Maybe I'll have to find a Japanese one if it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to import
SONY IER-Z1R
- Thread starter leylandi
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jehutyset
100+ Head-Fier
I bought mine using a proxy service called "from japan", every few days they have sales I happened to get lucky and bought it on their 10% off Rakuten sale, plus they usually have a coupon for 1000 yen off every month if you buy something above 20,000 yen. In late February when I purchased mine with shipping it was little over 89,000 yen which at the time was about 630 dollars, a very decent discount from what Sony wants here in the US $899 plus tax.
MudEnjoyer
100+ Head-Fier
Some quick notes after maining this thing for a few days. Mostly nitpicking, and focusing on the negative things. We all know the good parts already:
People should really stop recommending this thing to bassheads. There is a lot of bass quality, but not quantity. It won't be enough to satisfy a basshead. Overall I like the bass a lot and it is definitely the star of the show here.
With the right tips, the bass impact is so strong it's almost unbearable. It demands dedicated attention and I feel I cannot use it while I'm focusing on other tasks. It's like having toddlers knocking on your door while you're on your shift. This is not a bad thing, it's great, just be aware that listening to this thing won't be a chilling, relaxing experience.
That being said, I find the sub bass extension dissapointing. It is not rumbly enough. Fortunately, DC Phase Type A Standard does the trick for me.
The overall tuning is too lean for my tastes. Not thin, Moondrops Variations like, but lean. It is a more classical, "audiophile", speaker-like experience rather than something that tries to portray live instruments. Since I already own the IER-M9, which has perfect tonality in my view, I consider this a fun sidegrade.
Drums sound great, despite the lean tuning. I have had a lot of fun revisiting my favorite albums with these. However, cymbals have an exacerbated focus on stick impact, feeling a bit crashy/brittle at times and with a lack of splashiness. I have been spoiled by the IER-M9 on the latter, which is somewhat unrealistic I must admit, but it is a lot of fun.
Treble extension isn't that great. I wonder if that DD super tweeter is working at all. I blame the stock tips, which kill at least 5db of upper treble, but when I switch to wide bore tips, the bass becomes really tame, and I don't want to compromise on the bass quality of this thing. This was definitely tuned with narrow bore in mind.
Speaking of tips, I have found TC-50 to be the best, providing the best bass I've heard on an IEM yet and taming some of the annoying and painful resonances.
And here comes my biggest complain of the Z1R: I cannot get a proper fit with this thing without having my ear drum pierced by high Q peaks. Insert it too shallow, and you get painful upper midrange. This is fixed by deep insertion, but here is the thing, the deeper you insert it, the higher the resonance at 12kHz becomes. Tested with both my coupler and my ears doing sweeps. The whole IER range have this issue, become more linear and improving resolution with shallower insertions. Now, everyone is saying you need to insert the IER-Z1R really deep no matter what, which makes me wonder if people have hearing above 11kHz at all. And using the stock silicone (or any silicone tip, really), makes this peak even more painful.
Looking at the impedance curve, I wonder if these things were tuned with the Sony Walkman in mind at all.
Maybe it becomes tamer with "better" sources, but for me, the only way to listen to this without fear of tinnitus or hearing loss is by using the TC-50 tip with the largest size and a deep, but not too deep insertion.
People should really stop recommending this thing to bassheads. There is a lot of bass quality, but not quantity. It won't be enough to satisfy a basshead. Overall I like the bass a lot and it is definitely the star of the show here.
With the right tips, the bass impact is so strong it's almost unbearable. It demands dedicated attention and I feel I cannot use it while I'm focusing on other tasks. It's like having toddlers knocking on your door while you're on your shift. This is not a bad thing, it's great, just be aware that listening to this thing won't be a chilling, relaxing experience.
That being said, I find the sub bass extension dissapointing. It is not rumbly enough. Fortunately, DC Phase Type A Standard does the trick for me.
The overall tuning is too lean for my tastes. Not thin, Moondrops Variations like, but lean. It is a more classical, "audiophile", speaker-like experience rather than something that tries to portray live instruments. Since I already own the IER-M9, which has perfect tonality in my view, I consider this a fun sidegrade.
