Let me start with build quality and comfort. Upon first holding them in my hands, I was surprised at how durable they felt, while still being very light weight. The cups themselves have a very nice finish that has been very resistant to any scratches or markings over the time I've had them (about a month). The hook parts that connect the cups to the headband are plastic, which I kind of have mixed feelings about. It's held up well so far, but we'll see as more time passes. For what it's worth, they haven't scratched or lost any paint so far. The part that goes into the headband is metal. The "leather" is not genuine, but it is still incredibly comfortable. The headband and earpads are well made and feel great. They are circumaural for me and I would guess most people, but they are not very roomy; nowhere near my HD580s. Actually, the earpad feels like it's enveloping my ear. I don't mind but it might not be for everyone. In fact, part of the reason I bought them was to have something "portable" and usuable with portable equipment (not only DAPs, but for example PSP). I don't feel them getting hot or uncomfortable either until I take them off.
The Z1000s don't come with a whole lot of extras. There is a nice and simple pouch for the headphones which has another small pocket inside for whatever you want to put. There are two cables of different lengths, a long one and a short one, which are the same other than the length and termination. To clarify, both are terminated with 3.5mm plugs, but the long cable has a larger and nicer plug with threads for the included 3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter. The short cable has a right angle plug which also feels durable. The cable feels a bit thick for portable use to me. Of course, that's one of the huge benefits of detachable cables; you can use whatever you want.
I'll talk about sound now. Note that I'm using a Twisted Pear Audio Opus DAC and AMB Labs CKKIII amplifier as my main setup with these. Sound is largely compared to my Sennheiser HD580s and IE8s.
The first thing I noticed when I tried these out was the treble. Coming from the Senns, the treble was a big change. While it is more pronounced, it's still very smooth. Not harsh, piercing, or really fatiguing overall. It sounds well extended to me as well.
The midrange is wonderful as well. It's also incredibly smooth and is more present than my Sennheisers. At first, I felt like it was missing something in the lower range of male vocals, but upon further listening it sounds just fine. Perhaps I was conditioned by the Senns which have a bit of a hump in that section. Now I can go back and forth between the different cans and it's all good. String instruments are also beautiful.
Bass did not impress me as much. It's by no means bad; decent quantity, crisp and clear. After reading some other reviews, I was actually expecting it to be almost overwhelming. I'd still say they have a slight emphasis towards the low end, but it's a very slight emphasis and I wouldn't mind having just a smidge more. It extends deeper than my HD580s, but not by a whole lot.
Other sound properties;
Soundstage is small when compared to open cans like the HD580, but in comparison with other closed headphones I've owned or heard (SRH840, ESW9, D2000, M50), it's about the same or a little bit larger. Positioning and spacing between instruments is good. It's good enough that I can enjoy classical music, if that's any point of reference.
Timbre is spot on for pretty much everything. I've sold a lot of headphones because I thought they didn't reproduce sounds as I've heard in live performances.
These are more detailed than any headphones I've owned. They are more resolving and expose some things that I haven't heard before.
Isolation is pretty good. Can't compete with IEMs of course, but I bring them to the arcade when I go to play DJ Max Technika and it blocks the sound around me well enough.
These headphones seem to scale well with better equipment in my experience, as well as some others.
As I mentioned earlier, the Z1000s come with a short cable, about 4ft long. This might lead you to believe they are good portable headphones as well. In my opinion, they are not. If you're looking for something to use with a portable set up or while you're out and about, you can find better headphones at lower prices.
The greatest thing I notice with my main portable sources (iPod Touch 2G, Sansa Clip+) is sibilance. It's completely under control with my home set up for most recordings, but with both of those portable sources if there is even a hint of sibilance in the track, it will be exaggerated to the point of pain. Treble just becomes harsh.
Wind wreaks havoc on these headphones. They have a port on each cup, which lets wind make horribly loud noise.
Just those two factors is enough to make me not want to use them outside (of course, in addition to risking damage). Beyond that, the sound is just less refined, bass is a bit weaker. These are to be expected though. A portable amp may help, I can't really say since I don't have one. I will say that I prefer them with my iPod Touch vs the Clip+, surprisingly (I much prefer the Clip+ with my IE8s). I think they work well with my Rio Carbon as well, but I haven't spent as much time with that one. Basically, if you plan to use these mainly with a desktop rig but want something reasonably portable for bringing around to other (indoor) locations, these can work. If you live anywhere windy and want to use them while walking outdoors, look elsewhere.
