I haven’t tried with a computer yet - I only ever plug them to my Walkman and I think it has a built-in amp chip. The sound I get from that is reasonably loud (the volume knob is 3/4 of the way). I also EQ the shit out of it to get the sound I want.

From what I’ve heard the MDR-Z1R isn’t that hard to drive so you might get something out of your MBP. That said, whether the combo produces good synergy is another question for you to find out.

I think so. One of them is the European edition.