Drums sound great, despite the lean tuning. I have had a lot of fun revisiting my favorite albums with these. However, cymbals have an exacerbated focus on stick impact, feeling a bit crashy/brittle at times and with a lack of splashiness. I have been spoiled by the IER-M9 on the latter, which is somewhat unrealistic I must admit, but it is a lot of fun.
Treble extension isn't that great. I wonder if that DD super tweeter is working at all. I blame the stock tips, which kill at least 5db of upper treble, but when I switch to wide bore tips, the bass becomes really tame, and I don't want to compromise on the bass quality of this thing. This was definitely tuned with narrow bore in mind.
Speaking of tips, I have found TC-50 to be the best, providing the best bass I've heard on an IEM yet and taming some of the annoying and painful resonances.
And here comes my biggest complain of the Z1R: I cannot get a proper fit with this thing without having my ear drum pierced by high Q peaks. Insert it too shallow, and you get painful upper midrange. This is fixed by deep insertion, but here is the thing, the deeper you insert it, the higher the resonance at 12kHz becomes. Tested with both my coupler and my ears doing sweeps. The whole IER range have this issue, become more linear and improving resolution with shallower insertions. Now, everyone is saying you need to insert the IER-Z1R really deep no matter what, which makes me wonder if people have hearing above 11kHz at all. And using the stock silicone (or any silicone tip, really), makes this peak even more painful.
Looking at the impedance curve, I wonder if these things were tuned with the Sony Walkman in mind at all.
Maybe it becomes tamer with "better" sources, but for me, the only way to listen to this without fear of tinnitus or hearing loss is by using the TC-50 tip with the largest size and a deep, but not too deep insertion.
nc8000
Headphoneus Supremus
I use them with Final E silicone tips and deep insertion and don’t detect any piercing or shrieking in the treble at all and have hearing up to about 16KhZSome quick notes after maining this thing for a few days. Mostly nitpicking, and focusing on the negative things. We all know the good parts already:
People should really stop recommending this thing to bassheads. There is a lot of bass quality, but not quantity. It won't be enough to satisfy a basshead. Overall I like the bass a lot and it is definitely the star of the show here.
With the right tips, the bass impact is so strong it's almost unbearable. It demands dedicated attention and I feel I cannot use it while I'm focusing on other tasks. It's like having toddlers knocking on your door while you're on your shift. This is not a bad thing, it's great, just be aware that listening to this thing won't be a chilling, relaxing experience.
That being said, I find the sub bass extension dissapointing. It is not rumbly enough. Fortunately, DC Phase Type A Standard does the trick for me.
The overall tuning is too lean for my tastes. Not thin, Moondrops Variations like, but lean. It is a more classical, "audiophile", speaker-like experience rather than something that tries to portray live instruments. Since I already own the IER-M9, which has perfect tonality in my view, I consider this a fun sidegrade.
Drums sound great, despite the lean tuning. I have had a lot of fun revisiting my favorite albums with these. However, cymbals have an exacerbated focus on stick impact, feeling a bit crashy/brittle at times and with a lack of splashiness. I have been spoiled by the IER-M9 on the latter, which is somewhat unrealistic I must admit, but it is a lot of fun.
Treble extension isn't that great. I wonder if that DD super tweeter is working at all. I blame the stock tips, which kill at least 5db of upper treble, but when I switch to wide bore tips, the bass becomes really tame, and I don't want to compromise on the bass quality of this thing. This was definitely tuned with narrow bore in mind.
Speaking of tips, I have found TC-50 to be the best, providing the best bass I've heard on an IEM yet and taming some of the annoying and painful resonances.
And here comes my biggest complain of the Z1R: I cannot get a proper fit with this thing without having my ear drum pierced by high Q peaks. Insert it too shallow, and you get painful upper midrange. This is fixed by deep insertion, but here is the thing, the deeper you insert it, the higher the resonance at 12kHz becomes. Tested with both my coupler and my ears doing sweeps. The whole IER range have this issue, become more linear and improving resolution with shallower insertions. Now, everyone is saying you need to insert the IER-Z1R really deep no matter what, which makes me wonder if people have hearing above 11kHz at all. And using the stock silicone (or any silicone tip, really), makes this peak even more painful.
