I'm a semi-frequent reviewer of headphones on Amazon, and decided to dip my toe into the Head-Fi review waters. Wish me luck!
Background: I've been into the headphone hobby for about 2 and a half years. I have limited experience with the highest of the high end, but I have spent a good amount of time playing around in upper Mid-Fi territory. My current stable of cans and devices consists of my Parrot Zik 1.0, Oppo PM3, Hifiman RE-600, Audeze LCD2 and now the JVC HA-SZ2000. I also use my Sennheiser Urbanite XL for television watching and have parted with and provided loving homes to my beloved Koss ProDJ200, Sennheiser Momentum and Hifiman HE-400S. For source and amplification, my main rig consists of a Schiit M2/M2 (non-uber) stack and a Fiio E18 Kunlun for portable listening.
I generally listen to my music as FLAC through Foobar2000 or as 320kbps through Spotify premium. I'll be the first to admit that I'm still training my ears, and that 320 MP3s don't stick out like a sore thumb to me. In the objective vs. subjective debate, though I value objectivity to keep things grounded and from going too off the rails, I am in the camp of audio hedonism. "If it sounds good (to you), then do it!"
So. On to the meat of this review!
Presentation: Note: I bought the Japan import versions of the SZ2000, so a few things about the presentation will be different from the US/Europe version. Namely, from my understanding, the storage pouch is quite different, and the words "Live Beat" are stenciled onto the cups on the Japanese version as opposed to the word "Z-Series" as seen on other models.
The SZ2Ks arrived in a sturdy package consisting of a paper sleeve with the specs printed on the back, and a cardboard box inside that also serves as a presentation case, if the silk/satin material layering the inside is any indication. The presentation box is made of a stiff and thick cardboard, quite similar to the one the Oppo PM-3s come in (the blue box, for those who want specificity due to the rather Russian nesting doll-esque nature of how the Oppos are delivered). A leather(? or maybe protein leather) bag is included with the letters "JVC" inscribed on the side. It's a nice gesture, but rather disappointing. For the price these debuted at, a hardshell carrying case would have made a much better perk. In addition, a custom case would have been even more appreciated as I would imagine finding a generic case for the JVCs is quite difficult due to the massive size of the cups, and their lack of being able to rotate flat. The cups do fold into the headband arch, so the bag might not be too much of a hassle.
Photo: The JVCs nestled in their display box.
Photo: As you can see, the cups of the SZ2000 are nearly as big as those of the LCD2.
The cans themselves are quite nice looking and to my eyes, they exude elegance and class. The majority of the cup is made of a strong, black, matte plastic while the yoke is made from a shiny, black metal with a brass ring encircling the outside. The headband and sliders seem to be made of metal, and the upper part of the headband arch is made from a rubberized material with a soft, mesh covered pad on the bottom. The pads they come with are soft, but they sink too much and it leaves your ears touching the housing.
Speaking of the stock pads, they need to be replaced, pronto. For this review, I will be testing the sound with the stock pads switched out for the pads from the JVC HA-M55x. I have also heard that the Brainwavz HM5 pads work well for these, but I have not experienced them to be able to give you my view of things.
Photo: M55x pads on left. Stock pads on right.
Sound quality and characteristics: Of note is the the JVC HA-SZ2000 uses a dual driver system. A 55mm driver for the bass, and a 30mm driver for the rest. It is interesting to note that the woofer uses the same principles as a Kelton subwoofer, meaning it routes the sound it produces through a series of brass chambers to amplify and condition the bass volume and characteristics The 30mm driver is also unique in that it is a carbon nano-tube driver (or CNT for short). What's interesting about CNT drivers is that they create vibration by rapidly heating and cooling the driver and the air around it in an effort to excite the air molecules and produce air vibrations.
Out of the box, this headphone was very muffled, muddy and a bit dull. I busted out the EQ to create a V-shaped signature, and though the bass was really good, the highs were merely OK and I resigned myself to not really being able to appreciate the mids. I've experienced tentatively verifiable burn in before, but not using any method that would stand up under scientific scrutiny. However I decided to give it a shot. I set up a pink noise loop and ran it for 12 hours a day over three days. I didn't listen to it during that time as I had switched them out for my LCD2s during my waking hours. Here are my results from after the burn in period. Whether the change was real, or my brain adjusted, I may never know. But here is my admittedly subjective take on it all. The following observations were made with my Modi2 DAC and Magni2 amplifier, using a combination of Foobar2000 with FLAC files and Spotify premium. I used the built in equalizer when listening to Foobar and used the the program EqualizerAPO for Spotify EQ impressions.
Bass: No EQ: The bass on the SZ2K is really punchy. I have never really heard anyone else describe this, but the bass is so tight that impactful, percussive bass notes almost leave a slight air of silence after landing for a fraction of a second. Quantity leaves a bit to be desired. It has more than your average headphone but it feels like only a bit more than my Urbanite XLs (which are pretty focused on quality over quantity).
