Sony MDRZ1R Signature, Hi-Res Headphone, Black

The Reference Standard (Closed-Back) Headphones
Headphones…like all audio devices/equipment…have their own unique sound signature. Some will find the Sony MDR-Z1R to their linking, few won’t. What’s undeniable is that from the presentation, unboxing and feeling in your hands and on your head, it’s easy to see that this is truly a flagship product. You can tell Sony held nothing back in terms of giving its designers and engineers free reign to create their dream headphone…and in my eyes and hands, they’ve truly delivered.But what about sound? Here is where you will find the never ending debate come to a head (pardon the pun): Closed-back vs. Open-Back designs. If you prefer an open-back sound, there probably isn’t anything the Sony can do to sway you from the absolute best open-back cans. However, the Z1R’s have the widest, deepest soundstage I’ve ever heard from a closed design as well as presenting well recorded music with all the air and layering you would only expect from a really good open-back. And, due to the closed-back, you get an amazing amount of bass that’s always in control, with a full sense of depth and tightness, never boomy or muddy. They also have a great amount of isolation from the outside world. FWIW, I mostly use my Z1R’s with my Sony NW-ZX2 Hi-Res player and on my laptops & iPad Air with the incredible THX Onyx DAC/headphone amplifier. Material is Tidal (CD and MQA quality) streaming and stored high-res FLAC and DSD files.All in, these are undoubtedly the best closed-back headphones in the world, with reference-levels of sound quality and amazing build quality to boot. If you value the sonic signature and other qualities that a closed-back headphone brings…bass presence and authority, tempo, control and isolation are areas the Sony excels in…then you probably can’t go wrong with the Z1R’s. They are hugely expensive, yes, but the best is rarely ever cheap.

Bass. Lots of it. Accurate bass.
This headphone takes you to the stage with an artist. Immersing you completely into the music.

Sennheiser HD 800 s vs Sony MDRZ1R
I have both and wouldn’t sell either one of them. I enjoy each of them for the way they produce sound. For me, the Sony produces a complete encapsulated sound that places me in the environment that the recording took place. At the beach during a rain storm with the thunder at a distance and the waves lapping on shore in closer proximity. At a concert. In a room with the piano player. I actually use them before going to sleep and can sleep with them on.