Looking at the impedance curve, I wonder if these things were tuned with the Sony Walkman in mind at all.
Maybe it becomes tamer with "better" sources, but for me, the only way to listen to this without fear of tinnitus or hearing loss is by using the TC-50 tip with the largest size and a deep, but not too deep insertion.
MudEnjoyer
100+ Head-Fier
I have the Final E tips and experience the same issues as the stock silicone.
Are you testing with music or frequency generator? Unlike 5kHz I can push really hard on 12kHz without noticeably affecting tonality and my concerns are more related to potential hearing damage than sound quality itself.
I do deep insertion with the IER-Z1R but i have no annoying peaks, at least i haven't noticed any. I just played a sweep and there was no noticeable peak.Some quick notes after maining this thing for a few days. Mostly nitpicking, and focusing on the negative things. We all know the good parts already:
People should really stop recommending this thing to bassheads. There is a lot of bass quality, but not quantity. It won't be enough to satisfy a basshead. Overall I like the bass a lot and it is definitely the star of the show here.
With the right tips, the bass impact is so strong it's almost unbearable. It demands dedicated attention and I feel I cannot use it while I'm focusing on other tasks. It's like having toddlers knocking on your door while you're on your shift. This is not a bad thing, it's great, just be aware that listening to this thing won't be a chilling, relaxing experience.
That being said, I find the sub bass extension dissapointing. It is not rumbly enough. Fortunately, DC Phase Type A Standard does the trick for me.
The overall tuning is too lean for my tastes. Not thin, Moondrops Variations like, but lean. It is a more classical, "audiophile", speaker-like experience rather than something that tries to portray live instruments. Since I already own the IER-M9, which has perfect tonality in my view, I consider this a fun sidegrade.
Drums sound great, despite the lean tuning. I have had a lot of fun revisiting my favorite albums with these. However, cymbals have an exacerbated focus on stick impact, feeling a bit crashy/brittle at times and with a lack of splashiness. I have been spoiled by the IER-M9 on the latter, which is somewhat unrealistic I must admit, but it is a lot of fun.
Treble extension isn't that great. I wonder if that DD super tweeter is working at all. I blame the stock tips, which kill at least 5db of upper treble, but when I switch to wide bore tips, the bass becomes really tame, and I don't want to compromise on the bass quality of this thing. This was definitely tuned with narrow bore in mind.
Speaking of tips, I have found TC-50 to be the best, providing the best bass I've heard on an IEM yet and taming some of the annoying and painful resonances.
And here comes my biggest complain of the Z1R: I cannot get a proper fit with this thing without having my ear drum pierced by high Q peaks. Insert it too shallow, and you get painful upper midrange. This is fixed by deep insertion, but here is the thing, the deeper you insert it, the higher the resonance at 12kHz becomes. Tested with both my coupler and my ears doing sweeps. The whole IER range have this issue, become more linear and improving resolution with shallower insertions. Now, everyone is saying you need to insert the IER-Z1R really deep no matter what, which makes me wonder if people have hearing above 11kHz at all. And using the stock silicone (or any silicone tip, really), makes this peak even more painful.
Looking at the impedance curve, I wonder if these things were tuned with the Sony Walkman in mind at all.
Maybe it becomes tamer with "better" sources, but for me, the only way to listen to this without fear of tinnitus or hearing loss is by using the TC-50 tip with the largest size and a deep, but not too deep insertion.
I did the last hearing test 2 weeks ago and my hearing was above average up to 18kHz, so i should have noticed an peak at 12kHz. At least no one that is big enough that i instantly noticed it.
But i'll try with a different sweep file to highlight that and will come back to you
I’ve tried several different aftermarket tips and came to the conclusion that I enjoyed the stock silicone ones the best. But I do in fact suffer from considerable, constant tinnitus and find interesting any recommendations at all of changing tips to reduce the threat of worsening the tinnitus.
So i tested several, differently created, sweeps, the last one was an sweep that goes von 10k to 15k and i did not hear any peak with that. I am using the stock silicone tips in size s and insert them as deep as it is possible with the Z1R.