To finish this up, I'll just say I'm pleased with these headphones and don't regret my purchase. A large part of it was for portable use, but even though I won't be using them while walking between classes, they do fine at the arcade, the library, and for when I want to play PSP or something at home but don't want to use IEMs or hook it up to my amp. The sound is very suitable for me; my main genres are classical, hip hop, jazz, metal, classic rock. They work great for all of them, though depending on the recording and the piece, I may prefer my HD580s for classical still. Build quality and comfort are great.
Hope this was helpful!
The Z1000s don't come with a whole lot of extras. There is a nice and simple pouch for the headphones which has another small pocket inside for whatever you want to put. There are two cables of different lengths, a long one and a short one, which are the same other than the length and termination. To clarify, both are terminated with 3.5mm plugs, but the long cable has a larger and nicer plug with threads for the included 3.5mm to 6.3mm adapter. The short cable has a right angle plug which also feels durable. The cable feels a bit thick for portable use to me. Of course, that's one of the huge benefits of detachable cables; you can use whatever you want.
I'll talk about sound now. Note that I'm using a Twisted Pear Audio Opus DAC and AMB Labs CKKIII amplifier as my main setup with these. Sound is largely compared to my Sennheiser HD580s and IE8s.
The first thing I noticed when I tried these out was the treble. Coming from the Senns, the treble was a big change. While it is more pronounced, it's still very smooth. Not harsh, piercing, or really fatiguing overall. It sounds well extended to me as well.
The midrange is wonderful as well. It's also incredibly smooth and is more present than my Sennheisers. At first, I felt like it was missing something in the lower range of male vocals, but upon further listening it sounds just fine. Perhaps I was conditioned by the Senns which have a bit of a hump in that section. Now I can go back and forth between the different cans and it's all good. String instruments are also beautiful.
Bass did not impress me as much. It's by no means bad; decent quantity, crisp and clear. After reading some other reviews, I was actually expecting it to be almost overwhelming. I'd still say they have a slight emphasis towards the low end, but it's a very slight emphasis and I wouldn't mind having just a smidge more. It extends deeper than my HD580s, but not by a whole lot.
Other sound properties;
Soundstage is small when compared to open cans like the HD580, but in comparison with other closed headphones I've owned or heard (SRH840, ESW9, D2000, M50), it's about the same or a little bit larger. Positioning and spacing between instruments is good. It's good enough that I can enjoy classical music, if that's any point of reference.
Timbre is spot on for pretty much everything. I've sold a lot of headphones because I thought they didn't reproduce sounds as I've heard in live performances.
These are more detailed than any headphones I've owned. They are more resolving and expose some things that I haven't heard before.
Isolation is pretty good. Can't compete with IEMs of course, but I bring them to the arcade when I go to play DJ Max Technika and it blocks the sound around me well enough.
These headphones seem to scale well with better equipment in my experience, as well as some others.
As I mentioned earlier, the Z1000s come with a short cable, about 4ft long. This might lead you to believe they are good portable headphones as well. In my opinion, they are not. If you're looking for something to use with a portable set up or while you're out and about, you can find better headphones at lower prices.
The greatest thing I notice with my main portable sources (iPod Touch 2G, Sansa Clip+) is sibilance. It's completely under control with my home set up for most recordings, but with both of those portable sources if there is even a hint of sibilance in the track, it will be exaggerated to the point of pain. Treble just becomes harsh.
Wind wreaks havoc on these headphones. They have a port on each cup, which lets wind make horribly loud noise.
Just those two factors is enough to make me not want to use them outside (of course, in addition to risking damage). Beyond that, the sound is just less refined, bass is a bit weaker. These are to be expected though. A portable amp may help, I can't really say since I don't have one. I will say that I prefer them with my iPod Touch vs the Clip+, surprisingly (I much prefer the Clip+ with my IE8s). I think they work well with my Rio Carbon as well, but I haven't spent as much time with that one. Basically, if you plan to use these mainly with a desktop rig but want something reasonably portable for bringing around to other (indoor) locations, these can work. If you live anywhere windy and want to use them while walking outdoors, look elsewhere.
To finish this up, I'll just say I'm pleased with these headphones and don't regret my purchase. A large part of it was for portable use, but even though I won't be using them while walking between classes, they do fine at the arcade, the library, and for when I want to play PSP or something at home but don't want to use IEMs or hook it up to my amp. The sound is very suitable for me; my main genres are classical, hip hop, jazz, metal, classic rock. They work great for all of them, though depending on the recording and the piece, I may prefer my HD580s for classical still. Build quality and comfort are great.
Hope this was helpful!