Sony used HUGE speakers in this headphone... is it good?
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- čas přidán 25. 07. 2024
- In this video DMS reviews the Sony MDR-Z7m2 and compares it to some of Sony's older headphones.
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00:00 - Intro
00:28 - Build, Design & Comfort
03:14 - Sound: Subjective
07:03 - Sound: Objective
10:01 - Conclusion - Zábava
These seem a lot like a spiritual successor to the MDR-XB1000 with its massive 70mm driver and bloated bass
Yea def, but unlike the xb1000 in it's time it doesn't rlly find a niche in it's time's own market and landscape
Try this if you find the 1000s a little 'Too Bassy'...
I had a pair of MDR XB-950 cabled... aaaand yes, they were BASS HEAVY. However, couple of small squares of Gaffa tape covering the two vent holes (up at top - between where the legs of the headband join with the cups), changed them from ported to sealed. This, tightened up the bass (YES you STILL get those real deep lows) made it less boomy, and, noticeably IMPROVED the general sound from these headphones. Such simple trick, but... 🤔 I wonder... Would this work for newer Sony headphones that were marked 'X-tra Bass' or, were just too bass heavy (like some of their BT headphones)???
Worth trying/testing?
I've since gotten some Meze 99 Neo, HD-650, and DT-990s... But this video made me think back to that time I experimented with what I had at the time... 🤔😏
😎🇬🇧
The clarity of the video is superb
Cheers DMS, looks like a great product (and I LOVE a lot of bass) but difficult to justify when the sound from the MDRs are equal if not better.
I love your headphone reviews. Thank you for all of the time and effort you put into them. Any chance that we could get a 2024 basshead headphone tier list or 3 of the best open-back and closed-back basshead headphones at different price points?
I would like that, too
the Z7's build is so solid that my 7YO pair look flawless with no scratch and blemish other than the deflated pads and headband padding.
Great as always. Looking forward to your take on the HD490 Pro woohoo!
Love to see you covering this one. Considered buying this one in the past. Hope to see you on the highend in munich this year again. How is the Omega coming along? Will we be able to listen to it on the highend or some other event in Germany ?
Great review! Do you know if the Yaxi st1 deluxe pads are the same as the Yaxi stpad? Definitely gonna grab some. Thanks
The original Z7 is amazing once you mod it. On mine I have taped the venting on the backside of the driver, this changes the bass from having a bump to being ruler flat and deeper like a planar. Then I have also added a couple strips of dynamat xtreme on areas on the backside of the driver, and very importantly twaron angel hair dampening material inside the cup. Another popular mod is using surgical tape on the inside surface of the cup, which I have also tried. But having the cup stock and with the angel hair dampening sounds better. On SuperBestAudioFriends you can find a thread with modifications compared and measurements.
The Z7m2 looks more troublesome to mod given that peak you showed. But it could probably be tamed by someone ambitious. That big driver is amazing, but Sony just didn't put enough development time into the Z7 or seemingly the Z7m2. Their ergonomics are superb, and the driver itself is excellent. You just have to do the work yourself to hear what it's capable of.
I have the z7 m1 and good lord you cant overstate how light they are compared to how immaculate the build is.
I heard so much good things about the mark one.... seems like it puts the mark 2 to shame :(
I wish more manufacturers cared about the weight and comfort of their headphones. I think it makes such a difference to the subjective listening experience. I have a pair of the DCA Aeon X closed backs, which are similarly light and it makes such a difference when you're wearing them all day. A pair of headphones could sound like a direct line to god, but I'm still not going to wear them if they literally give me a tension headache.
I also think their lightness is a huge factor in why the HD600 series headphones have such broad appeal which often isn't discussed.
Totally agree. Build and comfort is first rate. I love them. ❤
Thanks for your honest review. Your description of the sound reminds me of the Sony Z1R that I once purchased but didn't like and had to return. It also had a treble peak that made them unacceptable to me.
The MDR-7550 (EX800ST) used an unusually large driver for an IEM, I think at 16mm, and it sounds pretty good
The z7 and the z1r have massive drivers
I have the z1r and I see a lot of shared components, including (superficially at least) the drivers…
@@eobetFrom my listening experience, there’s no way they share the same driver. The technicality differences
are huge
Z1R has the same issues with bloated bass and extremely peaky upper mids/treble that is "bright/dark" at the same time. And great sound stage as well. "Technicalities" could well be a perception of detail from the huge 3kHz spike.
@@RainbowSun0529 I mean headphones can share drivers but sound different (hd800s & hd820 as an example)
@@Omar_ZXI mean, if you did a little research online, you would know that the z7 and z1r don't use the same drive. Sony's website makes it clear that the z1r uses a magnesium diaphragm while the z7 is aluminum plated.