So there is no peak for me, and according to the hearing test, i should be able to hear it, if its there
So there is no peak for me, and according to the hearing test, i should be able to hear it, if its there
I just received my IER-Z1R and Hiby R6 PRO2 yesterday. I couldn't be happier with the SQ. I'm using the R6P2 in class A amp mode and the medium stock silicon tips with Z1R. The R6P2 drives the Z1R effortlessly (volume setting under 60 out of 100 most of the time). I was concerned about comfort and fit before getting the Z1R but I'm very happy to report that I have no issues with either one.
I've also had no issues with the treble and I'm very sensitive to treble peaks. The bass is deep and very well defined. The soundstage and layering are excellent. Imaging and separation are well defined. Besides comfort, the other issue that I was concerned about before getting them were reports of a lean sound. I'm one that leans (no pun intended) towards a full body sound so those reports concerned me a bit. I have found the sound to be slightly warm, full bodied and very immersive. The Z1R/R6P2 just sounds right to my ears. These are just initial impressions but I'm quite happy that I put my fears aside and purchased the Z1R.
I've also had no issues with the treble and I'm very sensitive to treble peaks. The bass is deep and very well defined. The soundstage and layering are excellent. Imaging and separation are well defined. Besides comfort, the other issue that I was concerned about before getting them were reports of a lean sound. I'm one that leans (no pun intended) towards a full body sound so those reports concerned me a bit. I have found the sound to be slightly warm, full bodied and very immersive. The Z1R/R6P2 just sounds right to my ears. These are just initial impressions but I'm quite happy that I put my fears aside and purchased the Z1R.
MudEnjoyer
100+ Head-Fier
Can you try with https://www.szynalski.com/tone-generator/
It will let you fine grain the frequency.
In any case I am happy to report that as long as I am using the TC-50L everything is great. The Radius Deep Mount also have smoother lower treble but they lower the bass too much.
Note that I have black hole ears and my canal does not get narrower as you go deeper, so narrow bore tips have always been a bit problematic for me.
Thank you for the report. Will be receiving my R6P2 today. I had been leaning towards the WM1A2, but remembered that when I was involved with this hobby a few years ago, I never seemed to use my WM1A as my HiBy R5 was always my go to. And the only pairs of IEMs I ever used were the Z1Rs. I'm only wondering now if I should've held out for a Sony TA-Zh1es, as this provided the most holographic imaging that I ever experienced. I also think that the TA may have been a little higher powered than my (tinnitus-ridden) ears could handle however. Interesting that you describe the R6P2 as producing a slightly warm sound. I didn't think it would be a warm sounding DAP. I assumed it would be closer to the bright sound of the R5, but maybe the sound will change with burn-in(?). Not even sure if the sound of HiBy daps change during a "burn-in" period.
Oh im stupid
yes there is a push. It sounds linear because this push perfectly compensates the natural lowering of the volume of the ear.I tested with the IER-M9 and i can here a very slight lowering in volume going from 10k to 12k which is to be expected but with the IER-Z1R its surprisingly linear.
But its not a big push. I can hear it, but its not like "wow, this is pushed!"
I just did a different hearing test again than what i usally use but still, my hearing seems to be perfect
By the way, i noticed a slight channel imbalance with the IER-Z1R with all silicone tips, that was completely gone as soon as i used foam. My ears just dont like silicone at all
DynamicEars
Headphoneus Supremus
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The new Hiby R6 Pro II is a nice warm sounding DAP with dual flagship AK chipset AK4499EX + additional AK4191EQ chipset combined with class A B amps.
I once think about getting it also, the design the nice screen and warm sound sold me out but then the short battery life especially when using class A amp mode made me think twice. If I don't have DAP maybe I would go for it, but currently I'm sticking with my Fiio M17 for home use and BTR7 on the go (but I seldom bring Z1R out of the house).
@Ohmboy SOS! This just happened to my IER-Z1R and its stuck inside. What did you use to dig it out?Just be careful when it comes to Aliexpress mmcx connectors this happened to my XINHS replacement cable, luckily the broken off
bit was easily removed from the ear piece thank god
With the stock cable?
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