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

Product Information

No, they are not comfortable and I get tired after an hour but I’ve inserted worse things in my ear.

The soundstage is also impressive; however, I’ll refrain from absurd superlatives: It’s only large relative to other IEMs.The way Sony presented them in the little jewelry box really solidifies what Sony wanted these to be; a halo product that is one of a kind. Now, it’s still not as clean and nuanced as some BA IEMs I’ve heard - much less a planar - but unless you’re really bass-shy, something tells me you’re not going to mind.

However, the A8000 is a great choice if you prefer well-realized vocals/string instruments, a faster bass response, and don’t mind the 6KHz peak/willing to tune it via PEQ. So, so many horror stories I’ve seen - it seems like every other person in the circle I hang in - and experiencing it first-hand really drove it home haha. Especially pseudo custom shells usually touch unnecessary parts in my unusually shaped concha but Z1R doesn’t so I think I could live with them. The IER-Z1R has a mildly v-shaped sound, with a slight emphasis to both the bass and the upper mids and treble. When they were released in 2018, you had to dish out 1999 USD, but nowadays they can usually be found around 1699 USD or less depending on the time of the year.With advances in cable-making techniques and radical approaches to manufacturing, there are now several solutions to this universal problem. And what i mean by that is the soundstage that these have with combination of the frequency range make these sound massive. Due to the weight of the Z1R, personally, my ear canal does start to hurt a little after listening to it for more than 1 hour due to the constant pressure, so keep that in mind. But if you listen to a lot of J-Pop/K-Pop (yes, the IER-Z1R flies best with this stuff) or enjoy the Sony house sound, then you’ll likely vibe with the IER-Z1R. The 5mm super tweeter in the IER-Z1R was developed to deliver ultra-high frequency extension with a new aluminium-coated LCP diaphragm and external magnetic circuit.