$9 Headphone Review: Sony MDR-ZX110

[paulraphael]

Debating whether to sell my HD800 and buy these.

I assume you mean buy 200 of them. THAT would high-end.

 

[Hamron]

Im sorry but im very new to this world.. How can i add this eq to my android mobile?
I really want to buy it but i dont know how to put this eq

 

[AdamG]

Im sorry but im very new to this world.. How can i add this eq to my android mobile?
I really want to buy it but i dont know how to put this eq

Welcome Aboard @Hamron. See link for EQ options: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ows-linux-macos-ios-ipados-and-android.18450/

 

[Hamron]

Welcome Aboard @Hamron. See link for EQ options: https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ows-linux-macos-ios-ipados-and-android.18450/

Thanks mate

 

[Saidera]

I was destined to be an ASR enthusiast since I bought RP-TCM125E-W in 2015 and MDR-ZX110 in 2019. Later I didn't consider them to be IEMs or high quality headphones, until beginning to use them with EQ. Now those cheap overpriced or free earbuds destined for the trash can have a new life.

 

[Jimster480]

Surprising what you can find for a low price sometimes. Not everything has to be expensive!
I have a cheap pair of Sony IEM's from about 14 years ago now and it still works and actually sounds half decent.

 

[phoenixsong]

They do have some minor issues but for their price (and relative to their overpriced competition's performance) are quite desirable
Measurement's report Sony MDR-ZX110 test and graphs - Reference Audio Analyzer (reference-audio-analyzer.pro)

 

[uwotm8]

I just don't understand what you guys talking about. 110s sound really really poor out of box and what's worse unlikely, say, AKG 701s (which greatly transform with EQ) Sonies stay dull, muddy and overall unpleasant regardless any correction. Surely you can find something way worse for ten bucks but save money for two cups of coffee and you can afford Senns HD206 which are cheap crap too... but listenable crap

 

[Saidera]

I just don't understand either, but it's really hard to compare headphones subjectively. I guess individual tastes differ. There definitely are headphones which respond better to EQ, and headphones so bad that it is beyond EQ to remedy. Sony ZX110 sits somewhere in the lower middle of the spectrum.

 

[nerone]

Here is my edit, I carefully removed the first layer of felt and inserted a wad of cotton wool that women use to remove make-up.
After the change I use the headphones with the Apple USB-C dongle without EQ.

 

[Saidera]

Apple USB-C dongle+ZX110! Super '9+9' combo!

So what does the cotton do?

 

[nerone]

Apple USB-C dongle+ZX110! Super '9+9' combo!

So what does the cotton do?

inserting the wad inside the headphones attenuates the low frequencies that were previously excessive while removing the first layer of felt makes the highs more detailed

 

[uwotm8]

removing the first layer of felt makes the highs

I removed all the felt trying to get fat pillow off from the sound and guess what? It just DINDU NUFFIN
Almost no changes at all, maybe a bit shoutier but same muddy.

 

[nerone]

I tried to listen to Tidal Hifi via Iphone and it works well while with Android I have to use Usb Audio Player Pro to hear the headphones in a decent way.

To remove the mud, you need to insert one or more cotton balls into the headphones

 

[xykreinov]

I was destined to be an ASR enthusiast since I bought RP-TCM125E-W in 2015 and MDR-ZX110 in 2019. Later I didn't consider them to be IEMs or high quality headphones, until beginning to use them with EQ. Now those cheap overpriced or free earbuds destined for the trash can have a new life.
View attachment 140979View attachment 140980View attachment 140981View attachment 140982

It's pretty epic what this forum is capable of doing
For the ZX110, I highly recommend people try out these PEQ settings

Preamp: -20.5 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 23 Hz Gain 20.9 dB Q 0.47
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 164 Hz Gain -2.7 dB Q 0.91
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 336 Hz Gain 5.0 dB Q 1.16
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 384 Hz Gain -2.8 dB Q 5.34
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 933 Hz Gain -6.2 dB Q 0.08
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 1049 Hz Gain 7.7 dB Q 1.55
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 1518 Hz Gain -2.2 dB Q 3.18
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 2246 Hz Gain 4.3 dB Q 1.79
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 2838 Hz Gain 3.3 dB Q 1.87
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 6924 Hz Gain 5.1 dB Q 3.22
Filter 11: ON PK Fc 11202 Hz Gain 10.3 dB Q 0.49
Filter 12: ON PK Fc 22050 Hz Gain -1.3 dB Q 3.33

I've messed around with several setups using AutoEQ, and I find this one to be the best by far. I usually prefer a flat bass response, but something about this tune is just perfect for these headphones.

