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Sony mdr-sa5000 vs Denon ah-d7000

post #1 of 24
2/16/10 at 2:48am
Thread Starter 
I'm looking at AHD7000 and saw sony sa5000 selling at $350s on newegg and ohter website. It's very tempting as of this moment.
Is sa5000 good as d7000? what is their charcteristics?
I really want the d7000 but the $350s for the new Sa5000 is very tempting.
Also I like the look of Sa5000 ..kinda looks like Senn HD800 isn't it?
Will I be happy with sa5000 or just wait for the d7000..

Finally, are both of these cans made in china or japan?
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post #2 of 24
2/16/10 at 2:58am
Thread Starter 
This is pretty bad. I think I got a headphone disease or something... I ordered a ath-ad700 today too. My wallet is running dry..
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post #3 of 24
2/16/10 at 3:41am
SA5000 is open, D7000 is closed. For some people just that alone is night and day preference.
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post #4 of 24
2/16/10 at 4:04am
They are like complete opposites lol. Denon D7000 being closed and very bassy. SA5000 being open and fairly bass light.
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post #5 of 24
2/16/10 at 4:06am
Let's get the obvious out of the way. Sa5k's made in Japan, d7k in China. I own 'em both. The leather of d7k is synthetic. The leather of sa5k is more rigid, feels like real leather as a result but I don't know whether it's pleather or not. Comfort wise both are equally top-notch. Sa5k has lightweight bass, wider soundstage, slightly laid-back sound. I think sa5k has a leg up in the speed department whilst d7k's in resolution by a tad. Oh d7k's louder if you care about that. Bass of sa5k has brightness embedded, so might sound hollow to some. I should mention that sa5k has such polarizing opinions here that it may be worthwhile doing a search and reading about it before. Highs and mids of both cans are good, but haven't done enough critical listening to subjectify deeper. Of course it goes w/o saying that ymmv.
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post #6 of 24
2/16/10 at 5:20am
Thread Starter 
I want to buy both but.. If I do, before I put on the headphones my wife will kill me first.. She doesn't know how much I spent on my gears so far.. I am leaning toward d7000 because after I spent hours reading about sa5000 and d7000, d7000 seems like a winner. But for $800.. I really don't want to regret after.. As of sa5000.. Price is so tempting.. Do you think sa5000 can replace my k701? It's late and I can't sleep..
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post #7 of 24
2/16/10 at 5:59am
I would just get a used set of cans from here. IMO, wait until something pops up like the LA2000, LA7000 or D7000 for a nice price on here. But if you are really set on buying brand new and right away, try and get something like $600-$700 for the D7000. J&R have gone as low as $550 I think it was. lately it's been at about $600 though. Personally, I would start with the MD5000 used and then get the LA7000, but it's your choice not mine
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post #8 of 24
2/16/10 at 6:08am
Thread Starter 
Maybe I should try call j&r again tomorrow.. I've been checking out the eBay and got outbid on used sa5000.. And no d7000 yet.. Thank you for the info.
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post #9 of 24
2/16/10 at 6:09am
No prob. Good luck, it may take some talking but it will be well worth it.
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post #10 of 24
2/16/10 at 6:14am
Thread Starter 
I'll probably pull my trigger on d7000 if I can get it under $600..
Thank you, stang & joomongj.
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post #11 of 24
2/16/10 at 6:31am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AudioHi View Post
Also I like the look of Sa5000 ..kinda looks like Senn HD800 isn't it?
It's the other way around. HD800 looks like SA5000

SA5k is very lightweight and comfortable. I have heard headphones 3 times it's price and it has remained a winner for me. The bass is not the heaviest but it is there. The sound is very spacious especially balanced.
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post #12 of 24
2/16/10 at 6:46am
Thread Starter 
I am starting to believe sa5000 outperforms k701.. After read many reviews on sa5000..
Did hd800 came after sa5000? With the price of hd800, I would get denon d7000, Sony sa5000 and senn hd600...
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post #13 of 24
2/16/10 at 6:56am
IMO, the SA5000 is tipped toward treble way too much and has a terrible tonality. If you like the K701, I suspect that you'll like the W5000 too. To me, the W5000 is more detailed, bass has more texture, while its mids sound beautiful, and overall sounds much smoother than the K701.

As for the D7000, it's a damn fine and fun headphone, but I personally cannot stand recessed mids.
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post #14 of 24
2/16/10 at 7:59am
Of all the headphone purchases that I've made over the last 15 years, the SA5000 was the worst of them all. Its midrange is cold and lean and its bass light. That combination of attributes gave me a headache listening to it within 15 minutes. The only thing I liked about the Sony was that it was comfortable. I owned the Sony for about a year and I used both tubes (Raptor) and SS amps for amplification.

The Denon on the other hand is one of the best values available. I own the 7000 and the HD800 and currently I like the 7000 better even though I paid less than half of what I paid for the 800. The 7000 has more bass and its of good quality too. The Denon's highs and the midrange are excellent too. I have the J Money earpads which are supposed to improve the sound quality but I never really compared it to stock. Between the 5000 and the 7000, there is no comparison, get the 7000. IMO of course.
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post #15 of 24
2/16/10 at 8:31am
I owned the SA5K for a while, and also had the K701 - I decided to keep the K701. I don't think the SA5K is an upgrade - more of a sidestep than a step up. They're great headphones, but I would be surprised if they totally displaced the K701 for you.

The D7000 is a terrific headphone as well, and I think you'd be really happy with them if you bought them. They would provide a very different flavor from your K701, but one that is extremely pleasant to listen to. I'd take the advice of stang and wait for one to pop up on the FS forums.
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