MDR-Z1R – an “audiophile” journey
This is a hard review to write. In part it’s difficult because trying to describe the subjective experience of appreciating sound and music is hard, but also in part it is a difficult exercise in taming things like “confirmation bias” and trying to justify a huge purchase.I didn’t think I would become a guy who would drop 26 Benjamins on a pair of headphones, a cable, and a digital audio player. Yet, here I am. How did this happen?MY HEADPHONE HISTORYI decided to do a deep dive into classical music about 3 years ago. I was down about the state of the country and the world, and I wanted an escape valve. I bought a big box set of Herbert von Karajan albums, and then I needed something to play them on. I started with Sony’s MDR-7506 “Studio” headphones because they were praised for their “flatness” and were relatively inexpensive. I needed something that could hold the entire box set ripped as FLAC files, so I got a Sony NW-A45 Walkman. And this was fine… for a while.I felt like I could get more. More bass, smoother sound, more comfort. So I bought a pair of Sony MDR-1000X noise canceling headphones. This was a nice purchase because they paired with the Walkman easily and transmitted audio over LDAC, a higher resolution codec than standard Bluetooth and AptX. And things were fine… for a while.The MDR-1000X are plastic headphones with pleather ear pads. They are comfortable for about an hour at most. Great for a bus ride or for some listening at work, but not great for a 3 hour listen in the late evening.So I started to look into wired cans with more premium materials. I settled on Sony’s MDR-Z7 headphones. These were Sony’s flagship for 2014, praised for their huge 70mm drivers and seismic bass, but criticized for being a little over-emphasized in the bass region and a little recessed for vocals. But with wired headphones, you start to hear about better standards. “Balanced” cable provides more power and less “noise” than standard 3.5mm mini cable. OK, fine. I plumped for a balanced cable and Sony’s NW-ZX300 Walkman, which has a balanced output. And it was fine… for a while.I will say this – there were improvements with each step. Bass was deeper and more controlled, less “boomy” while still making it feel like you were surrounded by cellos or double basses (or, for rock, by bass guitars and kickdrums). I was hearing more from my music. Was it a linear progression in audio improvement that matched the increase in price? No. “Diminishing Returns” is something you’ll hear a lot about in this hobby – and it’s the real deal.So why did I eventually go for the WM1A Walkman and the MDR-Z1R headphones? Well, in addition to chasing the dragon so to speak, I wanted durability and comfort. The MDR-Z7 are very comfortable, but the earpads are pleather, and thus prone to wearing out, and are difficult to source replacements for. The WM1A has a much larger screen, which is key for album art, something I enjoy.So I saved up my Amazon points for the Z1R. I found a WM1A on eBay for about 75% of MSRP. I purchased a used Sony Kimber balanced cable from a Head-Fi user. And I took the plunge on the headphones at the beginning of this month. I purchased a pair of Dekoni leather replacement pads as a backup for the stock pads.I am done. Done! I will not be buying any more gear. What have I learned? What wisdom can I pass on to you?EVALUATING THE Z1RThe MDR-Z1R sells for almost thrice what the next Sony step-down model, the MDR-Z7M2 does. Does it provide thrice the performance? No way. No how. It is better, don’t get me wrong. You’ll hear more detail in the bass region especially – but it’s not night and day. I would wager that you get 90% of the performance for 40% of the price.So why buy these things?Well, the build quality is supreme. There are no creaks or squeaks. The frame is entirely metal, covered by real leather. The pads twist off easily, as opposed to the screw that holds in the Z7 pads. The comfort on the head is about even with the Z7. The headphones come in a beautiful wood and leather storage case, though I think for the price Sony should have included a travel case, too (there are plenty of options from companies like Geekria, though). The case makes a great storage area for my Walkman and cables, as well.I can tell you from A/B testing that there is not much difference between the stock cables (both 3.5mm and 4.4mm balanced are included) and the Kimber upgrade cable. There may be a small difference, but I would have to do double blind testing to try and determine it (something I can’t do with 1 Walkman and 1 pair of headphones).On first listen, the headphones seemed a bit too forward in the bass region and some vocals seemed a bit recessed. I lightly adjusted the EQ on the WM1A (pictured) to compensate, very successfully in my opinion.After settling in and tuning/listening for a good 40 hours, I find the sound quality to be excellent, and yes, a solid upgrade over the Z7. I listen primarily to classical, and in this genre the Z1R provides a deep, enveloping experience, very much like being in a concert hall, with perhaps slightly elevated bass (though it can be tuned down). Particularly notable is the way in which deep, resonant bass tones (such as those from contrabasses and cellos) retain all of their detail and do not crowd out other parts of the mix in the middle tones. Digitally recorded concert music especially gives this sense of “being there” detail and richness. The digital Karajan/BPO Brahms Symphony 1 is apocalyptically huge. For rock and pop, drums have a real slam to them, while vocals are crystal clear and can compete (Especially when tuned up slightly). Vocals in Haim’s “Women In Music Pt. III” are close and intimate. The Strokes’ “The New Abnormal” sounds amazing, from bass guitar to vocals to percussion. Well-recorded jazz makes you feel like you’re in the studio, easily sensing where the instruments are in the room. John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme” sounds like it is surrounding your head. Well-mastered electronic dance music, such as Lady Gaga’s “Chromatica,” sounds pretty incredible, too, with very impactful beats and no sonic muddiness. Basically, the Z1R handles all of these genres with aplomb, as long as you tune the sound to your preferences (as pictured, I lowered the bass levels slightly and boosted the range where vocals reside slightly).There is some controversy on the question of whether these headphones require a separate amplifier to sound their best. Reviewers seem split, as is the enthusiast community. Personally, I do not own or use an amplifier, and I can’t say I feel like anything is “missing.” I use the WM1A Walkman with balanced cables, and generally keep the volume at a setting of about 48/120 for orchestral music, 38-40/120 for pop and rock. Much louder gets uncomfortable. I also ran these over standard 3.5mm cable from my Surface Book 2 laptop. Again, I couldn’t push them past about the 40% mark on Windows 10’s volume control without getting really uncomfortable (25% was better). I have seen various jargon-laden explanations of how sound would theoretically improve with an amp, but I remain unconvinced. It sounds incredible directly from the Walkman over balanced cable, and very good from the laptop over 3.5mm.CONCLUSIONThe overall selling point for this headphone is “richness.” This is not a thin, bright sound that tires your ears out after an hour. It’s smooth, rich, deep. In headphone circles, this is termed a “dark” headphone while certain brands, like Sennheiser or Beyer Dynamic headphones, are “bright.” While brightness is prized by some audiophiles for its detail in the treble region of the signal, it can really fatigue the listener after a while. The Z1R can be listened to very comfortably for hours on end. It sounds more balanced to my ears, at least. I certainly feel as though I can hear all the high instruments, even when the bass is pronounced.The other thing you’re paying for is build quality. It feels like a finely tuned luxury car with leather seats and perfect handling. Like a BMW or a Porsche. The leather pads are extremely comfortable, and their shape conforms to the head very nicely. I would say these are the best pads I’ve experienced. It’s very, very comfortable. Overall, the Z1R seems like it should last nearly forever if cared for well.They are not a good value, in the same way a BMW or Porsche are not a good value. The improvement over a pair that costs half as much simply isn’t parallel and linear. There are definite diminishing returns. For most people, a good pair of noise-cancelers by Sony or Bose will more than meet their needs, and they will costs about a quarter as much. For almost everyone else who is looking at wired cans, the Sony MDR-Z7M2 will do nicely for a closed headphone, or say a Hifiman Sundara if you’re looking for an open-back headphone (closed means that the earcups seal sound in, which gives you more privacy; open means that the earcups let sound out through an open grille, which might disturb others in the room/office but also might make the headphones sound more spacious and airy).The Z1R is a terrible value but a great headphone. It’s for dragon-chasers. I am certainly enjoying my music quite a bit with them. I don’t feel like I need to go any further. I admire them as a physical object every time I take them out and fire them up. I do wonder what I might have spent that extra G on instead, though. That value proposition is why I give it 4 stars instead of 5 (which it more than earns on performance and build quality).I hope my “journey” gives you, the reader, some ideas to chew on as you mull over your purchase plans.UPDATE: I have now logged a good 300 hours on these cans, driven by my WM1A Walkman. I cannot say to what degree the sound has changed because I was listening the whole time – but I can say that my appreciation for the sound has deepened. Recordings that I thought were a little subpar on my previous headphones reveal themselves to be deep and precise with the Z1R. Most notably, I have switched to the stock balanced cable, which turns out to be fabulous (the Sony Kimber cable’s gold-plated connector wore out, and I recommend against purchasing it). There is no need to buy aftermarket cables here! After 300 hours there are no parts that seem in danger of wearing out. The stock pads may be just ever so slightly compressed, but this does not present any issues in the actual wear and listening of the cans. After 7 months my initial verdict stands – 5-star headphones at a 4-star price.

Simply the best closed headphones around! I own the SR-009, Utopia and a few other top flight headphones and these hold their own!

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