Sleek SA6

[tstarn06]

Fedex mistakenly sent the package from Philadelphia, where I live, to King of Prussia (a far suburb) and could not get them back in town in time for delivery. I checked the site and it had the dreaded "delivery exception," so I called. Won't be here until Monday. Doh!

[cn11]

Originally Posted by tstarn06

Fedex mistakenly sent the package from Philadelphia, where I live, to King of Prussia (a far suburb) and could not get them back in town in time for delivery. I checked the site and it had the dreaded "delivery exception," so I called. Won't be here until Monday. Doh!

Man that's painful! Hope they arrive safely on Monday.

[tstarn06]

Yeah, a real pain in tush. Now, the driver will probably leave a hang tag on our front gate (we have a locked, gated courtyard) that says "business closed" and leave without delivery. That's happened twice already with Fedex. Not sure what happened to that company, at least in my neighborhood. UPS is so much more reliable than Fedex Ground, which I believe is an add-on to the original Fedex (like Kinko's).

[DJGeorgeT]

sorry to hear FEDEX sucks in your area. Here in Chicagoland is the other way around with UPS not having a damn clue about their own operations.

[cn11]

Originally Posted by tstarn06

Yeah, a real pain in tush. Now, the driver will probably leave a hang tag on our front gate (we have a locked, gated courtyard) that says "business closed" and leave without delivery. That's happened twice already with Fedex. Not sure what happened to that company, at least in my neighborhood. UPS is so much more reliable than Fedex Ground, which I believe is an add-on to the original Fedex (like Kinko's).

Hah, well at least you seem to be a patient guy! ..unlike me. I popped for overnight shipping, having ordered from Jason at Sleek. They use DHL, and I got them next day at my office (when I saw that nice bright yellow box, I knew right away what was in it). Needless to say I hardly got any work done that day- Tuesday that is. I used them in the office on Wednesday, and then we got a nasty sleet/ice storm here in St. Louis so they told all of us that have laptops to work from home. So I've been listening, and posting here.

[tstarn06]

I work from home full-time (own business), so I don't have to wait for an ice storm. But I would have liked to have the weekend to listen. Not a biggie, I have plenty of other phones to use in the meantime.

[cn11]

Interesting how the interchangeable tip idea is now here too. I wonder if news of SA's work got out to one of the big audio companies- undoubtedly manufactured in China- and they jumped on the bandwagon. I'm not sure how long these have been available, but if you look in the enlarged photos, it's uncanny how similar the looks of the sound tubes is. The main difference is that it seems all the tuning is done on the front of the earphone, while the SA6 allows you to tune bass/treble separately.

AudioCubes.com - Pioneer SE-CLX9 Outdoor Canal-phones - SE-CLX9 -

[kojebee]

Originally Posted by cn11

Interesting how the interchangeable tip idea is now here too. I wonder if news of SA's work got out to one of the big audio companies- undoubtedly manufactured in China- and they jumped on the bandwagon. I'm not sure how long these have been available, but if you look in the enlarged photos, it's uncanny how similar the looks of the sound tubes is. The main difference is that it seems all the tuning is done on the front of the earphone, while the SA6 allows you to tune bass/treble separately.

AudioCubes.com - Pioneer SE-CLX9 Outdoor Canal-phones - SE-CLX9 -

The pioneer SE-CLX9 is about $190 and the Pioneer SE-CLX7 is about $110. The 7s are made with metal, whilst the 9s are made using aluminium. The guy in the headphone shop I went to, didn't tell me of any other differences. I'm thinking of trying the SE-CLX7.

[cn11]

Originally Posted by kojebee

The pioneer SE-CLX9 is about $190 and the Pioneer SE-CLX7 is about $110. The 7s are made with metal, whilst the 9s are made using aluminium. The guy in the headphone shop I went to, didn't tell me of any other differences. I'm thinking of trying the SE-CLX7.

You should just order a pair of the Sleek SA6's, they are fantastic. International shipping is available with them too... you won't regret these!

[Daemos]

Now...I want to know how they compare to the IM716 and the M5 and the Q-jays...

I had the IM716 and I am looking at a replacement...*sigh* looks like I'm gonna have to stretch my headphone budget AGAIN Thanks head-fi =/

[tstarn06]

As you can see, I have the 716s and the M5s as well. If the SA6s are all they are supposed to be (mine SHOULD be here tomorrow), I'll be selling off the 716s, but will keep the M5s just because of their unique sound sig (and the fact that I took off the plastic covers at the bottom of the phones (the covers that sealed the memory wire). But the 716s will become expendable, for sure. So at this time tomorrow I hope to be listing the 716s in the FS forum, at a very low price, I might add (and with 5 filters tossed in).

[Daemos]

Let me know your results I am VERY interested in the SA6 =/

[cn11]

I think my Atrio's are going on the chopping block. They are my least favorite of the 3 main sets of earphones I have now (I like them ALMOST as much as the Denons, but I prefer the more balanced sound sig overall- I do hate to give up that slamming bass of the Atrios though). So I will keep the SA6, and use the Denon C700 as my backup. I think a coworker may be interested in my Atrios... he may be getting them for his girlfriend. Lucky gal! They'll get them at a nice price because the memory wire has been removed, along with the clear sleeves that covered them.

tstarn06- I sure hope you get yours tomorrow. I hope you hear them the same way I do. It's funny, but at first I thought I preferred the Denons a tad at first, because of the more full bass, but the more I listened to the SA6's the more I got drawn into their detail, smoothness, and wonderful overall presentation. The bass on the SA6 is tighter, and not as mid-bassy.