With EQ: I raised everything below 80Hz up 10dB and just kind of left it flat until the treble (We'll get to that soon enough). I found raising the sub bass really does the trick. You don't want the whole bass spectrum raised at once or it is really easy to start experiencing headaches. With 80Hz and below raised, you start to get a lot more slam in your tracks. The bass has a good rumble while still dealing tight punches here and there. This headphone lives for EQ and does not even flinch or distort when I amped it up to 15dB on the EQ. You can feel the ear cup shake with songs like Love Lockdown by Kanye West. Overall, it has great extension, texture and slam and I would say the bass is better than that on my LCD2 (and the bass on that is nothing to sneeze at). Dare I say it has the best bass I've ever heard!
Mids: No EQ: They're a bit recessed, but rather clear with smooth texture. If you listen to the song "Downstream" from the Braid soundtrack, you kind of feel like swaying just a little too much to the undercurrent of cello that sets the pace, and the bass drums are a bit more present in comparison, but the SZ2Ks convey the violin quite admirably, though the texture is just a little too smooth for audiophile purposes. Overall though, you may find yourself tapping your toes to the beat more often than you sit back a drink in vocals or other instruments.
Comparison with Bass and Treble EQ: The mids sound far more recessed though you can hear them. I really recommend you get comfortable with messing with your equalizer if you frequently switch between bass heavy music and lighter fare. They get kind of overlapped by the other frequency ranges.
Treble: No EQ: Treble is a bit subdued but present. Not really any sibilance to speak of and cymbals do have a shimmer to them though there is a very slight, blink and you miss it, echo effect to heavy cymbal work, almost hollow sounding. Some textures like guitars and some percussion don't overwhelm with treble detail but do maintain a delightful crunch. So in summation, the treble is very pleasant, not very in your face but also not too polite.
With EQ: Between 2.5kHz and 7kHz I bumped it up 5dB. Textures start to come out more. EDM feels super alive with synth hits complimenting the upped bass mentioned previously. You feel compelled to bob your head.as the drum hits rattle inside your skull. But it's not quite piercing. Overall it provides a lot more energy without causing a skull-splitting headache.
Soundstage and imaging: I'll admit that this is an area that is hard for me to assess too well. I'm working on improving my hearing so I can assess soundstage and imaging upon first listen. I can instantly hear major differences in this regard between headphones, but I do have to close my eyes and focus to determine perceived dimensions. From what I hear, the soundstage is pretty wide, but imaging is a bit sparse, with most sounds coming from the direct sides, front, or about halfway in between the former and the latter. But, a neat stereo effect I can point to is that at 40 seconds into Strobe (Radio Edit) by Deadmau5, the song starts bouncing between the left and right channels and it felt like the sound was flowing like liquid through my head from one ear to the other. I've only ever experienced that on my Momentum. Even my LCD2 doesn't let me experience that effect.
Sound summary: Without EQ and with adequate burn in, the SZ2000 sounds like a competent, yet bassy headphone for the <$200 price tag it's currently at. It would be great as a home theater headphone in this state as most everything is clear and the emphasized bass would make action movies have a bit of audio flair. With EQ however, this becomes an absolute bass monster. However you set your frequency emphasis, the SZ2000 will endure it like a champ. You can't help but wiggle in your seat, or even dance to the beat (though don't bang your head too hard, they are liable to fly off your head due to the weight).
Things I didn't like: Straight out of the box, it sounds pretty bad. Like "Oh god, what did I just spend my money on" type bad. I didn't like that there are a lot of caveats to this purchase, including needing to have a pretty good amplifier, replacement ear pads being a necessity and needing to invoke an equalizer in order to get peak performance. I was disappointed with the lack of a hard shell case, and the short (3-3.5 ft), hardwired cable. In this day and age, a removable cable should be considered a necessity with any headphone at the price point this premiered at. It's also heavy as sin, but considering the brass chambers involved in the Kelton design, I consider it a necessary evil. But seriously, whenever I switch from the SZ2000 to my LCD2, the Audeze feels much lighter, though that could be due to better weight distribution and a comparatively more merciful clamp force.
In summation: I find the JVC HA-SZ2000 to be a delightful treat when in the mood to have your head kicked in with bass, and it is a strong enough contender to use while listening to other music in a pinch. Should it be your next upgrade when working your way up the Hi-Fi ladder? No, not unless you're a basshead who knows what they're getting into. It does make a great supplementary headphone for those who have their audiophile picks locked in. I actually bought it as sort of a compromise from getting a Fostex THxxx line as I already had my endgame headphones and didn't need my "fun" headphone to be audiophile high end level cans. With the proper EQ it provides an exciting listen and bass nirvana. In all, I rate it 4 stars as there are some quibbles I have that are minor individually, but add up to the subtraction of a star. I still highly recommend it for those who want the best bass from a headphone possible.
Thank you for reading. This was my first review of what I hope to be many on head-fi and I would really appreciate any feedback and criticism.
I think a lot of people are in the same boat when it comes to bass fun cans. Your review sold me and I just paid Vapman for his extra pair of these cans with upgraded pads. Can you take a screenshot of your EQ you use most often for these cans and PM with it? Almost bought the Crossfade Vmoda M-100, but I had more than one person tell me if I want bass kings these are the way to go. I really wanted to grab those Fostex THxxx massdrop ones as well... and the others are very high priced... so yeah same boat, I am not even going to listen to these when they get in the mail, just burn in for 3 days straight.