Sony - MDR-Z1R Signature Series

Given comfort is his #1 priority, I have absolutely no idea why you're suggesting LCD-XC - they weight about 700 grams!!!! The Sony MDR Z1R are within his budget at 1600-ish & really don't take much to drive at all. They're also only 385g (I have the box next to me). The biggest issue with these is that Sony no longer make pads for them, they are not standard fit pads - the only aftermarket pads were Dekoni (who no longer make them either) & the only ones you can find anywhere are the Dekoni fenstrated lambskin which make them sound awful - I picked two pairs up & am now selling my MDR as the original pads are absolutely done, and they can't be replaced.

Look into aftermarket pads for your current pair. Dekoni and ZMF make excellent pads for many headphones. Not a practical recommendation, but the MDR-Z1R have the fattest and deepest earcups I've ever worn.

My Sony MDR Z1R is the only closed-back I've ever owned. But I'm completely obsessed with them.

What a joke. The MDR-Z1R is excellent.

Gotta be the Z1R for me

From best to worst: Mdr-z1r - Best bass I've heard in a headphone and thebest soundstage I've heard in a closed back. Fun treble and a decent mid range. Mezes lyric 2 - absolutely beautiful, made extremely well. Sounded pretty good, decent bass, nice midrange, just the treble was a little wonky. Focal Azurys - fun punchy little headphones. They just felt a bit too cramped for me and the treble didn't sound wrong or anything I just didn't find it interesting. Hd 660s2 - could go either way between these and the Azurys tbh. These are very close to neutral for being a closed back and have the best midrange out of anything here. Sounded about as cramped as the Azurys though and the bass wasn't as fun. I liked the treble and isolation more though, for the price they're really good.

I'll write you a long reply, hopefully you read it all :) If you haven't considered it, maybe look into the Sony MDR-Z1R. I've been absolutely enamored by them. I could probably write several paragraphs about just how odd they are but also how tremendously good and fun they are. They do things I've never heard any other headphone do. Bizarrely expansive and layered soundstage, great instrument separation (so easy to pick out bass guitar!), layered, deep and impactful bass. The bass, the layering, it's so unique. You get good extension in the sub-bass, but it remains distinct from the mid-bass, and mid bass doesn't bleed over into the mids. Mids are a tad recessed, but only slightly, and the treble has good energy and sparkle. Resolution wise, they're a cut above the Meze 109s for example. For reference, on the higher-end side of things I've owned Focal Clears, and still own the HD800S, LCD-X, and Meze 109 Pros (they're my wife's now). I recently wanted a closed back headphone with a fun sound signature the Z1Rs absolutely accomplish that. I actually haven't reached for anything else in weeks. The Sennheisers both feel like they're missing so much low-end by contrast, it's fucking with my brain and I don't consider myself a basshead. Besides the sound, they're built very well and can easily be worn all day. The sheepskin pads are plush, deep, and feel great. The one letdown is the headband is pleather, most people get a fabric cover to put over it to keep it from cracking. Otherwise, it uses titanium and wood, and feels super premium in the hand. The box is also nuts, if that matters at all to you. I wanted to up the "fun" even more and recently went from a JDS Labs Atom 2 stack to a Nitsch Pietus Maximus + Mesh DAC and oh boy, the Z1Rs got even better. It's made the bass a little thicker, the mids seem a bit more forward and lush, and treble sparkle is slightly reduced which maybe reduces some fatigue there. If I had to give a brief critique to what you've been considering: Focals; I've owned the Clears and auditioned the Stelias. Gosh, for the money, Focal needs to do more to not make them feel so cheap. They creak a lot. The Stelias did sound really good though. Kind of a big let down for the money. I don't know how to the MGs compared to the OG Clears, but I sold them because the treble was too fatiguing for me and I couldn't move my head without the creaking driving me nuts. As for Hifiman, I won't recommend them until they get their QC issues under control, they seem so grossly over represented when it comes to issues, so in spite of otherwise great technical performance, its a risk I just won't take. The Audeze LCD-X are great. Their bass can be tremendous with EQ (rattle your brain), but I never found the mids or highs to be all that impressive. They were/are best suited for Hans Zimmer or EDM tracks, everything else, meh. I also can't wear them for more than an hour or two before my neck hurts though. As for the Dan Clarks, I haven't tried the E3, but have tried the Noire X. Very impressive neutral tuning and good soundstage for a closed back, but definitely very reference oriented/more analytical. I had comfort issues with them as well, kind of made a pressure point under my ear near my jaw.

I'd be inclined to agree. They kind of have a wow-factor as far as closed backs go. I might have picked them over my Z1Rs if it didn't create a kind of comfort hotspot for me under my ear. They're not just good closed backs, they're a honestly good contender at the $1k pricepoint and feel like a very tangible step up in terms of clarity, instrument separation, and solid bass over a lot of the other headphones I've owned and demo'd under $1k.

In terms of detail retrieval they're pretty similar. You aren't going to miss anything with either, they're both extremely resolving. Sound stage / staging is very good on both, kind of surprising for closed-backs. The shapes of the stage between both are considerably different though. The Noire X has kind of a medium depth and width, maybe a bit better than my memory of my 109 Pros or LCD-X, but still shy quite of my HD800s. The Z1Rs have a kind of expansive and confusing stage, like nothing I've heard before. They're so hard to describe. In terms of presentation they're polar opposites as well. I'd classify the Noire X as neutral, very Harman target tuned, almost as textbook as it gets. The Z1Rs are anything but. They're tuned to some vision Sony had/has and I don't know how I'd describe it, these things are just odd. They're fun to listen to, though most would classify them into a love it or hate it bucket, without much in between. It's kind of odd, I've sort of noticed that more of the Japanese oriented productions (JPop, JRock, etc.) I've listened to sound like a match made in heaven for the Z1Rs. Maybe it's some subconscious bias/association happening. I'd warn that sometimes certain tracks kind of accentuate an almost V shaped presentation, where mids can at times seem somewhat distant or recessed. It's not like all the time though, which lead to believe they were tuned with a certain production style in mind. Utterly confusing. In terms of build quality the Noire X felt pretty good besides the stupid gorilla glass finger print magnet. The Z1Rs similarly have just one annoying build quality trait in the genuine leather (cheap shit) headband, but most put a strap around it. In terms of overall feel in the hand and on head though, the Z1R still feel more premium and well built, they're really special in that way, as they should be for this kind of money. At the end of the day, the comfort was a big issue for me, but this is going to vary a lot person to person. After having to move on from my LCD-X for the same reason I needed to get something I could listen to all day without any pain. The Z1Rs are supremely comfortable and I kind of fell in love with their unique sound signature. They form an excellent complement to my HD800s.

Personal favorite is the Z7M2. Best musical sounding headphones I've heard. Liked it more than the z1r. 

You're right, they are! Liric 1 is a close second and MDR-Z1R too. Z1R is an advantage in height as its sound stage is taller and deeper.

I own them and they are not "it". They are a warmer sound for sure, but their bass slam is nowhere near the level of the Radiance or the TH900, the mids are still sligtly forward and not that scooped, and they, while being really well built, dont have that premium feeling of wood and alcantara others like the ZMF or Meze have. https://preview.redd.it/fx0f99u9ieff1.png?width=1849&format=png&auto=webp&s=8fbab5d7a984396f39424c0e56b489080b33af9e