This was interesting. I have a really old pair of koss headphones with nearly 70mm drivers and your description of these fit what I heard on those. I wonder if it's just the faults of all the old large drivers.
@DMS do you think that measuring methods could have a significant influence on the tuning of this headphone? For example, if they measured it with the old coupler, the treble would be somewhat reference information, but with the new head maybe they could get a more accurate measurement and adjust it accordingly?
I've used these since last November. They were so so until about 2 weeks ago. I use a Schiit Modi, Loki Mini, and Vali 2++ with it. I'm not sure if it's a "break in" period thing, but they sound amazing all of a sudden. Turning the EQ off the treble can die down a bit giving it a very smooth/warm sound. With EQ on the treble is very smooth and clear not to dull or bright. The mid range can really be dialed in. Vocals are buttery smooth like the person is right in front of you, and guitars (acoustic/electric) are awesome. I can hear every string. I can see why for professional work cases you should avoid them, but if you want a fun headphone with some good equipment these are some of the best headphones I've ever used for gaming and music listening.
Do you have the 7506 with Yaxi pads graphed anywhere? I've never tried padswapping those, but now I'm curious
I finally pulled the trigger on some used Ma900 from japan those also had the giant speakers but actually measure pretty good
I have all manner of newfound respect for dms. dude is legit.
The Z1R uses the same size driver. I also find that most, not all, higher end wired headphones use a 50mm driver, not a 40mm. The 40mm seems to be reserved for wireless cans.
i think focal used 40mm for their new utopia
THanks for the review. I was looking at this one. I'm in the search for a bassy set of headphones. One that I can use to get imesersed in my singleplayer games. I wanna feel the low end rumble in Control. I want tens moments with bassy background sound rumble and make me feel the tension when the boss appear.
Talking of old Sonys... I had a pair of MDR XB-950 cabled... aaaand yes, they were BASS HEAVY. However, couple of small squares of Gaffa tape covering the two vent holes (up at top - between where the legs of the headband join with the cups), changed them from ported to sealed. This, tightened up the bass (YES you STILL get those real lows), but, made it less boomy, and, noticeably IMPROVED the general sound from these headphones. Such simple trick, but... 🤔 I wonder... Would this work for newer Sony headphones that were marked 'X-tra Bass' or, were just too bass heavy (like some of their BT headphones)???
Worth trying/testing?
I've since gotten some Meze 99 Neo, HD-650, and DT-990s... But this video made me think back to that time I experimented with what I had at the time... 🤔😏
😎🇬🇧
I got the MDR Z1R recently, they're amazing tbh and replaced my DT177X GO (which I accidentally broke the cable and mini-XLR port to).
The bass is like never I've seen before (with a full Chord Mojo 2 bass boost) but there is at least one treble peak which is rather annoying and can cause a bit of sibilance.
The cable (I think it's the end tip of the 3.5mm) has already broken without wiggling though with very light travel.
The Z1R really shines if you have its house amp the Sony TA-ZH1ES. Both were my first big headphone investment ever and still one of my favorites for just fun easy listening for pop, rock, EDM, rap etc.
Parts for the 1770 pro are likely compatible with Your 177X GO headphones. It is quite a expensive pair so it is worth repairing it.
@@aos32 Sadly the broken part is the 4 pin balanced mini-XLR port which the 1700 doesn't have!
I am quite confident I can repair your 177x's! Let me know!
They need some damping material in the cups to shine. I have the Z7 mk1 and after modding them they sound great.
I had pretty good luck using ZMF Ori Pads. The lambskin is less hot (physically). They have more volume in the earfuls and it does sound different. I EQ it and it is a very fun headphone.,
Hey DMS I understand if you no longer like Beyerdynamic so I'm wondering what, in your opinion, would be the best headphones for competitive gaming under £500?
For immersive gaming im sure there are a lot of options but in competitive gaming sound stage and detail are important for footsteps and directional cues such as reloads and shot direction.
So what is it comparable to post eq?
I just saw a review for the new Sennheiser HD490 pro? Do you guys have them? I mean you probably do.. Review when?
Where can I get those earpads from? 😮
Do you have any measurements of the 7506 with the yaxi pads? What do they do to the sound?
I do! Planning a video about all the old-school sonys
They actually really closely match DF with a -10dv slope plus a sub-shelf. Really solid.
