Quote:
Originally Posted by
Graphicism 
Unfortunately a large part of them sounding so good is a cognitive illusion, to say the SA5000 is crap and the 010 the best headphone in the world is purely delusional.
Reading older reviews before the 010s were immortalized they didn't better anything the Sony SAs did. I'm not saying they don't offer anything, simply there role today is a historic piece in a display cabinet. Further more I've seen a flood of R10s and 010s in the for sale forum with the addition of $1,000 flagships coming into the market.
It's a cool piece of history, but not pedestal worthy.
I'm not infallible but I think I have a decent grip on my 'cognitive illusions'. I pass my DBTs when there's a difference and fail when there's not. My impressions usually fall in line with what measurements later confirm.
I am only going by what I hear and not what others hear; speaking of which, have you heard both headphones in question? Those comparisons are old which kinda helps my point about fit. The Qualia is super super picky about fit, and this is fairly well known these days whereas the point was not as emphasized back during the time of that thread. When I heard the Qualia with a headband too large to fit me properly, it was definitely one of the worst headphones I've heard. It sounded like music in a cave.
I certainly have not seen a flood of R10s and 010s on the market in the period you've mentioned and I've kept a very close eye out for the past three or so years. I have not noticed any change in frequency of FS threads for either headphone during that time period actually. Maybe you can provide us with data though.
As for being pedastal worthy, if any dynamic is worthy of such stature the Qualia is definitely in contention. You will find a very high percentage of Qualia owners, past and present, that fully believe that there is no dynamic that can match it in detail, speed, clarity, and size of soundstage. I'm inclined to put more weight towards their thoughts than yours frankly.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
TobaccoRoad
Actually that's exactly how I would describe the SA5k. What makes you think they are a piece of crap? Can you make a brief comparison between the SA5k and the Qualia?
The SA5k was very shrill to my ears. I do not like emphasized treble in most cases. For example, I've never considered buying the HD800 or SA5k because they have an emphasis on treble but are quite grainy/harsh in that region. The Qualia and SR Omega have an emphasis on treble but it is not bothersome to me because the quality of the treble is so pristine. It is likely the SA5k have those characteristics I mentioned when compared to other headphones in and under the price range, but the Qualia is another ballgame. It's all about perspective.
apart from the sound quality,Sony high end headphones desings are very attractive.
