[Raketen]

It could be worse... the sz2k's could be expensive!

 
Yeah, really great value I think. Currently on the IEM/earbud diet, but with luck the price will hold to the holidays- though an everpresent risk I get distracted by some "high-end" hype or open-backs as I only really have space for one full size set

 
 
Sig DJ's were great but didn't quite cut it.

 

[BadReligionPunk]

I'm glad to be in this neighborhood.

Today was bring my 2k's to work day. Listening to enka at this very moment. Sounds like I'm there and the joints got a pretty nice PA system. No other headphone comes close to providing a live sound experience.

Of course I'm breaking all kinds of pseudo religious audiophile laws by running through a HO instead of a LO, and applying an EQ to clean up the rough edges a bit. Thankfully the neighborhood association where I live is cool with that.

 

[leo5111]

i wish i knew someone lived around me, id love to hear a pair before i buy em

 

[vapman]

  i wish i knew someone lived around me, id love to hear a pair before i buy em

You're in Cali, there are tons of SZ's out that way

 
@Raketen I only have space for about two full size headphones..... I have two SZ2k's. Several things ( even the Denon 7000's ) came thru trying to dethrone at least one of them but.... nah.

 

[chillaxing]

  i wish i knew someone lived around me, id love to hear a pair before i buy em

 
 
Pm me, I'll be back in the 626 in about 2 weeks

 

[leo5111]

   
 
Pm me, I'll be back in the 626 in about 2 weeks

pm you now? or in 2 weeks?.

 

[LouisArmstrong]

 
I have bitten my tongue for 2+ years in the name of saving other folks money.
 
One of my childhood best friends..the best.. was a kid who's father played sax in the New Black Eagles Jazz Band. We went to local gigs (stiky wicket etc..) and ran around ,listened, played around and this is on top of my mom and her epic 70s set-up and vinyl collection and her mom...my grandma playing chello with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. I went to more live events before I was 13 then most go to in a lifetime. Relic is a well respected member on here and me and him were battling with awesome FiiO X5 themes and mine were retro vinyl based themes. I absolutely live and breathe my childhood again whenever i can.
 
The HD800 and my T1 play music in a precise manner that is not like being there. It isn't. My time corrected, driver to freq range dedicated car systems are not similar to live shows in clubs or concert halls or stadiums. Headphones are even further away with a single driver dedicated to the whole range.
 
Whether it was the Boston pops at the halfshell or the Violent femmes in the Orpheum or Pink Floyd at Foxboro or Aerosmith at the Civic center or....the NBEJB at the sticky wicket...the SZ are the closest to being there I have ever had. There are more resolving sets with great stages and I own them to...... but being there?
 
I was there a lot man.
 
SZ2k, MA900,EX1000/800...and I'm good. ****...I'm almost there!

The SZ2000 is hard to beat for gaming and movies and for bass stuff. For transparency I still prefer my HE1000 and SR009.
 
HD800 is the most overrated headphone of all time. Way overrated. It is unnatural, too bright and the soundstage while very wide, sounds fake and tiring after a while, even with the best matching amps. I haven't heard the 800S but won't have high expectation either. The HD650, heck, even the HD600 is much much much better than the HD800.

 

[Raketen]

 
The SZ2000 is hard to beat for gaming and movies and for bass stuff. For transparency I still prefer my HE1000 and SR009.
 
HD800 is the most overrated headphone of all time. Way overrated. It is unnatural, too bright and the soundstage while very wide, sounds fake and tiring after a while, even with the best matching amps. I haven't heard the 800S but won't have high expectation either. The HD650, heck, even the HD600 is much much much better than the HD800.

To be fair I think many proponents of the HD800 also mod and/or eq them quite a bit... supposedly the 800S obviates that need somewhat  - Tyll Hersten's article on it is actually a really interesting read even if you're not interested in the headphone per se.
 

 

[knorris908]

I disagree with SZ veil claims. I respect them (other users) but I own a set of Beyer T1 and they are pretty resolving and my SZ are still with me.  I have ,do and always will wave more folks away from the SZ than I rec them to but I still own these myself and use them almost as much as my ma900 and ex1000.  I compare my SZ with my D5K a lot recently and the difference is overstated by others IMO. I prefer the SZ actually.

Do you know what a shame is? It's that I spent WAY too much money on a set of ASTRO 40 headsets that don't sound any better for gaming than my SZ-2000s do. (If only they had an attachable Boom Mike option....). sZ-2000s kill straight-up when it comes to 3D audio, and the explosions will make you jump while sitting in your chair more often than you will want to admit!