I appreciate your feedback and looking forward to the video.. thanks!!!@@DMS3TV
@@DMS3TVmdr7509 with the larger drivers could be interesting too
Hey DMS! Thank you for posting.
very nice video
I'm a fan of Japanese Music and whenever I see a video of a Japanese Band/Artist in a sound booth recording their songs the ONLY headset I EVER see them wear are those old MDR Sony's with the Blue & Red highlighting on either cup. So they must be the standard monitor headphones.. Always wanted to have a listen to them just to see what the fuss was about. Very interested to learn they updated them.
The Japanese are a culturally pragmatic people.. if something is good and it works they will keep using it.. the mentality in the west especially is to constantly create something new even if its not that good..
Love mine have had them for a few years now when I want bass I listen this and I also have a set of vocals and sennheisers
Please do the Z1R!
i hope you make a review of the senhenheiser tv headsephone series rs165 .rs175 . rs185
Thanks DMS! If you have ever worked in a lab you might prefer more of a test-ttubish sound. But frankensound is not for the faint of ear, or so they sometimes say. 🤔
I have a Hifiman Sundara and I love the sound of it. I am looking for a closed back headphone that sounds like the Sundara. I use my Sundara with my IPad using an audioquest dragonfly cobalt. I am thinking to buy a Focal Bathys knowing that You like the Bathys, I listen to classical music, rock, blues and other music. Have you some thoughts about this? Thanks in advance.
Ludo Belgium
Dekoni x Hifiman Cobalt
I've owned the original Z7 and have been a Z1R user for 6 years and the I have to say that this kind of headband do wear out easily over time (the ear cups too), and it's quite annoying that you have to buy replacement parts from Sony which are very expensive. I hope one day they'd make the driver, the housing and the headband all in modular design and users can buy each part individually just like camera bodies and lenses. That would mean uses get third party options.
Has The Headphone Show ever reviewed the Sony MDR-Z1R ?
I’ve actually have had the Z7 MK1 for about 8 years now. I do like them, but you do have to EQ them to death. Treble and mids are a bit of a mess on that headphone, but can be fixed up to a reasonable degree. Takes some work though.
But you gotta admit Sony has the best designers. I mean those are the most visually appealing audiophile headphones I have seen that are also sturdy and lightweight.
Someone on this channel need to review Z1R, preferably Andrew.
I have the sony z7 m1s. Would you be interested in reviewing the first version of this headphone? From everything that I have heard, the originals are better. You could clear the air for us.
I've just gone through your channel, and... Can't see any reviews on the Technics headphones, like the EAH-A800E-K (or -S), EAH-DJ1200 DJ, EAH-F70ne-T, EAH-AZ80E-K (or AZ40) etc etc... Personally, I'm interested in the EAH-A800E-K as an alternative to the Sony, Bose and Sennheiser, and, have heard from some reviewers that they're pretty good... So... Thoughts about this brand (Technics HAVE BEEN giants in Audio)... 🤔😏
😎🇬🇧
Review the MDR-MA900 PLEASE
Why do you have a tube in your living room? 🧐
I would love to see you review the MDR-1AM2. Those headphones seem to cost less.
"Love" is a strong word. Why don't you actually buy the Sony MDR-1A MkII like I did and come with your own conclusion, I even gave away the headphones to a family member.
@@hotaruxbou I meant "love to see" as in "i would really like to see", just fyi. Also, buying it is a good idea too. But i prefer to see a review of someone who knows about sound to see if it’s even worth purchasing or not. :)
Hi DMS, I'm a basshead but the TH-909 was too bright for me. Would the z1r be a decent step up from this? I'm thinking 'I can fix her' with EQ and make it a z1r because it looks like the same driver, otherwise I'll grab a z1r
They both sound pretty different, and I liked the TH900 over the Z1R because of how bright, fun it sounds (too bright now since I've changed my music library). Wouldn't say Z1R is a step up. It sounds much warmer, bass is deeper but less in volume (like golf ball vs tennis ball, more concentrated but smaller). I recommend you try EQ first as it helped my TH900 alot. The treble spike went from a sharp pointy edge, to a slightly curved edge since it got shaved down.
@@yuunashiki the th900 treble is too much for me personally, Im looking for more sub bass displacement than bass sound with those big drivers :)
Probably not a step up, but might be the right headphones for you. I have owned some Fostex too and despite the great bass quality I couldn't stand how sharp they sounded, especially the TH900. I've been wanting to try the MDR Z1R too since i'm a proud owner of the IER Z1R, if they sounded just 80% like the IEM, it'd be an instant buy from me.
