[khaos974]

How are classical and jazz with these cans?
 
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I am not much of an electronica fan and I could not even begin to sort out the different varieties, but I do have a small collection of albums that fall under that general category. It is usually something that I would almost never listen to, but it sounds so darn good through the Z1000s. I am thoroughly enjoying it every time I put it on and as a result, doing it much more frequently. Ministry of Sound: Clubber's Guide to Trance is the one that sounds the best among those I have.
 
Funky R&B/Rock like Macy Gray and Prince are an ideal match too. There is just 'bounce' to the music that I find absolutely critical that both the D7000s and Z1000s can provide so well.
 
80's new wave and synth rock like Van Halen & Rush sound incredible as well. The liquid factor goes so well with synthesizer heavy music.

 

[Rainbow Randy]

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How bad of a move would it be to sell my HD580s to fund a pair of these Z1000s, while keeping in mind that my most commonly listened to genres are classical, hip hop, jazz, and classic rock? Soundstage isn't a priority, but I'm afraid they may have such different signatures that it's worth it to keep both. I know those of you who have posted impressions so far are quite experienced with various headphones, so perhaps you could help me. Please.

 
The situation is that if I sell my HD580s, my Z1000 savings will be enough to order a set before too long. If I don't sell the HD580s, it may be a while longer.
 
I've been thinking about this for days, and I keep flip-flopping on my decision.

You could lose the HD580 forever to get the Z1000 some days, weeks, or months earlier than you would otherwise. Or you could wait out those days or weeks and get the Z1000 while still getting to enjoy your HD580 for many years to come. Also, I think getting the Z1000 will be that much sweeter if you wait to save up the money for it.
 
 

 

[earthpeople]

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How bad of a move would it be to sell my HD580s to fund a pair of these Z1000s, while keeping in mind that my most commonly listened to genres are classical, hip hop, jazz, and classic rock? Soundstage isn't a priority, but I'm afraid they may have such different signatures that it's worth it to keep both. I know those of you who have posted impressions so far are quite experienced with various headphones, so perhaps you could help me. Please.

 
The situation is that if I sell my HD580s, my Z1000 savings will be enough to order a set before too long. If I don't sell the HD580s, it may be a while longer.
 
I've been thinking about this for days, and I keep flip-flopping on my decision.

You could lose the HD580 forever to get the Z1000 some days, weeks, or months earlier than you would otherwise. Or you could wait out those days or weeks and get the Z1000 while still getting to enjoy your HD580 for many years to come. Also, I think getting the Z1000 will be that much sweeter if you wait to save up the money for it.
 
 

 
Yeah, I had considered that as well. The Z1000 are just so enticing! That is the direction I'm leaning at the moment though, thanks ChiComm.

 

[MuppetFace]

Just wanted to add my .02 on top of Gu Sensei's comments about the ear pad material of the Z1000. If it is in fact pleather, then Sony has some new sort of variation, because it feels way different than the pleather of the CD900st. To me, the feel is much closer to the genuine leather of the SA5000 than it is to the pleather of the CD900st, so I personally would guess it's genuine. That's from comparing it to the other 'phones in my collection, for what it's worth.
 
Also, it should be noted that in the photographs showing the Z1000 and the lower-end model of the same line, the material on the ear pads is noticeably different as one previous post pointed out. So either this is indeed genuine while the lower-end model is fake, or this is a much higher quality fake than the lower end's material.
 
 
Anyway.....
 
 
 
My impressions of these are still a work in progress, but earlier today I compared them to the HD800 on a few tracks. Due to the smaller soundstage and the enhanced quality I've found the Z1000 to imbue music with, I feel as though there's an impressive level of cohesiveness when I listen. I get the feeling that instruments are working together in a unified way, the song recreated as something more than the sum of parts. This does however come at the expense of breathing room, which I feel the HD800 has in spades by comparison.
 
Sometimes that sense of space is further taken up on the Z1000 by the bass, particularly on bass-heavy songs. It's almost like a cloud of bass, which can be a good or bad effect depending on one's mood and the track in question. I think sometimes these have a bit too much bass for me with bass-heavy music. I've never claimed to be a bass-head by any means however. I definitely appreciate that with the Z1000, no matter how bass-heavy a track might get, it never seems to dominate over other parts of the sonic spectrum. It never intrudes or bleeds through onto other instruments, unless the track was just recorded that way. For me that's very important.
 
I've been borrowing the Z1000 along with the HD800, and from me brief time spent with them, I must say I love them both very much. They're two very different approaches, but both get a lot of things right. Neither is perfect though. In my experience, few headphones if any are. 
 
Between them, the Z1000 is definitely the more "fun" of the two. I think I can safely say at this point the Z1000 is also the more engaging of the two. I'm drawn into the music with the HD800, but it's more in a detailed-oriented way. I feel like I can use my mind to move around the large sound field they create, exploring all the intricacies found within.
 
In the case of the Z1000, I get drawn in by pure emotional enjoyment. The music sounds nice and has a liveliness to it the HD800 just can't duplicate. A good benchmark for this would be how often I'm inspired to dance while the Z1000 is on my head. I don't dance much at all with the HD800. It's more cerebral. The Z1000 seems---to me at least--- to be more from the heart.
 
