[OldDude04]

Hi. Is it possible to fit a balanced 4.4 cable to the Fostex Th 900 Mk2? And if so, where can I buy it?

Yep, check THIS and THIS out. There are others out there, these are just the first 2 I found.

 

[chechu21]

Yep, check THIS and THIS out. There are others out there, these are just the first 2 I found.

Many thanks!!! A little expensive i guess...

 

[GrandNagus50]

I have a pair of the well-known JVC SZ-2000 headphones, which I bought what, five years ago because I wanted to experience the biggest sub bass slam possible. I like them, but I confess that the "bass cannon" aspect of them has not been realized to my ears. Like, these are ok, but what is all the raving about?" I have read that these really need good amplification to get the sub woofer driver going. I do not own an appropriate amp, I am sure. What amp(s) match well with these headphones to bring out the legendary levels of low bass?

As a related (sort of) question, now that this headphone is discontinued (so I have read), what do people consider the numero uno bass cannon headphone currently, and is there a bass-rich headphone that would respond well to a moderate quality DAC/amp like the ifi micro black label?

Doug Greenberg, Berkeley, CA

 

[StarTreker]

I have a pair of the well-known JVC SZ-2000 headphones, which I bought what, five years ago because I wanted to experience the biggest sub bass slam possible. I like them, but I confess that the "bass cannon" aspect of them has not been realized to my ears. Like, these are ok, but what is all the raving about?" I have read that these really need good amplification to get the sub woofer driver going. I do not own an appropriate amp, I am sure. What amp(s) match well with these headphones to bring out the legendary levels of low bass?

As a related (sort of) question, now that this headphone is discontinued (so I have read), what do people consider the numero uno bass cannon headphone currently, and is there a bass-rich headphone that would respond well to a moderate quality DAC/amp like the ifi micro black label?

Doug Greenberg, Berkeley, CA

Yes, the big reason why your not experiencing the bass canon rating, is because of lack of amp. The S.M.S.L SP200 is far the best choice for driving those can's. If you can't afford that amp, there is also the Shiit Magni 3 amp. Or if you want to go all portable, there is the Fiio A5 amp. But the Fiio A5 won't have quite enough oomph to drive the cans to their full potential, just about 3/4 of the way, but is the best portable option.

Another thing that is required for the JVC SZ series can's, is EQ. You can use software EQ or hardware EQ, its up to you. But using these frequency settings, will enhance your listening experience with your JVC SZ 2000 can's.

And yes, the JVC SZ series has been discontinued about 3-years ago. They are a highly sought after can, despite the classic hinge breaking issue. As far as what is considered the new bass king, I guess Sony has a 2000 dollar pair that are considered the new bass king. But when it comes to reality of what most of us can afford, you'd be looking closer to the V-Moda Crossfade LP2 headphones that I am using, as replacement for my broken JVC SZ 1000's. They have 50mm drivers and can slam with amping and EQ.

The JVC SZ 2000's will still produce more then the V-Moda's however due to their larger 55mm driver, but if your pair breaks, V-Moda LP2 is a good option, and an affordable one IMO. There are a few other options that other's can chime in on, but thats what I have for you so far.

 

[OldDude04]

I have a pair of the well-known JVC SZ-2000 headphones, which I bought what, five years ago because I wanted to experience the biggest sub bass slam possible. I like them, but I confess that the "bass cannon" aspect of them has not been realized to my ears. Like, these are ok, but what is all the raving about?" I have read that these really need good amplification to get the sub woofer driver going. I do not own an appropriate amp, I am sure. What amp(s) match well with these headphones to bring out the legendary levels of low bass?

As a related (sort of) question, now that this headphone is discontinued (so I have read), what do people consider the numero uno bass cannon headphone currently, and is there a bass-rich headphone that would respond well to a moderate quality DAC/amp like the ifi micro black label?

Doug Greenberg, Berkeley, CA

There is no must have/best choice amp per se to run the SZ2k, any decent amp with good power (over 1W a channel at least) will give you the bass that you're looking for. In the past I've run SZ2k on iFi Micro iDSD, Garage1217 Project Polaris, Schiit Magni 3, and my favorite the Emotiva BasX A100 with the jumpers. You could also get the S.M.S.L. SP200 as @StarTreker suggested, or it's slightly bigger THX "brothers", the Drop THX 789, or the Monolith THX 887. It all depends on budget and personal preference, any and all of those will more than do the job, but you will need to use EQ to get the most from the JVC's.

 

[GrandNagus50]

Of the headphones I own the ones that give ME the biggest sub bass reponse are the Velodyne VTrues. They are not great overall headphones (too dark) but even with minimal amplification they give a LOT of bass.
I will try amplifying the JVC's variously. If that doesn't work, I will sell them

Doug Greenberg

 

[iFi audio]

There is no must have/best choice amp per se to run the SZ2k, any decent amp with good power (over 1W a channel at least) will give you the bass that you're looking for. In the past I've run SZ2k on iFi Micro iDSD, Garage1217 Project Polaris, Schiit Magni 3, and my favorite the Emotiva BasX A100 with the jumpers. You could also get the S.M.S.L. SP200 as @StarTreker suggested, or it's slightly bigger THX "brothers", the Drop THX 789, or the Monolith THX 887. It all depends on budget and personal preference, any and all of those will more than do the job, but you will need to use EQ to get the most from the JVC's.

