Who still has the Sony SA5000? - Page 19

Same here. Mid-bass not so much but more of an upper bass emphasis.
I don't really mind, they're quite close to my preferred version of balanced as well.

i know what the foam donuts do, but never experimented with the k701 but did the k601 since i owned the k601 but never the k701,but here we're talking about ''stock'' form. most if all akg's have an impedance spike somewhere. might not be huge like the older akg models, but they do. measurements though are just measurements. they help a lot, but sometimes don't equal out on how we hear. the sextetts were known to measure not so great at all but they still do so many more things right,especially in the midrange that both the k601 and k701 does. if anything the real ''akg'' brand and not ''harman/akg'' were the and still are the real known beasts of akg. not the k701. only thing harman kardon did great in the past was their receivers,power amps and preamps. headphones not so much but still find the k601 favorite so far. heard the k400/500/501 are better but never heard them.

i know sounds like i'm giving too much praise for the sa5000,but i don't mean to or give the impression i am so i apologize. from experience of multiple sources i tested from laptops(not new ones though.these were older 2000 models if that matters),ipod,preamps,receivers and power amps speaker outputs using the same preamp and audio interface i liked them most off of the power amps and felt and in my opinion heard ''cleaner/tighter'' output while the laptops,computer onboard and ipod sounded no where near as clean. even my preamp with a 39ohm output impedance sounded cleaner than my interface headphone out and ipod. can't explain why but i think it has something to do with output impedance maybe cause even when i had my fostex with a flat impedance curve known with planers gotten a cleaner output from my power amps and i consider the fostex pretty efficient as well cause they sounded really nice off my interface and ipod but better and more clean off my amps.

only reason why i think output impedance has something to do with it,even if the headphone or speaker measures flat in the impedance curve,lower output impedance can help due to better power efficiency transfer but depends on the amp. lot of times amps use crap load of negative feedback to lower the output impedance so no matter what they still might end up sounding like poo. that's just me though and i think overall the sa5000 is a better headphone to the k601/k701. also sorry for writing so much all the time. i just usually try to converse online same way as i would in person so everything ends up wall of text.
Edited by RexAeterna - 4/21/12 at 11:48am

Rex I agree that the SA5000 is the better hp than the K701. It's not as flat, but it's a lot more fun to listen to!

 

yup! i would never say the sa5000 is accurate. just very nice sounding. i just appreciate the clarity and the air it has and think it sounds very nice.

 

I directly A/B'd the SA-5000 and K701 one night and found the SA-5000 had more detail, but that was back when I was a detail freak looking for ultimate note speed, violin friction, cymbal decay, imaging seperation, etc.

 

The K701 was really wet and smooth in the mids, it lacked bass but might have been the vintage amplifier I was using at the time.

 

I think the SA-5000 possibly conducts some sub-bass via bone conduction (via the leather pads) which will not show up in an FR graph, so it's under-represented.

 

Either way, a little ironic it's receiving praise now, it must be the charm of discontinuation?  The Sony MDR-EX700 and MDR-E888 have been discontinued too, FTR, most likely due to Thailand factory flooding, and less than ideal demand.

 

 

 

Oh and for the record I don't "collect" headphones, I just upgrade.  It went something like this... Koss PortaPro -> SA-5000 -> STAX SR-404 Signature -> Audio Technica A2000X -> Tesla T5p.

 

They were all good in different ways.

 

I find IEM's are more intimate and immersive, especially compared to STAX, which is all just ghostly transparency, not to be confused with layering and imaging.

 

Those who only listen to jazz and classical with a NOS DAC, and aim for musical enjoyment, most likely don't care, however.

 

 

 

 

It's strange, but by putting an earpad on the SA-3000 that has a cloth layer between the driver and the ear, the SA3000 actually sounds somewhat like the Sony Z1000 - only with a non-distorted and authoritative bass line. That must be why I like it so much - the SA3k seems to fix my biggest problem with the Z1000. Hopefully the 5k will be even better in this respect.

 

I would generally expect every headphone to be able to transmit mechanical vibration to the skull as long as the earpads made contact with the skin. Is the SA5000's clamp especially strong?

 

Edited by a_recording - 4/21/12 at 6:49pm

if you get a pair with good pads it should form to your face making a good seal. the sa5000 actually don't clamp at all. they fit pretty firmly but really don't clamp. i just found the handband bit irritating after long hours and that's the only complaint i have with them.

 

 

I once read a comment that the 5k headband was actually less comfortable than the 3k because the headband on the 3k does not have the broad metal framing parts that the 5k does.

 

 

Yup, you have to try and find an angle of rotation that the two metal bands don't contact directly on the scalp so it's just the mesh doing the work.  Can be annoying.

Different folks, different strokes.  I think head hammock design of the SA headband to be the most comfortable of any headphone I've tried.  It has a large contact area and no pressure points.  The best for long sessions.

same here, but i collected speakers and amps mostly. after while found it pointless keeping them cause i never used them cause i'm type person like to find something that work as an ''all-rounder'' for me and keep a pair/set as a back-up.

i never used iem's so i wouldn't know how they are, but i been using pair of stax sr-202 with lambda pro pads and find them very nice sounding and appreciate their effortless approach. they are really transparent in transients but only complaint i have with them is i wish it had bit more upper mid to lower treble and tad more air and they be perfect. i find them to have nice bottom-end impact despite the complaints i see when involving stax cause they work insanely well with electronic music and hip-hop/trip-hop.
Edited by RexAeterna - 4/21/12 at 7:06pm

yup, i figured that after awile. i was a bit slow in figuring that out at first i will admit but eventually i did. helps a lot in comfort finding a sweet spot for it.

 

 

As long as you only contact the hammock.  Otherwise it's not a hammock anymore.  It's a strip of metal sitting on your head.

 

I still prefer the HD800 which mysteriously does well to distribute weight despite a relatively narrow band.

They are extremely comfortable in my case.
At first the earpads are deathly cold and fresh with little to no clamp. They do heat up eventually.
The headband fits snugly with even force among the top.