[cn11]

I thought their character was reasonably neutral, with fantastic detail. There was no harshness or sibilance to my ears (and as such I likened them a little to the Earsonics SM3). But to me the soundstage was rather claustrophobic. And in spite of what I read about having fantastic bass, I found it lacking somewhat. Isolation was good, and the build quality really has no peers though! 

 

[Duncan]

I would concur with what cn11 has said above, however I would add that the bass quality / depth improves dramatically with decent amplification (whoever at Sony thought these were best driven off of portable equipment almost certainly has a screw loose!)...
 
...Soundstage does sound very compressed when compared to the Z1000s open bretherin (the SA5000) however, the tonality of the Z1000 is leaps and bounds better than the SA5000 to these ears - the upper mids on the SA5000 sound congested / nasally in comparison to the ridiculously open / clear Z1000 tonality...
 
I'm still in love

 

[purk]

Quote:

I would concur with what cn11 has said above, however I would add that the bass quality / depth improves dramatically with decent amplification (whoever at Sony thought these were best driven off of portable equipment almost certainly has a screw loose!)...
 
...Soundstage does sound very compressed when compared to the Z1000s open bretherin (the SA5000) however, the tonality of the Z1000 is leaps and bounds better than the SA5000 to these ears - the upper mids on the SA5000 sound congested / nasally in comparison to the ridiculously open / clear Z1000 tonality...
 
I'm still in love

 
The Z1000 got to be special to bring you back to headphones listening again Duncan!
 
 

 

[rovex]

I see you have opted to go with the ZX700 for outdoors Duncan, I've done the same.

 

[tnt23]

At least the weight is attractive.

 

[Lorspeaker]

Quote:

I want to know what the appeal of the z1000 is.  I've never heard it, and have been unsuccessful in my research in finding out what this set sounds like.  Is it more colored than neutral?  Whats the soundstage like?  Is it bass heavy? How does it respond to proper amping? I've too many questions to list

if u cant get hold of the z1000, try listening to a FA-003....and it will give u a fix on the sound signature...90% similar..a tad cooler.
Or u might just wanna save some money n buy the FA-003...lol.
But of cos, the sleeker design tilts the balance towards the z1000.
 
Almost always, i find the z1000 presented itself as funnelled-sounding across my amps..(vs a dt770 for example)
Soundstage....generally cant beat the dt770/edition 8 in terms of width.

 
 

 

[noluckboi]

I am using the z1000 with a mogami cable and it provides a wider soundstage with a deeper bass as compared to the stock cable. However, with that said, the details become less emphasized and is thus muddier IMO. 
 
I pair the z1000 sometimes with either my sansa fuze or a HM-602 and I would say both sources provide different sound signature in terms of warmth, with the 602 obviously providing more warmth into the sound.
 
 
 
All these are based on my little experiences though. My previous headphone is the HE-5 which I have sold, and the IEMs I possess are the tf10, re262, um1 and um2.

 

[swbf2cheater]

Quote:

if u cant get hold of the z1000, try listening to a FA-003....and it will give u a fix on the sound signature...90% similar..a tad cooler.
Or u might just wanna save some money n buy the FA-003...lol.
But of cos, the sleeker design tilts the balance towards the z1000.
 
Almost always, i find the z1000 presented itself as funnelled-sounding across my amps..(vs a dt770 for example)
Soundstage....generally cant beat the dt770/edition 8 in terms of width.

 
 

Ouch.  As a sound stage nut bar and junkie I am deeply saddened by that.  :[  

 

[Lorspeaker]

its not tat bad, its justa small v and a BIG V ...from song to song.
can be intoxicating on a good solo or concerto..
as long as u understand its sound sig n presentation
u will enjoy it.
 
 

 

[EyeDoc]

Just so you all know, Provantage is selling these for $317 shipped directly from Sony. I am pretty sure that is by far the lowest price for them.
 
http://www.provantage.com/sony-mdrz1000~7SNYE0X2.htm
 
Enjoy!

 

[Amarphael]

Nice find, The price is far too tempting... How do you know it's directly from Sony though?

 

[EyeDoc]

 
Quote:

Nice find, The price is far too tempting... How do you know it's directly from Sony though?

 
Because when you add it to your cart and then click on your cart, underneath the item it says: "Direct from the Manufacturer. Place your order with us and we will have the manufacturer ship this item directly to you."  The downside is that it is a special order and apparently takes 3-4 weeks to ship. The upside is that you save a couple hundred dollars...
 
 

 

[Mad Max]

 
Quote:

Just so you all know, Provantage is selling these for $317 shipped directly from Sony. I am pretty sure that is by far the lowest price for them.
 
http://www.provantage.com/sony-mdrz1000~7SNYE0X2.htm
 
Enjoy!

Bookmarked, thanks!
 

 

[Duncan]

A steal for $317 shipped!
 
I can see me still using mine in... say 10 years from now, they are just spot on tonally to me
 
Waaaaaaaaay better than the SA5K to these ears - I feel the SA5K may well end up on the FS forum...

 

[Amarphael]

Well smack me twice but i've just took the bait and placed an order with this deal,  Hope it comes through and be worth the wait, I'll defintley try to sort out comparison with the SA5000 and W5000.