@@ROCKSTAR3291 im checking out the modhouse argon and jm radio xtc 2.5 right now, I've heard they can rival other bass cannons
Finally! Someone used calipers correctly! (happy machinist noises)
I loooove the build and design of the Sony hifi Headphone and I want to love the z1r.... but even though i like dark and warm headphones, I can’t stand the peaky treble. I’m hoping so much, that someday Sony comes up with a successor. But unfortunately, hifi is not where the big Mony for companies like Soney seems to be. Only new Bluetooth headphones these days....
At first I thought your glasses had red and blue accents for left and right but then realized they're just blue
I dunno shit about headphones but this was hella impressive. Love how you backed up your impressions with real data.
Next the z1r?
pads are easy to change.
the support ring is easy to remove from pad.
It's really a shame. The MA900 was the last great headphone Sony made, although it's very open backed. With the likes of the legendary R10, Sony clearly can make good headphones. Maybe with the purchase of Audeze we'll see more of that trickle down to the mainstream, beyond the gaming offerings
i have a pair of ma900 that i converted to closed back lol now theyre almost as insane on the bass as my xb1000. i was thinking about getting another pair but keep them stock
Review denon d7200
Sony really loves to make boomy, congested headphones, don't they ? I don't know about these ones, but I remember my old MDR1A have the same sound profile but EQ well.
I am guessing I will not be ditching my SHR 1540 for these. I was debating it but not anymore. The Sony's look beautiful, that said this channel does not like the 1540s at all
70mm is the same size as the klipsch speaks im listening to this to
The construction is a direct copy of the Z1R
REVIEW HD 490 PRO !!!!!!!
bass and lower mids looks similar to shure srh1540 and it has better treble
I’m not surprised with that large diaphragm.
Yea! Proprietary everything! Good job Sony!
the reason why i like DMS
the content
The reason why I like dhruvmeena96
The comment
Nice
There's rumor that sony transducer sounds way better with sony sources (dap, dac/amp, phone).
people who like Z7 m1 seems to love the Z1R while peple who doesnt like the Z1R they like the Z7ii, i wonder why its so, i only ever owned z7 and z1r.
7506 is terrible out of the box. By that I mean ver, very flat. But they take to EQ the best I ever heard. Out of the box they are like shooting in ProRes and never color grading it.
haircut is on point DMS 👀😁
When you start talking about a physically huge driver it definitely seems to be experiencing a tuned mass / harmonic resonance issue. As you can see the mid point on each peak to peak is almost Perfectly an order of 2 based on the original peak in the bass.
do the math for yourself and you'll see - from highest to lowest.
9600hz
4800hz
2400hz
There seems to be a secondary / sub harmonic around 7000 too (you can tell because instead of a peak to peak you see the U shape ( an indicator of destructive interference). it almost lines up with the perfect 5th from the 9.6k harmonic
7k
3.5k
1.75k
almost all line up with a harmonic resonance.
i think the only way to address these issues are to experiment with small, stick on, things that go right on the "cone" of the driver as a tuned mass to counter the resonance - you would do some fraction out radially from the center to counter the resonance nodes
the radial fraction would set the resonant frequency , the weight would be the db reduction peak to peak/ amount of damping for these nodes.
Had the Z7 back in 2014/15, ended up selling those after a couple months. They just didn't sound anything particularly special even though those were, I wouldn't call them flagship, the highest priced headphones during that period I think?
Had them for about two years and should have really ditched them much earlier. This “in a barrel” sound and overgrown bass ruins all. Now I use Sivga SV023 and like them so much better.
Let’s be nice with Sony because the partnership is too new to screw it with a headphone that has many tuning issues… I guess the MDR-Z1R won’t be reviewed because the tuning is worst than this one 🙊
So this is just a newer MDR XB700, but not as good
If only Sony would bring back the R10..,.
ES Labs ES-R10. I don’t know how much it sounds like the original R10 but it’s criminally underrated and can hang with the big boys like the Utopia or Susvara.
Just a Question... How long did you allow them to burn in? Z1R required around 100 hours to burn in and then they do show there musical potential, out of the box they sound like crap. I bet hence the drivers are similar this could be an issue here. If they are just taken out of the box played for few hours, the opinion on sound quality makes no sense at all. Can you give some background on that ?
Had them for two years. In this time earpads deformed and sound become even worse.
I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about saying these have bloated bass. Almost every other review notes that they have less bass than predecessors and I don’t find them to be too bassy at all, and I’m very sensitive to too much bass. I frankly think the bass is perfect on these, not too much, tight, and doesn’t bleed into the mids. Frankly I can’t see this review except in some kind of bias against Sony as not a true “audiophile” brand. I just can’t see you saying that a headphone like this has “bad sound” if it were another brand ; I think you’d give a more balanced review. Just my opinion but that’s my take on your poor review.