If I may ask, how ours landed among others you listened to?

 

[GrandNagus50]

If I may ask, how ours landed among others you listened to?

Ah, busted! I ordered the ifi Black Label last weekend and it hasn't arrived yet. But you should know I did a LOT of research and comparisons before clicking on "buy" for the DAC, so I do have expectations! . I decided to get this unit over the smaller xDSD mostly because it is more powerful.

So I don't yet know how the JVC's will respond to the Black Label. But I am disappointed in what I get from a Cavalli Liquid Carbon, which I had thought has some real power, so I guess my mindset is that I will need some kind of monster amplification to get the JVC's to pump out those low frequencies. Like I said, the biggest sub bass performance I have experienced from any headphones are from the lowly-regarded Velodyne vTrues I got on sale about five years ago. These are good for heavily bass-dominated music and just about nothing else, but they exude their subwoofer magic even from a Dragonfly Red.

OTOH, I just now looked at a review of the Liquid Carbon from Audio Science Review in 2018, and here is what was said:
"Subjectively, the Liquid Carbon X simply does not have enough clean power for my taste. The purpose of such a large desktop units should be to have ample amount of power to throw any headphone at it. That simply is not the case in single-ended mode. The amplifier distorts before the headphone which is no good. " It says it expects better performance in balanced mode, but the JVC's are not balanced headphones.

Doug Greenberg, Berkeley, CA

 

[iFi audio]

Ah, busted!

Look, I'm omnipresent on HF

If I were a superhero, knowing what's up on this forum would be my special power

I ordered the ifi Black Label last weekend and it hasn't arrived yet. But you should know I did a LOT of research and comparisons before clicking on "buy" for the DAC, so I do have expectations! . I decided to get this unit over the smaller xDSD mostly because it is more powerful.

After everything that's been said about our micro BL, it's fair to expect a lot out of it. Hopefully you won't be disappointed, but that thing has lots of real power, so you should be good

So I don't yet know how the JVC's will respond to the Black Label. But I am disappointed in what I get from a Cavalli Liquid Carbon, which I had thought has some real power, so I guess my mindset is that I will need some kind of monster amplification to get the JVC's to pump out those low frequencies. Like I said, the biggest sub bass performance I have experienced from any headphones are from the lowly-regarded Velodyne vTrues I got on sale about five years ago. These are good for heavily bass-dominated music and just about nothing else, but they exude their subwoofer magic even from a Dragonfly Red.

Whatever happens, please feel free to let me know as now I'm really looking forward to your findings. Besides, it's always good to know whether the BL was able to keep up with high expectations or not

 

[StarTreker]

Yeah well, you guys should know that the S.M.S.L SP200 is a desktop amp that has a lot of power for headphones. It has 6-watts per channel into 16 ohms, thats even more power then the JVC's SZ series can handle at full volume. You'd end up popping those drivers like sweet Misties cherry! And the same amp can do 3-watts per channel into 32 ohms, which is what my V-Moda Crossfade LP2 cans are. Here is a link to my full review on the amp, which also shows pictures, and modifications I did to it, if your interested.
S.M.S.L SP200 Headphone Amp Review

 

[Saoshyant]

Sadly I have never gotten the chance to try the SZ2K, but everything else I've tried with the micro BL has sounded wonderful. Certainly handles the ZMF Ori wonderfully, loving the bass on that combo.

 

[OldDude04]

If I may ask, how ours landed among others you listened to?

Very high. I'm a huge proponent of the Micro iDSD. I've owned the original silver and the Black Label. To be honest, I did sell them, but not because they did anything wrong at all. I'd still have one if I ever took any over ears out of the house. There is no better portable DAC/Amp imo, and it's a good desktop setup as well. I just had other DACs and amps that I used for my desktop setups, and I wasn't happy to let the iDSD sit unused.

 

[gr33nhorn]

Personally, my champ for budget bass is the Sony MDR XB950 series. get the xb950B1/N1 if you don't want to spend on an amp, or the wired if you have an amp. you can get them for well below $50 if you look at used options.
For me, these beat out the taction kannon, Skullcandy crusher wireless, 1st gen Beats studio, oneodio Pro, plantronics backbeat pro, beyerdynamic COPS, Crossfade LP1, 1more Triple Driver over ear, Sennheiser HD 4.50 BT to get to the first slot

 

[GrandNagus50]

I actually have a Sony MDR xb950 bt, was just messing with it because the battery won't charge. I can get a replacement but I have to have soldering skills to install it. Not hard, but I would have to get a soldering gun and all that. I could buy another one. Or just use them without the power. The bass is huge but it is not tight. Good for some music and for some other music not as much.

I actually have several bass-heavy IEMs. But I guess that's for another forum
Doug Greenberg

 

[gr33nhorn]

if you want tight, from what i have tried, my pick is the 1more triple driver over ear. Needs a good amp (not necessarily high power, but needs low impedance) for the low end to shine.