I've already offered to buy the Z1000 off of my brother, and he agreed. Now I'm the owner of a pair of Z1000, and I'm thrilled about it.

 

[Asr]

I'm starting to get interested in these myself given the reports of the treble. I don't suppose any comparisons can be made to the SA5000? It'd be really cool if the Z1000 could theoretically replace both my SA5K and Qualia.

 

[Amarphael]

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I'm starting to get interested in these myself given the reports of the treble. I don't suppose any comparisons can be made to the SA5000? It'd be really cool if the Z1000 could theoretically replace both my SA5K and Qualia

(just kidding)

 
(fixed)
X2 and....
 
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Muppetface, Gu Sensei, could you compare the Z1000 to AT's flagship (Still W5000 in case anyone's wondering) in what concerns clarity and sounstage width? I'd be very keen for a closed headphone possesing the stark vividness of the SA5000 with the sounstage scale and accuracy of the W5000's.

 

 

[ford2]

 
 
I wonder if all those praising the Z1000 have listened to the CD3000,a direct comparison between these two would place it in the pecking order.

 

[mobbaddict]

Yeah and we need comparisons with the CD900ST as well

(is the Z1000 much brighter? and more detailed?)

 

[MuppetFace]

 
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I wonder if all those praising the Z1000 have listened to the CD3000,a direct comparison between these two would place it in the pecking order.

Gu Sensei did a brief comparison on the last page, toward the bottom.
 
It's been a while since I've listened to a CD3000, but Gu Sensei's description sounds pretty spot on from my admittedly deficient memory. The Z1000 has a much smaller soundstage and more bass. Overall resolution of the Z1000 seems higher from what I recall, but again that was too long ago for me to say with anything approximating authority.
 
If you're a fan of the CD3000 and SA5000, I can't imagine not enjoying the Z1000.

 

[MuppetFace]

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Yeah and we need comparisons with the CD900ST as well

(is the Z1000 much brighter? and more detailed?)

I can do this, but it will have to wait for my comparisons to the SA5000 and Edition 8 which I've already promised others. Being the end of the semester, I'm going to be very busy grading my student's finals. Such is the life of a lowly college professor.

 

[haloxt]

After you do those comparisons, please compare Z1000 vs SA5000's ultrasound on bats. Z1000 would likely be preferable for communicating with whales but I think it may have too limited high freq extension for bats.

 

[GeorgeGoodman]

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After you do those comparisons, please compare Z1000 vs SA5000's ultrasound on bats. Z1000 would likely be preferable for communicating with whales but I think it may have too limited high freq extension for bats.

Hilarious!

 
Honestly though, the Sony XB500s or XB700s are better for communicating with whales. They go down to 4 and 3hz, respectively.

 

[purk]

 
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I wonder if all those praising the Z1000 have listened to the CD3000,a direct comparison between these two would place it in the pecking order.

Gu Sensei did a brief comparison on the last page, toward the bottom.
 
It's been a while since I've listened to a CD3000, but Gu Sensei's description sounds pretty spot on from my admittedly deficient memory. The Z1000 has a much smaller soundstage and more bass. Overall resolution of the Z1000 seems higher from what I recall, but again that was too long ago for me to say with anything approximating authority.
 
If you're a fan of the CD3000 and SA5000, I can't imagine not enjoying the Z1000.
 

The CD3K and SA5K are more different than alike.  I for one, dislike the SA5K but love the CD3K.  Which one of the two Sony(s) that the Z1000 is closer too?

 

 

[mobbaddict]

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I can do this, but it will have to wait for my comparisons to the SA5000 and Edition 8 which I've already promised others. Being the end of the semester, I'm going to be very busy grading my student's finals. Such is the life of a lowly college professor.

Hey thanks, you don't have to do a proper comparison, just a few words about their differences/similarities will be enough

I'm just curious how brighter the Z1000 would be exactly (the CD900ST already has enough treble for my tastes).

 

[daveDerek]

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I wonder if all those praising the Z1000 have listened to the CD3000,a direct comparison between these two would place it in the pecking order.

Gu Sensei did a brief comparison on the last page, toward the bottom.
 
It's been a while since I've listened to a CD3000, but Gu Sensei's description sounds pretty spot on from my admittedly deficient memory. The Z1000 has a much smaller soundstage and more bass. Overall resolution of the Z1000 seems higher from what I recall, but again that was too long ago for me to say with anything approximating authority.
 
If you're a fan of the CD3000 and SA5000, I can't imagine not enjoying the Z1000.

 
The CD3K and SA5K are more different than alike.  I for one, dislike the SA5K but love the CD3K.  Which one of the two Sony(s) that the Z1000 is closer too?

 
i'm in your camp, purk. perhaps we both need to get this can so we can check it against our other sonys (cd3k for me, r10& qualia for you). consider it a head-fi public service.  ford, care to join the party? 

 
does anyone know of holiday specials going on for them currently?  are they even being imported into north america or is everything a gray market can (and if you have a problem how do you then get it addressed)?