 

[infinitesymphony]

It's pretty epic what this forum is capable of doing
For the ZX110, I highly recommend people try out these PEQ settings

Preamp: -20.5 dB
Filter 1: ON PK Fc 23 Hz Gain 20.9 dB Q 0.47
Filter 2: ON PK Fc 164 Hz Gain -2.7 dB Q 0.91
Filter 3: ON PK Fc 336 Hz Gain 5.0 dB Q 1.16
Filter 4: ON PK Fc 384 Hz Gain -2.8 dB Q 5.34
Filter 5: ON PK Fc 933 Hz Gain -6.2 dB Q 0.08
Filter 6: ON PK Fc 1049 Hz Gain 7.7 dB Q 1.55
Filter 7: ON PK Fc 1518 Hz Gain -2.2 dB Q 3.18
Filter 8: ON PK Fc 2246 Hz Gain 4.3 dB Q 1.79
Filter 9: ON PK Fc 2838 Hz Gain 3.3 dB Q 1.87
Filter 10: ON PK Fc 6924 Hz Gain 5.1 dB Q 3.22
Filter 11: ON PK Fc 11202 Hz Gain 10.3 dB Q 0.49
Filter 12: ON PK Fc 22050 Hz Gain -1.3 dB Q 3.33

View attachment 141095
I've messed around with several setups using AutoEQ, and I find this one to be the best by far. I usually prefer a flat bass response, but something about this tune is just perfect for these headphones.

Holy preamp gain...

Wonder what the distortion is like in the bass frequencies after a 20 dB adjustment!

 

[MrOtto]

No, there is no mud here.

 

[xykreinov]

Holy preamp gain...

Wonder what the distortion is like in the bass frequencies after a 20 dB adjustment!

Maybe my ears are junk, but the distortion subjectively isn't that bad. I'm sure measurements would tell a different story, but bass separation between things like metal bass drums and fast cello melodies is decent. Certainly better than my muddy earbuds, maybe better than my Status CB-1. I think the overall combo with the exceptionally clean and well balanced treble with this tune makes it perfect. All the other Harman Target tunes I've tinkered around with in AutoEQ which were limited to a narrower preamp range and 10 bands either sounded a bit too bright or a bit too dull. Amirm's EQ was certainly an improvement over stock, but you can only get so far with 5 bands. This 12 band one is just perfect, for me.
I've come to realize I don't yet own any headphones with objectively good control of bass distortion. My highest end headphone is a Beyerdynamic DT 770 600ohm. To my ears, the bass sounds cleaner than any speaker or headphone I've heard. But, measurements of the very similar DT 880 and 990 here show they're not great with bass distortion. Maybe the DT 770 600ohm is oddly better than them, but I doubt it. Measurements elsewhere seem to indicate they're cleaner than lower ohm models, at least.
So, my opinion on the dirtiness of ZX110 20dB bass EQ may change when I get something with very low bass distortion, like high end Dan Clark Audio cans, in the future. However, my opinion that will not change is that the presence of bass, however dirty, is an improvement over stock.

 

[stalepie2]

I've never been able to EQ headphones to sound great. I like them as they are. I feel the designers "EQed" them the way they did on purpose, so they're suppose to sound as they do out of the package. For instance, if a portable headphone has a lot of bass, it's because it's meant to be listened to on the go, when bass is harder to hear outside in the surrounding environment. And some people want to hear treble boost for enhanced details, even if their hearing is good. It depends a lot on what music you're listening to, too.

And I don't think headphones sound the same once they're equalized to sound flat. There are many other differences besides the frequency response, such as the kind of headphone it is (in-ear, over-ear, open-back, on-ear, closed), questions about whether planar, electrostatic, dynamic, multi-driver and balanced armature can all really sound the same, and the various damping techniques, the designs of the drivers themselves, and the cups and pads. So many things have an effect on the sound. Yet people seem to think that if you just adjust the frequency response it all sounds the same between every headphone.

 

[xykreinov]

I've never been able to EQ headphones to sound great. I like them as they are. I feel the designers "EQed" them the way they did on purpose, so they're suppose to sound as they do out of the package. For instance, if a portable headphone has a lot of bass, it's because it's meant to be listened to on the go, when bass is harder to hear outside in the surrounding environment. And some people want to hear treble boost for enhanced details, even if their hearing is good. It depends a lot on what music you're listening to, too.

And I don't think headphones sound the same once they're equalized to sound flat. There are many other differences besides the frequency response, such as the kind of headphone it is (in-ear, over-ear, open-back, on-ear, closed), questions about whether planar, electrostatic, dynamic, multi-driver and balanced armature can all really sound the same, and the various damping techniques, the designs of the drivers themselves, and the cups and pads. So many things have an effect on the sound. Yet people seem to think that if you just adjust the frequency response it all sounds the same between every headphone.

Ah, the analog "purity" idea.
If you delve deeper here, I think you'll come to see that it's simply impossible for designers to make a speaker or headphone follow the exact curve they want, solely analog. They can get very close, but there will always be physical limitations only DSP can solve.
Have you done 10 band PEQ, or are you just using graphic EQ by ear? The former always makes a larger difference than the latter, especially when assisted by tools like AutoEQ. Either way, make sure your reference is good. A very large amount of music is actually pretty useless for helping with EQ. You want sound evenly spread out through the frequency range, like pink noise. Some very busy genres, when well recorded, like fast classical, rock, or metal are good for this. Tracks you know particularly well can help of course.
This is just my understanding so far. I try to refine my methods and knowledge as I go.
Still, I agree that certain frequency responses make sense for certain situations. My main point is PEQ can refine anything, whether you're going for the Harman Target, your own custom curve, or improving the stock curve to your liking.