HD800 & HD800S get less ear time than my T1 ver.2 or the HE400i cans. Yes, it's nice when you specifically want to test just how wide a soundstage can get, but if I want to listen to MUSIC, rather than evaluate components of audio presentation, I reach for 3 cans: T1 for almost all classical, instrumental, and folk/world music, HE400i or HE560 for everything else aside from club/house/EDM/Rap. They even beat out my HD-650s for jazz/blues though they are NOWHERE as comfortable as the Sennheisers. But thump is done best by the SZ-2000. No surprise there. What I often forget, is that with slight tweaks to EQ and ENOUGH POWER (NOT volume) the SZ-2000s are very capable outside of club/house/EDM/Rap music. I chilled with some Brothers Johnson the other night, and didn't even notice when the playlist moved on to Boston. I just tweaked the EQ without thinking about it, and had a great old time. Even YAZ and Roxy Music sounded great. (All old groups, I know. But hey, I'M old.).

 

[LouisArmstrong]

Do you know what a shame is? It's that I spent WAY too much money on a set of ASTRO 40 headsets that don't sound any better for gaming than my SZ-2000s do. (If only they had an attachable Boom Mike option....). sZ-2000s kill straight-up when it comes to 3D audio, and the explosions will make you jump while sitting in your chair more often than you will want to admit!

HD800 & HD800S get less ear time than my T1 ver.2 or the HE400i cans. Yes, it's nice when you specifically want to test just how wide a soundstage can get, but if I want to listen to MUSIC, rather than evaluate components of audio presentation, I reach for 3 cans: T1 for almost all classical, instrumental, and folk/world music, HE400i or HE560 for everything else aside from club/house/EDM/Rap. They even beat out my HD-650s for jazz/blues though they are NOWHERE as comfortable as the Sennheisers. But thump is done best by the SZ-2000. No surprise there. What I often forget, is that with slight tweaks to EQ and ENOUGH POWER (NOT volume) the SZ-2000s are very capable outside of club/house/EDM/Rap music. I chilled with some Brothers Johnson the other night, and didn't even notice when the playlist moved on to Boston. I just tweaked the EQ without thinking about it, and had a great old time. Even YAZ and Roxy Music sounded great. (All old groups, I know. But hey, I'M old.).

I can second what this guy says in the first paragraph. Pretty crazy if we are talking about gaming with headphones with the SZ2000. Of course it can't come close to my home theatre, but at night, the SZ2000 is as good as it gets for gaming and movies. Pretty much owns any other so called 5.1 and 7.1 headphones, when you pair it up with the Smyth Realiser A8. 

 

[Raketen]

Do you know what a shame is? It's that I spent WAY too much money on a set of ASTRO 40 headsets that don't sound any better for gaming than my SZ-2000s do. (If only they had an attachable Boom Mike option....). sZ-2000s kill straight-up when it comes to 3D audio, and the explosions will make you jump while sitting in your chair more often than you will want to admit!

Looked at these? -----> http://www.modmic.com/collections/modmic/products/modmic-4-0-omni-directional

 

[LouisArmstrong]

Try using Astro Mixamp with the SZ2000 if you are on a budget. Otherwise, get the Smyth Realiser A8 or the upcoming A16. Closest experience you will get on a headphone to actually being in a home theatre. Even for 2 channel music you feel like you are sitting in front of the band / singer rather than using just headphones.
 
Changes the whole game.

 

[Thenewguy007]

   
I disagree with SZ veil claims. I respect them (other users) but I own a set of Beyer T1 and they are pretty resolving and my SZ are still with me.  I have ,do and always will wave more folks away from the SZ than I rec them to but I still own these myself and use them almost as much as my ma900 and ex1000.  I compare my SZ with my D5K a lot recently and the difference is overstated by others IMO. I prefer the SZ actually.

Are you still using Fostex earpads with the T1?

 

[Hawaiibadboy]

 
Are you still using Fostex earpads with the T1?

No, I use pads from the SZ1k

 

[Fearless1]

Try using Astro Mixamp with the SZ2000 if you are on a budget. Otherwise, get the Smyth Realiser A8 or the upcoming A16. Closest experience you will get on a headphone to actually being in a home theatre. Even for 2 channel music you feel like you are sitting in front of the band / singer rather than using just headphones.

Changes the whole game.

So...you use the A8 with the SZ?

If so please take a photo of that, I would like to see that set-up.