Several of my favorite headphones are sony as I mentioned in this video.
You should checkout the measurements at 7:03 That should help visualize the boost in the bass and where it bloats into the midrange. There’s nothing wrong with that being matched to your personal preferences, but it’s also definitely how this headphone performs.
Im not asking.
But y?
I think this is more for a japan market, from my experience this sort of tuning make the unbearble mixing of jpop and some ani-song tolerable. I love ani-song but when I tried it with a good pair of neutral headphone like a sundara I can't listen to it at all. With how bad and how loud they mix in japanese industry you need a lot of sub bass and bass to drown out the terrible treble.
i had some. was really disappointed. their MDR-1AM2 sounded better, if not the best sounding headphones under $800. 1AM2 fixes the treble problem you were describing.
Yeah, I DD a 1-am2 it’s pretty nice.
Had 1am2. Bass there is even more overemphasized.
Summarize Sony's headphones with two words: ''very bassy''.
big
A great example of bigger driver ≠ better bass quality
I'm not sure that's really what this is showing tbh - the bass extension is insanely good for a dynamic driver, it's just poorly tuned.
Why would anyone want locking headphone cables?
Better than ones that get pulled out easily
@@mikeg2491 Yes, so when you catch the cable on a chair arm or anywhere else, it will yank the headphones off your head onto the floor. Good for the manufacturer if you break it.
Personally, I'd prefer the cable to come out and leave them on your head. Nothing breaks.
The bass is not bloated..
I've had mine since release and also have the other two and the Z7 Mk 2 is incredible and best cables and build of any headphones in it's price.
You mean, "to your ears, the bass is not bloated..."
Remember, everyone has different ear architectures and brain neural maps which influences what sounds good.
But, we understood what you meant
You can't state something subjective is objective. Sound can also be different over time because our tastes change.
It's funny of all the reviews of these they have mostly been praised except by DMS and Zeos which they absolutely should be entitled to their opinion.
But if you are in the market for in my opinion the most comfortable closed back with stellar build that have maybe the most innovative pads made and a build quality that's just better than anything under $1000
Try them
The bloated bass comment might be his pair was damaged ?
I even found them a bit lacking in bass when I first got them but over the year's they have gotten better.
My only real complaint was at this price point a case would have been nice
@@Artemis_Prix of course to my ears that kind of goes without saying however my evaluation is based on years of ownership not an hour at a desk but it's entirely possible his were damaged.
The measurements show that it is objectively bloated. Some people think Mcdonald's makes awesome burgers, there is a reason they're not food critics. No matter how low the performance of a product is, there will always be someone with standards lower than it.
Please review new Sennheiser HD 490 pro
I don't understand what's with Sony's obsession with making super bassy headphones
I know why you have that tube in your living room....DIY tube amp
Sony at it again making objectively fantastic tech and making horrible tuning on everything they do. Gotta love it.
Pay 600 for a can worth 150..get hifiman..instead
That is a terrible headphone review
Why is the cable inferior? sound quality or how the cable looks? yo never say
That one screw thing , when I replaced the earpads on my Sony MDR-10RBT I thought I would break them taking them off and putting the replacements back on, so much better
Sound quality of a cable. Of course you think an excellent review is terrible. You are the opposite of credibility.
I'll never buy any headphones with protein leather on their headband strap or ear cushions. It's just poor build quality.
Nowadays Sony just sucks!Chi-Fi Fiio FT3 also has a massive driver 60mm.And sound just perfect!Compare it's graph and ugly graph of Sony.
They’re called drivers, not speakers.
I thought this was a Headphone Show Video. It turns out to be a DMS review in which I am least interested.
What are you smoking? The MDR-Z7 OG has more bass and are discontinued, and are harder to find in the second hand market, People like them, not everybody likes what you like, deal with it. The MDR-Z7 Mk II sound less bass and sound clear. Its OBVIOUS you are biased and you like neutral sound By showing off your Sony CD900st and the MDR-7506 as a comparative to Z7MkII.
Sony doesn't need your endorsement or advise to keep making what they make, and from the looks of it I don't need your propaganda in what headphones I should like or not.
I own over 100 pairs of full sized headphones including Sony MDR-MA900, MDR-XB500, XB700, XB1000, MDR-X05, X10, Z7, Z7 Mk II, Z1R. It sound like you like to rant about headphones... rather than than just listen to the music.
Exactly , he should demo them with microphones like olav and other youtubers do, instead of spewing his propaganda. And those mics are not that expensive. Just play the damn sound and let us decide what we like and what we dont.
All he does is presenting his opinions as facts, and then his fanboys are defending him by saying "its subjective" lol