What a polarizing headphone! I can see where you guys are coming from. I spent more than a year debating whether I should get it (since I didn’t have a chance to demo it) since opinions were so contradicting. In the end, I figured why not. Blind purchase it was!
For me I personally adore the MDR-Z1R’s fun and musical sound signature (I say that as a long-time owner of the IER-Z1R). True - the MDR doesn’t slam as hard or screams as much as its in-ear brother (cousin?), but it’s super comfortable for a long listening session.
I love them too. Perfect for fun listening and so comfortable!