[Sinocelt]

I'll be working on an audiobook project. The clarity and accuracy of the frequency response range of the spoken voice is what matters most here. I need headphones for tracking (closed-back, or semi-closed, to avoid leakage) and, if possible, to help with mixing too.
 
Yesterday, I went to try a few headphones:
 

1. Denon AH-D2000
2. AKG 271 MK II
3. Shure SHR 840
4. Shure SHR 440

 
I was disappointed. With all of them, though mostly with the Denon, for which I had the most hopes but with which I simply couldn't get a seal. The cups were big enough and deep enough, but apparently too rigid to mold themselves to the hard planes of my face. It made the sound hard to judge, though even without a seal I seemed to hear more bass than from the other headphones.
 
The headband of both the SHR 840 and SHR 440 was too heavy; the cups of the SHR 440 were also too shallow. The AKG felt flimsy when I first picked them up, being so light, but they were a lot more comfortable than the other headphones once on my head.
 
I tested all these headphones with recordings of the spoken voice, both from artists I am familiar with and from my own tests (using both a Sennheiser MKH 416 and a Gefell M930 art). In each case, the sound felt ... canned. I found my puny Etymōtic HF5 more revealing of the qualities and flaws of each recording than any of these four headphones.
 
The vendor must have seen the disappointment on my face, because he got out of a box a pair of headphones I'd never heard of: the ATH-SX1a. They were comfortable (though not as much as the ATH-M50 or AKG 271 MK II, I'd say, simply because of their slightly greater weight), isolated better than any of the four other cans I'd tried that day, and sounded more revealing too (though, of course, the added isolation must have helped, in a store setting).
 
What baffled me most was: I'd never heard of the ATH-SX1a. I later googled them, only to find Japanese websites and a few Chinese and Taiwanese ones. I made a search on Head-Fi, and only found that user lolhahaha owns them. I also found that the previous iteration of this model (ATH-SX1) is the favorite AT headphones of this reviewer, out of 23 AT models he tested. The review being in Japanese, though, I cannot understand much, even with the help of Google Translate (the sound of these headhones is "a little fish cake"??).
 
So, does any of you know the ATH-SX1a?
 
 

 

[lolhahaha]

I just noticed this 3 years late but I think the SX1a is only sold in Japan for the most part.
 
I lived in Tokyo back in 2009 when i was working there and I went into one of those electronics shops that where have like 10000 headphones to try out with different amps. I already had the AT W100 and after trying out about 40-50 headphones I decided that the ATH-SX1a sounded great and were only like 200-250 dollars i think, were small enough and isolated perfectly and I used them for everything from riding on the train to going to the gym and even trying to sleep sometimes. I still have them and use them whenever I need a smaller set and dont wanna wear ear buds. For the price I really love how accurate they are but i do have a little high freq hearing loss so maybe others wouldn't appreciate the highs but to me they sound great almost as good as my ath w100 and newer w1000x.

 

[Trls250]

Since there seems to be nowhere else online that mentions these headphones in English I thought I'd add my opinion.
 
I got these on a recent trip to Japan after trying all of the headphones in a Yodobashi camera. At the price I thought nothing else came close in terms of a full balanced sound quality and being able to meet any type of music. It's got the audio technica sound signature which I'm realizing I like a lot.
 
While plastic, build quality seems supreme so far.
 
Definitely something to look for if you're in Japan.
 
Edited to add "music" to second paragraph.

 

[Sinocelt]

Thank you for your feedback! How do you conciliate the concept of a "balanced" sound with that of a particular "sound signature," if I may ask?

 

[Trls250]

I should clarify that I was using balanced to mean that these headphones did a good job at balancing the hi's, mids and lows. Full bodied would have been a better term to use, I see after searching there is an amplified type but it is not how I intended to use it.
 
As for the AT sound signature, I find there is an emphasis in the mids that is accompanied by a very satisfying bass (deep but never bloated) that gives these a warmer sound.

 

[Trls250]

I should thank you too Sinocelt, with out this thread I may not have realized the need to buy these right then in the store.

 

[Sinocelt]

  I see after searching there is an amplified type but it is not how I intended to use it.

 
I ... don't understand what you mean.
 
 

  As for the AT sound signature, I find there is an emphasis in the mids that is accompanied by a very satisfying bass (deep but never bloated) that gives these a warmer sound.

 
Gotcha.
 
 

  I should thank you too Sinocelt, with out this thread I may not have realized the need to buy these right then in the store.

 
You're welcome. I still regret not buying them, but then, at the time, I was too close to being in the red. 

 

[Max Choiral]

del

 

[Max Choiral]

 At the price I thought nothing else came close in terms of a full balanced sound quality and being able to meet any type of music.

What about Sound Warrior SW-HP10, SW-HP11?

 

[Trls250]

I did try the sound warrior sw-hp10 and thought it sounded very good but not quite on the same level as the SX1a.

Its been some months now but I remember being off put by the soundwarriors build, the SX1a felt more solid.

 

[Max Choiral]

I did try the sound warrior sw-hp10 and thought it sounded very good but not quite on the same level as the SX1a.

Its been some months now but I remember being off put by the soundwarriors build, the SX1a felt more solid.

Could you put in a little bit more details about what you like more about AT? Of course, if you remember them well

Also, what kind of gear are you using with this HP? I got the feeling that the high frequency is a little bit loose, lacks articulation but maybe better DAC/AMP can fix it

 

[Trls250]

I should clarify my intention of posting to this thread was to add an additional endorsement of the SX1A headphones in English. There really isn't much in out there a non-Japanese speaker can reference around these.
 
That said, I am far from a headphone expert. I've benefited greatly from opinions on this community but am not much of a contributor.
 
 
 
I should also add what I was looking for: a closed back, comfortable over the ear that wasn't excessively large. I heard some really good open back headphones but didn't take note. 
 
 
 
My experience was only in store and connected to a recent version of the ipod classic 250gb so I can't comment on what an amp could do.
 
The sound warrior is a good headphone. After trying close to 50 pairs it was in contention with the SX1a but I ultimately liked the sound of the SX1a better. I can't remember why.
 
 
I'll list out some headphones I've owned in the past and own now.
 
Past
Sennheiser HD 497
Sennheiser HD-25 
Sony 7506 (broke)
Klipsch image s4 (broke)
Thinksound ts02 (broke)
 
Now
Grado SR-100
Audio-technica ESW9
Yamaha EPH-100SL
Audio Technica SX1a
 
I've liked all of these but really like the group I have now. The ultrasone edition 8 sounds great but unfortunately I can't justify spending on it right now.

 

[ruonis]

Hello,
Just thought to share some of my expirience of owning SX1a.
Quite transparent but not too flat sound. Overall balanced , nothing sticking out too much ( Low,mid,highs) .
Really comfortable to work during long sessions.
For the price it's a bargain!!!
I got mine in 2013 at Yodobashi electronic store in Japan . ( Osaka,umeda)after spending a few days testing different studio monitor headphones in the store
It's a great alternative for those who is on tight budget .
Shame that you can buy them only in Japan.
Maybe one day it will be possible to buy them in more countries.

 

[Sinocelt]

Maybe one day it will be possible to buy them in more countries.

 
Well, they were available in Taiwan, at least, when I tried them, (more than) a few years back.