Try lubricating hinges to solve creaking. I applied tiny amount of WD-40 and it helped a lot.
I've bought a used pair of SZ2000 thanks to this thread and...is there a possibility of getting a fake pair?
They creak like in the Z review. Running them from a Topping L30 and compared to other cans I own (Hifiman HE-4XX, Sony XB-500, Audio Technica ATH-M20X, various cheap Bluetooth IEM's...), the sound quality is laughable. This is one of the tracks I compared these with, from 1:44 onwards.
30hz EQ'd to +15dB, yeah there's bass, but nothing special, and the mids and highs are probably the worst I've ever heard from any headphone - they sound like earbuds you got in a box when buying a mp3 player back in 2005. I thought they're broken when I first plugged them in.
I'd be happy if an SZ2000 owner can compare the images below with their pair...