours of either burn in (either the headphone or my brain)

I also think this is a headphone that only needs mild amping, but benefits far, far more from good "DACing" instead.

I'm first to admit, I'm most likely defensive of this headphone at least in a small part. Seeing as I'd only get half of what I paid for it. But thank goodness I have no interest in parting with it...

 

I still kinda want a Z7.

 

Well the thing is, there's a few other interesting players that I might have gone to. All while being in the same price range and "mostly" closed. I personally would have gone with the ZMF Blackwoods if I heard them before buying the Z7. And if the DT1770s are truly a scaled up DT1350 (which I own and love) for the most part. Then I should own those instead...

With that said, the Z7 is a fun headphone. Even if its perpetual "mid-fi". Mods will happen eventually...

 

Me too

 

I had a Z7 for a bit, and while it was beautiful and initially sounded impressive, its charms quickly wore off due to the hollow, odd sound ( I presume from the undamped cup design). I know people swear by modding these, but $700 headphones shouldn't sound this funky from the factory. As an aside, I paid south of $500 for my pair used.

With that in mind, I also picked up a used pair of LFF's Enigmas for a bit more and feel blessed. The Enigmas are everything I was hoping the Sonys to be.