[tstarn06]

I'm with you on that. I just need to get this "search" finished and get back to reality. If the SA6s meet that objective, I am going to sell off all my phones but the SA6s, SR-80s and PK3s (which I am listening to right now through the Minibox/Zune, and they sound great. And to think I paid $25 for them in a group buy). With that trio, I have one IEM (using that term to mean a "deep" portable phone), one full-sized phone, and one premium ear bud. That covers my needs, really. I also have the Sony E082s that came with the A816, which I find decent (after modding them). So that covers canal phones too.

You can sense that you have given me second thoughts about keeping the Atrios. I guess I could sell them as-is (I also removed the memory wire and plastic covers) for a fair price, to help pay for the SA6s. I can toss in those filters and a bunch of FS large foamies as part of the deal. Hmmmm.

Well, let's see how it goes tomorrow. I am optimistic, of course. I may need the Atrio cash because I also just bought a new T-Amp for my home office (one with a Sub-out) for $89. It's off topic, but there are only 5 left (a new amp, introductory offer to the first 100 forum members at Tweak City Audio, a DIY-type component builder). These T-Amps are an amazing thing (I already own two original Sonic Impact T-Amps, which cost $29 each and are unreal).

Special pricing for the first 100 members !! - Page 13 - Tweak City Audio

[tstarn06]

Okay, so the Fedex guy finally showed up today, and he had the box. I've been listening to the SA6s for an hour or so, and out of the gate, they are easily the best IEMs (if I can use that term) I have heard yet. Holly Cole, Lyle Lovett, Asleep at the Wheel, Beatles, Dan Hicks, Stones, Sinatra, ...no matter who (or what) I throw at the SA6s, they deliver. My only problem is, I don't know a rolled off high from a decayed note. All I know is they deliver clean, clear highs and mids, with a smooth, deep, ear-pleasing bass. Most of all, the detail and clarity, without being sibilant, are really what I've been seeking since the beginning of this crazy chase.

By comparison, I find them as enjoyable to listen to as the Grado SR-80s. I don't mean they sound the same, cause they don't. But I can go with either and be happy. I could never say that about my other IEMs. I also think they offer a wide soundstage, and they definitely are very easy to drive. Neither DAP has to go much past halfway to be loud enough. That's another plus.

On that front, I've tried them out with the Zune (amped and unamped), and I have to say, while the MiniboxE+ does do some nice things with the bass, it's not necessary for excellent SQ. And that's good, because I don't like hauling an amp around with me.

Odd thing is, when I first put them in, I loved the sound. Then I had a call, and went back to them. But this time, I didn't push them deep enough, and they sounded thin. I started to panic, until I realized they were no way close to deep enough. I am using the mid-sized flanges, which while comfortable, do feel pretty pressure-packed. Not sure, but I may try the larges or some other tips I have on hand.

Don't get me wrong, the tips are comfy and maintain their seal, but they do feel pretty tight in there. Have to see how they feel after some hours of listening, not just minutes. Even as I type, they are starting to "disappear" while I work. That's a good sign.

The SA6s really deliver the right balance of across the sound spectrum. So as far as I am concerned, sound quality/signature is not an issue. Scott and Chris are right on the money. To me, these are head and shoulders above the Atrios, C700s, iM716s, etc. Not even close to me. Not a hint of sibilance, or any other downside to the sound as far as my ears can tell. Of course, they do cost more than those phones, but those are the phones I had used.

Some other considerations...

Tube trouble
I had a very hard time prying one of the treble tubes out. In fact, could not do it with my hands, and had to resort to a gentle pull with a needle-nosed pliers. Didn't damage the green tube (the neutral), but immediately moved to the gray tubes, the treble+. Also moved to the bass+ because of other comments here on Head-Fi. So I have not tried any of the other combinations. Right to the ++ deal.

Sony DAP issue
Also, if you have a Sony A8xx DAP, the plug on the SA6s is kind of bulky, so it's a very tight squeeze if you use one of those plastic cases, which I do. Not much can be done about it. I mean, it works, but the case did come apart at one point because the SA6 plug.

Pieces parts
The pieces are small, but I quickly bagged them, so they are safe and sound. I can't ever see traveling with anything but the phones and the pieces already installed. So losing the pieces is not an issue. But working with them is odd for we older folks. In fact, the phones are smaller than they appear in the photos (except for the one posted here where they are not even visible).

What can I say. As far as I can tell, they are keepers. If they continue to please the way they do now, I will be selling off any other IEMs I own, and reducing my collection to the SA6s, the Grados and the PK3s. End of story.

I was never interested in collecting dozens of headphones. I just wanted 2-3 pair that met my needs. I think/hope I have found that. Of course, never say never. But at this price point, I don't think it's gonna get any better spending another $200-600 for a pair of in-ear phones. Not to my limited ears.

If this is a flavor of the month deal, than I guess you can say the flavor tastes pretty darn good right now. And I don't expect it will change. Of course, there are other issues, such as durability, customer service, etc. Those take time to work themselves out.

I can't understand how those reviewers, CNET and Computer Shopper, could have rated these phones lower than the Shures, UEs and Atrios. Hey, I have been a major Atrio fan, and I still think they are the best in that price range. But they are no match for the SA6s at this point. Can't speak for the UEs or Shures, since I have never owned any of them.

My guess? They didn't insert them deep enough. It's all I can figure out. How a pro reviewed could make that mistake is anyone's guess.

Hope this helps. Is the jury still out. Not on SQ for me. I mean, they could fall apart in a month or something, but it's doubtful. And I really like the removable wire thing.

I think I'll wear them for a few hours straight and see how I feel. I might try other tips, not sure. I have so many, I might as well experiment.