Sony IER-Z1R Signature Series in-Ear Headphones (IERZ1R),Black/Silver

Product Information

I do like how most Sony iems and even the earbuds from the late 80s and early 90s sound, but Sony has almost always had weird designs this past decade that just never felt comfortable with my ears whereas before I never had problems with fit. Treble: The treble in this headphone is a bit weird as it has a dip on the 4-5KHz region but goes sharply up thru the 10Khz regions, due to this, sometimes I get a zing but it is not annoying nor harsh, is just okay, reminds me of the sparkly XBA-A3 highs. Mids on the C and EF I feel has more details, but The Ether C is thin and unenjoyable for me, The EF has good body but on some recording I notice that it upper mids extension is scooped out, while MDR Z1R is more lush and has a slight warm touch on it. Putting on the Z1R, closing my eyes, and deep listening into the music with so much air, yet silent and isolated, surrounding by this large spherical field of acoustic and instruments, the plays and it energies are floating around, but on top of that, the energies applied could be felt, and together with the fluidity, it leave my jaws drop on the floor as I felt the grimy feeling from the artist when she wrote the song about a girl with a broken heart, and the song is her story. The refined-phase structure ensures sound waves are aligned, through precision adjustment of the width and length of each sound path.

Sony IER-Z1R Review - Major HiFi Sony IER-Z1R Review - Major HiFi

The mids are more forward and neutral, with excellent clarity and detail – vocals are prominent and guitars sound life-like and accurate, though the Z1R does a good job here as well and can present sound sounds the XTC-C doesn’t present (not always a good thing. The full-size Z1R has details and expanded midrange and treble textures, where the Z7 takes stuff like hi-hats and cymbal crashes and unashamedly directs them into place. Overall headphone tone is a continuation of the trend started by the Z7s, darker, rather like a pair of stereo speakers and polar opposite something like the Focal Utopias, with their neutral-to-bright presentation.

This will help you get a deeper insertion, better seal, and not leave the ear tips in your ears when removing. The Z1R itself is has a very big shell and it is entirely made of zirconium alloy, so it overall has a heft to it. Some years ago I had a chance to listen with Sony's legendary R10 headphones, then once again at a meet in Tokyo. For those seeking more than just sound, for those seeking a symphony in their ears, the Sony IER-Z1R awaits. The leather ear pads are large, no issues with my ears but other headphones have more spacious ear pads (TH-900).

IER-Z1R Signature Series In-ear Headphones Sony IER-Z1R Signature Series In-ear Headphones

It’s almost hard not to realize it’s partially the over-all Sony sound people are having issues with. hell even YouTube is fun with 4K and even with lower quality, TA-ZH1ES would do DSD remastering engine on them. Note to get the most out of the Sony IER-Z1R performance, we suggest using them with a dedicated high-resolution music player from our check out this article for our list of the best DAP’s of 2023. You have like 10 things going on from vocals to cymbal crashes to kick drums to guitar leads to horns etc etc? The ability of the Z1R to retain resolution of everything is just elevated with the amazing separation it delivers.Also the display is like reading a normal size book where full-size headphones can almost take more effort to take in? In this regard, it is unbeatable by other TOTL, you can't really use an open headphone in your workplace, it might disturb someone else unless on really low volume, but then it's not as enjoyable isn't it? The TA offers a slightly laid-back sound as it has less treble boost than the 1Z and is more low end emphasized than the 1A.