Got something really special this time – the Mutex R10 replica made in tribute to the legendary Sony MDR-R10. This is perhaps visually the closest to the original I’ve seen.
But how do they sound? You’re in luck – we got frequency response measurements here.
Headphone reviewed: Mutex R10 (~US$ 550)
Tonality: Surprisingly decent for a DIY job these are. Good compliance to Oratory1990’s Optimum HIFI target (which is basically Harman 2018 with linear mids and bass). Some bass and midbass bump of about 2db between 20-400hz make these slightly warm sounding. Mids are quite realistic. Vocals are full and forward but not aggressive. Treble is smooth and a tad relaxed. Overall these sound pretty darn spot on. Do they sound similar to the original R10? I don’t know as I have never heard one.
Technicality: About on par with the HD6XX level, which isn’t too impressive for its price. These sound a bit over-damped, and is perhaps the price/downside of its fairly neutral tuning. I haven’t opened these up but I can imagine they’ve used quite a bit of damping material inside the cups. Punch is there but not jaw dropping, certainly not as good as the Denon/Fostex boys, even though these also use similar biodyna drivers. Soundstage is quite open – not huge but there’s a lot of air (probably thanks to the bump above 14khz).
Pads: Stock pads are solid lambskin ones. The inner opening is a bit small so if you have large ears these may not be very comfortable. You can roll Denon/EMU/Fostex pads on these.
Here’s how the Mutex R10 compares to Sony’s current flagship, the MDR-Z1R. As you can see the two are worlds apart in terms of tuning. This does not meant the Z1R sound bad though, but they have very different sound profiles for sure.
Headphone reviewed: Sony MDR-Z1R
Tonality: V-shaped. Bass boost of about 6db is clearly perceived as added slam and thump. Good thing the bass shelf falls down quickly by 200hz which means it does not really bleed into the mids. Midrange on these can be described as ‘uncoloured’ (linear 300-2.9khz) but also a bit lean and grainy (v-shaped sound profile plus the 3khz spike and upper treble colouration). Treble while isn’t overbearing most of the time but is rather track dependent. Poorly mastered tracks with treble emphasis do not sound good on these.
Technicality: Competent among high-end cans. Everything sound very ‘clear’ giving you the impression of loads of detail. Horizontal stage is very wide but seems to suffer from problems in projecting depth. Authoritative bass punch and slam, although isn’t the tightest.
Pads and Pairing: Will update pad swapping to the Dekoni Elite Sheepskin.
Apologies – measurements of the Z7M2 seem to have been lost. The headphones have also been sold so unfortunately a review won’t be available. Luckily many others have measured the Z7M2…
the unheard of headphone lab 
These look so much like the original.
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